DISTINCTIVENESS OP PLANTS. 



But it seldom happens that any one part by itself is absolutely 

 enough whereby to recognise a plant. A single circumstance suffices 

 in the case of the Sundew, which is told at a glance by the curious 

 crimson hairs that sprout like eyelashes from the edges of its leaves ; 

 and again, in the case of the Ice-plant, which is sprinkled over its 

 whole surface with glittering gems like hoarfrost ; but for the identi- 

 fication of plants in general, we need the concurrent testimony of 

 many parts. The reason of this is the close resemblance which 

 subsists among trees and flowers, the likenesses they bear to one 

 another being, if possible, even more wonderful than their difierences. 

 Just as there are classes and tribes of animals, the members of which 

 correspond more or less obviously, as the cat with the tiger, and the 

 wolf with the fox, so are there tribes and families among plants. The 

 Ferns constitute one family, the Grasses another, the Palm-trees a 

 third, the Balsam-trees a fourth. The distinguishing marks of a plant 

 ai'e thus of two sorts : — First, those which it possesses in common 

 with many others ; secondly, the private and personal ones which 

 pertain exclusively to itself. Both must be attended to ; but with a 

 little practice we get accustomed to the former kind, and are left at 

 leisure to devote ourselves entirely to the private and personal marks. 

 Half the Manchester wild-flowers belong to no more than ten families, 

 a hundred species to eight others, and the bulk of the remainder 

 happen to be so singularly formed, that they stand as distinct and 

 individualised as islands out in the sea. No one having once seen it, 

 can forget the Grass of Parnassus, that lovely milk-white autumn 

 flower, with honey-cups shaped like little hands, opened, and a bead 

 of gold at the tip of every finger ; nor the True-love, from the bosom 

 of whose four large oval leaves rises a solitary green blossom of perfect 

 symmetry, its parts, except the solitary purple berry, like the leaves, 

 in even fours, a combination, so far as we know, without a parallel — as 

 true love always was and wiU be. Attention to families immensely 

 facilitates the learning of species ; just as from careful observation of 

 species in the first place, we discover what is the nature of a family. 

 "When, for example, by studying the twenty lands of common hay- 

 field grass, we have got the Grass-family pretty distinctly before the 

 mind, we can walk at our ease among their beautiful and bashful 

 cousins in the woods, and none withhold their name and nature from 

 our curiosity. 



The great charm of learning the kinds or species of plants, consists 

 in the pleasant intimacy into which it brings us with Nature. Quick 



2 A 



