269 



NATURAL HISTORY OF SUNNINGHILL 



BY 0. S. BOUND, ESQ. 



{Continued from page 248.) 



Chapter VII. 



Whex we speak of the wild flora of such a district as this, the list of 

 plants must be necessarily very extensive. Those plants which grow on the 

 road-side are most familiar to us. The Marsh Mallow. (Malva sylvestris,) 

 is found on the sides of all the ditches, but never out of the cultivated 

 parts. The Nightshade, (Solanum nigrum,) Feverfew, (Pyrethrum,) 

 Meadow Sweet, (Spircea uhnaria,) and in fact all the common weeds, 

 which do not require a rich soil, are found. As soon as cultivation 

 asserts its empire field flowers that thrive in a richer soil appear, and 

 here we come to one of those facts of nature, so unfathomable, that 

 it is idle if not impious to speculate, for we know what use authors, such 

 as that of the "Vestiges of Creation" have made of them. In some of 

 the coppices near the church, the Wood Anemone, (A. nemorosa,) the 

 Wood Sorrel, (Oralis acetosella,) with Violets and Primroses, are very 

 thickly scattered, and the hedges in the same neighbourhood are filled 

 with Wild Carrot, (Dancus carrota,) Wood Vetch, (Vicia sylvatica,) Wild 

 Parsnip, (Pastinaca sylveslris,) and Wild Parsley, (Caucalis anthriscus;) 

 Mullein also is found in the grass-lands, (few indeed we can boast out of 

 the village.) There are some portions of the wild where it is grassy, and 

 here I have often found Gentian in a wild state, smaller and lighter- 

 coloured than the garden flower, but undoubtedly identical with it ; and 

 rushes of all kinds are of luxuriant growth. As long as we are upon the 

 common, which commences about half a mile west of the church, the 

 violets are the common unscented ones, but in the coppices they are 

 fragrant enough. There are a great many wild flowers, too minute to 

 make any show, but lovely themselves; thus the Pimpernel, (Anagallis) 

 and the Speedwell are delicately-coloured plants, but as tender as they are 

 small, and die as soon as handled. Fox-glove, (Digitalis,) is very common, 

 and grows to a large size; and the Bind-weeds, white and pink are 

 common, but the Wild Clematis and other hedge plants, we see nothing 

 of, no, not even in the cultivated parts; the moorland air is "ower cauld" 

 for these gentry. 



I have before referred to the heath, and shall only observe that the 

 Ling is very various, as to its bloom, in colour and volume, some being 

 quite light and single, whilst other specimens are deep pink and very 

 double. Heath appears to like drought, for it is in hot dry years that it 



VOL. VIII. 2 n 



