2 THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



out, in his famous and often-quoted essay, is 

 as old as man himself; or, if any one prefer 

 to trace back the instinct, not to the Garden of 

 Eden, but to the habits of a bird, he may be 

 reminded of the Gardener Bower-bird (Ambly- 

 ornis inornata) of New Guinea, who, making a 

 bower for the pleasure of his mate, will decorate 

 the front of it with flowers carefully stuck into 

 the sod. 1 



JJothing more strikingly shows the interest 

 that is now taken in gardening than the number 

 of books that are published on the subject. 

 Besides those that deal less with the craft of the 

 gardener than with the flowers themselves, 

 we have Manuals of gardening, with their annual 

 and monthly calendars of gardening operations, 

 their practical advice and technical knowledge. 

 Then there are the almost countless catalogues 

 of the nurserymen and seedsmen, which often 

 add excellent, and sometimes coloured, engrav- 

 ings, and always supply much useful information. 

 Moreover, in addition to the gardening articles 



1 See Note I., on the Gardener Bower-bird. 



