THE WILD FLOWERS OF ENGLAND. COMMON LING. Erica vulgaris; Linn. La bruyère; Fr. Die heide; Ger. Heide; Brezo; Sp. Weresk; Russ. Wrzos; Pol. Dutch. Erica; Ital. Lyng; Dan. Liung; Swed. Buds of the mountain and moor are we, The dear and the gleesome, the fearless and free! TWAMLEY. SPRING is coming! already are the pale blossoms of the primrose seen spread open before the sun on shaded banks; already are the daffodils revealing the colour of their future bloom. The hoar-frost, 'tis true, lies on the ground when morning breaks; but it soon disappears before the glowing beams of light which radiate from the eastern sky. The birds are singing cheerily. How sweet their song! They too rejoice when Winter recedes. They seem to pour forth their lays with greater energy. There is a freshness in their notes which does not strike us as the year advances. How the heart bounds with delight, as the crisp ground crackles, as we pass along with winged feet! With winged feet? Yes; for though we do not run, there is a flow of life within which impels us onward! a quickening impulse which sees no weariness await SECOND SERIES. B season. ing us! We look around, and every object upon which the eye rests seems clad with new beauty. The colours are richer, brighter far, than at any other Oh! how sweet it is to converse with nature in her solitude! We may mingle with our fellow-men in the busy mart of commerce; we may seat ourselves within the crowded walls of a theatre; we may mix with the fluttering throng which flock to our towns of fashionable resort; we may join the dance in the glittering ball-room; and still we may be alone. But, if we know anything of nature, we may find the choicest company far from the society of men. Our duties may require us to mix much with the world, to have continual intercourse with the minds and characters of men. We may delight in the discharge of those duties, but, if we can now and then retire and commune with nature in her innocence; if we can now and then climb the lofty hills, and cast our eyes upon the spreading valleys below; if we can now and then penetrate the recesses of a wood, and dwell upon its grandeur-its awe-inspiring grandeur-we shall feel much of the heart-corroding influence of the world rubbed off; we shall regain much of that simplicity of character which frequent contact with the world destroys; we shall lose much of that distrust which the sordid business of the world generates in our hearts. We feel the softening influences of nature. We know their refining tendency. We would cultivate a closer intimacy with her. It is an ennobling pursuit. Here, indeed, we write of flowers, wellknown flowers, the favourites of all-but we would lead on to a knowledge of the less common, yet not less beautiful, natives of our land. |