106 



REPORT ON TUE 



The 44 blush Beares eare," the 44 Hai re -coloured Beares eare," 

 and the 44 yellow variable Bearen eare," arc described as edged 

 flowers. For example, 44 the Blush has a ground colour of a 

 dark or dunno-yellow, shadowed ouer a little with a shew of light 

 purple, which, therefore, wo cull a blush colour, the edges of the 

 llower being tipped with a little deeper ahev> of that purple colour, 

 the bottorne of the flower abiding wholly yellow, without any 

 circle, and is of very great beauty." The Hair-coloured is of a 

 brownish yellow, edged with a show or shadow of a light purplo 

 colour. The Yellow variable is of a fair yollow, 44 dasht about 

 the edges onely with purple, being more yellow in tho bottorne 

 of the flower then in any other part." I seem to hear our friends 

 the florists say that these were flowers with shaded edges, of 

 which we have many at the present day. Yes, the history of the 

 flower is before us, and the 44 Paradisus" appears to provide us with 

 the very first record of that kind of edging. Parkinson reserved 

 m. honne l><>it< ht' for a wind-up of his feast of Auriculas. It is tho 

 44 Variable green Beares eare." This hath green leaves snipt 

 about the edges ; the flowers are yellowish green, having purplo 

 edges ; these have no circles at all in them. This variable green 

 with a purple edge might, for present purposes, be assigned the 

 position of a pole star in the floral firmament ; at all events, I, 

 for one, feel attracted to it, and expect it to afford assistance in 

 tracing out the order of the stars in the two constellations of 

 Ursa major and Ursa minor that 44 in earth's firmament do 

 shine ;" for these stars soom to bo now coming homo to us. 



There is no special interest for the present occasion in tho 

 progress of the Auricula, in what appears to have been its early 

 conditions as regards range of colour and variation of leafage. 

 It is only when it assumes what, for convenience sake, may be 

 termed its exhibition character, that it becomes more than ordi- 

 narily attractive, not only for tho delight of tho eye, but as a 

 subject for scientific study. Let us then consider the position 

 of tho edged flowers in tho history. Tho ono presontcd us by 

 Parkinson is very different to tho florists' Auricula of tho pro- 

 m nt, day ; but it is probably a true Auricula, for tho loaves " do 

 fcuine and fold themselves a littlo backwards," tho flowers are 

 less expanded than some others, but alas ! they havo no circles 

 in them, and the variety is not figured. This, wo will say, is tho 

 most remarkable of all cultivated flowers, a small wonder, but a 



