The Naturalist's Diary. Again the daisies peep, the violets blow; THE beginning of this month is, in general, cold with keen winds, the air clear and healthy. The superabundant moisture of the earth is dried up, and the process of vegetation is gradually brought on; those trees which, in the last month, were budding, now begin to put forth their leaves. The latest springs are always the most favourable, because, as the young buds do not appear so soon, they are not liable to be cut off by chilling blasts. At the commencément of March, ear. WINTER flies! And, see, the source of life and light uprise! The melody of birds now gradually swells upon the The throstle (turdus musicus), perched on the leafless bough of a lofty tree, charms us not only with the sweetness but the variety of its lays. This bold and pleasing songster, from his high station, seems to command the concert of the grove, while, in the beautiful language of the poet, The jay, the rook, the daw, And each harsh pipe (discordant heard alone), Aid the full concert, while the stock-dove breathes A melancholy murmur through the whole. 1 The pheasant (phasianus colchicus) crows; the goose sits on its eggs; the duck (anas boschas) lays; hens sit; the crow (corvus corone) builds; and the golden-crowned wren (motacilla regulus) begins its K song. The body of this diminutive bird (says Buffon) when stript of its feathers is not quite an inch long. It delights in the largest trees, as oaks, elms, tall pines, and firs; particularly the first, in which it finds both food and shelter. Its food consists chiefly of the smallest. insects, and it stays with us the whole year. The rooks are now fully employed in building and repairing their nests, and much amusement is afforded to the attentive observer of nature. They are continually fighting and pulling each other's nests to pieces. If a pair offer to build on a single tree, the nest is plundered and demolished, at once, by the community. When the first brood of rooks are sufficiently fledged, they all leave their nest-trees in the day-time, and resort to some distant place, in search of food, but return regularly every evening, in vast flights. After flying round their nest-trees, several times, with much noise and clamour, they all assemble together, and take up their abode for the night. The mischief committed by rooks, in plucking up springing corn, and other vegetables, is amply compensated; for, To the field they flock, and watch the plough; And seize the grub from his dark cradle forced Their's is the task To thin the chaffer breed, the spoiler tribes Those birds which have passed the winter in England now take their departure for more northerly regions. The fieldfares (turdus pilaris) travel to Russia, Sweden, and Norway, and even as far as Siberia. They do not arrive in France till December, when they assemble in large flocks of two or three thousand. The redwing (turdus iliacus), which frequents the same places, eats the same food, and is very similar in manners to the fieldfare, also takes leave of this country for the season. Soon afterwards the woodcock (scolopax rusticola) wings its aërial voyage to the countries bordering on the Baltic'. In returning to our shores (between October and December) they do not come in large flocks, but keep dropping in singly, and sometimes in pairs. These birds take a day's rest, and then proceed to the very same haunts which they left the prooeding season. Some other birdo, as the crane and the stork, formerly natives of this island, have quitted it entirely, since our cultivation and population have so rapidly increased, In this month, trouts begin to rise; blood-worms appear in the water; black ants (formica nigra) are observed; the blackbird and the turkey (meleagris gallopavo lay; and house-pigeons sit. The wheatear (sylvia oenanthe) appears, and the greenfinch (loxia chloris sings. The bat (vespertilio) is seen flitting about, and the viper uncoils itself from its winter sleep. This creature is no means common, and is the only venomous reptile in England: its bite proves dangerous, if neglected; but olive or salad oil rubbed on the wound, and also taken internally, is a certain remedy. They are found, generally, in rocky warm thickets, and in unfrequented heaths, where the field-mice afford them a favourite meal. Frogs, enlivened by the warmth of spring, rise from the bottom of ponds and ditches, where they have lain torpid during the winter. The smelt (salmo eperlanus) begins to ascend rivers to spawn, when they are taken in great abundance. This elegant fish is found about our coasts during the whole year, as From the beginning of March to the end of that month, or sometimes to the middle of April, they all keep drawing towards the coasts, and avail themselves of the first fair wind to return to their native woods. 2 They are found in the Thames and the Dee, according to Mr. Pennant, in November, December, and January, they rarely leave it to go to any great distance, except at the spawning season. The smelt has a peculiar odour, which is commonly compared to that of a cucumber. This fish varies in size, sometimes méasuring twelve inches and upwards in length, and weighing half a pound. Towards the latter end of the month, bees venture out of their hives. There are several specics of bees. natives of Great Britain; but it is the common honey-bee (upio mol. lifica) which has been so long and justly celebrated for its wonderful polity, the neatness and precision with which it constructs its cells, and the diligence with which it provides, during the warmth of summer, a supply of food for the support of the hive during the rigours of the succeeding winter. A hive contains three kinds of bees. (1.) A single queen bee, distinguishable by the great length of her body, and the proportional shortness of her wings. (2.) Working-bees, or neuters, to the amount of many thousands: these are the smallest sized bees in the hive, and are armed with a sting. (3.) Drones, or males, to the number, perhaps, of 1500 or 2000: these are larger than the workers, and are of a darker colour; they make a great noise in flying, and have no sting. The whole labour of the community is performed by the workers: they elaborate the wax and construct the cells; they collect the honey and feed the brood. The drones are regularly massacred by the workers in the beginning of the autumn. It is the office of the queen-bee to lay the eggs, which remain about three days in the cells before they are hatched. A small white worm then appears, (called indifferently, worm, larva, maggot, or grub): this larva is fed with honey for some days, and then changes into a nymph, or pupa. After passing a certain period in this state, it comes forth a perfect. winged insect. The appearance of bees is a certain indication that flowers are to be met with; for now, this 'golden daughter of the spring,' From mead to mead, in wanton labour roves, Fills with the luscious spoils, and lives ambrosial hours. In several parts of South Africa, the bees suspend their honeycomb from edges of rocks; and these nests are easily discoverable by the Hottentots, who implicitly rely on the direction of a little brown bird, denominated the indicator, or honey-bird, that, on the discovery of a nest, flies in quest of some person, to whom it makes known the fruit of its research, by whistling and flying towards the place. In some parts of France, and also of Piedmont, there are floating apiaries of a hundred bee-hives: So through the vales of Loire the bee-hives glide, ROGERS. On the 20th, the vernal equinox takes place. All Nature feels her renovating sway, and seems to rejoice at the retreat of winter. The sallow (salix) now enlivens the hedges; the aspen (populus tremula) and the alder (alnus betula) have their flowers full blown ; the laurustinus (viburnum tinus) and the bay (laurus nobilis) begin to open their leaves. The equinoctial gales are usually most felt, both by sea and land, about this time. On the nature and economy of this interesting insect, the reader may consult Mr. John Hunter's elaborate account, in the Philosophical Transactions for the year 1792; or Dr. Shaw's Zoology, vol. vi, part ii, pp. 289-349. Huber on Bees, 12mo, Edinb. 1808, and Edinb. Review, vol. xi, pp. 319-340. Sce also Virgil's fourth Georgic. |