ON THE SUSSEX DOWNS 
2 7 
First, then, the light yellowish clusters of Dropwort flowers 
cannot fail to attract attention, neither can the delicious pink 
umbelliferous heads of the Burnet Saxifrage. Of the yellow or 
golden flowers, the Ragwort is king of all, towering monarch 
of all he surveys. Little companies of these fine stalwart plants 
may be lighted upon very frequently on the Downs, for they 
seem to hate solitude, are of a colonising nature, and grow 
luxuriantly in the poorest soil. 
The pale lilac of the Scabious carpets almost the whole 
of Downland, and adds pleasing variety to the panoramas 
presented to the seeing eye. These Scabious plants seem very 
stunted in growth, indeed, much of the Downland flora strikes 
one this way. Plants which at home attain a height of several 
feet and grow in much luxuriance, are here found but a few 
inches. Doubtless the explanation is that the positions — except 
on the sheltered hillsides and in the valleys — are exposed, the 
depth of soil is somewhat shallow, and the plants have dwarfed 
themselves to survive the ravages of the nibbling sheep. 
Wherever there is chalk, there you may search with a certainty 
of finding the Gentian, the Salad Burnet, and the Common 
Rock Rose, the first purple, the second red, and the third sulphur- 
yellow. Other yellow flowers which are very plentiful are the 
Meadow and Kidney Vetches, the Bird’s-foot Trefoil, and the 
Long-rooted Cat's Ear. 
Those unacquainted with our British flora would, on seeing 
the beautiful Clustered Bell-flower for the first time, doubtless 
consider it a garden escape, and in popular language a Can- 
terbury Bell. It is pleasing, indeed, to make the acquaintance of 
this plant up on these South Downs ; but the specimens here 
observed were stunted in growth, and whereas these attained 
a height of a few inches only, we observed specimens of the 
same plant growing in the valleys which were at least two or 
three feet in height, bearing at the summit a fine clustered head 
of flowers. A similar plant in form and colouration is the Hare- 
bell, with its frail head bowing respectfully to the breeze, whilst 
of the carpet of purple Heather and Thyme it is difficult to write 
in too glowing a manner. The scent from the Thyme is as of 
a well-selected herb garden, but here we inhale the sweet aroma 
from plants growing in their own wild fastness, untended by 
man. Here, too, we made acquaintance with several species of 
Thistles, mostly purple in colouration and exceedingly prickly 
by nature. One species, however, cannot fail to attract notice 
when its array of flowers is well spread out to the light of day 
— the Carline Thistle. This species, unlike most of its fellows, 
is yellowish in colour, and reminds one very strikingly of some 
forms of everlasting flowers. 
In the season of the year the glories of the Golden Furze 
must surely afford untold delight to the Downland wanderer, 
and as we passed the bushes on those August days the seed- pods 
exploded violently on several occasions as of a pistol shot, scat- 
