Diodorus, the historian, quoted, 93, 94.
Dioscorides, the author of "Materia
Medica," his reference to Mercury's
plant, 81; on the Agrostis, 95.
Diurnal movement of the stars, origin of
its discovery, 16.
Dobell, Sydney, the poet, quoted, 129,
131.
Dogma, folly of, 292.
Dog Mercury, the, its power of propaga-
tion, 77, 78; described by Mr Sowerby,
78; how distinguished from weeds, 79;
its diœcious character, 80; mentioned
by Pliny the naturalist, 80, 81; and by
Dioscorides, 81; its disappearance before
the power of snow, 81.
Dog-star, the. See SIRIUS.
Dog's-tooth grass,
the, characteristics
of, features of, described, 91-93; its
emollient properties, 96.
Draco, the constellation of, known to the
ancients, 22.
Dragon-fly, the, described by the poets,
174, 175; its destructive properties, 175 ;
the female, 182, 183; its metamorphosis,
183-187.
Drayton, Michael, the poet, his description
of a spring-time posy, 159-161; on car-
nations, 371.
Drummond, William, the poet, quoted,
399, 400.
Dutrochet, the philosopher, his theory of
the rise of sap, 136.
EAGLE, the, its affection for the moun-
tains, 57; its flight described, 58-62; its
nest, 62; the various species of, 62, 63.
Earth, the, shape of, as conceived by
Homer and Hesiod, 103, 104; by Se-
neca, 104; by the Chaldeans, Anaxi-
mander, Anaximenes, and Zenophanes,
105; by Plato, 105, 106; by Eudoxes
and Aristotle, 106; by the Greeks and
Hebrews, 107; a problem, 398, 399.
Earwig, the, form of, described, 278-280.
Edelwein, the, in the Alps, description of,
418.
FLAMMARION, M., on coloured stars, 414,
415.
Flos Adonis, the, legend connected with,
169.
Forficulæ, the, group of, characteristics
of, 286.
Forget-me-not, the, celebrated by Camp-
bell the poet, 236, 237; described by
Miss Pratt, 238; analysis of its form;
238, 239; legends connected with, 239,
Friendship, the test of, 141.
Frigid zones, the, position of, 45, 46; the
lizards of, described, 70, 71.
GALILEO, his discoveries in gravitation,
IIO, III.
Ganges, the banks of, described, 248.
Garidel, the botanist, on the medical pro-
perties of the daisy, 147.
Garden-lily, the, described, 248.
Garden-nightshade, the, its extreme fer-
tility, 82; description of, 83; by Tour-
nefort, 84, 85, 89; its various forms, 85;
its medical properties, 85-87.
Genesis, the book of, quoted, 191.
Gentiana lutea, the, its medical proper-
ties, 254.
Gentiana campestris, described, 256, 257.
Gentianacea, the family of, its character-
istics described, 252-255; a Lilliputian
specimen of, 255.
Gentians, the, of the Alps, description of,
Gerard, the botanist, quoted, 418.
Gesner, Conrad, the botanist, on the tulip,
154.
Goethe, J. Wolfgang, the poet, quoted,
Gold-crowned wren, the, description of,
64; its partiality to the society of other
birds, 64, 65; its gymnastic accomplish-
ments, 65; its cosmopolitan character,
65, 66; its smallness of size, 66.
Graetz's balls, origin of, stated, 55, 56.
Gramineæ, the, general characteristics of,
88-90; how described by the naturalists
of the Middle Ages, 95, 96.
Gramen, the, Pliny the historian on, 94,
Grasshopper, the, described by Leigh
Hunt, 274.
Great Bear, the, origin of the story of, 9,
10; Homer's reference to, 10.
Grew, the botanist, his theory of the rise
of sap, 124; on the calyx of flowers, 211.
HAY, aromatic, an instance of, 258.
Heat, the action of, described, 313-317.
Heavens, the, movement in, 115, 116.
Hebrews, the, their conception of the
earth's supports in space, 107.
Hedgerows, the, wild climbing plants of,
382, 383.
Hepatica, the, described, 168, 169.
Herbs, the food of the primitive Egyptians,
Hipparchus, the astronomer, his discovery
of the precession of the equinoxes, 116;
his astronomical researches, 291, 292.
Homer, the poet, his reference to the
Great Bear, 10, 19; and to Orion, 15;
his scientific knowledge, 19; his con-
ception of the earth's shape, 103, 104;
quoted, 210.
Honeycomb, the, of the bee, described,
85.
Honeysuckle, the, celebrated by Scott,
Burns, and Drayton, 380.
Hood, Thomas, the poet, quoted, 190.
Horace, the poet, quoted, 103.
House-leek, the, in the Alps, described,
418.
Houston, Professor, his table of the dis-
tribution of wheat and barley, 324, 325.
Howitt, Mary, the poetess, on the dragon-
fly, 175.
Hugi, M., the Swiss naturalist, his dis-
covery of the Arctic vole, 49-51.
Humanity, the future of, 393.
Human power, limitation of, 394.
Hunt, Leigh, his poem on the grasshopper,
quoted, 274.
Huygens, the savant, his researches into
the laws of gravitation, III.
IMMORTALITY, an emblem of, in the meta-
morphosis of the caterpillar, 402, 403.
Infusoria, the, number of, 365.
Inglis, Henry, the traveller, quoted, 142.
Insects, the various orders of, enumerated,
280; the number of species of, 363,
364.
JONSON, Ben, the dramatist, quoted, 207,
248, 400.
KANE, Dr Elisha, the American explorer,
his Arctic experiences, 39.
Keats, the poet, quoted, 29, 168, 190, 244,
298.
Kepler, the astronomer, his adoption of
the theory of the earth's rotundity, 110.
LACTANTIUS, on the non-existence of the
Antipodes, 108.
La Hire, the French botanist, his theory of
the rise of sap, 134.
Landscape, a wintry, described, 5.
Leaf-wasp, the, its mode of depositing its
larvæ, 71, 72.
Le Monnier, the French astronomer, on
the theory of the nutation of the earth,
123.
Lesser celandine, the, celebrated by
Wordsworth, 166; described, 166.
Libellula cancellata, described, 177.
Libellula grandis, described, 178.
Libellulæ, the family of, its characteristics,
174-183. See DRAGON-FLY.
Libellulites, the family of, its general
characteristics, 179, 180.
Liberty, a plea for intellectual, 407.
Life, origin of, speculated upon, 390, 391.
Light, the nature of, 192, 193; physiologi-
cal facts concerning, 194-196; the theory
of, 197, 198; chemical action of, 312, 313.
Liliacea, the family of, its characteristics,
Lily of the field, the, of the Gospels, de-
scribed, 242, 243.
Lily of the valley, the, described by Shake-
speare, 242; its native countries, 242.
Little Bear, the, position of, 11, 12; dis-
tinct from the Great Bear, 12; first recog-
nised by the Phoenicians, 20.
Little Vulcan, the, butterfly, described by
Agassiz, 71.
Longfellow, the poet, his description of
Orion, 13; quoted, 128, 129.
Lychnis, the, described, 418.
MACGILLIVRAY, the naturalist, quoted, 59,
Macmillan, Rev. Hugh, quoted, 42-44.
Malpighi, the botanist, his theory of the
rise of sap, 135.
Mammalia, the, summarised, 360.
Manilius, the poet, his references to the
Great Bear, quoted, 20, 21.
Mant, Bishop, quoted, 63, 64.
Mariotte, the botanist, his theory of the
rise of sap, 135.
Marmot, the, described, 53; its habits, 53,
54; the various species of, 55.
Mars, the planet, referred to, 301, 302.
Marsupialia, the, distribution of, 358.
Martins, M., the naturalist, his examina-
tion and description of the Arctic vole,
Marvell, Andrew, the poet, quoted, 217.
Matter, forms of living, 388, 389.
Mercurialis annua. See DOG MERCURY.
Metamorphosis, the function of, in nature,
401, 402.
Milton, his allusion to the daisy, quoted,
Mole, the, peculiar movements of, 265, 266;
described, 267; Aristotle and Pliny on
its want of sight, 267; its hands and
fingers, 268; its favourite haunts, 269;
marvellous properties ascribed to, 270,
Mole-cricket, the, its form and habits de-
Mollusca, the, number of species of, 362.
Moon, influence of, on the weather, 30,
31.
Moore, Thomas, the poet, his characterisa-
tion of the dragon-fly, 174; his allusion
to the water-lily of the East, 246.
Mountain pink, the, described, 374, 375.
Mushroom, the, how to be distinguished,
327, 328; some varieties of, described,
329-337.
Mutability, the lesson of, 316.
Myosotis palustris. See FORGET-ME-NOT.
NATURE, beauty and suggestiveness of,
339; our imperfect knowledge of, 341,
342; the infinite diversity of, 365.
Nebria escheri described, 72; chevrierii,
Newman Mr, author of "History of
British Insects," quoted, 285.
Newton, Sir Isaac, his theories as to the
form of the earth, 111, 112.
Nuphar lutea, the, described, 245.
Nutation of the earth, the, explained, 120,
121, 123; its discovery, 121, 122.
OBSERVER, the, of nature, 4, 5.
Enothera biennis, described, 216, 218, 219.
Orion, the occultation of, its position in the
heavens, 14; its place in the old mytho-
logy, 15.
PACHYDERMATA, the, distribution of, 359.
Parry, Captain, on the nature of red snow,
Perianth, the, of flowers, 208.
Perrault, the botanist, his theory of the
rise of sap, 135.
Petals, the, of flowers, described, 109, 224-
Phoenicians, the, their knowledge of the
Great and Little Bears, 20, 21.
Physalis alkekengi, described, 222.
Pilgran, the meteorologist, his researches
into the nature of climate, 31.
Pimpernel, the, all about, 260-264.
Pinks, the various kinds of, described,
374.
Planets, the, whether inhabited, 395.
Plants, discovery of the sex of, 207; ap-
propriate to certain soils, 320, 321;
diffusion of, 321-325; classification of,
343-345.
Plato, the philosopher, his notion of the
form of the globe, 105, 106.
Pliny, the naturalist, on numbering the
stars, 25; his reference to red snow, 39;
and to the mercurialis, 80, 81; on the
gramen, 94, 95; his reference to the
daisy, 146; on the mole, 270, 271.
Plutarch, the historian, on the probability
of the existence of the antipodes, 108.
Podura plumbea, the, described, 74, 75.
Polar Star, the, its position in the heavens,
18.
Poles, day at the, 200, 201.
Polygala vulgaris, the, described, 213.
Pointers, constellation of the, referred to,
Pratt, Miss, on the forget-me-not, 238.
Proctor, R. A., on solar phenomena, 410,
411.
Protococcus nivalis, the plant described,
42-44.
Prunella, the, or "self-heal," described,
230-233.
Ptolemæus, his enumeration of the con-
stellations, 24; his acquaintance with
the so-called Copernican theory, 119;
astronomical theories of, 297, 298.
Pythagoras, the philosopher, his familiar-
ity with the so-called Copernican theory,
QUADRUMANA, the, distribution of, 357,
358.
RAMOND, the naturalist, his researches in
the natural history of red snow, 40,
Ranunculaceæ, the, general character-
istics of, 166-169.
Ray, the botanist, on the daisy, 146.
Red-billed crow, the, its appearance de-
scribed, 68, 69; its habits, 69; the his-
tory of one which had been tamed, 69,
Red snow, known to Pliny, the naturalist,
39; first described scientifically by De
Saussure, 39, 40; discovered by Ramond
in the Pyrenees, 40; by Captain Ross
in Baffin's Bay, 41; described by Sir
John Ross, 41; a fungus (?) 41.
Reptiles, the, distribution of, 361.
Rhizomes, or trailing roots, referred to, 88,
89.
Rhodius, Apollonius, the poet, quoted, 20.
Rodentia, the, distribution of, 358.
Rogers, the poet, quoted, 403.
Ruminantia, the, how distributed, 358.
SALAMANCA, the council of, referred to,
Sap, the circulation of, 132; its ascent and
descent, 133; theories concerning the
rise of, 134-137.
Saussure, Benedict de, the naturalist, his
observations on red snow, 39, 40.
Science, unselfishness of, 76; the peculiar
characteristics of, 133.
Scutellariæ, the, characteristics of, indi-
cated, 235, 236.
Seasons, the, changes of, 204, 205.
Seneca, the philosopher, his conception of
the earth's support in space, 104.
Shakespeare, his allusions to the daisy,
quoted, 150, 151; the lily described by,
Shelley, the poet, quoted, 152.
Sirius, the star, its colour, 26; deleterious
influence ascribed to, by the Greeks, 23,
Snow, the, preservation of the germ of
life in seeds and roots, 32; its composi-
tion, 32, 33; the reason of its preserva-
tive qualities, 34; in the form of crystals,
34; a reflector of light, 37; its utility to
the agriculturist, 37; in the polar re-
gions, 38, 39; red snow, which see.
Snow-bunting, the, description of, 66, 67;
its favourite localities, 67, 68.
Snow, perpetual, the line of, where situ
ated, 47; its variations, 48.
Snow-flea, the, its discovery narrated, 72,
73; its generic characters, 74-
Soapwort, the, described, 378; its juice,
378, 379.
Soil, effect of temperature upon, 317;
cultivation of, 318-320; plants appro-
priate to different kinds of, 320, 321.
Solanum nigrum, the, described, 82-85.
Solar corona, the, nature of, 409-412.
Solar eclipse of 1870, the, considered,
Solstices, the summer and winter, 45.
Somerville, Mrs, quoted, 289.
Sowerby, Mr, on the Mercurialis annua,
78.
Species, number of vegetable, 339, 340,
347, 348; number of animal, 356.
Spencer, Edmund, the poet, quoted, 2.
Spring, the awakening of, described, 127-
131.
Staphylium olens, described, 271–273.
Stars, the, their infinite number, 4; their
diurnal movement, 15-17; coloured, 412-
417.
Stellaria, the, characteristics of, enumer
ated, 378.
Strickland, Miss, on the legend of the
forget-me-not, 240.
Struve, Otto, his computation of the num-
ber of the stars, 25, 26.
Sun, the, movements of, in the heavens,
292-296; length of its radius, 296, 297.
Sweetbriar, the, celebrated by Spenser,
Milton, Scott, and Drayton, 380; by
Shakespeare, 381.
TAYLOR, Jeremy, on carnations, 371.
Telescopes, importance of their invention
to science, 26.
Temperate zones, the, reference to, 45.
Temperature, effect of, on soil, 317.
Tennyson, Alfred, the poet, quoted, 6, 7,
57, 183, 247, 319.
Theophrastus, an ancient writer, on the
Agrostis, 95.
Thomson, James, the poet, quoted, 32,
Thought, freedom of, asserted, 311; inde-
Toaldo, the Italian meteorologist, his
researches into the phenomena of cli-
mate, 31.
Tournefort, the naturalist, his description
of the Solanum nigrum, 84, 85, 87;
quoted, 96, 234; on the medical proper-
ties of the daisy, 147.
Tragus, the botanist, his account of the
Solanum nigrum, 86.
Triticum repens, the, described, 93.
Tschudi, M., the naturalist, his description
of a red-billed crow, quoted, 69, 70.
Tulip, the, described, 152, 153; its intro-
duction into Europe, 153; its cultiva-
tion, 154, 155.
Twilight, phenomena of, 205.
VERTEBRATA, the, orders of, 362.
Vole, the Arctic. See ARCTIC VOLE.
Voltaire, François Arouet, his popularisa-
tion of the Newtonian philosophy, 713.
WALTON, Isaak, his eulogium on the
strawberry, 244.
Water, the crystallisation of, instanced and
described, 36, 37.
Water-lily, the, described by Keats and
Mrs Hemans, 244; by Wordsworth,
245; analysis of its form, 245; of the
East, described, 246.
Water-ranunculus, the, description of, 167.
Winters, instances of some severe, 29, 30.
Winter-time, appropriate for the observa-
tion of celestial phenomena, 3; the
passing away of, and merging into
spring, 96, 97.
Withering, the botanist, on the Solanum
nigrum, 86.
Withers, George, the poet, his tribute to
the daisy, quoted, 148.
Wood-louse, the, its characteristics enu-
merated, 169-172; another species of,
173.
Wordsworth, William, the poet, his cele-
bration of the daisy, quoted, 149, 150,
his poem on the lesser celandine, 166|
his reference to the lily of the valley,
245; quoted, 375.
Wren, the, described by Bishop Mant, 63,
64; its habits stated, 64.
YELLOW WATER-LILY, the, description of,
ZODIAC, the, constellations of, 114, 115.
Zootoca pyrrhogastra, the, described, 70.
|