o by
the garden florists. My Viola aurea is the Rock-violet of the Alps; one of
the bravest, brightest, and dearest of little flowers. The following notes
upon it, with its summer companions, a little corrected from my diary of
1877, will enough characterize it.

"_June 7th._--The cultivated meadows now grow only dandelions--in frightful
quantity too; but, for wild ones, primula, bell gentian, golden pansy, and
anemone,--Primula farinosa in mass, the pansy pointing and vivifying in a
petulant sweet way, and the bell gentian here and there deepening all,--as
if indeed the sound of a deep bell among lighter music.

"Counted in order, I find the effectively constant flowers are eight;[5]
namely,

"1. The golden anemone, with richly cut large leaf; primrose colour, and in
masses like primrose, studded through them with bell gentian, and dark
purple orchis.

"2. The dark purple orchis, with bell gentian in equal quantity, say six of
each in square yard, broken by sparklings of the white orchis and the white
grass-flower; the richest piece of colour I ever saw, touched with gold by
the geum.

"3 and 4. These will be white orchis and the grass flower.[6]

"5. Geum--everywhere, in deep, but pure, gold, like pieces of Greek mosaic.

"6. Soldanella, in the lower meadows, delicate, but not here in masses.

"7. Primula Alpina, divine in the rock clefts, and on the ledges changing
the grey to purple,--set in the dripping caves with

"8. Viola (pertinax--pert); I want a Latin word for various
studies--failures all--to express its saucy little stuck-up way, and
exquisitely trim peltate leaf. I never saw such a lovely perspective line
as the pure front leaf profile. Impossible also to get the least of the
spirit of its lovely dark brown fibre markings. Intensely golden these dark
fibres, just browning the petal a little between them."

And again in the defile of Gondo, I find "Viola (saxatilis?) name yet
wanted;--in the most delicate studding of its round leaves, like a small
fern more than violet, and bright sparkle of small flowers in the dark
dripping hollows. Assuredly delights in shade and distilling moisture of
rocks."

I found afterwards a much larger yellow pansy on the Yorkshire high
limestones; with vigorously black crowfoot marking on the lateral petals.

37. V. VIOLA MONTANA. Mountain Violet.

Flora Danica, 1329. Linnaeus, No. 13, "Caulibus erectis, foliis
cordato-lanceolatis, floribus serioribus apetalis," _