A Floral Winter The preface to this Christmas, whatever excesses
of weather Shay ensue, was unusually rich in both flower and berry. I picked the first blossom of the lovely and, in appearance, most delicate iris stylosa on December 9th. The co-called autumnal prunus was flowering freely a week later, in advance of viburnum fragrans which looks like being a mass of sweet- scented flower before the year is out. One bush in the garden looks to be full of yellow flower, for a yellow jasmine has wattled itself among the branches ; and this never fails to hail Christmas, not " with its lifted spear," like the bulbs, but with open petals, that come long before the daffodils dare. As to berries, those on the ivy (which on the Continent is more freely used than holly for Christmas decoration) are not yet nearly ripe. It was only the other day that flies were to be seen in the blossom. The holly-berries look ripe, but happily the birds know better and are refraining. Indeed they have very mildly attacked the hips and haws. One reason, doubtless, is the belated activity of their carnivorous food. Seldom at this date is the ground so ploughed up by worms, whose casts are the despair of golfers, and some lawns have a nap consisting of vertical leaves half pulled underground. Is this the reason why the green woodpecker is so constant a visitor, for the lawn is innocent of ants ?
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