152 THE FRIENDSHIP OF NATURE 



rod, wild sunflowers, and asters are 

 now opening. Where the sun breaks 

 through, before the turn, you see the 

 path line is carried out with shrubs, 

 snowballs, bush-honeysuckle, tamarix, 

 cotoneaster, barberry, and many others. 

 In a clearing, where the ground rolls 

 to some apple trees, the mulberry, 

 mountain ash, and a choke-cherry tree 

 were planted especially for the benefit 

 of the birds, and the rough old willow, 

 too, is surrounded by young hawthorns, 

 where the hair-bird likes to build. 

 See ! all through the stubbly orchard 

 grass run pale green ribbons of the 

 sensitive fern, and in another month 

 the bronze-fronded moonwort will fol- 

 low them. 



Up hill a bit, the pines and spruces 

 meet you, the rocks break through the 

 scanty soil; in fact, the garden, like 

 some hillside vineyards, is founded on 



