THE CROWFOOT TllIUE. 17 



deepness of colour ? These are of the Crowfoot tribe, 

 but less closely allied to Ranunculus itself, than what 

 I have already mentioned. We are so accustomed to 

 combine in our minds the idea of Buttercups and 

 yellowness ; that we are apt to overlook the resem- 

 blance which really exists between the Ranunculus and 

 the Larkspur, because of the want of yellow in the 

 latter. But setting aside this, which is of no Bota- 

 nical importance whatever, let us look at the calyx 

 of the Larkspur (Delphinium). It is composed of five 

 leaves, or sepals, the uppermost of which has a horn 

 arising- from out of its back ; so is that of Ranunculus, 

 excepting the horn. It has four petals, of which two 

 have long tails, hidden within the horn of the petal ; 

 it is they which look like the bee's body : Ranunculus 

 has nothing of this, but five common petals instead. 

 The Larkspur has a great many stamens arising 

 from below the carpels ; this is the first essential 

 character of Ranunculus ; it has also several carpels 

 (two or three) which are not grown together : and 

 this is the second essential character of Ranunculus ; so 

 that this plant has, in reality, no essential character 

 by which it can be distinguished from the Crowfoot 

 tribe. As for its four strange petals, they arc of 

 no importance ; for you will remark that in Trol- 

 lius, the petals are little hollow bodies, and that the 

 Marsh Marigold has none whatever ; so that not only 

 the form of the petals is of no consequence in the 

 Crowfoot tribe, but it does not even signify whether 

 they are present at all or not. 



When you have once satisfied yourself that the 



c 



