i82 
A NATURE CALENDAR. 
[The accompanying “Naturalist’s Journal” of a little schoolgirl was sent to 
me a few years ago from the small school on the lonely Island of Elmley, at the 
south of Sheppey Island, Kent. The mistress of the school, which is only attended 
by some eight or ten children, encouraged her scholars to observe, and to write 
down what they observed, and this little journal is the result. The island consists 
of two farms, and does not contain any road at all ; it is very secluded, so much 
so that I recollect, when visiting it once in June, to have seen a wild goose, a very 
rare inhabitant in the summer-time, surely, in the south of England. The notice 
of the cow breaking into the school grounds reminds me of a local anecdote 
which is, I believe, strictly true. In the eighteenth century, and perhaps later, 
it was the custom of the clergyman to wish his flock good-bye in the autumn, and 
to return to his residence on the mainland for the winter, until the weather 
improved in the spring and it would be convenient to cross the ferry again for 
Divine worship in the church. One winter, a farmer missed one of his cows, 
and since it was nowhere to be seen on the island it was concluded that someone 
must have landed from the river and stolen the animal. When, however, on a 
fine Sunday morning in the following spring the clergyman was seen crossing 
the ferry and the church was opened to receive him, there v/ere the remains of 
the cow, which had strayed into the deserted church, and, the door closing, had 
thus perished. I think your readers will agree with me that this little Elmley 
girl’s artless diary of what she saw, “ in the natural way,” would have greatly 
gratified old Gilbert White.— Kashleigh Holt-White.] 
Olive Williams, Age 12, Elmley School, Sittingbourne. 
CALENDAR. 
1903. 
Feb. I. 
Feb. 2. 
Feb. 3. 
Feb. 4. 
Feb. 5. 
Feb. 6. 
Feb. 
7 ' 
Feb. 
8, 
Feb. 
9 ' 
Feb. 
10. 
I picked a daisy as I was coming up to church. The 
weather is very fine. 
I saw a teal in a ditch ; it is not a very large bird, but 
a pretty colour ; it has webbed feet and a very 
large bill. 
Saw five oxbirds fighting on the mud ; they were 
quarrelling over a piece of bread ; perhaps some 
men threw it overboard from the barge. 
Saw a curlew ; it is a shore bird. Very windy, but not 
so cold. 
Saw a coot on the saltings ; it is a very large black 
bird. 
Brilliant sunshine. We have been watching the 
shadows this morning, putting a stick to mark 
the direction of the shadows at different times. 
When the sun was S.E. the shadows pointed 
N.W. 
Saw a kingfisher sitting on a post in the tide ; it is a 
very pretty bird ; they are very rare. 
Saw a tom-tit ; it is a small bird, very pretty ; it sings 
very sweetly. 
Saw a blue carrier-pigeon sitting on a fence ; it was 
very pretty. Weather very mild, sun shining 
brilliantly. 
Had a lesson on a sheep ; saw that it had cloven 
hoofs ; it is called a ruminating animal because 
it chews the cud. 
