XXVIII 



THE CHEQUERED DAFFODIL 

 AND THE GLORY OF WILD FLOWERS 



Never a season passes, never a month nor a week, 

 nor even a day, when I'm wandering in quest of 

 the sights and sounds that draw the field naturalist, 

 but I stumble on something notable never pre- 

 viously seen, or never seen in the same charming 

 aspect. And the fact that it is stumbled on when 

 not looked for, that it comes as a complete surprise, 

 greatly enhances the charm. It may be a bird or 

 mammal, or some rare or lustrous insect, but it is 

 in plant life where the happy discoveries are most 

 frequent, even to one who is not a " painfull and 

 industrious searcher of plantes " and knows little 

 of their science. For not only are the species so 

 numerous as to be practically innumerable to one 

 who desires to see all things for himself, but many 

 of the most attractive kinds are either rare or 

 exceedingly local in their distribution. I will give, 

 a few instances. 



What a delightful experience it was one cold 

 sunny day in April when I sought shelter from the 

 furious wind at a huge rocky headland at Zennor 



326 



