A COLLECTING DAY ABOVE AROLLA 83 



the gardener's joy of discovery. This has a quality which 

 can belong to few other successful quests. For what can 

 equal the delicious moments while one sits down in glory 

 at the side of one's discovery, and finds the moments far 

 too holy and precious to be cut short by the premature 

 introduction of the trowel upon the scene ? The thing is 

 there, for us to deal with at our reverent pleasure ; mean- 

 while we must adore every detail of our find, lovingly 

 touch the upturned petals, mark the growth, the health, 

 the beauty, the whole delight of the plant. There is no 

 hurry about precipitating the end. So there, on that 

 flat rock overhanging the precipice, we loiter in worship 

 of the yellow aeizoon; then, when our satisfaction has 

 been fully savoured, the trowel is introduced, cunningly 

 and with piety, so as to remove only a little fraction of 

 the clump — Anathema sempiternal on those who would 

 rend away the whole, and leave the rock widowed of its 

 chief pride ! And this, again, is generously divided, that 

 finder and companion may share alike. So we go happy 

 onwards, secure in our knowledge that every rosette and 

 rosettling of these Silver Saxifrages is safe to make a 

 solid little plant by autumn. 



Now the track, having passed the precipice, suddenly 

 takes it into its head to mount. And mount it does, 

 with fire and fury, in abrupt, violent zigzags, over a slope 

 as steep as the side of a house, and surfaced with fine 

 herbage, polished and slippery as glass. So quickly goes 

 the climb towards the upper levels that gigantic Mont 

 CoUon, now close at hand to our right, seems to sink down 

 beneath us as if through a trap-door. Up and up and 

 up curls the track, still in the shadow of the hillside. The 

 grass is starred with little plants of Silene rupestris, and 

 the dark sapphire globes of Phyteuma pauqfiorwm. Here 

 and there occurs the one-flowered form of Campanula 

 barbata, which, so far I have never proved constant 



