46 WILD FLOWERS. 



it was, of old, called " cock's head" and 

 "honey-suckle." 



The white Dutch clover is no less common 

 than the purple species ; and it is interesting, 

 as being most commonly considered to be the 

 shamrock, the national emblem of the Irish ; 

 though some writers consider that to be the 

 leaf of the wood- sorrel. 



In the beautiful valley of Sharon, so renowned 

 in Holy Scripture, Monro found the Dutch 

 clover to be most abundant, covering the grassy 

 plain with its white blossoms, and there, as 

 with us, in\'iting swarms of bees to gather 

 over it. 



Besides the white and purple clovers, we have 

 several other species of trefoil, though many of 

 them bloom rather later in the summer. The 

 little common yellow trefoil, (Trifolmm fili- 

 forme,) with its small flowers, not larger than 

 a green pea, meet our eye in every country 

 walk, blooming on every pasture land and 

 wayside. The hop trefoil, {Trifolium procum- 

 hens,) a yellow flower, somewhat larger than 

 the last-named species, is less common than 

 that kind, but readily distinguished from it 

 by its oval, hop-shaped blossoms. We have be- 

 sides, on gravelly heaths, and on banks and pas- 

 tures, some very pretty downy purple trefoil, 

 one of which, the hare's-foot trefoil, {Trifolium 

 arvense,) took its name from the soft silky 

 whitish tuft of which its flowers consist, and 

 which resembles the foot of the hare. This 

 is very common on pastures, and in corn-fields, 



