194 THE BEAUTIES OF NATURE chap. 



of the crop itself.^ On the other hand " turf " 

 is peculiarly English, and no turf is more de- 

 lightful than that of our Downs — delightful 

 to ride on, to sit on, or to walk on. The turf 

 indeed feels so springy under our feet that 

 walking on it seems scarcely an exertion : one 

 could almost fancy that the Downs themselves 

 were still rising, even higher, into the air. 



The herbage of the Downs is close rather 

 than short, hillocks of sweet thyme, tufts of 

 golden Potentilla, of Milkwort — blue, pink, 

 and white — of sweet grass and Harebells : 

 here and there pink with Heather, or golden 

 with Furze or Broom, while over all are the 

 fresh air and sunshine, sweet scents, and the 

 hum of bees. And if the Downs seem full of 

 life and sunshine, their broad shoulders are 

 types of kindly strength, they give also an 

 impression of power and antiquity, while every 

 now and then we come across a tumulus, or a 

 group of great grey stones, the burial place of 

 some ancient hero, or a sacred temple of our 

 pagan forefathers. 



1 M. Correvon informs me that the Gruy&re cheese is supposed 

 to owe its peculiar flavour to the alpine AlchemiUa, which is now 

 on that account often purposely sown elsewhere. 



