SELBORNIANA 
165 
the swallows returned while I was standing in the yard among 
the seed frames and tubs of bright flowers, and that one of the 
birds clung to the wall sheltering the nest, the other clinging to 
the wall opposite, which is the wall of the house. I have no 
recollection as to whether in my dream the nest was covered or 
uncovered ; but something distressed me, and the birds appeared 
to be clinging in a patient, expectant way. 
On awaking I forgot about the dream ; but in the course of 
the morning I described it to my husband, who immediately 
removed the wooden box from the nest. And that very evening, 
towards sunset, the swallows swept into the yard, with shrill 
and joyous twitter, and a glint of blue wings, the old birds 
straight to the nest, as if they had never been away, and a pair 
of younger birds to perch (as I saw them in my dream), the 
one on the nest wall, the other on the wall of the house. 
I should only like to add that earlier in the afternoon we 
strolled to the end of the village, where there is a row of cottages 
which would be commonplace but for the fact that there are 
no less than forty-three swallows’ nests under the eaves. “ Let 
us go and see if ‘ the street ’ swallows have returned,” I said to 
my husband. But all was silent and deserted ; indeed, some of 
the nests had been so roughly handled by the sparrows that we 
feared there would be sorrow and indignation on the part of the 
owners when they returned. All the more were we able to 
rejoice that our own dear pair, when they came back to us, 
could fly “ straight home.” And in the depths of their cosy 
mud-cup nest they remained for nearly half-an-hour, chattering 
and twittering, no doubt telling each other how glad they were 
to find the front door wide open, and none of their household 
gods disarranged. 
But what might not have happened if I had not dreamed 
that dream ? Would the swallows’ instinct have told them that 
the plain wooden box was sheltering their carefully made nest ? 
And if so, would the shock of finding no nest have been lessened 
by the knowledge that the covering was kindly meant on our 
part ? I cannot tell, and I do not think it matters, because all 
is well, and we look forward to a second nest this spring. 
Rachel. 
SELBORNIANA. 
Wild Bird Protection. — We have received from the 
Home Office an Order dated May n, referring to the City of 
Nottingham and protecting certain species of birds, including the 
Avocet, Bittern, Bullfinch, Buntings, Buzzards, Chaffinch, 
Goldfinch, Kingfisher, Linnet, Nightingale, Oriole, Owls, 
Warblers, Woodpeckers, &c., all the year round. 
Wild Plant Protection. — A correspondent, who remem- 
bers when a boy the Osmunda and the true Maidenhair, both in 
St. Ives’ Bay and at Mousehole, sends us the following extract 
