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46 THE EXPLORATION OF THE CAUCASUS prolonging tlieir own blossoms as flir as possible towards the light. It seemed a struggle as to wliirh .should climb above the heads of its neighbours and exhibit the most brilliant colours. The firework of flowers recalled the artificial bouquets of coloured stars thrown up against the sky at some city mass of verdure, composed jjrincipally of the great festival. A dense leaves of a groundsel and of the Alpine sorrel, covered another part of the TUE SKENIS .SKALI FOKEST glade, penetrating under the pines, and completely hiding the path. The enormous panicles of an ashy-blue campanula rose out of this confusion, and loftier still, the rival of the monkshoods, a scabious, balanced its great yellow flowers some six to eight feet above the ground. ' A little further there was a display of white umbelliferous blossoms, fine grasses, potentillas with blue-green leaves. In the places where the flowers reached only to our knees we picked handfuls of azure columbines with white centres, ranunculus of
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CAUCASUS 47 several species, an Astrantia with piulc stars, delicately veined in emerald green, a flower which seemed expressly made to decollate ornamental notepaper or a Valentine. There was also a species of our Alpine snake-weed, witli loose spikes and petals of such a vivid crimson that even our servant set to work to gather them for us, and was quite chagrined to see that w-e neglected them. ' On pushing apart the high stems we discovered another layer of flowers less eager for light : forget-me-nots, herb-Paris, orchids, geraniums, etc. Close to the ground the soil was covered by a carpet of little round leaves supported l)y thin stalks like those of the maidenhair fern ; these w^ere the leaves of a shade-loving speedwell {Veronica Uliformis, G. M.), which, like our violet, blooms modestly beneath great green sunshades. ' I -was debating how to pack my immense nosegay when my companion called me from above. I clambered in his tracks, and found him dripping with dew and digging frantically among plants higher than his head. It was real pioneer w^ork to clear a path through this antediluvian vegetation, wherein we were like lost [jilliputians. The high rocky walls, still in the shade, were superb. Here reigned saxifrages, rock -valerians, enchanter's night-shade, groundsels, ferns, and succulent mosses as full of water as sponges. In the air also— for we had to look everywhere — were the winged fruits of maples, which formed the underwood, looking like bouquets of flowers, so vividly did their madder colour stand out under the green cupola of pines. After the first exclamations we collected our spoils in silent haste, oblivious of time, forgetful of we still had to travel. We had to come down at last the road and sort om- treasures, and press those that could be pressed. ' Our men were in no hurry. They were well content \\\xh this short halt, seasoned with a pipe under the pines. The horses grazed at their will, and seemed as pleased as we were to come across such an El Dorado of tender herbs. They trampled the sorrel and made wide openings among the monkshoods, massa- cring indiscriminately both common and rare species, while we sat astride a rotten trunk rapidly putting our specimens in paper. Pressed by the advancing hour, we ended by leaving a heap of
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46 THE EXPLORATION OF THE CAUCASUS<br />
prolonging tlieir own blossoms as flir as possible towards the light.<br />
It seemed a struggle as to wliirh .should climb above the heads<br />
of its neighbours and exhibit the most brilliant colours. The<br />
firework of flowers recalled the artificial bouquets of coloured<br />
stars thrown up against the sky at some city<br />
mass of verdure, composed jjrincipally of the great<br />
festival. A dense<br />
leaves of a<br />
groundsel and of the Alpine sorrel, covered another part of the<br />
TUE SKENIS .SKALI FOKEST<br />
glade, penetrating under the pines, and completely hiding the path.<br />
The enormous panicles of an ashy-blue campanula rose out of this<br />
confusion, and loftier still, the rival of the monkshoods, a scabious,<br />
balanced its great yellow flowers some six to eight feet above the<br />
ground.<br />
' A<br />
little further there was a display of white umbelliferous<br />
blossoms, fine grasses, potentillas with blue-green<br />
leaves. In the<br />
places where the flowers reached only to our knees we picked<br />
handfuls of azure columbines with white centres, ranunculus of
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