Where to look for Floivers. 43 



they rise from under the foot, with a shrill, angry- 

 buzz. 



On the other side the plough has left a narrow 

 strip of green running along the hedge : the horses, 

 requiring some space in which to turn at the end of 

 each furrow, could not draw the share any nearer, 

 and on this narrow strip the weeds and wild flowers 

 flourish. The light sulphur-colored charlock is scat- 

 tered everywhere — out among the corn, too, for no 

 cleaning seems capable of eradicating this plant ; the 

 seeds will linger in the earth and retain their germin- 

 ating power for a length of time, till the plough brings 

 them near enough to the surface, when they are sure 

 to shoot up unless the pigeons find them. Here also 

 ma}- be found the wild garlic, which sometimes gets 

 among the wheat and lends an onion-like flavor to 

 the bread. It grows, too, on the edge of the low 

 challv}' banks overhanging the narrow wagon track, 

 whose ruts are deep in the rubble — worn so in 

 winter. 



Such places, close to cultivated land 3'et undis- 

 turbed, are the best in which to look for wild flowers ; 

 and on the narrow strip beside the hedge and on the 

 crumbling rubble bank of the rough track may be 

 found a greater variety than hy searching the broad 

 acres be3'ond. In the season the large white bell-like 

 flowers of the convolvulus will climb over the haw- 

 thorn, and the lesser striped kind will creep along the 

 ground. The pink pimpernel hides on the very verge 

 of the corn, which presentl}^ will be strewn with the 

 beautiful ' blue bottle ' flower, than whose exquisite 

 hue there is nothing more lovely in our fields. The 

 great scarlet poppy with the black centre, and ' eggs 



