a MOUNTAINS 205 
and open skies, the happiness is tranquil and 
cold, like that of examining detached flowers 
in a conservatory, or reading a pleasant book.” 
And of all mountain views which he has seen, 
the finest he considers is that from the Mont- 
anvert: “I have climbed much and wandered 
much in the heart of the high Alps, but I have 
never yet seen anything which equalled the 
view from the cabin of the Montanvert.” 
It is no mere fancy that among mountains 
the flowers are peculiarly large and brilliant 
in colour. Not only are there many beautiful 
species which are peculiar to mountains, — 
alpine Gentians, yellow, blue, and purple; 
alpine Rhododendrons, alpine Primroses and 
Cowslips, alpine Lychnis, Columbine, Monks- 
hood, Anemones, Narcissus, Campanulas, Sol- 
danellas, and a thousand others less familiar 
to us,—but it is well established that even 
within the limits of the same species those 
living up in the mountains have larger and 
brighter flowers than their sisters elsewhere. 
Various alpine species belonging to quite 
distinct families form close moss-like cushions, 
gemmed with star-like flowers, or covered 
