MEZEREON. 77 



mation, particularly of the throat and fauces. 

 The branches should therefore never be 

 suffered to be cut for nosegays, as young 

 people may be injured by putting the sprigs 

 into their mouths. Children should be espe- 

 cially cautioned against gathering the berries. 

 Mr. Bradley tells us that he ate some of this 

 fruit, which were not unpleasant in taste, but 

 that in about an hour after he had swallowed 

 them, he found an extraordinary heat in his 

 throat, which caused a violent burning pain 

 for about twelve hours. 



Nature, whose works never cease to excite 

 our admiration, astonishes us by the wonders 

 contained in the buds of this plant, where not 

 only the flowers, but the parts of fructifica- 

 tion may be distinctly seen the year before 

 they unfold themselves. How infinitely do 

 these secret labours surpass the most finished 

 performance of the ablest human artist, yet 

 how few regard them in comparison to the 

 number that run after the works of man ! 



Modern botanical works claim the mezereon 

 as a native of our soil, but we are decidedly 

 of opinion that their claim is founded on 

 error. It does not appear to have been 

 known to our earliest writers on plants, and 

 is not mentioned by Turner, in 1568 ; and 

 Gerard tells us, in his voluminous work of 



