48 REVIEWS. 



** Stein villous, the hairs patent. . . .11. leucostachys. 

 *** Stem rough, with setae and glands, angular, 

 f Leaves 5-nate, lower leaflets stalked. 

 Stem furrowed or concave between the 



angles R. rudis. 



Stem convex or plane between the angles . R. radula. 

 tf Leaves 3-nate or 5-nate, when the 1. 



leaflets are sessile R. Koehleri. 



**** Stem setigerous, round and glaucous . R. caesius." 



Passing on a few pages further, we meet with the following interesting 

 notes on the Calluna vulgaris, which we extract as a fair sample of the 

 antiquarian research and ability developed by our author: — 



"Calluna vulgaris. — Hooker's Brit. Flora (1830), i. 177. — Heather: he- 

 heather. The principal covering of our moors, and descends without reluctance to 

 the sea-coast. The beautiful flowers are commonly rose-coloured, but a white 

 variety is occasionally met with ; and another variety with a hoary or pubescent 

 foliage is not uncommon. The calluna is called he-heather, from its superiority as 

 a fodder, for sheep have an aversion to other heaths, on account, shepherds say, 

 of their bitter taste. As the old plants become woody, it is customary, and has 

 been so from the earliest times, to burn the heather, in fixed proportions, once in 

 three or four years 



' How grand the scene yon russet down displays. 

 While far the withering heaths with moor-burn blaze! 

 The pillar'd smoke ascends with ashen gleam : 

 Aloft in air the arching flashes stream; 

 With rushing, crackling noise the flames aspire, 

 And roll one deluge of devouring fire ; 

 The timid flocks shrink from the smoky heat, 

 Their pasture leave, and in confusion bleat, 

 With curious look the flaming billows scan, 

 As whirling gales the red combustion fan.' — Leyden. 



(The burning of heather, whins, and fern is observed often to bring rain in its suite, 

 and is sometimes productive of a very misty state of the atmosphere. Notes and 

 Queries, v. p. 302. I find this is believed to be true in Berwickshire.) ' This 

 encourages the growth of grass among the heath, by admitting the influence of the 

 gun and air, and by the manure communicated from the ashes of the burnt heath ; 

 and it gives leave for young and tender plants of heath to spring up, in place of the 

 old and unprofitable woody plants that have been burnt down. When allowed to 

 stand unburnt for a good many years, heath is apt to disappear altogether, after 

 the application of fire ; which is often a misfortune on moors unfit to produce better 

 pasture plants, at least for many years afterwards.' — Kerr's Berw., p. 312. In the 

 Scotch parliament, February, 1101, in the reign of Robert III., a statute was made 

 * to be observed through the whole realm, that there should be no muir-burning, 

 or burning of heath, except in the month of March ; and that a penalty of 

 10 shillings should be imposed upon any one who dared to contravene this regu- 

 lation, which should be given to the lord of the land where the burning had place.' — 

 Ty tier's Scotland, iii. p. 110. In the first parliament of James I. of Scotland, in 1121, 

 this enactment appears to have been renewed, with some modification. • No man, 

 under a penalty of 10 shillings, was to burn muirs from the month of March till 

 the corn be cut down ; and if any such defaulter was unable to raise the sum, he 

 was commanded to be imprisoned for 10 days.' — Ibid., p. 215. It is reckoned 

 beneficial to the health of sheep on turnips , if they have liberty of grazing out on 

 heather. In the Lammermuirs it is one mark of an early season if this heath is in 

 bloom before the 12th of August. Usually it begins to blow about the middle of 

 the month, when the flowers of our fields are mostly gone ; and it then becomes 



