BUTTERCUPS. 



Those who love to exaggerate the difficulties attendant oi^ 

 a systematic study of any branch of Natural History usually 

 enlarge upon — I. the technical terms employed ; II. the min- 

 ute distinctions on which the separation of one species from 

 another depends. Now as to the former charge, we do not 

 deny that a page of, say, Babington's " Manual," does look 

 rather formidable to a novice : and as to the latter, there is no 

 doubt that, in some cases, very minute distinctions are of great 

 importance ; thus the difference of size between the pollen- 

 grains of Lotus major and L. corniculatus (two species of 

 Bird's foot Trefoil) is one of the chief points by which these 

 nearly-allied plants are determined. But technicalities are 

 as necessary in science as they are in any branch of manu- 

 facture ; and minute distinctions are only exceptionally 

 exalted to verj' great importance, unless in connection with 

 other evident marks of difference. As an illustration of this, 

 and as showing that, in some cases at any rate, the distinctions 

 between allied species are sufficiently obvious, we may take 

 the three species oi Ranunculus which are usually called "But- 

 tercups," glancing first of all at the other species of the genus 

 to which they belong. 



The genus Ranunculus contains twenty-five British species. 

 Twelve of these, however, are but developments, forms, varie- 

 ties, modifications, which you will, of the Linnean Ranunculus 

 aquatilis ; and a thirteenth, the Ivy-leaved Crowfoot (i?. /^(?(/ijr- 

 aceus), a small species with white blossoms, growing in mud, 

 or in shallow water, may be dismissed from our notice. Con- 

 sidering these thirteen as Water Crowfoots {Batrachium, Fries,) 

 we may pass them over with the remark that they all have 

 white flowers, and grow in, or near water ; while the re- 

 maining twelve have yellow blossoms. 



Now let us take these twelve yellow-flowered species, and 

 select from them the " Buttercups," which we are going to 

 consider. Three of the twelve have long, entire, narrow 



D 



