AMONG THE FYLDE FLOWERS. 207 



Last spring I was specially requested to show an acquaintance 

 the habitat of this plant, and full of good faith set out to do so. 

 On our way we passed a pretty clump of the Nodding Star of 

 Bethlehem. The Corydalis was in good show, was very much 

 admired, and the unselfish visitor was apparently thankful to pull 

 a couple of specimens. 



A fortnight later, to my intense regret and disgust, I found 

 that the entire lot of plants had been — not pulled only — but 

 actually dug up root and all. 



With feelings of alarm I hurried to the place where we had 

 stood and admired the lovely Ornithogalum. Every flower had 

 disappeared, and evidences that the trowel had done its work 

 were not lacking. I subsequently learnt that my acquaintance 

 was busy seeking adequate exchanges for dried specimens of both 

 plants. " Once bitten, twice shy," is now ineradicably engraved 

 on my mind for evermore. 



June is a capital month to work at many of the British 

 Natural Orders. Grasses especially should be hunted up, as they 

 are then at their best, but that of course is chiefly meadow work, 

 although many species can only be found in the woodlands. 



However, the members of one family, to wit, the Rosacea, bear 

 at this time a large share in sylvan adornment. I have for a 

 minute or two been pencilling the names of all the Rosaceous 

 plants which could be seen on any June day in the Lytham 

 woods. The list is interesting and fairly representative of the 

 family, comprising as it does nearly twenty species. 



First comes the Sloe or Blackthorn {Pninus spinosa)^ which, 

 though it flowered late in March, is too attractive to be passed by 

 for it is in full leaf and heavily fruit-laden. 



The Crab-apple {Fyrus mains), the Mountain Ash {Fyms 

 aiicuparia), and the Hawthorn are still in flower, although their 

 finest blooms were cast before the end of May, but beneath 

 these, what an array of brightly decked kinsmen. One can wade 

 shoulder deep through solid squares of Meadowsweet {Spircea 

 ubnaria), which burden the air with their powerful fragrance, the 

 same perfume which is produced by the Hawthorn, but, thickly 

 though they grow, the ground below has other no less attractive 

 evidences of its fertility, for, if the Strawberry is not busy flower- 



