CLOVERS . 187 
as the standard. The other four petals are combined 
in two pairs, forming the wings and the keel. The wings 
spread out sideways at a greater or less angle, and the 
keel, formed by the last two petals, projects in front, 
and conceals within it the 
stamens, ten in number, 
nine united in a tube, and 
the pistil. The wings and 
keel interlock at the base, 
so that pressure on the 
former tends to depress the 
keel and expose the stamens. 
Almost all prefer to be 
fertilised from other flowers, 
though they can, if no insect 
comes, use their own pollen. 
Clovers are visited chiefly 
by bees, butterflies, and 
moths, a fact worth remem- 
bering if you are a hunter of 
insects as well as of plants ; 
and the two pursuits go very 
well side by side. 
We have only space to notice one of the family in 
any detail, and I will choose one of the most frequent, 
“The Common Bird’s-foot Trefoil.” Very likely you do 
not know it under that name, for that is but one ofits 
titles. I have known it called Butter and Eggs, Eggs 
and Bacon, and, though this I have only found in books, 
“Shoes and Stockings.” The two colours, yellow and 
brown, may have suggested the first two names, for a 
lively imagination might recall a favourite breakfast dish; 
but why “shoes and stockings”? I give it up as a 
SWEET-PEA. 
