<>n tbe Stufc of IRatural Scenery 9 



and even buildings under their masses. The sea-shore has 

 no vegetation on the margin of the water, as have most 

 lakes, owing to the changing tides and the salty nature of 

 the water. When low and watery ground extends far 

 inland from the sea, it gives rise to salt marshes desolate 

 wastes of coarse grass, rushes and reeds, enlivened here and 

 there by isolated and scattered clumps of sea lavender and 

 marshmallows with showy flowers. 



Many really beautiful plants may be naturalized on 

 sandy shores, and very delightful natural gardens can be 

 made in such places by these means. Bulbous plants such as 

 narcissi, squills, and some Klies will do well on the higher 

 parts of the sandy beach. On sloping banks, sand 

 clover, furze and broom and other kinds of cytisus may 

 be used to form dense masses of leaves and flowers. Many 

 maritime plants are insignificant as individuals, but when 

 they appear in great numbers they form an important 

 feature of the seaside landscape. 



Fens and marshes are rich and varied in many ways. 

 Zig-zag channels of transparent water make bewildering 

 mazes among the tall grass. Clumps of birch and willow 

 are common on the higher ground, accompanied by low 

 bushes of sweet gale, and other shrubs. To the casual 

 observer these watery tracts of land are void of interest 

 and beaiity, but in the interior they are rich in animal and 

 vegetable life and have a charm of their own. Gayly-col- 

 ored birds build their nests on the slender reeds, and fill 

 the mornings with their carols ; butterflies hover from 

 flower to flower ; water trefoil, marsh marigold, and golden 

 senecio line the winding, sharp-edged channels, and on the 



