SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF ALPINES. 51 



forth and wave like a flag over the conquered snow- 

 clad fortress. 



In striking constrast to the solid, leathery-looking 

 leaves of the Soldanella are the leaves of some of the 

 other mountain plants. Let us take two as examples : 

 the Birds' -eye Primrose, and the Edelweiss. They are 

 not near neighbours, for the one loves the sides of 

 rivulets and wet meadows ; the other finds its home 

 on the cliffs, or amidst the stones of the mountain 

 sides, though in the eastern Alps it descends to lower 

 levels. The chief characteristic of the Birds' -eye 

 Primrose is the coating of white meal on the underside 

 of its leaves : the chief feature of the Edelweiss is its 

 felt-hke covering of grey hairs. The one seeks to 

 prevent the openings of its leaf-cells from being clogged 

 with wet ; the other strives to prevent excessive 

 transpiration taking place in periods of drought. 



How effective its coating of wax is to the mealy 

 primrose may be seen if we dip one of its leaves into 

 water, for whilst the upper surface of the leaf is 

 moistened, the under side remains unaffected. There 

 are other plants with a similar habit, such as the 

 melancholy thistle, the handsome flowerhead of which, 

 and its long grey-coated leaves, are found in mountain 

 pastures. Hairs on the upper surface of the leaves 

 have a similar use in the case of one of the commonest 

 Alpine Hawk-weeds — Hieracium villosum ; its long 

 projecting hairs after a fall of rain are thickly beset with 

 drops of water, but the leaf surface is not affected. 

 Now, with other plants the felt-Hke covering serves 

 as a protection against injury from dry winds and from 



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