66 ALPINE FLOWERS AND GARDENS 



anything but aesthetic at another time and season, 

 but now they speak of the very spirit of things — 

 and speak most convincingly and sweetly. If these 

 cow-bells were hushed, and did not wake us at 

 dawn with their irresponsible chiming, we should 

 feel that something was amiss ; if the brightly- 

 burnished little Copper butterflies were not flitting 

 about the ?>rilliant clear-yellow Dandelions, we 

 should be sad ; and it the vivid orange Arnica were 

 not freely blooming amid a gorgeous wealth of rosy 

 Rhododendron^ we should think that things were 

 out of joint. All is well ! — the year is at its 

 height, and nothing of this could we do without 

 — nothing ! No, not even the flies ! We should 

 indeed feel strange if the cattle-flies did not 

 companion us ! 



* For sheer beauty and multiplicity of changing 

 impression in colour, vegetation, composition of 

 landscape scenery, r.he middle heights, before we 

 quite leave the juicy pastures and forest foliage of 

 the Alps (which means the pasturages), are the 

 scenes of the most tranquil and continuous delight.' 

 Thus writes Mr. Frederic Harrison ; but he writes 

 of days before those when 



* Sings the Scythe to the flowers and grass,* 



