120 CEASSULACE2E. 



in a certain sandy lane in Cheshire, to which I hare already 

 referred more than once. It is a light, whitish-green plant, 

 growing partly prostrate ; it has no corolla, and its five-cleft 

 calyx has a thin white margin. The flowers grow in clusters 

 both at the end and in the forks of the stems ; the leaves 

 are small, narrow, and pointed. I have no specimen of the 

 Perennial Knawell, but it very nearly resembles this, being 

 distinguished by its more entirely prostrate stems and blunt 

 leaves. It frequents the sandy fields of Norfolk and Suffolk. 



The next tribe to that of the Knot-grass is the STONECBOP 

 tribe. Our British Stonecrops are very humble members of 

 the race. They inhabit every zone, but the most beautiful 

 species are found in the tropics. The scorched cliffs of the 

 Canaries are adorned with these plants, and the sterile plains of 

 the Cape of Good Hope are relieved by their presence. I 

 remember while travelling in Switzerland, a lady of our party 

 directed our attention to a magnificent plant of this tribe 

 suspended from some rocks in a steep ravine beneath us. Its 

 very large panicles of white flowers had the effect of Ostrich 

 feathers. Our friend admired the plant enthusiastically, and 

 expressed a strong desire for it to place among her collection of 

 Swiss plants ; a moment after she regretted having done so, 

 for her young husband was climbing down the rocks, which 

 overhung a foaming mountain torrent, to procure it. However, 

 he returned in safety with his prize, which he placed in the hat 

 of his wife. No plume of feathers ever had a more graceful 

 effect, and she wore it under the blazing sun during the whole 

 day's excursion, without one of the delicate petals flagging. In 

 fact, the principal interest attaching to these plants arises from 

 their needing so little apparent sustenance from the soil. 

 Where other plants pine and die these flourish ; the slightest 

 hold upon the rock or sand sufficing for them. True and beau- 

 tiful is the lesson that the poet puts into their mouth ; we 

 would fain sit as loosely to the earth as they, but have a more 

 real and secure attraction above. They teach us not to set our 



