In the ceremony known as "well-dressing" or "well-flowering," the offerings took the form of blossoms and green boughs. For different reasons Scotland has not been abreast of England in floral matters. Only in the latter country did the practice take root, and even there only within a somewhat limited area. We must seek for its home in Derbyshire and the adjacent counties. At some places it has died out, while at others it still survives, and forms the excuse for a pleasant holiday. At Bonchurch, Isle of Wight, indeed, St. Boniface's Well was decorated with wreaths of flowers on the saint's day; but this was an exceptional instance so far south. Within comparatively recent years well-flowering has, at one or two places, been either instituted, as at Belper, in Derbyshire, in 1838, or revived, as at St. Alkmund's Well in Derby, in 1870. The clergy and choir of St. Alkmund's Church celebrate the day by meeting at the church and walking in procession to the well. Writing in the seventeenth century, Aubrey says, "In Cheshire, when they went in perambulation, they did bless the springs, i.e., they did read the Gospel at them, and did believe the water was the better." At Droitwich, in Worcestershire, a salt spring, dedicated to St. Richard, used to be annually adorned with flowers. A correspondent of the "Gentleman's Magazine" of 1794 remarks, "In the village of Tissington, in the county of Derby, a place remarkable for fine springs of water, it has been a custom, time immemorial, on every Holy Thursday, to decorate the wells with boughs of trees, garlands of tulips, and other flowers, placed in various fancied devices, and, after prayers for the day at the church, for the parson and singers to pray and sing psalms at the wells." In Hone's "Every Day Book," under date 1826, are the following remarks by a correspondent:--"Tissington 'well-dressing' is a festivity which not only claims a high antiquity, but is one of the few country fêtes which are kept up with anything like the ancient spirit. It is one which is heartily loved and earnestly anticipated; one which draws the hearts of those who were brought up there, but whom fortune has cast into distant places, homewards with an irresistible charm. I have not had the pleasure of witnessing it, but I have had that of seeing the joy which sparkled in the eyes of the Tissingtonians as they talked of its approach and of their projected attendance." The festival is still held in honour at Tissington, and elaborate preparations continue to be made for its celebration. Flowers are arranged in patterns to form mottoes and texts of Scripture, and also devices, such as crosses, crowns, and triangles, while green boughs are added to complete the picture. A correspondent of "Notes and Queries" thus describes the decorations on Ascension Day in 1887: "The name of 'well-dressing' scarcely gives a proper idea of these beautiful structures. They are