You'll need a hammer to crack a black walnut.

Along the narrow winding path between the great oak trees there rode a dark sallow man in a scarlet tabard who blew so loudly upon a silver trumpet that they heard the clanging call long before they set eyes on him.

Percontation. An enquiry. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, this is the first occurrence of the word in print.]

The normal colour of the whole upper surface is rich metallic green, in some examples having a more æneous or golden-green tint.