^ 14 EASTER TIDE. 



APRIL 23. St. George, martyr, a.d. 303. 

 St. Adalbert of Prague, m. 997. 

 St. Gerard, b. confessor, 994. 

 St. Ibar, bishop in Ireland, 500. 



Obs. St. George is honoured in the Catholic Church as one of the 

 most illustrious martyrs of Christ. Having embraced the profession 

 of a soldier, he was made a tribune or colonel in the army. He com- 

 plained to the Emperor Dioclesian himself of his severity and bloody 

 edicts, and was immediately cast into prison, and soon after was 

 beheaded, and thereby received the crown of martpdom. 



The sign of the George so common at inns in England originated 

 in a respect formerly so much paid to the patron Saint of England. 

 Brand mentions that it used to be the custom for people to affect to 

 wear blue coats on St. George's Day, to which the lines relate. 



On St. George's Day, when blue is worn. 

 The Harebells blue the fields adorn. 



Field Hyacinth Hyacinthus nonscriptus flowers. 



This plant is the Scilla nutans of Smith, but we have preferred 

 the old name of Hyacinth, not perceiving any sufficiently distinguish- 

 ing marks whereby to attacli it to the genus Scilla in preference. It 

 is a very common flower in England, and indeed in most temperate 

 parts of Europe, blowing about this time, and continuing through 

 May to cover the fields, in places where it abounds, with a beautiful 

 blue, that spread over the shady upland slopes is elegantly con- 

 trasted with the golden yellow of the Crowfoot and Buttercups in 

 the meads below, and the Cowslips in the marshes, at a season of 

 the year when every liedge and tree is in blossom, and when every 

 bank presents innumerable sorts of flowers, afifording perpetual de- 

 light to the admirer of nature, particularly to children, who are ever 

 busy in making nosegays and gathering flowers in the fields during 

 the bright but as yet unoppressive sunshine of the vernal day. 



Evergreen Alkanet, Cowslips of Jerusalem, Polyanthuses, and 

 various other spring flowers, many of which we described yesterday, 

 still ornament our gardens. Primroses and Violets cover every bank, 

 and the whole face of the country now begins to be cheerful, afford- 

 ing a pleasant change after the changeable and cold weather of the 

 early spring. 



The House Martin, as well as the Sand Martin, is sometimes 

 seen, though by no means every year at this time. Swallows are,, 

 as yet but few in number. 



