ILLUSTRATIONS. 5 



whicli occur in the wild state^ differ from those of the Snow- 

 drop in being erect instead of pendent, but like the latter plant, 

 the Crocus belongs to the great family of Monocotyledons, and 

 to that series in which there are six coloured leaves to the pe- 

 rianth or flower, these being combined at the base into a long 

 slender tube ; above they are scarcely distinguishable into an 

 outer and an inner series, each consisting of three leaves, re- 

 presenting the sepals and petals which were found to exist in 

 the Primrose, where however they occur in a state of cohesion, 

 the parts it will be recollected being united into a tubular 

 calyx and a monopetalous corolla. 



The Crocus flowers have three stamens, and a stigma which 

 is dilated and fringed at the top. The long slender tube of 

 the perianth, which is in fact the stalk-like portion that at 

 length becomes visible, is a good deal hidden by the leaves and 

 sheathing membranes which emerge with it from the ground ; 

 and the ovary, or young seed-vessel, is buried amongst the 

 bases of the leaves. 



And now having briefly adverted to these earliest of the 

 early of Florals offerings, which besides have afforded illustra^ 

 tions of the groups of Monopetalous and Monocotyledonous 

 plants, we will proceed to glance in something like order at a 

 few other examples representative of the Vernal Flora, which 

 have been selected as the subjects of our illustrations. We 

 commence with the Dicotyledons, called also Exogens, from 

 the external manner of accretion in their stem, a large group, 

 known generally by their net-veined leaves, and sharing with 

 the Monocotyledons and Cryptogams the whole Vegetable 

 Kingdom. 



At a very early period of the year, in moist Avoods and pas- 

 tures, the surface of the ground will be found whitened with 



