We miss one gardener's friend here, but we escape the attentions of one enemy. Though frogs are common enough, toads are very rare. I remember to have seen only one during all the many years I have known the garden. On the other hand, whilst I have a dim recollection of having once found an old snail-shell, I cannot say for certain that I have ever seen a snail, though of shell-less slugs in all sizes there is no scarcity.
[II.]
Weeds and Alien Plants.
A slight knowledge of botany adds greatly to the interest of a garden, and is besides often of practical value. With such knowledge, one forms a habit of looking even at weeds with some interest, and this has led to my finding several strange plants among them. I have for example come across the following in the kitchen garden:
"Saponaria vaccaria," with its curious angled calyx and pretty pink flower.
"Galium tricorne," very much like common goose-grass or cleavers, but rare in England, and quite unknown in this neighbourhood.
Annual mercury (closely allied to the common perennial Dog's mercury), green and dull-looking, only of interest because it is rare.
"Holosteum umbellatum," which again is rare and not much more attractive to the casual observer.
"Draba muralis," allied to "Shepherd's purse," and not unlike it, but as rare as that is common.