IN AN ALPINE GARDEN 149 



whole army of Saxifrages and Ranunculus ; for, 

 with but few red or mauve exceptions, the Saxi- 

 frages are white, cream, and yellow, and, with the 

 exception of Ranunculus glacialis (which, after all, 

 starts its career pure wliite and only turns red when 

 the insects or the winds have inoculated it), the 

 whole gi'oup of Ranunculus is either white or 

 yellow. Moreover — and this is a common occur- 

 rence among blue flowers — almost every variety of 

 blue Gentian has its white form, as also have very 

 many of the blue Campanulas. I am inclined to 

 think, therefore, that the balance of colour as 

 regards species is very fairly maintained. Naturally, 

 the only way to set the matter at rest would be to 

 have a list of all the flowers of the Alps tabu- 

 lated according to colour ; but, speaking without 

 such a list, I am inclined to think that if the 

 theory has any foundation in fact, it is but slight 

 — too sUght for that it should be phenomenally 

 striking. 



Mr. Thompson has, possibly, better material with 

 which to make a case for quantity. There is such an 

 extraordinary wealth of red Rhododendron, blue 

 Gentian, and purple Viola, in the Alps, that all 

 other colours seem to be in a charming minority. 

 But this is only in Spring or early Summer, and in 



