158 FIELD AND HEDGEROW. 
darkened leaves have been blown, and their much- 
divided branches stand bare like outstretched fingers, 
Black-spotted sycamore leaves are down, but the moss 
grows thick and deeply green ; and the trumpets of the 
lichen seem to be larger, now they are moist, than when 
they were dry under the summer heat. Here is herb 
Robert in flower—its leaves are scarlet; a leaf of St 
John’s-wort, too, has become scarlet ; the bramble leaves 
are many shades of crimson ; one plant of tormentil has 
turned yellow. Furze bushes, grown taller since the 
spring, bear a second bloom, but not perhaps so golden 
as the first. It is the true furze, and not the lesser 
gorse ; it is covered with half-opened buds; and it is 
clear, if the short hours of sun would but lengthen, the 
whole gorse hedge would become aglow again. Our 
trees, too, that roll up their buds so tightly, like a 
dragoon’s cloak, would open them again at Christmas; 
and the sticky horse-chestnut would send forth its long 
ears of leaves for New Year’s Day. They would all 
come out in leaf again if we had but a little more sun; 
they are quite ready for a second summer. 
Brown lie the acorns, yellow where they were fixed 
in their cups; two of these cups seem almost as large as 
the great acorns from abroad. A red dead-nettle, a 
mauve thistle, white and pink bramble flowers, a white 
strawberry, a little yellow tormentil, a broad yellow 
dandelion, narrow hawkweeds, and blue scabious, are all 
in flower in the lane. Others are scattered on the 
mounds and in the meads adjoining, where may be 
collected some heath still in bloom, prunella, hypericum, 
white yarrow, some heads of red clover, some beautiful 
buttercups, three bits of blue veronica, wild chamomile, 
tall yellowweed, pink centaury, succory, dock cress, 
daisies, fleabane, knapweed, and delicate blue harebells. 
