FRAGMENTS OF SCIENCE. 



571 



toward one of those which were fixed, and 

 hovering a few inches away from them, 

 but only for a few minutes. The fixed 

 insect turned its abdomen a few degrees, 

 when the second immediately settled on the 

 wire in the same attitude as the others, 

 into an absolutely motionless position. The 

 distance between the insects varied from 

 about four to twelve inches, the average 

 being about eight inches, while no two were 

 closer together than four inches. They 

 never came with full force upon the wire, 

 but were seen pouncing from all points upon 

 the settled individuals, when the proceed- 

 ings described above followed ; the insect 

 always fixing itself so as to have a little 

 clear space toward the west. Once settled, 

 the dragon flies remained motionless, as if 

 hypnotized by the reflection of the sun from 

 the wire in front of them. Occasionally one 

 would leave the wire, but always to settle 

 itself at once a few yards farther on ; none 

 went away upon a long flight. M. Barrois 

 found the wires thus occupied by dragon 

 flies he estimates that there were sixty 

 thousand of them for eight or nine miles, 

 to where the line turned abruptly toward 

 the south. The position of the insects, with 

 their heads turned west, indicates that they 

 were attracted by the sunlight ; and the space 

 which they all kept to the west of them was 

 that required to afford a clear opening in 

 which the reflection could take place. 



Characteristics of Alpine Plants. As 



described in Garden and Forest by M. H. 

 Correvon, of the Alpine Garden, Geneva, the 

 vegetation which thrives on great altitudes, 

 like those of the Alps, Andes, Himalayas, 

 and the mountains of Oceania, shows a dis- 

 tinct individual character readily noticeable. 

 The plants are usually stunted, short- 

 stemmed, or stemless, with flowers relative- 

 ly exaggerated in size. The large flowers 

 are almost sessile, with hardly apparent and 

 only slightly developed foliage, which at a 

 very high level is often clothed with a fine, 

 close down, so as better to withstand the 

 effects of cold nights. In many cases the 

 foliage is glabrous, when it is also usually 

 coriaceous (with tissues especially adapted 

 to resist the frosts of Alpine climates) ; and 

 the leaf, of a firm, close, thick texture, is pro- 

 vided with a solid epidermis and covered 



with a waxy coating, which enables it to 

 withstand the effects of the sun as well as 

 those of an excess of humidity. Species 

 that grow in the shade and in well-protected 

 spots are, however, not thus armed. Their 

 foliage is soft and delicate, whereas woolly 

 plants take the Edelweiss and species hav- 

 ing smooth, generally thick and glossy 

 leaves are usually encountered on arid, un- 

 sheltered slopes. Flora of altitudes exposed 

 to the heat of the sun generally produces 

 large, brilliantly colored flowers ; while that 

 of shaded situations exhibits very small, 

 pale blossoms, entirely out of proportion to 

 the size of the plant. The influence of the 

 sun and its effect on vegetation are more 

 striking here than elsewhere. Annual spe- 

 cies, so abundant on lower levels, are rarely 

 met with in Alpine zones. The short sum- 

 mer there does not permit them to accom- 

 plish the complete cycle of their existence 

 in a single season. Alpine plants are always 

 branched from the base with perennial root- 

 stock and stems spreading on the ground, 

 whereby the plant secures protection against 

 inclement nights and severe days. All the 

 activity and energy of the plant is brought 

 to bear on the development of the flower 

 and the reproductive organs. Owing to the 

 conditions under which they thrive, Alpine 

 plants require sometimes several years to 

 accomplish the cycle of their existence, and 

 need more than a single season to produce 

 flowers and seeds. The flora of polar coun- 

 tries has a very different aspect from that 

 of the mountains, though many species are 

 common to both. The polar sunlight, though 

 more constant, is less intense and more dif- 

 fuse than that of the temperate regions in 

 which most of the mountain flora has its 

 home. The effects of the difference are 

 seen in the plants and flowers. 



Holy Wells. Curious superstitions con- 

 nected with holy wells are illustrated in M. 

 and L. Quiller-Couch's book about those of 

 Cornwall. Many if not all of these wells 

 date as holy from pre-Christian times, and as 

 it was not practicable or even possible to nul- 

 lify the people's faith in them, the mission- 

 aries had to Christianize them by renaming 

 them and dedicating them to some Christian 

 saints, and there are now few English wells 

 that have heathen names. Heathen rites 



