PHEASANT'S EYE, OR FLOS-ADONIS. 201 



as a weed. Its beautiful appearance has made it a favorite 

 in the garden, nearly as much so as the Anemone, to 

 which it is somewhat allied, and may be easily recognised 

 with that and its varieties. Classic story says this flower 

 sprung up where the blood of Adonis fell, and a fable was 

 concocted from the circumstance of the wound being in- 

 flicted by a boar, while hunting ; hence the name of 

 Adonis Flower. The signification of the Pheasant's Eye 

 is the great affinity in color to the eye of a bird of that 

 name in England ; the centre being black, and sur- 

 rounded with a blood red. It was formerly supposed it 

 possessed medical properties, but the advance made in 

 chemistry has abandoned the idea of that quality. It is 

 of easy culture, accommodating itself to almost any kind 

 of soil. This, like a few other annuals, if sown in the 

 fall, will withstand the severity of the winter ; in the 

 spring it should be transplanted to where it is intended 

 to flower. By sowing the seeds at different periods it 

 can be brought to flower at any time in the season, thus 

 making it a desirable plant. 



