3th of April and continue singing until June, and that the best time
for seeing this neighbourhood is during the blossoming season in May.

The temptation to quote Dickens's own description of Cobham Park from
_Pickwick_ cannot be resisted:--

"A delightful walk it was; for it was a pleasant
afternoon in June, and their way lay through a
deep and shady wood, cooled by the light wind
which gently rustled the thick foliage, and
enlivened by the songs of the birds that perched
upon the boughs. The ivy and the moss crept in
thick clusters over the old trees, and the soft
green turf overspread the ground like a silken
mat. They emerged upon an open park, with an
ancient hall, displaying the quaint and
picturesque architecture of Elizabeth's time. Long
vistas of stately oaks and elm trees appeared on
every side: large herds of deer were cropping the
fresh grass; and occasionally a startled hare
scoured along the ground with the speed of the
shadows thrown by the light clouds, which swept
across a sunny landscape like a passing breath of
summer."

Another description of Cobham at another time of the year is found in
the _Seven Poor Travellers_:--

"As for me, I was going to walk, by Cobham Woods,
as far upon my way to London as I fancied. . . .
And now the mists began to rise in the most
beautiful manner, and the sun to shine; and as I
went on through the bracing air, seeing the
hoar-frost sparkle everywhere, I felt as if all
Nature shared in the joy of the great Birthday. . . .
By Cobham Hall I came to the village, and the
churchyard where the dead had been quietly buried
'in the sure and certain hope' which Christmastide
inspired."

We notice in our quiet tramp here a peculiarity in the foliage of the
oaks which is worth recording. It will be remembered that in the late
spring of 1888, anxiety was expressed by certain newspaper
correspondents that the English oak would suffer extermination in
consequence of caterpillars denuding it of its leaves. But naturalists
who had studied the question knew better. The caterpillar, which is no
doubt the larva of the green Tortrix moth (_Tortrix viridana_), spins
its cocoon at the end of June or the begin