31 E A DO IV S, FIELDS AND PASTURES— SPRING 115 



eight inches long, at tlie base. The leaves are jjinnatc, with two or 

 three pairs of leaflets, rounded and notched at the apex, and no 

 tendi-ils. The flowers are small, solitary, of a rich purple colour, 

 situated in the axils of the leaves. The pods are smootli and 

 usually less than an inch long. 



The other species — the Common Vetch ( V. sativa) — is a very 

 similar plant, 

 but its trailing 

 stems grow to a 

 length of from 

 one to two feet. 

 Its leaves have 

 fi'om four to 

 seven pairs of 

 leaflets, varying 

 in form from lin- 

 ear to obovate or 

 obcordate, and 

 have branched 

 tendrils. At 

 the base of each 

 leaf is a toothed 

 stipule with, 

 usually, a dark 

 spot in the cen- 

 tre. The flow ers 

 are axillary and 

 sessile, either 

 solitary or in 

 pairs, rather 

 large, and of a ^^^ ^^^^ 



pale purple col- 

 our. The pods 



are narrow, smooth, from one to two inches long, and contain 

 about twelve smooth seeds. The plant is common in fields, and 

 flowers during May and June. It is represented in Fig. 5 of 

 Plate IV. 



The very pretty Meadow Saxifrage {Saxifragn grannlala), of the 

 order Saxifragacece, is very abundant in the meadows of some parts 

 of England and Scotland, and may sometimes be seen on grassy 

 roadsides. It varies from six to about ten inches high, and flowers 



I 2 



