398 DARTMOOR AND THE DART. 



mapped out into fields, and spotted with clumps of 

 noble trees, most of them ancient sycamores ; and 

 then, gathering its garments tightly round, strides 

 onward into the unknown waste that lies among those 

 sweeping moory mountains. 



We did not go down into the village, but having 

 satiated our eyes and our fancies, more ignoble, but 

 not less clamorous propensities put in their claims 

 for attention. Sitting down beside one of the gurgling 

 moor-streams, we spread our frugal provisions on the 

 short turf, pic-nic fashion, and ate and drank with 

 gusto. Then strolling down the rivulet a few paces, 

 I found it dilated into a shaking bog, where footing, 

 from clump to clump of furze, and from tussock to 

 tussock of grass, was both scarce and precarious. I 

 had been told that a singular and highly interesting 

 plant, the sun-dew, that has the power of capturing 

 unfortunate flies which rest on its leaves, grows in 

 these elevated bogs, together with some other scarce 

 plants, as the asphodel, and the beautiful little bog 

 pimpernel. I found, however, neither of these, but 

 the bright-eyed laughing forget-me-not, whose appeal 

 I chose to read as made on behalf of the charming 

 Yale of Widdicombe in the Dartmoors ; and this I 

 do not think I sliall very readily forget. 



Just as we were setting out to return, we had a 

 curious evidence of the lonely and habitually undis- 

 turbed character of the place in the conduct of a little 

 bird. A skylark descending came down close to us, 

 singing as it came ; and lowering itself on wide-spread 



