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for his visit, said another loiterer, he would assuredly have been saluted by 
energetic cries of ‘‘ Forward,” ‘‘ Forward,” from amidst the bracken ahead. The 
members visited the grand old oak, the ‘‘ Laugh-lady Oak,” growing on the hill 
side of the ‘‘ Laugh-lady Dingle.” This remarkable tree may have met with the 
great misfortune of its life from the great storm at Cromwell’s death. Its top has 
been broken off, its bole has been riven asunder, and it now presents a hollow 
stem divided into three sections, but each one has so far recovered itself as to be 
everywhere luxuriant. Seven bullocks were lost in a snowstorm some years since, 
and after a long hunt for them they were all found together within the hollow of 
this tree, where they had taken refuge and were unable to extricate themselves. 
On the Comnissioner’s visit 14 years ago the bole measured, at 5ft. from the 
ground, the large circumference of 30ft., but, he observed, ‘‘ the measurement is 
not true, since the rent on two sides reaches the ground, and one of them gapes 
widely.” This remark has been well borne out, for on the present occasion the 
circumference was found to have increased to 40ft. 10in., whilst the inside 
measurement of the hollow bole gave the diameter of 9ft. 3in., better room than 
before for seven beasts to shelter themselves. The picturesque dingle in which 
this tree grows is called ‘‘ Laugh-lady Dingle,” and a beautiful spring of water 
which flows out in a pretty romantic spot below is called ‘‘ Laugh-lady Well.” 
The clear, beautiful water rushes out joyously in a full and rapid stream, and 
sometimes a gentle gurgling noise is heard from within its source. The belief is 
general in the district that if a pin is dropped into it and bubbles arise the wishes 
or vows then made will be granted, and this is the more to be relied on if a gentle 
gurgling noise from the spring greets the expectant lover’s vows. An old fogie 
present did drop a pin in then and there, and bubbles did arise in plenty, so the 
good Naiad of the spring was highly propitious, but no gurgling sound was heard, 
and why should there be? What good could come of it , . . since the old 
fellow had been married a whole generation back! One gentleman wondered 
if the ample supply of sparkling bubbles that kept arising were Light Carburetted 
Hydrogen. This could not be the poet so much wanted here! The eye that could 
speculate on the contents of such bubbles is not 
The poet’s eye im a fine frenzy rolling, 
nor is the hand that would catch and analyse them one that could hold the right 
sort of pen for the locality— 
As imagination bodies forth 
The forms of things unknown, the poet’s pen 
Turns them to shapes, and gives to airy nothing 
A local habitation and a name. 
In the marsh at the bottom of the dingle the more rare plants found were 
Myriophyllum alterniflorum, Callitriche hamulata and C. platycarpa, Catabrosa 
aquatica, Alopecurus fulvus, Festuca pratensis var. loliacea, Helosciadium inundatum, 
and in many places throughout the day 
By rivulet or wet road-side, 
That blue and bright-eyed flow’'ret of the brook, 
Hope’s gentle gem, the sweet Forget-me-not. 
but it was the less common creeping variety, ALyosotis repens. Jasione montana 
was gathered in Pedwardine Wood, Trifolium striatum var. erectwm was also 
