82 AUGUST IN BEOADLAND. 



and its 100,000 folk; and a better people, take them on the whole, you'll not find 

 in old England. 



4 What do I mean by that? I'll tell you, sir; there is not a more un clannish 

 folk: they're open-hearted, free, and always ready to give a hand to an unfortunate 

 fellow-citizen. I won't say more or you'll think I'm clannish. 



'What am I? Well, I do anything just now; they call me the ' fern-man,' 

 and it's ferns, you see, to-day I'm gathering. Here's lady-ferns, spleenworts, and 

 prickly shield-ferns. Many folks have a taste for this kind of wild-plant ; and 

 what looks better in a dingy backyard than a nicely arranged fernery ? 



' You see, sir, it's like this. I wasn't brought up to this kind of thing. I am 

 a f comp.' by trade- a printer, you know but getting my right hand crippled (see 

 it) in the machinery, I was of no further use. I met with much kindness, but, you 

 know, you can't live always on it at least, I couldn't and after turning Micawber 

 for a time, I thought 'twas time to turn up something for myself. I was always 

 ' gone ' on botany, and natural history in general. So thinks I, when I saw some 

 ferns in a hedge one day, here's just it; so, getting a ' ped,' I filled it, and leaving 

 a bit of pride behind me, started business. I soon cleared out. And that's how 

 one thing led on to another. In the various seasons I hunt for watercresses, ferns, 

 primroses, sweetbriar, and other wild flowers, taking commissions for gathering 

 specialties for cooped-up folks who have tastes akin to my own. Why, only to-day 

 I'm taking home this bundle of dandelions for a herbalist, and this bunch of wild 

 plants to a botanist, who particularly wants them, and hasn't time to come himself. 

 I met with a stroke of luck not long back, I found a species of orchis, they named 

 it Gordyera repens. It was growing amongst some firs ; they said it was imported 

 with the trees from Scotland. Where did the luck come in ? Why, with the crown 

 that followed ! 



' I don't confine myself to ( green-stuffs.' Anything in the way naturalistic 

 that turns up I take it on. Oh ! by-the-by, I've a splendid snake here. Here he 

 is, I tied him in this little bag. I heard a funny squealing just behind a hedge. 

 I peered cautiously through, and saw a sight that much interested me: it was a 

 wretched frog that was protesting ; this snake had got him by the leg. The frog 

 was kicking in a dazed sort of way, as if he felt it was all over with him. One leg 

 was down the reptile's throat, the other hind leg was free. It was really exciting 

 to see ; and I stayed to watch the finale, which came about eventually in the frog's 

 going down, poor thing ! And this swelling in the snake shows how far on his 

 travels the four-legged reptile's gone as yet.' 



