THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 61 



have come down to 113 from hoary antiquity and embody a 

 great deal of folk-lore that is worth investigation. More- 

 over, children's names for plants often have a widespread use 

 and thus deserve to be recorded. Finally, a record of all plant 

 names will enable us to select the most appropriate for gener- 

 al use and ultimately to eliminate the less significant. 



Mrs. Blanche H. Soth notes that the Hepatica is called 

 "Paas blows" or "Paas blumes", meaning Easter flowers. 

 This name was in common use among the early Dutch settlers 

 of New York. She also suggests that the yellow centers of 

 Amemone Pulsatilla flashing out of the mass of blue-gray 

 fuzz may account for the name of "Cat's eye" applied to this 

 species, and "badgers" applies only when the flowers are 

 peeping from the ground. 



There seems to be room for another derivation of the 

 name of "marsh marigold" or rather of marigold applied to 

 the flowers of Caltha. Some writers would derive it from 

 marais, a marsh, hence "marais gold" or in time "marigold." 

 Additional British names for this plant are "yolk-of-egg" and 

 "left-hand flower" the latter said to refer to the shape of the 

 flower, like a shield. We have also overlooked one of the 

 most poetic of the plant's names. This is almost certainly 

 referred to by Shakespeare in the lines beginning " Hark, hark,, 

 the lark" when 



"Winking Mary-buds begin 



To open their golden eyes." 



