# The Clover; The Plover explained — How to Tell the Birds from the Flowers and Other Woodcuts

> Chapter companion for How to Tell the Birds from the Flowers and Other Woodcuts by Robert Williams Wood.

## What happens

The chapter humorously distinguishes between the plover and the clover by referencing the habits of bees and the expertise of entomologists and etymologists, playing on the presence or absence of the letter 'B'.

## Themes in this chapter

### Wordplay and Homophones

The chapter relies on the phonetic similarity between 'plover' and 'clover' and the pun on the letter 'B'.

### Humor and Absurdity

The absurd comparison between a bird and a plant through linguistic and scientific wordplay creates a humorous effect.

## Character check-ins

### the Birds

The plover, a bird, is contrasted with the clover plant.

## Key lines

> The Plover and the Clover can be told apart with ease, By paying close attention to the habits of the Bees, For En‑to‑molo‑gists aver, the Bee can be in Clover, While Ety‑molo‑gists concur, there is no B in Plover.

You can easily distinguish a plover from a clover by observing bees: entomologists say bees can be found in clover, while etymologists note that the word 'plover' lacks the letter 'B'.

_The paraphrase clarifies the wordplay and the roles of entomology and etymology._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/how_to_tell_the_birds_from_the_flowers_and_other_se/chapters/the-clover-the-plover
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/how_to_tell_the_birds_from_the_flowers_and_other_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/how_to_tell_the_birds_from_the_flowers_and_other_se/chapters