44 THE OPEN AIR. 



described as large and heart-shaped, and to remain 

 green (at the ground) through the winter; but the 

 colour of the flower was omitted, though it was stated 

 that the petals of the hedge- mustard were yellow. 

 The plant that seemed to me to be probably "sauce 

 alone" had leaves somewhat heart-shaped, but so 

 confusing is partial description that I began to think 

 I had hit on "ramsons" instead of "sauce alone," 

 especially as ramsons was said to be a very common 

 plant. So it is in some counties, but, as I afterwards 

 found, there was not a plant of ramsons, or garlic, 

 throughout the whole of that district. When, some 

 years afterwards, I saw a white-flowered plant with 

 leaves like the lily of the valley, smelling of garlic, in 

 the woods of Somerset, I recognized it immediately. 

 The plants that are really common common every- 

 where are not numerous, and if you are studying 

 you must be careful to understand that word locally. 

 My " sauce alone " identification was right ; to be right 

 and not certain is still unsatisfactory. 



There shone on the banks white stars among the 

 grass. Petals delicately white in a whorl of rays 

 light that had started radiating from a centre and 

 become fixed shining among the flowerless green. 

 The slender stem had grown so fast it had drawn its 

 own root partly out of the ground, and when I tried 

 to gather it, flower, stem and root came away together. 

 The wheat was springing, the soft air full of the 

 growth and moisture, blackbirds whistling, wood- 

 pigeons nesting, young oak-leaves out; a sense ol 

 swelling, sunny fulness in the atmosphere. The plain 

 road was made beautiful by the advanced boughs that 



