134 FIRST STEPS IN GENERAL KNOWLEDGE. 



"I am now going to describe a group consist- 

 ing of many separate tribes and families, but all 

 in some measure connected by certain botanical 

 characters, one of the most evident of which is that 

 they all have irregular flowers." 



"How do you mean, papa?" 



" I mean, that instead of the petals being of a 

 regular and uniform shape, such as in Crucifers 

 and others, they are by no means uniform, some 

 of the petals being fashioned into little hoods or 

 fringes, or in some way differing from the rest." 



"Then I am sure the little blue milkwort,* 

 that we found on the hill side, ought to be one of 

 them," said Mary ; " for when mamma took off 

 the petals to show us its curious shape, there 

 was a pretty little fringed hood to shelter the 

 stamens." 



"And it does, in fact, belong to this group, 

 giving its name to the MILKWORT tribe. Our little 

 milkwort was so called because it was supposed to 

 improve the milk of cows that fed on it, and it 

 has also the reputation of being useful in diseases 

 of the lungs. Another species,f however, contains 

 far more of the bitter principle which has gained 



* Polygala vulgaris. t P amara. 



