S02 WANDERINGS AND PONDERINGS, &C. 



the " Rocks," and watched the sun sink into a tumultuous mass 

 of mountains. The mists rising at sunset became resplendent, 

 as the god of day finished his daily course, and the mountain 

 tops threw their long black shadow on the illuminated vapour, 

 as though it were a solid plain. When the sun was gone, the 

 mist flooded the scene, and imposed a level surface where a 

 thousand hills had reared their heads a few moments before. 

 But the sky seemed to gain the beauty that the earth had lost ; 

 first it became golden, afterwards the loveliest red, and finally 

 subsided into a clear transparent green, over which little rosy 

 clouds continued floating for hours. The Llandegly rocks 

 are about as high as Malvern Hills; around on every side 

 the mountains rise far above them ; to the north and east, the 

 nearer and more exquisitely rounded masses of Radnor forest 

 close the view ; to the south and south-west, the gigantic Black 

 Mountain and majestic Beacon tower above the surrounding 

 scenery; west and north-west, the Rhayader mountains, and 

 the Plinlimmon chain beyond, present a numberless series of 

 summits, amongst which Plinlimmon itself is not to be dis- 

 tinguished. 



Although the Insect-Hunter stayed some days at Llandegly 

 — mevi. not to drink its nauseous waters, — he did but very little 

 for Entomology. Here, as at other places, the dogs be- 

 came his friends ; Taffy and Trusty, tenants of the same roof, 

 were his constant companions. The Llandegly country is 

 abundant in flowers ; the meadows — and I think the character 

 is peculiarly Welsh — are really brilliant with the assemblage of 

 colours ; the hedges were half filled with the exquisitely beau- 

 tiful Vicia cracca, and roses of the deepest red. The Entomology 

 of such a country must be rich. Leaving Llandegly, the In- 

 sect-Hunter once more turned his face towards England ; the 

 road passes over a part of Radnor forest, and the constantly 

 varying views present many scenes of interest. Water-break- 

 its-neck is a wild spot, a dark and dull chasm, in the mountain 

 side, apparently torn long since by some violent convulsion of 

 the earth. The rocks are beautifully adorned with shrubs and 

 stunted trees, springing in wild and grotesque forms from every 

 ledge ; a silvery stream of water issues from the summit of the 

 chasm, and falls into the abyss ; the rocks, which are steep and 

 of very difficult access, afibrd building-places to numberless 

 hawks, some of which may be constantly seen floating, ghost- 



