HOME-MADE EDELWEISS 221 



the edelweiss, since in the Austrian Alps it is 

 threatened with extinction. Since the days of our 

 first parents it has ever been a trait in human 

 nature to endeavour to transfer to others any blame 

 that may be going, and we are told that wrong as 

 these professional flower-sellers may be, they are 

 "seduits par les guineas de John Bull, pour les 

 expedier en masse a 1'adresse de 1'un ou de Fautre 

 horticulteur Anglais." 



To supply the demand a curious manufacture 

 has sprung up whereby all trouble of collecting 

 or rearing the edelweiss is spared. The white 

 felt tunics of the Austrian infantry are bought up 

 when they have served their turn in the army 

 and cut up into suitable strips. These are skilfully 

 compounded into a very passable simulation of the 

 edelweiss and affixed to any plant that will pass 

 muster and then all is pressed and dried and ready 

 for sale to the unwary tourist. To allay any uneasy 

 feeling on the part of our readers we hereby 

 solemnly declare that our drawing, like all the 

 others in our book, was made with the living plant 

 before us. The edelweiss on Plate XXV. has never 

 passed through any parade-ground experiences or 

 taken part in any great military function. 



Another most interesting Alpine is the soldanella 



5. alpina. It is in its mountain home the first 

 plant in the early year to pierce through the snow, 



Our sketch was made, we see, on February 24th- 



