96 THE AD VENT OF SPRING. 



or grasses, the most diversely-featured herbs, including the 

 dog's-tooth. Tabernsemontanus, Dodonne, Mathiole, Jean 

 and Gaspard Bauhin, were the first to attempt the clearing 

 of a path through this intricate wilderness. They eulogised, 

 at the same time, the emollient properties of the dog's-tooth. 



Tournefort* and Bernard de Jussieu, who appear to have 

 made a chemical analysis of it, pretend that the roots of 

 the dog's-tooth contain a large quantity of oil, earth, and 

 several acid liquids, as well as a little fixed salt. " Accord- 

 ing to all appearance," they add, "the roots act by means 

 of a salt analogous to salt of coral, enveloped in a great 

 deal of sulphur." 



Instead of mocking us with such fantastic analyses, which 

 can only excite the laughter of our modern chemists, Tourne- 

 fort and Bernard de Jussieu would have deserved better of 

 science if they had applied themselves to the task of intro- 

 ducing light and order into the cloudy chaos of the Graminacea 

 of the botanists of their age. 



But winter is passing away, and the time for the singing 

 of birds is at hand. Already the earth is awakening from 

 her prolonged lethargy ; the hedgerows are green with bud- 

 ding leaves j the purple crocuses shine in many a sheltered 

 field ; on bank and brae, in glen and vale, the glory of the 

 primrose makes glad the heart of man \ the wood anemone 

 hangs its delicate head in the woodlands; and it seems as 

 if a gladder feeling animated the universal nature. 

 * Tournefort, " Histoire des Plantes," ii. 54. 



