318 WILD FLOWERS OF 



old father Thames is in Oxfordshire and Berkshire, 

 with the floating yellow blossoms of the fringed M.eny- 

 antJies wympJiceoides. How finely do the brown shaggy 

 heads of the Cat's-tail, or Typlia, marshalled in batta- 

 lions, like grenadiers with hairy caps of the olden day, 

 contrast with the coloured beauties of the Butomus, 

 the spreading patches of bright blue from one or two 

 species of Myosotis, or Forget-me-not, and the expanse 

 of glowing red that undulates upon the rippling sur- 

 face of the water, where a friendly troop of Polygoni 

 (P. amphibium), or Water Arsmart, have boldly 

 launched out their floating leaves and pretty flowers 

 far out upon the lake, and as boldly many a dark 

 humble-bee is booming about them, and peeping within 

 their roseate petals. This Polygonum is a curious 

 plant, it will grow readily enough any where, and 

 spread forth its broad lanceolate leaves profusely ; but 

 it seldom flowers unless near water ; and if it can any 

 way get down to the pool, in it goes without hesita- 

 tion, and covers the waters with its terminal rosy 

 spikes of flowers, as if it legally claimed dominion 

 there, and would maintain its claim. But the dark 

 brown mace-like clubs or catkins of the Typlia, or 

 Heed-mace, so characteristic of most of our fens, lakes, 

 and marshes, and gracefully undulating with the 

 breeze their shaggy heads and ribbon-like leaves, as 

 in the narrower-leaved species, merit a closer inspec- 

 tion.* The singular conspicuous brown catkin is, in 

 fact a mass of fertile flowers, which, in maturity, 



* These pistillate flower-spikes, conspicuous persistent objects in lakes 

 and shallow pouds, are often erroneously called " Bullrushes" by country 

 people, and are a favourite object of attraction to truant boys. In the Isle 

 of Wight, according to Dr. BROMFIELD, they are vulgarly called Black- 

 puddings, Blackamoors, Black-heads, and Bacco-bolts, from their resem- 

 blance to rolls of tobacco, and the other elegant articles enumerated. 



