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THE GAEDENEKS' AND NATURALISTS' CALENDAR FOR FEBRUARY. 
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toxes, and placed in sufficient heat to germinate quickly, 
■would soon be ready for pricking off, thi-ee or four' eacli, 
into tliirty-two size pots, to grow on till tliey have reached 
the size required ; they then could be hardened off in 
cold frames mthout much trouble, after which, plant 
out and protect with glasses, or iuTerted pots, if neces- 
sary. These would come in almost as soon as the Au- 
tunm-sown plants. Sow Cabbage, and Lettuce, for 
succession in pans ; early Horn Carrots, and Wood's 
Early Frame Kadish, on a gentle hotbed ; and Mustard 
and Cress once a- week in boxes, and placed in heat to 
insiu'e a supply. Place fresh lots of Asparagus in 
frames, or pits, where there is a little heat, as soon as 
the previous lot pushes fi'ecly; an occasional soaking 
of weak salted water, at about SO degTees, would be of 
great benefit. Give ail' freely in open weather. Intro- 
duce fresh batches of Ehubarb to the Mirshi-oom House ; 
cover the crowns of plants out of doors, with pots, and 
surroimd them with as much leaves and litter as will 
generate a heat of from 50 to 60 degrees. Cover 
Sea Kale, in the same mamrer, for a succession. Tic 
up and blanch Endive. Protect Broccoli, Lettuces, Ce- 
lery, Endive, and young Cauliflowers, dming severe 
frost, and expose them thoroughly every fixie day. 
J . 0. 
NATURALISTS' CALENDAR. 
Beautipul is the order of nature as exemplified in the 
diiferent seasons, and dear to om' human sympathies ai-e 
the varied aspects in which these are presented to us. 
The rich fi-agTance of the " leafy" months of May and 
Jime are relieved by the birrning heat of the dog- 
days ; and these, in their turn, are agi'ceably supei-seded 
by the autumnal tints of September and "brown Octo- 
ber." Nor is the presence of ice-bovmd Winter alto- 
gether imwelcomc to the lover of natm'o. Only yester- 
day the trees fr'om om' windows, from which a sudden 
thaw had swept every trace of their snowy garments, 
presented nothing for the eye to rest on save naked 
ti'unks and leafless branches ; but tliis morning a scene 
altogether new is before us — a light, fleecy snow has 
fallen diu'iug the night, and every branch is loaded with 
its foliage of glittering snow ; the slender branches of the 
Bu'ch, and trees of a similar habit, are rendered more 
pendrilous by the snow caught upon them in its descent ; 
and even the sturdy boughs of the Oak and the Elm 
have acquired a more drooping appearance from the 
added weight; and the whole landscape seems as if 
pencilled in a frost-work of glittering silver. In some 
places, where the rays of the sun catch them, they gUttcr 
and sparkle like prisms of glass ; and we find ourselves 
unconsciously proclaiming this to be a winter of the 
" olden time ;" for such a pictm-e has not presented 
itself to our eyes for many years. 
For " every shrub, and every blade of grass, 
And evei-y pointed tborn seems wi-ought in glass ; 
In pearls and rubies rich the hawthorns show, 
"While through the iee the holly berries glow." 
But such a scene, however charming it may be to the 
lover of nature, wrapped in his waiin whiter clothing, is 
by no means so attractive to the feathered tribes. As the 
cold increases they gather together in flocks, and, ren- 
dered bold by hunger, some of them approach the villages 
and farm-houses, while others shelter themselves among 
the long grass and stubble. Professor MacgiUivray has, 
in his Histoiy of British Land Bfrds, adopted a mode 
of grouping the different genera, which it wUl be con- 
venient to adopt for the piu-poses of this calendar. The 
first of these groups which we shall have to deal with 
is his order V. 
Cantatores (Songsters). — Under this order he classes 
the Turdiiue, or Thrushes. Of these the Blackbird, Ttir- 
dus Menila, and the Song Thrush, Tardus Musicm, begin 
to sing their song of love during this month. Perched 
on some branch of a tree, the Blackbii-d may be heard 
pom-ing forth his delicious song about the middle of 
the month, increasing in its ardour as the season ad- 
vances, and pauing time approaches. The gentle musi- 
cal song of the Thrush may also be heard towards the 
end of this month — probably two of them echoing each 
other mth their sweet love notes. 
Alaitdinis, the Larks, another family of the Canta- 
tores, begin thefr song this month. Even in January, 
a bright day caUs forth its sweet and lingering notes, 
as, floating fliitteringly high in air, it sings its song of 
praise and adoration. About this time also maybe occa- 
sionally heard the short., eleai-, modulated song of the 
Hedge-chanter (Accentor modtdaris). The Eedbreast 
(Erithacus rubecula) may be seen in paii's this month, 
and the yoimg have sometimes been found in the nests 
as early as the end of March. The song of this feathered 
favourite is rich, mellow, and clearly modulated ; he 
sings perched on a bush or tree, even in dull, rainy 
weather. 
Passerina. — Following the grouping adopted, we 
find embraced under it a number of families, whose 
average size is that of the House-sparrow, including 
the ChjVpfixch, (Fringilla Calebs,) the Gkeenpikch, 
( Coccothranstes chloris,) and the Tellow Bunting, 
CEmbei'cza Miliaria,) whose song may be heard in fa- 
vom'cd spots, diuiag this month. 
WILD FLOAVERS OF FEBRUARY. 
In this month, when the earth has scarcely put off its 
icy covering, the field botanist can scarcely expect a 
very fidl harvest, unless indeed he busies himself with 
some of the crj^jtogamous tribes. StiU, a few plants 
are now in flower, and some exclusively in this and the 
previous and succeeding months. The Mezereon 
{Daphne Mezereum), a reputed native of this country, 
is now in blossom, the leaves appearing later ; but it 
will not be very frequently met with, except in old- 
fashioned gardens. Its congener, the Sjiurge Laurel 
{Daphne Zaureola), also flowers at tlus time, and is 
much more common ; these two plants are interesting as 
being the only British representatives of an order which 
has a remarkable pecidiarity of the bark — the liber is 
lamellatcd, and the layers may be separated in sheets. 
The "West Indian lace-bark trees are of this order 
{Thi/meleaeea). The bark of the Mezereon contains an 
acrid juice, which has been employed for medicinal 
piu-poses. The Stinking Hellebore {Helleborus fatidus') 
and the Snowdrop {Galanihus nivalis) are passing oft", 
and will soon be succeeded by the Primrose {Primida vul- 
garis') and the spring Crocus {Crocus vermis), the latter 
coufiiied to a few localities as a wild plant. That 
cmious plant, the Butcher' s-broom {Paiscus aculeatus), 
with its shai-p leaf-Ute branches, now puts forth its 
inconspicuous flowers, seated on the middle of what 
seems to be a leaf, but is in reality a flattened branch, 
as is shown by the presence of the bract below the 
flower. The field Speedwell {Veronica agrestis) also 
occurs, dotted about among the ftu-rows on arable land. 
The little crimson-tij)ped female blossoms of the Hazel 
{Corylus ^j'eSffiH«), may now be met with on the bare 
branches; they usually expand a little later than the 
male catkins. In mild winters they may often be 
found even at Christmas; but this wiU hardly have 
been the case this year. Of other early-flowering trees 
now in blossom may be mentioned the Alder {Alnus 
glutinosa), and the Tew {Taxus baccatd). A. H. 
ENTOMOLOGY. 
Several of the following insects make their appearance 
only on bright warm days, having been produced in the 
preceding autumn, when the increasing warmth revives 
them fr'om their wintry sleep ; but others ai-e deve- 
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