THE SUB-TROPICAL ZONE. 175 



the Kg Marigold tribe (Mesembryanthemum] , which inhabits 

 rocks and dry plains in the most arid parts of the southern 

 extremity of Africa. They are shrubs, with " fleshy leaves, 

 often of most singular forms " the flowers are of various 

 colours, and in shape have a slight resemblance to the 

 Marigold. Like Wordsworth's " Little Celandine," these 

 are " flowers of wiser wits" than to open in the shade, or in 

 dull weather, but only expand under bright sunshine. " I 

 scarcely know," says Professor Lindley, " a more interesting 

 sight than on a summer's day after a storm to watch a bush 

 of this genus, which has thrown its weak, trailing arms over 

 a piece of rock, and which leans forward to the south, as if 

 to catch the earliest influence of the beams it loves so well. 

 While the sun is darkened by clouds, all its blossoms are 

 shut up so closely that one would hardly suspect the bush 

 of being more than a .tuft of leafy branches, with some 

 withered or unexpanded blossoms scattered over them. 

 But the moment that the bright rays of the sun begin to 

 play upon the flowers, the scene changes visibly beneath the 

 eye ; the petals slowly part, and unfold their shining sur- 

 faces of almost metallic brilliancy to the sunbeams, and in 

 a few minutes become so many living stars of the most gor- 

 geous tints, and so entirely hide the leaves that scarcely a 



