A 'SPOIL BANK' 



JULY 



BY yonder stone quarry there is a spoil bank 

 where the farmer's enemy the lilac-coloured 

 creeping plume-thistle (arvensis) has taken 

 bold possession, carrying out a colour 

 scheme with masses of the lovely purple-blue 

 flowered tufted vetch (cracca). High rose- 

 purple-crowned spear plume-thistles (lanceo- 

 latns),t\\&t intoxicate the humble bee, are hold- 

 ing up a thousand cobwebby globular heads 

 each arrayed with its silver-green armour of 

 spines spaced with mathematical precision, 

 and pointed so sharply and truly that the finest 

 needle is a blunt and pitted spike in comparison. 



There are patches too of yellow hawkweeds in 

 variety, bending grasses amid stately cow-parsnip 

 and great handsome docks all laden with their tiered 

 heads of fruit ; some bright green, others all rusty 

 red and deep rich brown. 



In the hot noon-day sun it is a humming, buzzing 



143 



HUMBLE BEE 



ON SPEAR THISTLE 



