Part I. 



A LITTLE TOUR IN THE ALPS. 



115 



the ground near it breaks into -anything like turf, the vivid 

 blue of the vernal Gentian sparkles amongst bright yellow Poten- 

 tillas and Ranunculi. It is pleasant to meet with it in flower 

 weeks after one has left it in full flower in England in April, and 

 seen it bear seed on mountains about 5000 feet high. About 

 the end of June it was in fresh and perfect condition here, and 

 likely to remain so fbr some time to come. Observe the capa- 

 bilities of the plant, and the changes that it endures without 

 losing health in any case. In perfect health in England, without 



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4$ 



Vm 



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Fig. 71. — An alpine mail-road. 



a covering of snow through the winter, and flowering strongly 

 in early spring, it flowers here in the month of June, and higher 

 up in July. 



Let us ascend one of the highest mountains of the range a 

 little way, climb upwards for two hours, passing the limits of the 

 pines, till we get at the base of the bed of an enormous glacier, 

 a vast high field of snow apparently, which fills the upper 

 portion of a wide gap between two mountains. Here and 

 there you see flakes of it like green glass, and its face, where 



I 2 



