"_Nov. 17._--Sycamore leaves--some few still on--spotted with intensely black spots an inch across. Willow buds showing." "_Nov. 23._--Oaks most beautiful in sun--elms nearly leafless, also beech and willow--but oaks still in full leaf, some light-brown, still trace of green, some brown, some buff, and tawny almost, save in background, toned by shadow, a trace of red. The elms hid them in summer; now the oaks stand out the most prominent objects everywhere, and are seen to be three times as numerous as expected." "_Nov. 25._--Thrushes singing again; a mild day after week or two cold." "_Dec. 23._--Red-wings came within a yard, Velt (?) came within ten, wood-pigeon the same. Weasel hunting hedge under snow; under-ground in ivy as busy as possible; good time for them." "_Jan. 6._--Very sharp frost, calm, some sun in morning, dull at noon." "_Jan. 7._--Frost, wind, dull." "_Jan. 8._--Frost light, strong N.E. wind." "_Jan. 9._--Frost light, some little snow, wind N.E., light." "_Jan. 10._--Very fine, sunny, N.E. wind, sharp frosty morning. "Orange moss on old tiles on cattle-sheds and barns a beautiful colour; a picture." "_Feb. 7._--Larks soaring and singing the first time; one to an immense height; rain in morning, afternoon mild but a strong wind from west; catkins on hazel, and buds on some hazel-bushes; missel-thrush singing in copse; spring seems to have burst on us all at once; chaffinches pairing, or trying to; fighting." "_Feb. 8._--Numerous larks soaring; copse quite musical; now the dull clouds of six weeks have cleared away, we see the sun has got up quite high in the sky at noon." "_Feb. 12._--Rooks, five, wading into flood in meadow, almost up to their breasts; lark soaring and singing at half-past five, evening; light declining; partridges have paired. "No blue geranium in Surrey that I have seen." "_Feb. 17._--Rooks busy at nests, jackdaws at steeple; sliding down with wings extended, 4.50, to gardens below at great speed." "_Feb. 20._--Ploughs at work again; have not seen them for three months almost." "_Feb. 21._--Snow three or four inches; broom bent down; the green stalks that stand up bent right down; afterwards bright sunshine for some hours, and then clouded again." "_Feb. 22._--Berries on wild ivy on birch-tree, round and fully-formed and plentiful; berries not formed on garden ivy." "_Feb. 27._--Snow on ground since morning of 21st; four wild ducks going over to east; first seen here for two years; larks fighting and singing over snow; thawing; snow disappeared during day; tomtit at birch-tree buds; pigeons still in large flocks." "_March 7._--Splendid day; warm sun, scarcely any wind; wood-pigeons calling in copse here."