Adriatic, and the Mountains of Car niola, Carinthia, < Jr. 93 
tile whole is smaller ; it produces always one flower from a root, 
the colour of which is a dark violet, and which droops but lit- 
tle ; in which two particulars it comes nearer to P. pratensis, 
from which again it differs in the flower being larger, and the 
points of its petals not so much bent back. The leaves are but 
imperfectly expanded. 
We were now perfectly satisfied with the success of tile day ; 
but the best part of it was yet to come. We had seen, here and 
there, on stony spots, a white-flowered crocus, as well as one of 
a bluish colour, under some bushes near Bassowitza, both of 
which we took for varieties of Crocus vernus ; and thought but 
little about them at first, as they were much injured by the frost. 
But, at the moment that we were coming out of the forest into 
the road, we saw a pit which was completely covered, as with a 
table-cloth, by the white-flowered crocus. It was in full blossom, 
and offered to us beautiful specimens. The frost had not gained 
admittance here, and decayed leaves had afforded them excellent 
manure. On digging up our plants, we soon observed the other 
kind, which w r e took up also. But what a discovery was this ! 
It required but a casual glance to satisfy us, that our two Cro- 
cusses are essentially different. We must now call upon all the 
botanists who have hitherto admired our zeal and enthusiasm, to 
take part with us in the pleasure which this occurrence afforded 
us. We felt all the sensations that M. Mayer had expressed in 
a letter to us, when he first found, on the Kahlenberg, near 
Vienna, the Ophrys arachnites and myodes , and the Cypripedium 
Calceolus. 4 4 On such occasions,” he says, 44 I cannot refrain 
from making the most ridiculous antics. I throw up my hat, 
and bow low before the stranger ; but my respect for him speedi- 
ly vanishing, the poor plant is unceremoniously and unmerciful- 
ly cut up from its native spot.” To return, however, to our 
new Crocus. We remembered, tolerably correctly, the species 
hitherto defined of that genus; for example, C. neapolitanus , 
(Tenare), viridiftorus (Smith), or multifidus of Ramond ; Ma- 
siacus (Willdenow), and biflorus (Smith) ; from all which, as 
also C. autumnalis , our plant differs essentially. We shall, oh 
farther examination, give its characters. 
After we had cooled and refreshed our box of plants, in some 
snow which we found outside the wall of the wood, we returned 
home in the evening, well satisfied with the produce of the day.” 
