PIMPERNEL. 275 



POIPERNEL. AnajalUs. 



Natural Order Rotacpce. Primulacees, Juss. A Genus 

 of the Pcntandria Monogynia Class. 



The hollow winds begin to blow, 



The clouds look black, the glass is low ; 



Closed is the pink-ey'd Pimpernell, 



'Twill surely rain ; I see, with sorrow, 

 Our jaunt must be put off to-morrow. 



Dr. Jenxer. 



This beautiful little plant, whose sensitive flowers 

 form the peasant's barometer, is frequently called 

 the Shepherd's Weather-glass, because the corollas 

 never expand in rainy weather, or when the air is 

 moist ; but, on the contrary, when the atmosphere is 

 dry and the sun shining, they display their scarlet 

 and purple with happy effect, bespangling the 

 earth with their bright eyes in the most agreeable 

 manner, but which are regularly and firmly closed 

 when Phoebus retires to the west. This is one of 

 the wonderful instincts of inanimate nature : were 

 it otherwise, the damps of the night air would 

 prevent the discharge of the farina from the 

 anthers, and this species of plants would be conse- 



