CASSANDRA CALYCULATA. LEATHER-LEAF; CASSANDRA. I 27 



poetic feelings amidst all the details of science, which to some 

 people seem to be intolerably dry, and mere matters of fact. 

 Whenever we look at our pretty Cassandra, this incident in the 

 life of Linnasus is recalled to our mind by association with the 

 earlier name of the plant, and we are tempted to invest the 

 incident itself with a personality, and say in the language of 

 Campbell : — 



" I love you for lulling me back into dreams 

 Of the blue northern mountains and echoing streams, 



And of birchen glades breathing their balm, 

 While the deer was seen glancing in sunshine remote. 

 And the deep, mellow crush of the wood-pigeon's note 



Made music that sweetened the calm." 



When Don divided the botanical genus Andromeda, as before 

 mentioned, he gave to our plant the name of Cassandra, still fol- 

 lowing up the fancy so prettily started by Linnaeus. According 

 to Greek mythology, Cassandra was the daughter of Priam, the 

 last king of Troy, by Hecuba, one of his wives, — for the old 

 man was a bad polygamist, — and the literal meaning of the 

 name is said to be, " She who inflames with love." The 

 original Cassandra is described as a prophetess, or perhaps a 

 poetess, — little distinction being made between the two in those 

 days, — and her connection with the tragic fate of Agamem- 

 non will be remembered by all. But there appears to be no 

 special reason for giving the name of Cassandra to this par- 

 ticular plant, beyond the desire to adhere to the mythological 

 nomenclature suggested by Linnsus. 



Our plant is often in flower before the snows have fairly 

 gone. Indeed, it is not difficult for it to do this, as the flower- 

 buds are well advanced before the winter sets in, as shown 

 by our Fig. i, which was drawn from a specimen gathered in 

 December. A few days of warm sunshine are sufficient to 

 develop the flowers to perfection. 



The leaves of Cassandra calyculata are very interesting when 

 placed under a lens. The numerous small veins make a sort of 



