34 April. 
and the songsters of the grove now carol their sweetest 
lays. The cuckoo, the swallow, and the thrush, may 
be heard, and “the lark at Heaven’s gate sings.” The 
labours of the field are rapidly progressing; and sun¬ 
shine and showers, alternately, nourish the grain in 
the fields, as well as the flowers in the garden. 
April is supposed to take its name from the Latin, 
Aprilis , or aperio, I open, indicating the opening in 
Spring of the buds of the trees and flowers. It is prob¬ 
able that the name Aprilis was Aphrilis , founded on 
the Greek name of the goddess Venus. Our Anglo- 
Saxon forefathers called this month Oster-monat , or 
Easter-monat, from the feast of their goddess Eastre, 
as some authorities state. Others say that the name 
was given on account of the East winds that usually 
prevail at this season. The term Easter, given to our 
Christian festival, may come from the same derivation. 
Among the many pretty flowers that may now be 
seen are the showy daffodil, the bluebell, the wild ane¬ 
mone or wind-flower, the modest daisy (or petite mar¬ 
guerite, as the French call it), the gaudy dandelion, the 
lesser celandine, the oxlips and cowslips, and the vio¬ 
lets and primroses, all of which are now blooming in 
abundance. As the month advances, and we approach 
its end, the brilliancy of the bloom increases, till we 
enter May, which has always been considered the most 
lovely month of the year. 
