Stray Leaves from a Border Garden 
the roadside at a corner where a stone-breaker came daily 
to work at a mighty heap of unpleasant-looking flints. It 
looks so curious to see bicycles by these stone heaps, as one 
so often does nowadays. Boy was missing the other day, and 
was at last found sitting by the hedge having a crack with 
this old man. Boy takes such an interest in stones, and 
was quite loath to part company with the stone-cracker, as 
he calls old Fairbairn. I heard of a keeper to-day who 
found a Partridge’s egg and a Pheasant’s in the same nest. 
I believe this is not very uncommon. I was told the other 
day of a curious use to which Partridges’ claws had been 
put. In an old church not far from here, I hear there are 
some ancient altar-hangings of, I think, faded green velvet 
with a raised pattern of rather conventual sprays on it. In 
this the “ stuffing ” of the little sprays is over Partridges’ 
claws. I feel I must make a pilgrimage to inspect this. 
In the meantime I shall ask the Cook to preserve all the 
Partridges’ claws for me. The Thrush who built in the 
woodshed has reared her nestful and taken them away out 
into the Birdworld. What a pleasant world it must be ! 
How pretty May is ! — one of the prettiest, most delightsome 
months in all the year, I think. “ Le joli mois de Mai, 
semblable a Paradis,” says Gower, “ car lors chantait et 
merle et papegai. Les champs sont verds, les herbes sont 
fleuries. Lors est Nature dame du pais.” The plantation 
is quite delightful now, all alive with birds — the “ new 
betrothed birds ” as Surrey calls them — and the fresh green 
leaves making a perfect tent overhead, and the white and 
green Woodruff a sweet carpet underfoot. In my old 
Herbal there is a delightful variety of name-spelling for this 
flower — Woodrowel, Woodroof, and Woderowe ; and it is 
said to “ chear the Heart and make a Man lightsome and 
pleasant.” There are, I believe, still to be seen old 
churchwardens’ accounts of the Church of St. Mary-at- 
Hill in London, in the days of Edward VI., showing that 
the clergy on St. Barnabas’ Day were in the habit of 
wearing wreaths of Woodruff and Roses during the service, 
while the churches were decked with Woodruff, Roses, 
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