262 NATURAL HISTORY 
Hanger, among the shrubs at the southeast end, 
above the cottages. 
Lycoperdon tuber, truffles: in the Hanger and 
High Wood. 
Sambucus ebulus, dwarf elder, walwort, or dane- 
wort: among the rubbish and ruined foundations 
of the Priory. 
Of all the propensities of plants, none seem more 
strange than their different periods of blossoming. 
Some produce their flowers in the winter, or very 
first dawnings of spring ; many when the spring is 
established ; some at Midsummer, and some not 
till Autumn. When we see the helleborus fetidus 
and helleborus niger blowing at Christmas, the hel- 
leborus hyemalis in January, and the helleborus vi- 
ridis as soon as ever it emerges out of the ground, 
we do not wonder, because they are kindred plants 
that we expect should keep pace the one with the 
other; but other congenerous vegetables differ so 
widely in their time of flowering that we cannot 
but admire. I shall only instance at present in the 
crocus sativus, the vernal and the autumnal crocus, 
which have such an affinity that the best botanists 
only make them varieties of the same genus, of 
which there is only one species, not being able to 
discern any difference in the corolla or in the in- 
ternal structure. Yet the vernal crocus expands 
its flowers by the beginning of March at farthest, 
and often in very rigorous weather, and cannot be 
retarded but by some violence offered ; while the 
autumnal (the saffron) defies the influence of the 
spring and summer, and will not blow till most 
plants begin to fade and run toseed. This circum. 
stance is one of the wonders of the creation, little 
aie teat 
