54 
NATURE NOTES 
II. 
At noon, within the woodland shade 
I walked and listened to the birds ; 
And feeling glad like them I sang 
A low song without words. 
When all at once a radiance white, 
Not from the sun, all round me came ; 
The dead leaves burned like gold, the grass 
Like tongues of emerald flame. 
The murmured song died on my lips ; 
Scarce breathing, motionless I stood ; 
So strange that splendour was ! so deep 
A silence held the wood ! 
The blood rushed to and from my heart, 
Now felt like ice, now fire in me, 
Till putting forth my hands, I cried, 
“ O let me hear and see ! ” 
But even as I spake, and gazed 
Wide-eyed, and bowed my trembling knees, 
The glory and the silence passed 
Like lightning from the trees. 
And pale at first the sunlight seemed 
When it was gone ; the leaves were stirred 
To whispered sound, and loud rang out 
The carol of a bird. 
W. H. Hudson. 
F. A. MALLESON: A REMINISCENCE. 
Some readers of Nature Notes may remember an article entitled “A Vicar- 
age Garden in North Lancashire,” in October, 1896, written by the Rev. F. A. 
Malleson. He died on November 14 last, aged 78, at his beautiful vicarage, 
Broughton-in-Furness. By his death the Selborne Society has lost a true friend and 
the magazine a staunch supporter, who by every means in his power introduced it 
to the notice of others of like tastes to his own. He was born in London on June 
19, 1819. His mother was a Yaudoise. and he was sent to the school founded by 
Bestalozzi at Yverdon, Canton Yaud. He subsequently, after an unusual interval, 
went to Dublin and graduated there as B.A. in 1853 and M.A. in i860. He 
was ordained deacon in 1853 ; priest in 1855. 1° >^7° he accepted the living of 
liroughton-in-Furness. I first met him in, I think, 1876 or 1877, and in later 
years, when I stayed in his parish for several months ala time, we became friends. 
Our favourite pursuit being the same — botany — there was never any lack of 
subject for conversation. He was, it seemed to me, more a man of culture than 
of learning ; possibly others who knew him better may not agree with this on 
account of his various books on religious matters. He certainly had caught some 
of the spirit of Gilbert White, and infused as much as he could intoothers. He 
told me he could not recollect the lime when plants were not a source of interest 
to him ; certainly when he came to England he knew more than the generality 
of young men and made the best use of his time. For some years he lived at 
Pulborough in Sussex, and became acquainted with William Borrer of Henfield. 
