134 THE naturalists’ journal. 
and the marsh marigold a golden carpet on the levels ; beautiful 
in summer when the air is perfumed with meadow sweet, and 
tier above tier of hanging foliage shades the fern-bordered wood- 
paths ; beautiful when autumn touches the maples with fingers of 
blood and the woods slowly burn themselves out; beautiful in 
winter when the beech leaves form a carpet red as a fox hide, and 
between the white banks of frosted grasses and under silver trees, 
the river reflects the blue sky like a polished mirror—and beauti¬ 
ful too under every sort of weather—beautiful of course when the 
sun illuminates the woods, and the flicker of beech leaves weaves 
a thousand twinkling shadows on the smooth grey trunks, and the 
rushing water glance and sparkle over the pebbles, but beautiful 
also when the rain falls and moss, and fern, and lichen, imbibe 
fresh life and display fresh colour—or when the winds mock the 
sound of seas in the great woods, and whole armies of leaves 
rush in wild dances through the air; or even when the weird sea 
mists creep up at the close of a hot spring day, and move ghost¬ 
like from tree to tree, bringing gloom and silence with them— 
ever deepening gloom and silence till at last the night hides all 
in impenetrable darkness. 
Number i of “ The Collectors’ Monthly,” published on the 
15th of January, contains the first part of the following articles: 
The common sparrow in 1893; Notes on Hampshire birds; 
Birds of Epping Forest; A winter afternoon’s collecting in War¬ 
wickshire ; also Notes and News, etc. The price of this little 
venture is only one penny, and we heartily wish success to it and 
also to its energetic publisher. 
As it is not our custom to allow matters poetical to encroach 
upon our space, we must offer an apology to our readers for in¬ 
troducing to their notice a volume of “ Lyrics and Elegiacs,” * 
submitted to us by Mr. Marcus Rickards, who, it should be men¬ 
tioned, is already favourably knowm as the author of several 
previous books of verse. A casual study of the present work 
enables one to clearly perceive that Mr. Rickards is a close ob¬ 
server and student and moreover a Nature Lover. His subjects 
are of the simplest description, but upon these he constructs his 
verse with no little grace and with much felicity of sentiment. 
In the “Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society,” 
Anglo-Indians have a scientific quarterly of the very highest 
merit. It is edited by the hon. secretary of the society, Mr. H. 
* “Lyrics and Elegiacs,” by Marcus S. C. Rickards. London: George 
Bell & Sons, York Street, Covent Garden. 
