MAY. 75 



ing kinds, by its bulbous root. The May 

 buttercups have not passed away, before the 

 creeping buttercup, (Ranunculus rejjens,) and 

 the acrid crowfoot, {Itanuncuhis acris,) make 

 their appearance. These bloom on, till the end 

 of August, and here and there, a few of the 

 latter species may be found under the hedges, 

 till time, with liis autumnal scythe, has mowed 

 down every flower, and the stormy winds pro- 

 claim the winter. 



In the hedges which border the field, or 

 afford their shade to the green country lane, 

 the flower which receives its name from this 

 month — the May, or hawthorn, {Crateeyus 

 Oxyacantha) — is radiant in beauty. Very rarely 

 is it in bloom by the first of May ; though by 

 the first of May of the old style, which is twelve 

 days later, the hedge is often white with its 

 pearly blossoms. A decoction of the fragrant 

 flowers of the May is said to counteract poison. 



The hawthorn bough was formerly hung over 

 every door of England, on the May morning ; 

 and brought in from the woods "with ]\Iay-day 

 rejoicings ; and it still, in Athens, on that day, 

 graces every doorway of the classic city. The 

 custom of going on May mornings, at break ot 

 day, into the woods, to bring away the boughs 

 and flowers, was much discountenanced by our 

 reformers. They regarded it as the remains of an 

 evil superstition; for it had its origin in the spring 

 rites paid by the heathen to Flora ; and they 

 also disapproved of the noisy andj)rofligate revel- 

 ling with which it was often accompanied. They 



