210 WILD FLOWERS OF SCOTLAND 



South of Europe. Our own land was practically 

 wiped out, buried fathoms deep. As the sheet 

 slowly shrank and retreated northwards, life 

 followed and took possession. 



Among plants, the hardier and smaller were in 

 advance ; the larger and more succulent waited 

 till the chilled and sodden earth was warmed 

 and dried, and the danger of devastating floods 

 was past. The English Channel was then a 

 land valley, so that no obstacle checked the 

 onward march. 



For a while the first comers had all this land 

 to themselves. They were satisfied with little, 

 could endure much, and were able to cling to 

 any support, above the reach of the tumbling 

 waters, caused by the melting of the ice. They 

 held possession of the lowlands, the hills being 

 capped with white, and the glens blocked with 

 glaciers. 



As the climate became still milder, and the 

 ice-field shrank farther back, the main body of 

 big strong plants ventured forward. Unable to 

 contend with those luxuriant growers on their 

 own ground, the snow flowers took to the hill- 

 slopes. Closely followed, they clambered yet 

 higher up, seizing on every nook and coign of 



