UN THE WHITE CLOVER. 
345 
this gives out another portion of stem, which ends in another 
little plant, and so on, till in a very short time a large space oi 
ground is covered with its pretty green leaves and white flowers. 
When not in flower the Trifolium ravens may be somewhat diffi- 
cult to recognize, as its triple leaves are but slightly different 
from other species of the same genus. We will suppose that, 
tired with a country walk in the middle of a warm day in 
April, we have thrown ourselves down on a green bank, or a 
tempting- sunny spot on some richly “ carpeted and sheep” trod- 
den down. Our eyes naturally seek the couch on which we rest, 
and almost certainly, in whatever locality we may be, we shall 
see all around us the tiny three-parted leaves of Trifolium con- 
spicuous amongst the other herbage, which makes the natural 
beauty of our lanes so great. In two square inches of turf on 
which we were dreamily resting one warm day, last July, we 
counted eight different species of plants — all so eloselymatted and 
packed together that, without the temptation of having nothing 
else to do, we should scarcely have examined closely enough to 
distinguish them. With a botanical pocket-glass in our hand 
we carefully looked at each little verdant tuft in the measured 
space, and there sure enough was the never-failing little Dutch 
clover ( Trifolium repens), the Bird’s-foot Trefoil ( Lotus cornicu- 
latus), Gold-dust (Galium verum), the Common Cranesbill 
(Er odium cimtarmrn), with several species of grass. By 
our side sat a friend whose thoughts seemed never to have 
descended so low before, and great was his surprise when 
this variety of vegetation in so small a space was pointed 
out to him. Having a botanical tendency ourselves, we were 
provided with a little tin vasculum, or sandwich-case, into 
which we placed the two square inches of turf for closer exami- 
nation at home. A bright luxuriant plant of white clover 
suggested its suitability for a lesson in botany to our unscien- 
tific friend ; accordingly it was ruthlessly pulled up by the roots, 
bringing with it other plants of its own kind attached to the 
creeping stems — some just forming, others in perfection. Those 
who are in earnest to know something of botany — something of 
the great vegetable world by which we are surrounded — cannot 
do better than follow our example. In choosing one simple little 
plant as a representative of any of the great families of plants, 
they will soon find that they are led on imperceptibly to a full 
acquaintance with the greater and more complicated discoveries 
of science. 
We will imagine, therefore, that we have our tufts of Trifolium 
repens before us (plate xix.). If we wish preserve it fresh for 
some days, and to examine at our leisure all its parts, put 
it into a saucer with a little moisture and cover it with a hand- 
glass. Here, then, is the pretty white or whitish head of 
