LEO TIDE. 103 



APRIL 12. St. Sebas, the Goth, martyr, a.d. 372. 



St. Zeno, bishop of Verona, in 380. 



St. Julius, pope, in 352. 



St. Victor of Braga, martyr. 



Obs. Athanarie King of the Goths, in the year 370, accordins; to 

 St. Jerom, raised a violent persecution against the Christians. The 

 Greeks commemorate fifty one martyrs who suffered in that nation. 

 The two most illustrious are St. Nicetas and St. Sebas, the latter was 

 a Goth converted in his youth. He suffered martyrdom according to 

 the acts by water and wood, the symbols of Baptism and the Cross, 

 on the 12th of April, in 372. 



Great Saxifrage Saxifraga Crassifolia flowers. 



This plant, whose shining leaves, thick red stalk, and pink flowers, 

 must attract every body's notice in the spring garden, flowers at this 

 time. It is a very ornamental though a strikingly odd looking plant, 

 and will grow in any ordinary garden mould ; a moist situation how- 

 ever suits it best. It flourishes remarkably well in the gardens in 

 Sussex in the moist soils bordering on Ashdon Forest. Its name is 

 Flos Zenonis in the Floral Directory cited by Hone. There are several 

 other plants of the same genus which grow in the gardens of the 

 curious. 



Nightingale Sylvia luscinia arrives. 



The AiiSajy of the Greeks, the Philomela of the Latins, and the 



Ilosignuolo of the Italians are all the same bird, which the Germans 



call Nachtigal, and we Nightingale. This bird arrives about this 



time, and its sweet and varied notes are chiefly heard at even tide, 



and often through the night, during this and the next month. Darwin 



has the following lines on this favourite bird ; but the description 



seems to relate to some eastern species : — 



So «lien the Nishtins<ile in eastern bow'rs 

 On quiv'ring pinions woos tlie queen of flowers. 

 Inhales her fragrance as he han^s in air, 

 Andnielts with melody the blushing fair; 

 Half ros", haU bird, a beauteous monster spring'. 

 Waves his thin leaves, and claps his glossy wings ; 

 Long horrent thorns his mossy legs surround. 

 And tendril talons root him to the ground ; 

 Green films of rind his wrinkled neck o'erspread, 

 And crimson petals crest his curled head ; 

 Soft warbling beaks in each bright blossom move. 

 And vocal rosebuds thrill th' enchanted grove. 

 Admiring Ev'ning stays her beamy star. 

 And still Night listens from his ebon car ; 

 While on white wings descending houris throng. 

 And drink thi' floods of odour and of song. 



In Persia Jv ightingales sing among groves of roses, ; 



