Similarly, writes Mr. Folkard, [1] pigeons and doves made use of vervain, which was termed “pigeon’s-grass.”  Once more, the cuckoo, according to an old proverbial rhyme, must eat three meals of cherries before it ceases its song; and it was formerly said that orchids sprang from the seed of the thrush and the blackbird.  Further illustrations might be added, whereas some of the many plants named after well-known birds are noticed elsewhere.

An old Alsatian belief tells us that bats possessed the power of rendering the eggs of storks unfruitful.  Accordingly, when once a stork’s egg was touched by a bat it became sterile; and in order to preserve it from the injurious influence, the stork placed in its nest some branches of the maple, which frightened away every intruding bat. [2] There is an amusing legend of the origin of the bramble:—­The cormorant was once a wool merchant.  He entered into partnership with the bramble and the bat, and they freighted a large ship with wool.  She was wrecked, and the firm became bankrupt.  Since that disaster the bat skulks about till midnight to avoid his creditors, the cormorant is for ever diving into the deep to discover its foundered vessel, while the bramble seizes hold of every passing sheep to make up his loss by stealing the wool.

Returning to the rose, we may quote one or two legendary stories relating to its origin.  Thus Sir John Mandeville tells us how when a holy maiden of Bethlehem, “blamed with wrong and slandered,” was doomed to death by fire, “she made her prayers to our Lord that He would help her, as she was not guilty of that sin;” whereupon the fire was suddenly quenched, and the burning brands became red “roseres,” and the brands that were not kindled became white “roseres” full of roses.  “And these were the first roseres and roses, both white and red, that ever any man soughte.”  Henceforth, says Mr. King,[3] the rose became the flower of martyrs.  “It was a basket full of roses that the martyr Saint Dorothea sent to the notary of Theophilus from the garden of Paradise; and roses, says the romance, sprang up all over the field of Ronce-vaux, where Roland and the douze pairs had stained the soil with their blood.”

The colour of the rose has been explained by various legends, the Turks attributing its red colour to the blood of Mohammed.  Herrick, referring to one of the old classic stories of its divine origin, writes:—­

 “Tis said, as Cupid danced among the gods, he down the
  nectar flung,
 Which, on the white rose being shed, made it for ever after red.”

A pretty origin has been assigned to the moss-rose (Rosa muscosa):—­ “The angel who takes care of flowers, and sprinkles upon them the dew in the still night, slumbered on a spring day in the shade of a rosebush, and when she awoke she said, ’Most beautiful of my children, I thank thee for thy refreshing odour and cooling shade; could you now ask any favour, how willingly would I grant it!’ ’Adorn me then with a new charm,’ said the spirit of the rose-bush; and the angel adorned the loveliest of flowers with the simple moss.”