FELLOW-TRAVELLEKS. 37 
spoke to one of the scarcity of Ferns about Loch 
Lomond. "Yes, madam," lie replied; "but I 
gathered thirty different wild flowers there in half 
an hour." 
Americans talk to you at once, and talk in a 
totally different manner from English people. 
They seem to be burdened with no lurking fear 
of there being danger in maldng a pleasant 
acquaintance — they do not appear to wish to know 
even your name. Smith is to them equivalent to 
Brown, if only Smith will exchange his ideas in 
return for the unreserved pouring-out of the trea- 
sures of their own well-stored minds. I have 
never known an English gentleman do this. He 
is always perfectly polite ; but why should he 
trouble himself about a stranger he will never see 
again— a nobody ? He has plenty to think about ; 
probably others have the sam_e. 
But to return to my trowel, to which amongst 
other things I owe two beautiful clumps of Sep- 
tentrionale. 
In the course of our wanderings, after "doing " 
