HEATHER. 



HOW TO KNOW THE FLOWERS 

 OF THE MOORLAND— I 



By the Rev. H. PUREFOY FITZGERALD, F.L.S. 



With Photographs by HENRY IRVING 



TUli word moorland is a pleasing one, 

 it suggests freedom and space, 

 and where many delightful rambles 

 may be indulged in, the air seems to be 

 better than in most other places, and one's 

 spirits seem to rise as one goes farther 

 and farther away from human habita- 

 tions. It is not ever>'^vhere that these 

 large uninhabited tracts of country are 

 to be found, but generally there are 

 a few acres of wild wastes, which might 

 be described as moorlands in miniature, 

 and even these will supply us with certain 

 plants which are typical of such places. 



One fact may be noted here which 

 illustrates the methods which plants employ 

 of adapting themselves to their environ- 

 ment ; most of them (excluding all those 

 found in the boggy places) protect them- 

 selves from loss of water in some way or 

 another, some of them by having their 

 leaves rolled up, so as to expose less sur- 

 face for evaporation, in others the leaves 

 fall off very early. On the wind-swept 

 moors it is essential for the plants to do 

 something of this kind, else when the 

 drought comes it might fare l)a(lly with 

 them. 



1036 



