36 HARDY FERNS. 
wrap themselves up in their dignity and chew the 
cud of their own thoughts, instead of enjoying a 
healthy interchange with the minds of others ! 
My hlack tourist's bag, with its conspicuously 
visible trowel, was a useful help to me in the 
matter. It proved a sufficient introduction to 
foreigners, and to those pleasant English people 
who travel with the happy wish to be pleased 
with God's glorious creation, whether in the 
human or natural world. Many a treasure has 
found its way to my bag from a fellow traveller's 
wallet, unlocked by the sight of the magic trowel. 
Many a talk has it given me of the vast forests of 
America, many a comparison of their vegetation 
with our own. 
Shall I be pardoned if I say that of all foreigners 
I prefer Americans to travel with? Their keen- 
ness and comprehensiveness of sight are extraor- 
dinary. While another would but take in the 
general outhne of a view, an American has per- 
ceived and jotted down tidily in his memory every 
important feature, each tiny peculiarity. I once 
