372 AUTUMN AND WINTER 



rounded by a wide circle of bare earth on which the sunshine 

 falls almost unhindered by the leafless boughs. On this 

 open bed the celandines cluster thickly, flattening their 

 marbled leaves on the bare soil, and lifting their rayed faces 

 to the sun. Late February and early March are their hey- 

 day ; as the foliage expands and the shadow deepens, they 

 fade ; and by the silent days of August the circle is worn bare 

 again, and all has perished except their buried tubers. 



The colour of primroses is midway between the green of 

 dog's mercury or hellebore blossoms and that of the true 

 yellow flowers, such as buttercups or dandelions. Green is 

 the most restful of all colours to the eye ; and part of the 

 peculiar attraction of primrose blossoms is probably due to 

 this admixture of green. How far this colour is from a true 

 yellow can be seen when we view from a little distance a 

 bank sprinkled with primroses and dandelions. By the side 

 of the golden dandelions the primroses are pale against the 

 background of grass. The contrast of the primrose with its 

 near relative the cowslip is scarcely less marked, and is 

 often displayed in the same way under a hedge-bank or at 

 the border of a field. Primroses are extremely persistent in 

 growth ; in sheltered situations and a mild climate they often 

 begin to form succulent leaves and flower-buds in early 

 autumn, and bloom in any month from September onwards. 

 Their flower-time corresponds less closely to that of most 

 spring flowers than to the song-time of such birds as the 

 song-thrush and robin. They begin their songs after the 

 drowsy season of late summer, and continue it in mild weather 

 all through winter, increasing in vigour as spring approaches. 

 Substituting growth for song, this is precisely the way 

 of the primrose. But snowdrops do not appear above 

 ground until a short time before they bloom ; and several 

 other flowers which can be found in the winter days are 



