. The New Forest . arigolds there floated a wild duck, who hadjust brought off her brood. It was a large clutch ;ten little balls of yellow fluff, with their tiny beaksall pointed one way, were swimming at her side,taking their first journey, while she moved in themidst of them, like a man-of-war among a crowdof harbour-boats. The fulness of the channel,which brought the birds body on a level with thebank, made one think of the boats one sees sailingso quaintly through the fields in Holland; whilethe narrowness of the stream, with its clusteringflowers, made the picture of the duck and her lit
. The New Forest . arigolds there floated a wild duck, who hadjust brought off her brood. It was a large clutch ;ten little balls of yellow fluff, with their tiny beaksall pointed one way, were swimming at her side,taking their first journey, while she moved in themidst of them, like a man-of-war among a crowdof harbour-boats. The fulness of the channel,which brought the birds body on a level with thebank, made one think of the boats one sees sailingso quaintly through the fields in Holland; whilethe narrowness of the stream, with its clusteringflowers, made the picture of the duck and her littleones not only quaint, but charming. We are now nearing the close of May, and thewoods begin to lose their fresh emerald and yellowgreen, and to grow a fuller tone each day; andeverywhere the thorns are putting on their whitemantles, and, against the intense blue of the sky,seem to make a fretwork with intricate tracery ofinterlacing boughs, inlaid with bosses of pearl, trying MARSH MARIGOLDS AT MAY 49 to make up to us for the loss of the sweet crab-blossom. Now, too, Spring paves the woods afresh withmatchless blue, and the bluebells are in full beautyand spread a sheet of pure colour across the lowerpart of the wood, near the Two Oaks grow in many other patches also, and alwaysbest where the soil is most sandy. Oh, to keepthem thus, just as they are now, for a little longer !that we may feast our eyes on their fulness ofcolour and beauty. The balmy scent of pine-trees,warmed by the sun, and of hawthorn flowers, is inthe air, as we look, and cannot look our fill, at thesoft flowery carpet. And round us all the thicket rangTo many a flute of Arcady. For the nightingale now joins her song to those ofthe throstle and blackbird, and numbers of thelesser birds add to the chorus with a joyous note. In the garden we have enormous crimsongesnertulips with tall stems, and the yellow and scarlet* parrots are out in full profusion. The purpleflag iris is sp
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