MAECH. 35 



blossoms, is a native of the country which its 

 name denotes. We have also some pretty- 

 Chinese species. The dark purple, almost 

 black kind of iris, called snake's head, (Iris 

 tuberosa,) is common in the Levant. The very 

 lovely white species, the Florentine iris (Iris 

 Florentina) is called by the French la Jiamhe 

 blanche. It grows wild in the south of Europe. 

 IVIilton describes these flowers, with their 

 various colours, as 



" Iris all hues." 



Among the ancients an iris was the symbol of 

 eloquence. 



Some species of iris have large bulbous roots, 

 and many of the African kinds are commonly 

 eaten as food by the Hottentots. " The Iris 

 edulis" says Thunberg when speaking of the Cape 

 of Good Hope, " a plant which grew here in 

 great abimdance, and decorated the fields with 

 a variety of white and yellow and blue flowers, 

 was brought in great quantities by the slaves. 

 These bulbs were eaten either roasted and 

 boiled, or stewed with milk, and appeared to 

 me to be both palatable and noui'ishing." 



The Hottentots live not only upon this root, 

 but on a great variety of bulbous-rooted plants, 

 Avith the bright blossoms of which the desert 

 is strewn. Bulbous plants are very generally 

 found in spots, which, at some parts of the 

 year, are dried up, and which would produce 

 no vegetation were it not for some such provi- 

 sion as is contained in the bulb. '' Thus," 



B 2 



