70 FLOWER-FIELDS OF ALPINE SWITZERLAND 



with oats or rye. Anyway, it were well worth 

 taking note of this Poppy's presence hereabouts, 

 if only because on the slope next door was the 

 Bell-Gentian ! 



After this " parenthetic enthusiasm " over so 

 homely an intruder, we will hie us back to the 

 more usual denizens of these slopes and fields. 

 Perhaps enough has already been said to show 

 what a poor thing language is when in the 

 presence of such splendours as June spreads 

 before us in the Alps. Very few, if any, of the 

 flowers were growing singly or even sparsely ; 

 they were usually in dense bright masses, or close 

 and broad-spread legions, forming an " infinite 

 floral broidery " stretching above, below, in front, 

 and behind as far as eye could reach. What a 

 difficult, almost impossible matter it has been to 

 select for pictorial presentation such sections of 

 this wealthy panorama as shall give some small 

 idea of the whole, will readily be understood. 

 Halting attempts, however, will be found in the 

 pictures facing pages 32 and 48. And to supplement 

 and reinforce these, there is, at the end of this 

 chapter, a short list of the chief grass-land flowers 

 met with during my walk. The rock-plants, and 

 those liking the poorest of soil, though they 



