JANUARY. 17 



garet of Yalois — the friend of Erasmus and 

 of Cabin — she who could retire from the ad- 

 miration and ghtter of courts, to study her 

 Bible and her own heart — she too had the 

 daisy-flower worn in her honour, and was called 

 by her brother Francis i., his "INIarguerite of 

 Marguerites." 



The daisy grows in fields throughout Europe, 

 and is as common in the Italian meadows as in 

 ours. The children of Italy gather it as an early 

 favourite, and call it PratoUna, (meadow flower.) 

 Butleaving the daisy — which, after all, is rather 

 the occasional blossom of the winter mead, 

 than its accustomed ornament — we may wander 

 to the heath-land, to search for the winter- 

 furze, or gorse, (JJlex vanus,) when this low and 

 prickly shrub is covered with golden flowers, 

 which' defy the winter frost. This species is 

 of much lower growth than the common gorse, 

 (IJlex 'EvropcEvs.) On the latter, indeed, we 

 sometimes espy a bright blossom in winter, 

 and it is described as "the never bloomless 

 furze ;" but the peculiarity of the dwarf furze, 

 is, that it exhibits its flowers solely in the 

 autumnal and winter months, beginning to 

 blossom in August, and remaining in full beauty 

 till the end of January. It is very similar to 

 the common species, ])ut not nearly so general. 

 It often grows on high lands, and the Pentland 

 hills are covered with the mountain gorses, 



" Tlipy vliom Ood prcsevveth still, 

 Set as li^lits up(in a liil! : 

 A token to tlit- uintry cartl;, that beauty livcth still." 



