185 
THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM. 
ORNITHOGALUM UMBELLATUM. 
Yes, yes, all have a voice ! the heavens above, 
The earth beneath, and things that under earth 
Lie deeply hidden — all send out a sound, 
And lecture man, the wandering, and the lost, 
In holy lore. 
To the “storied” names of certain plants; such as 
the “ passion flower,” the “ star of Bethlehem,” &c. 
the solitary wanderer is indebted for many a pleasing 
and solemn train of reflection, in pursuing which, he is 
disposed to say with the poet, 
“ To give them thus a tongue 
Is wise in man.” 
The flower under immediate consideration grows natu¬ 
rally in most parts of southern Europe, in orchards, 
vineyards, and thickets; it has been also seen in the 
neighbourhood of Smyrna. In our island it is held 
by some botanists as a “ doubtful native,” though 
found apparently wild in many places. “ Its petals are 
