16 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST 



very like a starfish, is of a brown-red colour, and covered with 

 hairs full of a liquid resembling blood, while the smell is almost 

 unbearable. The specimen given to me from the Botanical 

 Gardens at Cambridge was covered with the eggs of the Blow-fly, 

 thus showing how well the fly had been deceived. 



The Listcra (or Neottia) 7iidus avis I had not seen before 

 finding it at Amberley under the beech-trees, on the road below 

 Rodborough Fort. It gets its name of " bird's nest orchis " from 

 the root, which is a dense bunch of thick, rather succulent fibres. 

 At Longfords I found the pretty Geuvi rivale, which I have often 

 found in Switzerland, but never before in England. It is not very 

 unlike the Geum urbamwi ; but, instead of being yellow, the 

 flower is a pinkish orange, with purple veinings ; it is also larger 

 and drooping. A variety is sometimes found resembling both 

 species. The Geranium lucidem, which I found here very plenti- 

 fully on the walls, is also uncommon. It has a smaller blossom 

 than the Geraniu7n Robertianum^ and is of a brighter pink ; while 

 the shining leaves are exceedingly beautiful, and turn in autumn 

 to a brilliant red. In the Wood at Highlands I found the rare 

 Lathrcea sqiiamaria (toothwort). It grows parasitically on the 

 roots of the hazel, and gets its name from the curious appearance 

 of its underground stem, which is sheathed by succulent scales, 

 the abortive forms of what ought to have been its leaves. It is a 

 pale, sickly-looking flower, sometimes, when growing in sunlight, 

 of a mauve tinge, but usually a pale yellow-white, and quite 

 scentless. The secret of its miserable appearance is that it is 

 living entirely at the expense of another. By drawing the pre- 

 pared juice from another plant, it has lost its own leaves in 

 accordance with Nature's stern rule, that "loss follows disuse." 



I am writing this paper beneath a grand old tree, shaded by 

 that glorious green web of Nature's own weaving upon the warp 

 of last year's dead leaves and blossoms. Here as elsewhere true 

 freedom is only found in obedience to law. The smallest details 

 are not left to chance, and there is as exact a geometry here as in 

 the mineral kingdom. Just as certainly as the angles which the 

 axes and planes of different crystals form with each other are 

 determined, the leaves follow a regular plan, and the flowers 

 appear not only at the appointed time, but at the appointed 



