THE FAERY YEAR 



weathers and thrives through the storms of these 

 exposed places. As hardy as mill-mountain, and the 

 most widely and thickly spread of these miniature 

 flowers of the down, is bird's-foot trefoil ; this, 

 unlike mill-mountain, is perennial, yet it ripens 

 seeds each season in profusion. On a warm still 

 day in summer or early autumn one may hear the 

 cracking of its little black pods which flip their 

 seeds in all directions and then curl up into screw 

 form. It reminds one of the petty fusillades of 

 needle-furze earlier in the season, or of the ingenious 

 way in which a pansy will pinch away its seeds many 

 inches, even feet, from the parent plant. The sow- 

 ing of the small, unconsidered seed is a captivating 

 subject the devices for distribution are so sur- 

 prising and various, the agent that conveys the 

 sticky burr is so delightfully unconscious of the 

 important part it is playing. And then there is 

 the discreet plan of bribery by which birds and small 

 beasts, in return for the fruit, will carry away and 

 sow the seed. 



" Flower in the crannied wall, 

 I pluck you out of the crannies, 

 I hold you here, root and all, in my hand, 

 Little flower but if I could understand 

 What you are, root and all, and all in all, 

 I should know what GOD and man is.'' 



234 



