302 WOODLANDERS AND FIELD FOLK 



clusters of blossoms, before fully expanded, are 

 rose-coloured, and when open the petals are covered 

 with a silken, plush-like fringe. It is the " flower of 

 liberty " of the Danes, though their idea that it is 

 found only within their own country is quite an 

 erroneous one. 



There, half in the water, are the brilliant blue petals 

 of the germander speedwell, and close by its little 

 cousin, the mountain veronica. Glistening among 

 the reeds are the brilliant corollas of the blue brook- 

 lime, or water-purple, as the Scotch love to call it. 

 Pushing our old slimy punt in among the rushes, we 

 disturb a pair of reed-sparrows which have their 

 nest deep down in the flags ; and a few yards further 

 on a pair of wild ducks get up heavily from the tarn 

 and make off with outstretched necks. Stepping 

 out a yard from the punt, I come upon a great bunch 

 of dusky cranesbill and lesser tufts of eye-bright 

 a plant with high virtues according to the herbalists. 

 Beautiful to my eyes is the little scarlet pimpernel 

 poor man's weather-glass, or shepherd's barometer. 

 All these names are appropriate, for not only do its 

 flowers close at the approach of rain, but open and 

 close both morning and afternoon with the greatest 

 regularity. The pimpernel is one of the only two 

 scarlet British wild flowers, and is extremely beauti- 

 ful. It is a low creeping plant, and here runs out 

 from the edge of the marsh into the cornfields as 



