242 



THE ARCTIC PRAIRIES 



Saxifrage 



down, and drain, leaving each a broad mud-flat. The 

 climate mildens and the south winds cease not, so that 

 wind-borne grasses soon make green mead- 

 ows of the broad lake-bottom flats. 



The process climbs the hill-slopes; every 

 little earthy foothold for a plant is claimed 

 by some new settler, until each low hill is 

 covered to the top with vegetation graded 

 to its soil, and where the flowering kinds 

 cannot establish themselves, the lichen pio- 

 neers still maintain their hold. Rarely, in 

 the landscape, now, is any of the primitive 

 colour of the rocks; even the tall, straight 

 cliffs of Aylmer are painted and frescoed 

 with lichens that flame and glitter with 

 purple and orange, silver and gold. How precious and 

 fertile the ground is made to seem, when every square 

 foot of it is an exquisite elfin garden made by the 

 little people, at infinite 

 cost, filled with dainty 

 flowers and still later 

 embellished with deli- 

 cate fruit. 



One of the wonderful 

 things about these 

 children of the Barrens 



is the great size of fruit and flower compared with the 

 plant. The cranberry, the crowberry, the cloudberry, 

 etc., produce fruit any one of which might outweigh 

 the herb itself. 

 Nowhere does one get the impression that these are 



