232 LETTERS TO MARCO xxxiv 



tame, and wheeled and flew around, screaming 

 and piping all manner of lays. The whole 

 scene was very Dutch in character ; and with 

 the birds, the cows, and the evening glow, 

 was exceedingly paintable. Here and there 

 were pools of water and a few quaint old 

 wooden foot-bridges that would greatly have 

 delighted you and tempted you to many a 

 water-colour. The cottage walls with the 

 evening light on them were, I can assure you, 

 lighter than the sky, as were also the gulls 

 and the white on the cows. It was very Cuyp- 

 like in effect. 



In my garden I have some teasels which 

 are just coming into bloom. Their water- 

 cups were never empty, even during the very 

 dry weather we had. I have heard it said 

 that the water in these cups is sweetish in 

 order to attract flies, but I am rather doubtful 

 as to this. I cannot detect any sweetness in 

 the water that is found on my teasels. As 

 the plant is sometimes infested by aphidae or 

 green flies, it is possible that the juices of 



