â– Emblem of hope and love through future Tears.
XoJy of the LaM,
The foxglove, which produces a beautiful flower,
blossoms in this month as well as in the next. The
poppy (palaver 5omnt/%rtim)has its flowers fiill blown*
The $c€irlet poppy i on the painted fields.
Bows his somnirerous head, inviting soon
To peaceful slumber the disordered mind '.
The common jay in this month frequents our gar-
dens, and makes great havock in the bean-rows.
One of the most interesting insects in June, is, in
its perfect state, (he angler's may-fly (ephemera vuU
« To Slbbp.
{ PhoOT the Spartuh, bjf Mr. B<mnng, ]
O gentle Sleep ! my welcoming breath
Shall hail thee midst our mortal strife, .
Who art the very thief of life,
The very portraiture of death I
'Tis sweet to feel thy downy wing
Light hovering o'er our wonted bed ;
But who has heard thy lightsome tread,
Thou blind and deaf and silent thing ?
Thou dost a secret pathway keep.
Whose all is darkest mystery. ,
p 2
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174 THB KATirfii»[«I9T's; DIARY
gata), "wbich appears. about. tbe 4ih^ andxCo»taii«es
nearly a fortnight. It ^emerges from tiie water, where
it passes its aurelia state, about six in tbe evening, and
dies about eleven at night; Theveare aim the golden^
green bseetle; various kinds of jflies; the Guckoor
spit insect»and the stagrfateetle... The several sper
•pies^of the gadfly make their appearance .in June.
Ilie <Iarv« of the.dragon-fly iJLibelbda), after.a two-,
years' submersion iuf ^tagiiiant water, npw ascend the
stalks of plants, and, bursting their shells, their
wings soon dry and gain strength, when the fly, in
all its brilliant colours, is seen darting with astonish-
ing velocity oyer the waters and the meadows in
search of its prey, a butterfly, or other insect^ .which,
when captured, . is devoured with voracity. The
«Diall blue dragon-fly does not, yield in richness of
hue to the peacock's neck.
Th,e nuinerous species oiaphides are now found on
many plants, bearing an appropriate name from
each. Those which infest the rose-tree and bean are
possibly most under observation. One is green, and
scarcely distinguished from the colour of the young
leaves; the other is black. The intercourse between
these insects and the ants is curiously described in a
recent publication. * That ants should have their
mikh cattle is as extraordinary as that they should
l^ave slaves. The loves of the ants and aphides
have long been celebrated ; and that there is a con-
nection between them you may at anytime, in pro-
per season, convince yourself; the former will id-
ways be found very busy on those trees and plants
on which the latter are found : their object in thus
attending upon them, is to obtain the saccharine
fluid, wMch may be denominated the milk, that they
secrete. The, ants watch tibe moment when iiie
aphides emit this fluid, and suck it down. They ab-
solutely possess the art of making them yield it at
their pleasure ; or, in other words, of milking them,
using their antennae as ifingers, patting the abdomen
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VOR JDNB 182S. 175
of the aphis oa each side, till a little dfop of fluid
appeass, which th^ ant takes into its mauUkJ—Kirby
and Spence's Entomology,
The graaskf^pemovr nmkes his appearance,
Sipping gBtteriDg drops of dew,
Singing songs for ever new ;
floatiiig among the gieen leaves, and with his
Sweet prophetic song
Foretelling summer da3rs.
The bee pursues his ceaseless avocation of collect-
ing the sweets of Nature to form his elegant condi-
ment of honey: and what can be more deUcious
than '
Tbe flower-drawn nectar of the mountain-hee !
and what more interesting than to watch the opera-
tions of this industrious insect 1 — With this example
before U9, let us go in search of flowers — more
flowers, — ' gathering rose-buds while we may' — but
ever bearing in mind^ that tho^e who
pluck the flowers,
And place them<m their hreast — hut place to die ;
Thus the frail beings we would fondly cherish
Are laid within our bosoms but to perish:
and while 'we dote on odours,' and admire the
elegant shapes and varied hues of these favourites
of Nature,, let this trulh be ever deeply engraven on
our memories^
*THAt IN A DAY WITHERS THfe PlioWliu OF LIFE/
,To i^gntjuttue Qur wadk — mari^.o^^ huA paonies
and xQs^s,] including th§ guelder-rose^ with its halls
of jdazzling whiteness, now display their beau-
ties. 'Ijh^ S^ar of be1^1ehemrorw27jfc?5fa/wm uniflo-
rum) stines in all its ; splendour, a^id pinks and
sweet-william add their pretty colbais: the panicled
lychnidea and red valerian ornament our gardens
at this period, tl^ delicate^ lilac qf ihe one forming a
pleasing contrast with the.ricbcirimson of th^ other.
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1 76 THB , NAI-URALIST's DIARY
The blossoms of the sweet-brier are now open: the
white lily, and the flower-de-luce, or iris, with its
splendid floscnles and curipusly^formed pistils, now
^hine in the garden. The forget-me-not fmyo$oi$s pa-
lustrisjalso flowers in June, and throughout the sum-
mer'. The following lines were addressed to a
young lady, who, on the author handing her into a
carriage, held out at the window a nosegay which
he had presented to her, in which the Forget-me-
Not made a principal figure : —
I culled each floweret for my fair,
^ . The wild thyme and the heather bell,
Aud round them twined a tendril rare : — .
She said the posy pleased her well.
' But of the flowers that deck the field
Or grace the garden of the cot,
Though others richer perfumes yield,
The sweetest is 'Forget me not' .
We roamed the mead, we climbed the hill,
: . We rambled o'er the breckan brae ;
The trees that crowned the mossy rill.
They screened us from the glare of day.
She said she loved the sylvan bower.
Was charmed with ev'ry rural spot ;
And, when arrived the parting hour,
Her last words were, * Forget me Not.*
New Monthly Magazine.
' In this month the gum dstus tribe shed daily their
â– This beautiful little flower, which enamels the banks of our
rivers with its corollas of celestial blue, has become celebrated by
a Oerman tale, so full of romance, as to affect all the Damons and
'PhiUises of Europe' that haunt the purling stream. It is related,
that a young couple who were on the eve of being united, wliiUt
walking along the delightful banks of the Danube, saw.oneof tlrese
lovely flowers floating on the waves, which seemed ready to carry.it
away. The affianced bride admired the beauty of the flower, and
regretted its fktal destiny, which induced the lover to precipitate
himself into the water, where he had no sooner seized the flower,
than he sank into the flood, but, making a last effort, he threw the
flower upon the shore, and, at the moment of disappearing for ev^r,
he exclaimed, < vergils mich nicht,* since which thi^ flower has been
'made emblematical, and taken the name of * porgbt-mi-^mot.'— *-
PhiiUif$'§ Flora Hittorica, vol. ii, p. 370.
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FOR JUNB 1825. 177
abundant flowers, covering the ground with their de-*
licate blossoms.
Tbe fern-owl may be seen about the mid<JlQ of the
month, in the evening, among the branches of oaks,
in pin-snit of its favourite repast, the feni-chaffer.
Mackerel (scomber scomber) are taken in abundance
this month.
The several kinds of com come into ear add
flower in June, a^ well as most of the numerous
species of grasses. Gooseberries, currants, and
strawberries, now begin to ripen; the first affording
a rich treat to the young in its celebrated ' fool :' —
the gourmand thinks of the 'jell/ to be made from
the second, and has a delightful vision of haunches
of venison and leverets ; and fair-handed damsels
in imagination sip ' with silver spoon' the straw-
berry immersed in cream. But we have more ' goodly
prospects' even in June : the elder-tree is in flower,
and promises a rich supply of fruit to make our fa-
vourite beverage of a cold winter's evening, when
the bitter-biting frost and the gustful winds send us
to oar chimney-comers for warmth and shelter.
The hay-harvest commences about the end of the
month, in the southern and midland parts of the
kingdom. About this time, also, birds cease their
notes. The rural ceremony of sheep-shearing usually
takes place in June, and was formerly celebrated
with much innocent pastime.
In addition to our list of flowers, we must not
omit to name the sweet and fragrant honeysuckle
{lonicera periclymenum), admired by all for the
charms w£dch it imparts to the rural walk. The
bard of Avon has not forgotten to show his affec-
tion for this pretty parasite : let us, then, to avoid the
fervid rays of noon, %
Steal into the pleached ' bower, '
AVbere honet/'StLcldeSy ripened by the sun,
Forbid the san tp enter,
â– Interwoven.
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178 THE naturalist's Diary.
andywith a volume of bis ' immortal works* in- our
hands^ indulge in the rich fancies and beautiful ima-
gery of the 'Midsummer night's dream/
We commenced our Diary with a * Morning Scene
by the authors of the ' Forest Minstrel :' 'Nature's
Sweetest Child' has furnished our noontide picture;
and we will now conclude with a 'June eve' by the
sylvein poets, so often noticed in the course of this
volume.
All round is bright, and you may see
Green hill and river, tower and tree —
One wide fair scene of beauteous rest,
BriUiant and sweet, and calm and blest.
All there is peace, and you may hear
Each softened sound distinct and clear :
. The wood-gate's clap, the peasant's lay,
The low of herds, the mastiff's bay,^
And the rich blackbird's strains, that swell
Each sunset from the neighbouring dell.
Who has not wandered to inhale
Fragrance and dew and living ^ale.
As the far Wood's luxuriant waves
Of green the sun's last radiance laves ;
And villagers sit at their doors
Beneath the towering sycamoreis ;
And hum the chaffer's ruddy wings ?
And sweet are lovers' loiterings
On by the park-pale's silvery moss,
Where listening hares the footpaths cross ;
And partridges, met in the glen,
Are racing jswiftly back again;
And from the far heath, drear and still.
Pipes the lone curlew, wild and shrill ;
And darker glooms the forest glade ;
And heaven's pale gleams yet fainter fade.
W. AND M. HOWITT.
DESCRIPTION o/CULINARY VEGETABLES.
[Continued from p. 154.]
Endive.— &€ Salads.
Garlic— *$•€« Onion,
^ The pungent radish biting infant's tongae.'
Horse-radish fcochlearia armoracia). — The vo-
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CULINARY VEaSTABLES. 179
latile qaalities of this .weU-ki^own ropt evaporate in
drying. Ittwlll impregnate both water and spirit
very richly with its active matter. It is thought
to create appetite and assist digestion^ and on that
acconnt is very properly employed as a condiment
with animal food. The most eminent .physicians
have extolled this root as an antiscorbutic ; and as
of great ns^ taken internally for colds, coughsy and
dropsies, and externally applied for palsy and rheu-
matism. It is, however, like most other vegetable, me-
dicines, little used in modem practice; but the ladies
may be willing to learn that horse-radish, scraped^and
infused in cold milk, makes one of the best and safest
cosmetics. One drachm of the fresh scraped root
infused with four ounces of water in a close vessel
for two hours, andinade into a syrup with double its
weight of sugar, is an approved recipe for removing
hoarseness. A tea spoonful of this has often been
very suddenly effectual. — Phillips's Cultivated Vege-
tables, vol. i, p. 258. '
The latest and best method of culture of the horse-
radish is described by Mr. Judd,in the Horticultural
Transactions, and is as follows: he takes about three
inches of the top part of each stick or root, and then
cuts clean off about a quarter of an inch of this piece
under the crown, so as to leave no appearance of a
green bud. He makes the trenches two' feet deep,
and; if he applies manure, puts it in the very bottom of
the trench; for if not so done, the horse •radish> which
always puts out some side roots, would send out such
large shoots from the main root in search of the dung
contiguous to its sides, as materially to deteriorate
the crop. In planting, holes are made eighteen inches
apart everyway, sixteen or eighteen inches deep.
The root cuttings are let down to. the bottom of the
holes, which are afterwards filled up with fine sifted
cinder-dust, and the surface of the bed is then rak^d
over., The season pfpli^nting is the middle of March.
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180 CULINARY V^GBTA^LS'S*
I .1 .u r "
For ai| account of Mr. Knight% metiiod of li^ating
horse-radish, see Loudon's Encyclopiedki.
Horse-radish^ if dug tip in autuMn^ may be pre-
served through winter in sheds dr ^ellats^ among
sand or 4ry earth.
KAhE.—See Cabbage and Sea Kale.
Kidney Bban. — <%« Bean.
Lavender (lavandula spicaj id rather medieinal
than culinary; yet as a few plants are generally kept
in every garden^ we cannot refuse it tite triblite^cif a
passing notice — ^particnlsu-ly ^hen we recotldct'tiiat
* its spike of azur^ bloom
Sliall he erewhlle in arid bundles bound, - ' '
To lurk amid the labours of the'lomn,
And. crown our kerchiefs clean^with «iokie rareperfonie:
and that the delicate fingers of some fair damsels of
our acquaintance will construct imitation scent-bot^
ties of
the purplc^-^weringiieald - ^
Of fragrant lavender.
^ It should also be kndwn that the stalks of .the la-
vender, even when the flowers have .been stripped
away, have an agreeable scent, and, if bumt, will
diffuse it powerfully and pleasantly : they tosm an
agreeable substitute for pastils, and will burn very
well in the little vessels made for that purpose. La-
vender is propagated by cuttings and slips; and likes
a dry, gravelly soiP. Lavender waterls distilled £pom
the flowers, and for this ptirpose the plant is ex-^
tensively cultiVMed^ particdiarly about Mitcham in
Sortey. * *
Lbb&8.^iS^€ Onion.
Lbntils.— iSee Pjbas.
LBTTUGE.—iSe^ Salads.
Lo V B- Apple fsalanum lycapersicun^ .—When ripe,
the fruit of the tpmato, wluch has an acid flavour, is
■■■.., ■' .1 ; II, . I ii > I I I n< i« «
* Fhra Ihm^$tiea (p. $18); an. elegant and interesting. work on
flowers that may be cultivated in pots, which does the greatest cre-
dit to the taste and jadgment of the Cur authorefs.
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CULINARY VBOBTABLES. 181
pat Mo soups and sauces, and the juice is preserved
for winter use liker ketchup ; it is also 'used in con-
fe<)tioiiary as a preserve, and when green as a pickle.
It is .a'>great favourite with the French and Italians,
and witti the latter scarcely a dinner is served up
without this sauce piquante, whole fields being de-
voted to its cultivation. The plaiits must be raised
ind forwarded in a hot bed under glass, from about
the vernal equinox till May. The fruit begins to
ripen in August, and should be gathered in October :
if hung up in bunches in any dry apartment, it will
continue good for use in November. To save seed,
gather some of the best ripe firuit in autumn ; clear
out tibe seed ; wash and cleanse it from the pulp, and
dry it thoroughly ; then put it up in papers or bags,
for use next spring. — Loudon. ,
The egg-plant is used in stews and soups, in French
and Italian cookery, and for the general purposes of
the love-apple.
We can stray well-pleasedi and pluck .
The odVoas leaf of marfraniy balm, or mint ;
Ner scorn we to observe the thriviiiig sage
And fragraBt thyme. hurdis,
3fai7<7ram sweet in Shepherd's posie fooBd.
Marjoram. — The Sweet Maijbram /ort^antem
matjoranaj is a biennial inPortugad, its native coun-
try, and here,: when it receives tfie aid of a green-
house throjagh^e winter; yet in the open garden it
requires to be treated as an annual, and sown and
reaped the ^same year. As the seed seldom ripens in
this country, it is generally • procured from France.
Pot, winter, and common mair^oram '{o\ onites, hera -
cleoticum i^ vulgare) may be propagated from o£Esetd,
by parting the rootsin tiie spribg and autumn. Plant
in rows or beds, allowing a square foot for each plant.
— Loudon.
Mint.— Of the different cultivated species of mint,
spearmint (mentha viridis) is that chiefly used for
cuUnary purposes, as an ingredient for salads, to
Q
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t88 EEMARKABLB DAYS'
boil with peas« &c. Peppenniiit {wi^..fiperiteL) is
piiacqiaDy used for distiliatiim^ and feiextetti^diy
coltivated in low» rich, soft, nttrsiiy liEiid* Botti lUs
and spearmint like a mtist soil. All ttie specfes are
msed by parting the roots, by ofbet young iiAanls,
and by cuttings of the stalks. lamany araral walk,
may we exclaim wifli ttie poet.
Sweet 18 the ledge with odorous ddAt
HORBL. — i%e MVSHROOM.
tl^ be continued.]
THIS word is dmved from flie laatia Jidms, the
surname of C. Caesar, jbe dictator, who was bom in
ttis month.
3Krmatlail>lt ^m
Jn JULY 18S5.
2.— VISITATION OP THE BLESSED VIAGIK MARY.
This festival was first instituted by Pope Urban
VI, in commemoration of that remadcable journey
which the Mother of our Lord took into the moun-
tains of ludtea, in order to visit the moflier of St.
J<rimihe Baptist
*2* iaB6. — ^NOSTRADAliUSy THE eB%.dBRAT&l>
FRENCH ASTBOLOOER, BIBB.
Existaig in a dark age, qf course gveat attefrtion
was forid to his prodnctianar This sdence suflfered
a tempmaiy revival sonne few years «go, when ttte
, foBowing Inrely piece of poet^ was written, ad-
dmssed to a lady wAto was ttien ^moeMe. It intro-
dacQB >nracfa of ihe Jarg^ of Astr^ogy, fM> con-
stanfly uaed :by fiie. votaries of that mystic «rt.
UlU ASrVROLOGfSR^B ADDRESS.
Tell me the hour yoor baby was born,
Aad ra Mt a 49iMr0 direetly ;
it reeks not mOketter 'tims night or waomf
So jFOu Bote the hovr iMNTiotly ;
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IN JtTLT 1825. 183
Who goyerns fais fote fleetly yoall see.
If MarSj or Sahim^ or VentUf
And, if dire should his Horoscope he.
The secret we'll keep between us.
Say, will the mother's tears hst fiiU,
SlMNdd I «ay, ' Yon infimt sleei^
Will years see mao^, bat one and all
Wfll be ushered m with weeping ?
His Dial of Life is obscure and dim,
Haeh Moiefie comes in to shade i^
And trcasuret its ill to pour on him»
So fatal hath Fortune made it.'
Yet seek not, if you're wise, to know
Wha^s hid by the veil before ye,
Or whether he'll prore your deepest woe,
Or rise up ywu proudest gloiy.
I sought Igr Phi^^ n^ Mt to tell^
Bnt JUvenrmed ray fortune's cQin ;
For just as I cried * The sUrs look well,^
Lome marred what the spell was doing.
RICHARD RYAN.
8. — DOG-DAYS BB6IN.
These are a certain nnmber of days before and'
after the lieliacal rising of Canicula, or the dog-star,,
in the momitig. The dog-days in oar modem Alma-
nacks occupy the time from July 3d to August 11th ;
the name being applied now^ as it was formerly, to
the hottest time of tibie year.
Come ya^ come ye, to the gr^n, jgrefoa wood ;.
Loudly the blaisldbird is singing.
The squirrel is feasting on blossom and hud.
And the curled fern is springing;
Here ye may sleep
la th^ most so. deep.
While the noon ii| so warm and so weary.
And sweetly awake
As the sun through the brake
Bids the fauvette and whttetiiroat sing cheety.
The qaieken ia tufted with blossoms of snow,
And is throwing its perfume around it;
The wryneck replies to the eaokoo's haUoo,
For joy that again she hiia found it ;
The jay*s red breast
Peeps over her nest,
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184 RBMARKABLB BAYS
In the midst of the crab-blossoms blushing;
And the call of the pheasant
Is frequent and pleasant.
When all other calls are hashing*
Howitfs Forest Minstrel.
4. — TRANSLATION OP SAINT MARTIN.
This day was appointed to, commemorate the r&*
moval or ^anslation of. St. Martin's body from one
tomb to another much more noble and magnificent ;
an honour conferred on the deceased saint by Perpe*
tuus, one of his successors in the see of Tours.
*6. 1823. — SIR HENRY KAEBURN DIED,
First portrait painter to the king in Scotland, which
appointment he only received a few days before his
death. In this department of the pictorial art, he
was second pnly to Sir Thomas Lawrence in the pe-
culiar chasteness, depth of his colouring, and fide-
lity of likeness: in the strong and marked charac-
ter with which he animated Ins pictures he has, in-
deed, left few compeers. He possessed the rare fo-
culty of producing, in every instance^ the most strik*
ing and agreeable likeness, and of indicating intel-
lectual expression and dignity of demeanour, w)ie^e-
ever they appeared in the original ; often approach-
ing '' in his portraits to' the elevation of historical
painting. His modesty was equal to Jiis merit ; and
in his intercourse with the young candidaites for pub-
lic favour, he was uniformly kind, communicative,
andliber^; and on all occasions had the candour
to bestow just praise on rival excellence. Sir H.
Baebum was not only an artist, but a patron of the
arts, and his gallery and study were ever open to the
young artist^.
7.— THOMAS A BBCKET.
This ha.ughty prelate was bom in London, in the
year llld^ and was the son of Gilbert, a merchant,
and Matilda, a Saracen lady, who is said to have
fallen in love with him when he was a prisoner to
her father in Jerusalem. Thomas received the first
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IN JULT 1S25. 185
|iait of Ins eddcatioii wX Mertan Abbey in ^Surrey,
whence he went to Oxford, and afierwardt stndled
at Paris. In 1189, he made a campaign with King*
Henry to Toulouse, having in his own pay 1300
horse^ besides a vetimie of 700 knights or gentlemen.
*8. 1824. — TAMEHAWTALIJ, QUEBN OF THE SAND-
WICH ISLANDS, DIBD, JET. 22,
And, on the 14th of tjie same month, her consort,
the King of the same Ishinds, at the Caledonian
Hotel, Robert Street, Adelpfai. Both these ill-fated
foreigners had been converted to Christianity. The
bodies of the King and Qneen lay in state for isdme
days, and were then removed to St Martin's Churchy
and deposited in a vault for security, till a frigate
could be got ready to convey them, and flie suite of
the late King and Queen, to the Sandwich Islands.
The ship is now on her voyage (October 1821), and
the uriiole expense of this fitment and traiispott is, veiy
properly, defrayed by the British government. â– \
15.— SAINT SWITHIN. " ,
Swithin was promoted to holy orders by Helmstan>
Bishop of Winchester, at whose death, in SSSl, Hiing
Ethelwelf granted him the see. In this he coi^tiniiea
eleven years, and died in 86& For sQme remarks on
the popular saying respecting St. Swithin, so amply
verified in almost every July and August^ see Qijr
former yblumes.
ik I82U - KING GJKOmOB IV GBOWNBO*. J
Some inteiestiog pgortiaulais. ^ this august csere*
aumy win be found in T.T< fear 1832, pp. 184^206,
and inoor last voliime, p. I9I4
20. — ^SAINT MTARGARBT.
She was bom at Antioch, and was the daughter of
a Pagan priest, Olybius, president of the East, un^
der the Romans,* widhed to marry her; but finding
that Margaret was a Christian, he postponed hitiin*
tended nuptials until he could prevail upon her to
ttoouttce her religion. Our, saint, however, was ih-
q2
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186 RBMARKABLB DATS
fl^xtble^ and was first tortuied/aiid then behiNided,
in the year 278* /
*2L 1653. — INIGO JONES DIBD^ MT.,60,
The father af pure architecture in Etaglaod. He
was appointed Sunreyor-GenMal to James I, bul^
finding the office greatly in debt, he not only served
without pay till Qke embarrassments were removed,
but prevailed upon his fellow officers to do the like,
— by which expedient the debt was soon cleared.
He wrote, by the desire of the king, an account of
Stonehenge, in 1620, in which year he was appointed
one of the Commissioners for repairing St. Paulas
Cathedral. On the death of James, he was con-
tinned in his situation by Charles I, for whom he ex*
ecu^. the Banqueting House, barely the fiftieth
part of a palace, at Whitehall, the designs for which
had been made in the previous reign. During the
usurpation ^he was denounced as a malignant, tiOiSL
Compelled to pay a composition for his estate. Jones
was restored to his post by Charles II, but it was
flien little more than an empty title ; and grief, it is
supposed, occasioned by the calamity of his former
master, put a period to his existence on fhe day
named at the head of this notice. He was interred