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KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



(Aconitum napellus) — a violent poison, 

 grows along the banks of the Teme, in 

 Herefordshire, and in a few other parts of 

 England. The helmet shape of the flowers 

 has caused them to receive the name of 

 '• Monkshood." It has also received the 

 name of " Wolfsbane,"" by reason of the 

 violence of its poisonous properties. Number- 

 less cases are recorded of poisoning by this 

 plant. The "Traveller's Joy" {Clematis 

 vitalba) is a very elegant climber, and may be 

 seen in most hedges. In July, it bears pretty 

 white flowers, growing in forked panicles. 

 These are succeeded in autumn by most 

 delicate feathery Achanes, quite silvery, and 

 which greatly ornament our hedges. The 

 exact reason for this plant receiving the 

 name of the "Traveller's Joy," I do not 

 know. There are a few others belonging to 

 this order, that I have left unnoticed ; but 

 they are too interesting to be allowed to pass 

 without a few words. They are such as 

 frequent our woods and thickets — viz. the 

 u Common Wood Anemone" (Anemone nemo- 

 rosa), &c. 



Nothing can be more lovely to behold, 

 than our woods in spring (we shall not have 

 to wait long for a renewal of this beautiful 

 sight), studded throughout with the pretty 

 little flowers of the Wood Anemone. The 

 blush-colored tinge on the under surface of 

 the pure white flowers, is quite, or nearly con- 

 cealed from us when they are in full bloom. 

 It is only when their little heads are drooping 

 that we see the beautiful pink tinge. There 

 are a few lines of Mary Howitt's, that com- 

 pletely express my feelings with respect to 

 the gratitude we owe to God, for giving us 

 minds and hearts capable of understanding 

 and learning something from all his wondrous 

 works of creation : 



" God might have bade the earth bring forth 



Enough for great and small, — 



The oak tree and the cedar tree, 



Without a flower at all ; 



He might have made enough, enough 



For every want of ours — 



For luxury, medicine, and toil — 



And yet have made no flowers ! 

 * * * * 



Our outward life requires them not, 



Then wherefore had they birth? 



To minister delight to man, 



To beautify the earth, 



To whisper hope — to comfort man 



Whene'er his faith is dim ; 



For whoso careth for the flowers 



Will care much more for Him ! 



Besides this little Anemone, we have the 

 " Pasque Flower" {Anemone Pulsatilla), the 

 " Blue Mountain Anemone, (Anemone Apen- 

 nine), and the "Yellow wood Anemone," 

 {Anemone ranunculoides). These are rarely 

 met with in our country ; but are yet con- 

 sidered indigenous to Great Britain. I 



should think there can be no doubt as to the 

 first of these belonging strictly to our 

 " Flora." There appears to me such grace- 

 fulness of growth and simplicity of blossom 

 in all the Anemones, that I fancy they 

 draw us to the contemplation of them by 

 their modesty and simple beauty. If I 

 happen to find myself alone in a wood 

 surrounded by these lovely flowers, I always 

 feel happy, for they bring to my mind these 

 lines : 



" With holy awe I cull the opening flower, 

 The hand of God hath made it, and where'er 

 The flowret blooms, there God is present also." 



Another plant that is occasionally met 

 with in parts of England, in hedges and 

 coppices, is the " Columbine " {Aquilegia 

 vulgaris). It is well known, from its spurred 

 petals, and is often cultivated in our gardens. 

 It is a handsome hedge-plant ; nor must Ave 

 forget that the "Green and Foetid Helle- 

 bore" {Helle bonis viridis et foztid us) belong to 

 this order of plants. There is certainly a 

 lurid appearance about these two plants, 

 which would almost make one think they 

 were of a dangerous species to tamper w T ith ; 

 and so they are very poisonous ; the principal 

 parts wdiich are poisonous being the leaves. 



The Christmas rose, which has just ceased 

 from blossoming altogether, and which is 

 generally in perfection about the middle of 

 January, is a species of Helleborus. The 

 H. viridis has flowers something resembling 

 our Christmas roses with respect to shape ; 

 but instead of being white, they are green. 

 The H. fcetidus has pendulous, globular 

 flowers of a green color ; generally, when 

 quite in bloom, tipped with pink. They 

 have a nasty rank smell. I have not seen 

 them much in our country, but in Switzerland 

 they are very abundant. I hope at some 

 future time to send you a few papers on the 

 wild flowers of Switzerland, as I have been 

 thereduringso many years. We will, however, 

 see first, what numberless interesting species 

 we possess without going out of Old England. 

 I have purposely avoided using any botanical 

 characteristics with regard to our wild 

 flowers, because if any of the readers of 

 " Our Own Journal," who are non- 

 botanists, should take an interest in our 

 pretty wild flow r ers, I think and hope they 

 will wish to become more fully acquainted 

 with the delightful study of Botany, which 

 I am sure if persevered in, will prove better 

 and more agreeable and improving to the 

 mind. 



Let me here add a few words more about 

 the remaining genera, — Pozonia and Actcsa. 

 The first of these, the entire-leaved Pceony, or 

 (Poeonia corallbiajis rarely found in England. 

 It is an herbaceous plant, and blooms in May 

 and June. As everybody is acquainted with 

 the Pceony, I need scarcely say more about 



