126 THE BOOK OF THE OPEN AIR 



heard " drumming " in early summer, But later on, during the months of July 

 and there he noted the round-leaved and August, is the best time to visit 

 and the long-leaved sundews, the marsh the Forest. The rare and handsome 

 cinquefoil (Comarum palustre, L.), and gladiolus (G. communis) is then in 

 the creeping bilberries or cranberries, flower, and may be seen growing among 

 This last plant (V actinium Oxycoccos^ the bracken in several of the open 

 common enough in peat bogs in the glades. It is one of our stateliest 

 north of England, is rare in Hampshire, British plants, and is only to be found 

 where it seems to have been first dis- in Hampshire. On the moist boggy 

 covered by Mr. Yalden, White's near heaths the blue calathian violet (Gen- 

 clerical neighbour, about the year 1760 ; tiana Pneumonanthe), the largest of our 

 and the two friends doubtless went to- English gentians, may be found ; while 

 gether to Bin's Pond, where the Vicar its near relation, the little cicendia 

 of Newton Valence pointed out to the (Microcala filiformis), opens its bright 

 naturalist of Selborne the beautiful yellow blossoms in damp sandy places, 

 little evergreen plant, with its bright Very rich, too, is the Forest in bog- 

 red flowers, trailing over the sphagnum plants, and among these some choice 

 moss. species are now in bloom. The beauti- 

 But interesting as Woolmer Forest ful little bog pimpernel (Anagallis 

 undoubtedly is as a hunting-ground tenella), with its leaves arranged in 

 for the naturalist and from its associa- opposite pairs and its erect rose- 

 tions with Gilbert White, it cannot coloured flowers, is to be seen every- 

 compare with the New Forest in the where, and the lesser skull-cap, and the 

 richness of its flora. Indeed, the yellow asphodel easily distinguished 

 Forest is the home of some of our by its narrow sword-shaped leaves and 

 rarest British plants. We have al- spike of starlike flowers ; while in 

 ready mentioned the long-leaved lung- some districts the buckbean (Menyan- 

 wort (Pulmonaria angusti folia), so con- thes trifoliata) brightens every pool 

 spicuous in the woods near the ruins and is so common that many of the 

 of Beaulieu in early spring. In June fields, we are told, are called " the buck- 

 the marsh Isnardia (Ludwigia palustris) bean mead." One or two rare British 

 may be found by those who know the orchids are now in flower in the Forest 

 exact spots in one or two of the Forest bogs. Well do I remember the feeling 

 bogs, and nowhere else in England, of delight with which, after many 



