AUGUST. 355 



freedom) but inspire the noblest sentiments into 

 minds scarcely less imaginative, and nothing lacking 

 in credulity ? ' 



From the Heather the transition is easy to the 

 "HeathbeU" of Cheviot, the "Harebell" of Scotland, 

 the " Bell-flower " of England, and the Campanula of 

 the botanist. This is a very beautiful and favourite 

 genus, now everywhere exhibiting its trembling azure 

 bells in exquisite perfection, but especially in hilly 

 spots, on the sides of deep shady sandstone lanes, and 

 other similar localities. The Canterbury Bells (Cam* 

 panula trachelium), are rather plentiful on the mar- 

 gins of woods, and the Giant Throat-wort (C. latifolia) 

 is very ornamental on the copsy banks of the rivers 

 where it abounds as the Severn and the Wye, and 

 often opens its hairy throat in the bosky dells of the 

 north. The most abundant species is the round- 

 leaved Bell-flower (C. rotundifolia), often waving its 

 delicate flowers on huge shattered masses of rock, 

 or decking the tottering turret that has escaped the 

 invasion of the hundred-handed Ivy. Hence thig 

 species is a favourite with poets : and SCOTT has de- 

 scribed the " elastic tread" of his " Lady of the Lake," 

 as not even disturbing the position of the nodding 

 fragile Harebell. So CLAKE, the rural Northampton- 

 shire bard, mentions it with a just notion of its 

 character 



" The little Bell-flowers, pearly blue, 



That trembling peep the shelt'ring bush behind." 



The spreading Bell-flower (01 patula) is another beau- 

 tiful kind, generally adorning woods, or their borders, 

 in the midland sandstone districts ; while the clustered 

 Bell-flower (C.glomeratd), affects calcareous hills, such 



2A2 



