House and Garden 
onum overhangs a brow, the great cow- 
parsnip, otherwise called “giant hemlock,” 
some being over ten feet in height, forms a 
striking avenue, and the huge leaves of the 
Gunnera take the visitor by surprise at a bend 
of the walk. The prettiest of walks by the 
riverside, which in the sunshine looks like a 
sheet of blue spread under a canopy of green, 
engrosses the eye of the angler who watches 
for the signs of the fine trout which furnish 
him with his beloved sport, till suddenly he 
comes upon a dell furnished with bamboos 
and Japanese cedars carpeted with daffo¬ 
dils and forget-me-not, and one of the great 
masses of primroses and polyanthuses which 
stretch for many hundred yards, delight the 
eye and fill the air with the odour of spring. 
I must not forget to mention that this 
beautiful spot offers a home to a wonderful 
variety of birds; from forty to sixty different 
kinds can be found. Here are a few: The 
yellowhammer, the chaffinch, the green¬ 
finch, the robin, the fieldfare, the corn¬ 
crake, the swift, the swallow, the water wag¬ 
tail, the ousel, the sandpiper, and now 
and then a flash of brilliant blue fleeting 
across the river reveals the presence of the 
kingfisher; and of a summer’s night when 
the air is laden with the perfume of the 
flowers mingled with the sweet notes of the 
birds, Bothalhaugh may well be called a 
perfect “Paradise.” 
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