8 FAMILIAR FLOWERS OP FIELD AND GARDEN. 



tant]y reminds one of the buttercup, to which it is 

 related ; but it is thick and stocky-looking, and de- 

 serves some interest on its own account. It will be 

 found in early April beside the brooks as they wind 

 through the meadows, and in springy ground. It is 

 common also in Italy, where we would hardly look 

 for it. The calyx is golden yellow in hue, and the 

 dark-green, thickish leaf is like a rounded kidney in 

 shape. 



Liverwort. Hepatica triloba is one of the earliest 



Hepatioa triloba, of our spring flowers, and perhaps 



one of the most beautiful. It is often described as a 



