Ladies’ Edinburgh Magazine > Volume 5

Country Subjects and Pursuits. 207
hay-scented fern, and causing it to give out its peculiar
fragrance, while we seek for the gemmed fringes of the sun¬
dew where a spring moistens the grass and stones, cropping
out in a space between gloriously purple tufts of heather,
over which hover numerous varieties of bees,—the handsome
Emperor moth, and other insects too numerous to mention,—
while the whirr of the grouse's wing, and the wild, weird
voice of the curlew far overhead sound pleasantly in our
ears! Alas! that the lovely little sundew, when found,
should betray its carnivorous nature by the remains of its
unfortunate insect victims here and there among its diamond¬
like edging of hairs. Some of these disjecta memhra are so
small as only to be visible beneath the magnifying-glass,
and we hope, somewhat revengefully, they may be the relics
of our enemies the midges.
An objection we have heard raised more than once against
Botany is, that there ' are so many long Latin words and hard
names.' This, we think, is easily overcome, and applies no
more to our subject than to any other science, and many of
the terms used have English synonyms equally efficient.
Then, too, complaints are often made as to the difference of
various authors respecting the number of species contained
in the Flora of Great Britain. There is no doubt this is
somewhat puzzling to a tyro, and that while some authorities
are inclined to multiply the species ad infinitum, others-,
again, we should say, with their dislike to what they con¬
temptuously term ' species-making,' are over-slow in admit¬
ting a group or form of plant to that title. A very little
study, however, will soon overcome these difficulties, and
we feel sure any of our readers who may be induced by our
advocacy of Botany to turn their attention to it, will find
themselves richly rewarded by the increased pleasure the
merest half-hour's saunter will afford.
Combined with our subject we would suggest the study of
Entomology, which, though less suitable, perhaps, for ladies,
is most interesting, and can to a certain extent be most
easily pursued; but to enlarge on this theme would be beyond
the limits of our present paper.
We now bid our readers farewell, trusting that during the
coming spring and summer some of them may learn the
delights of finding a hitherto unknown plant or blossom,
which perhaps would otherwise, for them, have been doomed
' to blush unseen,' and so have left them in ignorance of one
more of the wonderful works of Him who created ' herbs for
the use of man,' not the least portion of that use being to