234 October — Tufted Hair-grass. 



them show a colored transparence like jewels. At the 

 same time they are often covered with threads of gos- 

 samer, on which are hung millions of minute drops, 

 each of them clearer than a diamond, and with a sparkle 

 of light inside it. Even so late as this you may occa- 

 sionally find a flower in all its perfection — the scabious, 

 for instance — which preserves for us the memory of 

 summer. A few honeysuckle flowers may be found in 

 October, although the plant is generally in berry. The 

 tall grasses become very beautiful at this season ; the 

 tufted hair-grass may be mentioned specially for the re- 

 markable way in which it catches the light. Under 

 the sun it seems full of warm yellow light, almost as if 

 it were luminous by a light of its own ; indeed the sun- 

 shine seems to get entangled amongst it as in the down 

 of a thistle, and this often gives great splendor to a fore- 

 ground, but the effect is to be seen only when you are 

 looking towards the sun. 



