rate them all. He describes, however, 21 varieties; 

 and the drawing of one of these, *' The greatest faire 

 yellow Beare's Eares with eyes," shews that the 

 florists had indeed much improved the flower ; for, 

 in the sketches given by Gerard and Lyte, the pips 

 are small, and only four or five in a truss, but in this 

 and others, given by Parkinson, the pips are large, 

 and increased in number to from 8 to 13. Many 

 other varieties, he adds, were to be found, with those 

 that are curious conservers of these delights of nature, 

 either naturally growing on mountains, or raised from 

 seed, as is more probable ; for several varieties have 

 been observed to be gotten by sowing of the seed, 

 every year lightly shewing a diversity, not observed 

 before, either in the leaf or in the flowers. 



The raising varieties from seed was then well known, 

 but regular canons for distinguishing a good flower 

 were not yet estabhshed, as they probably were when 

 the " Complete Florilege" was published by John 

 Rea, Gent. : in the third edition of which work, 

 printed in 1 702, there are many varieties noticed, and 

 named after their raisers. {Miller s Diet.) 



Mr. Hughes, in his " Flower Garden," published 

 in 1672, gives a short direction for its cultivation, and 

 is the first writer on gardening we have met with who 

 speaks of it as the " Auricula." 



The cultivation of this flower continued to increase 

 in favour, and it is the first of our shew flowers that 



