CHILDREN'S COLUMN. 
129 
Studies in Evolution and Biology , by Alice Bodington : Elliot Stock. 
Half-Hours in the Green Lanes, by Dr. J. E. Taylor : W. H. Allen and Co. 
IVild Flowers Worth Notice, by Mrs. Lankester : W. H. Allen and Co. 
Glimpses into Nature's Secrets, by Edward Alfred Martin : Elliot Stock. 
The Human Epic, byj. F. Rowbotham : Kegan Paul, Trench, Triibner and Co. 
Mendreva ; a Dream, by Edward G. Aldridge, F.G.S., &c. : Simpkin, Mar- 
shall, Hamilton, Kent and Co. 
Our Cats , and all about them, by Harrison Weir : Simpkin and Marshall. 
The Cat, Past and Present, by Mrs. Cashel Hoey : Bell and Sons. 
Father Perry, the fesuit Astronomer, by the Rev. A. L. Cortie : Catholic 
Truth Society. 
CHILDREN’S COLUMN. 
A Letter from Switzerland. — Miss Wallis, of Richmond, who has estab- 
lished there by far the largest and most flourishing juvenile section of the Selborne 
Society, sends the following letter, primarily for the junior members of her own 
branch ; but it will doubtless be read with interest by many other young Selborn- 
ians : — “ Hotel Rigi-Scheideck, August, 1890. Dear Children, — We are spending 
a few weeks in one of the loveliest parts of Switzerland, at the top of Mount 
Rigi, on Lake Lucerne. Our hotel is 5,400 feet above the level of the sea ; it is 
very difficult to imagine such a height, but you will understand it better when I 
tell you that the clouds, which are so high above your heads, are often very, very 
far beneath our feet. You will think we must have been very tired when we 
reached the top of the mountain ; not at all, for, impossible as it may seem, there 
is actually a railway the whole way up. Each train consists of only one carriage 
with an engine below it, and the wheels have cogs which catch in the lines to pre- 
vent the train from slipping backwards. The day after we came we went out for 
a climb, and saw so many lovely flowers that we determined to try how many we 
could find. Me gathered sixty-four different kinds, many of which were old 
friends, such as daisies, buttercups, eyebright, monkshood, speedwell, sweet 
briar, sweet william, pinks, blue bells, honeysuckle, ragged robin, forget-me-not, 
geranium, thyme, orchis, azalea, and strawberry, all of which we found growing 
wild. The colours of these were much brighter than in England, and some of 
them were very large indeed — the blue-bells are twice as large as ours, and one 
ox-eye daisy which we measured was eight and three-quarter inches round. \Ye 
also found a great many beautiful mosses, ferns, and grasses. You would have 
been amused to see us laden with our spoils standing on the line waving a red 
flag to make the train stop for us. Imagine anyone standing on the railway 
lines in London waving a flag to stop the train ! 
“ Besides these, there are some beautiful Alpine flowers. We have found three 
kinds of gentian — yellow, purple-red and brilliant blue, and also the Alpine rose, 
which is very pretty, but not at all like our rose ; it grows close to the ground and 
has several blossoms, which are bright red, close together at the top of the stalk. 
The edelweiss and ice-plant we have not found, as they grow amongst the ice and 
snow where we have not yet been. Some beautiful flowers were given to our 
hostess last Saturday, arranged to form the pattern of the Swiss arms — a white 
cross of daisies on a red ground of Alpine roses, with a wreath of other flowers 
all round it. Though there are so many flowers, we see and hear very few birds, 
but those there are seem wonderfully tame. \Ye have also recognised seven or 
eight kinds of butterflies, but there are not nearly so many as in England. It is 
impossible to describe all the beauties of the place in this short letter, but I hope 
when you are older you will be able to come here and see them for yourselves. 
“ With best wishes for a happy holiday to you all, I am, your affectionate 
friend, “Annie Wallis. 1 ' 
