Candlemas to Lammas 
spring bouquet of bloom. I fancy the name is corrupt 
Scotch for the French guigne , word used for wild black 
cherry in Normandy — Guienne, as it used to be called. It is 
curious that Guindo is the Spanish for a wild cherry-tree. 
There are so many French words to be recognised in local 
Scotch — <{ gigot,” which is gigot (leg of mutton) and “ashet,” 
which, meaning “ dish,” has doubtless come from assiette , a 
plate. It is quite a study for those interested in words {see 
Glossary). The fruit-trees in the garden are in bud, and 
Greenfinches are very destructive of them. These birds seem 
very abundant this year. They are very pretty, but it is 
difficult to admire them when one sees the wholesale 
destruction of buds which goes on. 
April 30. — The beds of hyacinths in the rose-garden 
have been, and indeed still are, a perfect picture. How I 
should like to go to Holland in hyacinth-time ; it must be 
quite too lovely, the fields of bloom ! But I am told that 
the smell is quite too oppressive (I can believe it), and that 
the expanse of flowers is cut up by hedges for wind pro- 
tection and canals for transport. 
The yellow' mahonia is now in full bloom, powdering 
the paths with gold-dust. Some people call this a Barberry ; 
and I believe the mahonias and berberis are all akin. 
In Selkirkshire the barberry is called the Guild-tree — 
meaning the Yellow-tree. In some parts of Devonshire 
people preserve the fruit in sugar, I believe in the same way 
currants used to be done in France, by dipping the bunch in 
white of egg and then in powdered sugar. I have also heard 
of it being made into a wine, rather like port, said to be very 
nice. I wish we had more berberis here, they are so pretty ! 
I visited the garden to-day of Dr. Stuart of Viola fame. 
I found there White Fritillaries in flower — how pretty they 
are ! — also beautiful Auriculas, red and yellow Crown 
Imperials, which also had been most curiously dwarfed by 
frost, not, however, impairing their beauty in my eyes, and 
blue Greek Anemones. By the way, I have heard these are 
to be found wild in Bedfordshire, Herts, Surrey, and Berks. 
But I am inclined to think they can only be garden strays. 
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