208 STUDIES OF NATURE. 



born, and cheers the banks of the rivulet, with 

 the mufic of his fong, and the beauty of his 

 plumage. 



It appears to me impomble to acquire anything 

 like a knowledge of plants, unlefs by ftudying 

 their geography, and their ephemeris. Without 

 this double illumination, which mutually reflects, 

 their forms will be for ever flrange to us. The 

 greater! part of Botanifts, however, pay no manner 

 of regard to this. Tn making their collections, 

 they remark not the feafon at which plants grow, 

 nor the place where, nor the afpect to which they 

 are expofed. They carefully attend to all their 

 intrinfic parts, and efpecially to their flowers ; and 

 after this mechanical examination, depofit them 

 in their herbary, and imagine they have a tho- 

 rough knowledge of them, efpecially if they have 

 had the good fortune to dignify them, by im- 

 posing fome Greek name. They referable a cer- 

 tain huflar, of whom I have heard, who having 

 happened to find a Latin infcription in brazen 

 characters, on an antique monument, difengaged 

 them one after another, and tumbled them toge- 

 ther into a baiket, which he difpatched to an An- 

 tiquarian of his friends, with a requeft that he 

 would inform him what they meant. They no 

 more lead us to an acquaintance with Nature, 

 than a Grammarian would give us a relifh for the 



genius 



