THE CHILDREN OF THE NEW FOREST. 163 



indeed, seem to be the leading characteristic of that 

 part of the forest, for it was impossible to look down 

 any avenue without seeing a cluster of these magnificent 

 flowers shining out against the dark masses of shadowy 

 verdure, and giving wondrous effects of colour just 

 where an artist would most want them 



It was most beautiful, too, to watch the golden- 

 winged insects come darting against the sunbeams, 

 issuing like visions from the shrouded darkness, 

 glittering for a moment like living gems as they shot 

 through the narrow belt of light, and vanishing into 

 the mysterious gloom beyond, as if suddenly annihilated 

 by the wave of a magician's wand. More pleasant 

 to the sight than to the touch, particularly for persons 

 endowed with a delicate skin. I never thoroughly 

 appreciated the exceeding torture that the plague of 

 flies must have inflicted upon the Egyptians until I had 

 passed a few hot summer days in the New Forest. 



Flies of all sorts, sizes, and colours surround the 

 hapless victim, and render existence a burden and a 

 torment. Great buzzing, wide-winged, large-eyed flies 

 charge at him with a trumpet of defiance, and in spite 

 of clothes find some weak point through which they 

 may insert their poisoned dart. Tiny flies, too small 

 for audible murmur of wings, and too gentle of move- 

 ment to be noticed, run nimbly about his person, creep 

 up his sleeves, slip down his neck, get into his eyes and 

 nostrils, and leave memorials of their presence in a 

 series of little angry red pustules like those of nettle- 

 si 2 



