THE PINE WOOD. 75 



at every purple heath-blossom, at the purple knap- 

 weeds, purple thistles, and broad handfuls of yellow- 

 weed flowers. Wasp-like flies barred with yellow 

 suspended themselves in the air between the pine- 

 trunks like hawks hovering, and suddenly shot 

 themselves a yard forward or to one side, as if the 

 rapid vibration of their wings while hovering had 

 accumulated force which drove them as if discharged 

 from a cross-bow. The sun had set all things in 

 motion. 



There was a hum under the oak by the hedge, 

 a hum in the pine wood, a humming among the heath 

 and the dry grass which heat had browned. The air 

 was alive and merry with sound, so that the day 

 seemed quite different and twice as pleasant. Three 

 blue butterflies fluttered in one flowery corner, the 

 warmth gave them vigour ; two had a silvery edging 

 to their wings, one was brown and blue. The nuts 

 reddening at the tips appeared ripening like apples 

 in the sunshine. This corner is a favourite with wild 

 bees and butterflies ; if the sun shines they are sure 

 to be found there at the heath -bloom and tall yellow- 

 weed, and among the dry seeding bennets or grass- 

 stalks. All things, even butterflies, are local in their 

 habits. Far up on the hillside the blue green of the 

 pines beneath shone in the sun a burnished colour ; 

 the high hillside is covered with heath and heather. 

 Where there are open places a small species of gorse, 

 scarcely six inches high, is in bloom, the yellow 

 blossom on the extremity of the stalk. 



Some of these gorse plants seemed to have a different 

 flower growing at the side of the stem, instead of at 



