NEAR AMBERLEY. 13 



Others I mentioned the Pasque flower. I was asked to describe 

 it, and when I said the botanical name was Anemone Pulsatilla^ 

 I was amused to find that our friend had written up to a well- 

 known London florist for roots of this flower, and had received 

 the reply that they had not got any, but would try to get some. 

 And yet in sight of that garden was the slope of hill where I 

 had gathered quite a bunch of the purple flowers. The plant 

 blooms close to the ground, but later on the stem shoots up, 

 and in summer the pretty winged seeds are lifted about a foot 

 from the ground, ready for the wind to waft them away. 



There grows where Danish blood was shed 



(So says the legend old), 

 A blossom, clad in purple vest, 



With heart of yellow gold. 



It points us to the hidden tomb 



Where lie the warriors brave ; 

 'Tis like the poet's sad, sweet song 



That blossoms on a grave. 



The next flower found was the Fritillaria meleagris^ and for this I 

 went to some fields at Oaksey, not far from Cirencester. This is also 

 very local, being quite unknown in some counties, though plentiful 

 in others. At Oaksey there are fields so full of them that they have 

 gained the' name of the Oaksey gardens. The flower is a very 

 curious one, checkered all over with small squares of a red-brown 

 colour, reminding one somewhat of a chess-board. It is not unlike 

 a tulip in shape, but hangs its head instead of holding it erect. 

 Fritillaria comes from a Latin word meaning a dice-box, which I 

 suppose it is thought to resemble. While gathering the flowers, rain 

 came down in torrents, and we returned home drenched to the skin, 

 but quite happy with our arms full of flowers. I may here say 

 that, in asking our way to the field, we had to inquire where the 

 " toad's heads " grew, this being the country name for them. As 

 Fritillaj'-ias they would be quite unknown. They were formerly 

 called " turkey hen," or " guinea flowers," and in many places are 

 now called " snake's heads " — names all evidently given on 

 account of the curious markings to which I have referred. 



