

THE DANDELION. 151 



DANDELION. 

 Leontodon. 



Welsh, Dant-y Llew. Irish, Bearnan bearnagh. Gaelic, 

 Am bearnan bride. French, Dent de lion. German, 

 Ldwenzahn. 



LINN^EAN. NATURAL. 



Syngenesia. Composite. 



Leontodon. 



THE rhyme 



" Dandelion with globe of down, 

 The schoolboy's clock in every town," 



proclaims one use of the dandelion-down, and L. E. L. 

 adds in her musical strain : 



" Then did we question of the down-balls, blowing 



To know if some slight wish would come to pass ; 

 If showers we feared, we sought where there was growing 

 Some weather-flower, which was our weather-glass 

 In the old, old times 

 The dear old times." 



And the rustic lover, when his school-boy days have 

 passed away, still blows the dandelion-down when 

 he is absent from his " ladye love." For, his belief 

 is that, if you turn your face in the direction of the 

 "abiding place" of the object of your affection, and 

 blow softly, gently, at the globe of down in your 

 hand, every little winged seed that grows upon it 

 will, silently, secretly, surely, bear to the absent one 



