36 IN THE RIVER MEADS. 



among the woody, cone-like remains of those of previous 

 years. But here at their feet is a relief from the dull 

 monotony of their colouring. We find we are standing on 

 peat, veritable peat, which a walking-stick assures us is at 

 least three feet in depth, but which is composed almost 

 entirely, not of bog-moss, but of the tiny golden saxifrages, 

 both species growing together, the one with its little bright 

 green and fleshy round leaves in pairs, the other bearing 

 them singly, and both with flat clusters of tiny golden 

 flowers. I said "almost entirely," for there are scattered 

 bunches of the far larger marsh-marigold, the "water-blobs" 

 of our Surrey childhood, flaunting their sturdier growth, as 

 if proud of the wealth of gold they are now beginning to 

 display in their unfolding sepals. It is certainly a curious 

 point in structural botany that these brilliantly metallic 

 charms, so like the petals of the buttercup, should yet 

 correspond in origin rather with the green external leaves 

 of the latter flower, though both are nearly related in other 

 points. Yellow is certainly the chief floral colour we shall 

 meet with to-day; for here the willows are in bloom, 

 especially the purple osier with its polished red-purple 

 stems. These stems are almost as commonly used for 

 basket-making as the more silky common osier, which 

 will not be in flower for another month. Here comes the 

 rain, however, and there seems but little prospect of variety 

 at present among water-side plants, so we will abandon the 

 quest. 



