146 THE OPEN BOOK OF NATURE 
sailing as I seem to indicate. But you must perse- 
vere. It is in the ferreting out of plant-names that 
you will become familiar with botanical terms. You 
can never remember plants so well when you get a 
friend to tell you what they are. What you find 
out for yourselves you know ; what you are told 
you are apt to forget. Besides, the work of identi- 
fication is a real pleasure. I like to find an un- 
familiar species, and find out from my “Flora ” 
what it is. An evening spent in identification after 
an afternoon’s collecting is one of the keenest 
delights I have experienced. 
Perhaps I ought to tell you what you may already 
have noticed. The Latin names of plants, which 
you should not fail to learn, are always written 
with the generic name first, and the specific name 
second. Example: Epilobium hirsutum; Epilo- 
biwm is the genus, hirsutum is the species. The 
generic name starts with a capital letter; the 
specific always starts with a small letter, unless it 
is the Latinized form of a proper name. 
A final word, as the preacher says. Aim at 
knowing the plants of your own district; know 
them thoroughly. Keep a diary of the dates on 
which they first appear in each year. Do all you 
can to prevent the wanton destruction of plant-life. 
Notice how plants group themselves ; you will find 
certain kinds haunt particular situations. Cata- 
logue the plants of the moorlands, the flowers of the 
fields and hedgerows, as well as the floral occupants 
of mountain, marsh, and riverside. Remember that 
@ common, insignificant weed is botanically as 
interesting as the showiest of flowers. 
