Tuts gracious spring has added to its proper attractions by
borrowing from autumn. The best of all autumnal prunuses, officially labelled autumnalis, flowered at its proper date ; but could not resist the spring and flowered more profusely in March than November. The fragrant guelder did much the same. Those who feared for a too early spring have feared in vain. Only here and there is the blossom out before its time, and in the race between leaf-bud and flower-bud the leaves have been winning. This is of no little importance, for there is no better protection against spring frost than abundance of early foliage. In one regard the season galloped into maturity. Strong winds synchronised with bursting leaf ; and some of the quick hedges appeared to burgeon—as Tennyson would say—within a few hours. The drop scene appeared to inspire the early nesting birds. A thrush in my garden built at quite unusual speed and has been sitting on five eggs in her unduly slender nest at Eastertide.
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