The Natural History of British Grasses. 521 



like traces are much in the Avay of any crop with which it may 

 be intermixed. 



The very bitter taste of the nodular masses would almost point 

 it out as of medicinal use, but we have never heard of its so 

 employment. 



CynosuruS — ■panicle spicate, flowers hidden in a comh-like 

 shield, — involucre of botanists, — glumes equal awned, 

 glumel int. with or without an awn. 



Cijnosiirus cristatus — head of flowers forming a narrow spike, 

 florets with a short awn. — P. 



Cynosurus ccldnatus — head of flowers broadly ovate, florets 

 with a rather long awn. — A. 



The comb-like shield by which the Zoc?«te of flowers are sepa- 

 rated from each other in this genus is sufficient to distinguish it 

 from all others. 



Of our two British species only tlie first needs attention here, 

 which we shall accord it, not so much because of the character of 

 "a valuable grass " which Hooker gives it, perhaps following 

 Sinclair, but in order to give our own independent observations 

 upon a grass which is so abundant, and which, as we think, has 

 been overmuch cultivated. 



Probably much of the error wliicli we conceive attaches to this 

 species has arisen from the company in which it is usually found 

 in its favourite upland localities, and hence such grasses as Fes- 

 tuca ovina, sheep's fescue, F. duriuscula, hard fescue, Loliiim 

 jperenne, perennial rye-grass, and Foa pratensis, common meadow- 

 grass, which in such places yield an unusually sweet herbage, 

 have been robbed of much of that character which has lieen erro- 

 neously attributed to Cynosurus. 



Sinclair says, " In some parts of Woburn Park this grass con- 

 stitutes the principal part of the herbage on which tlie deer and 

 Southdown sheep chiefly browse, while another part of the park, 

 which consists chiefly of the Ayroftis vulyaris fascicularis, Agros- 

 tis vulgaris tennifolia, Festuca ovina, Festuca duriuscula, &c., is 

 seldom touched by them ; but the Welsh breed of sheep ahnost 

 constantly Ijrowse on these, and almost entirely neglect the Cy- 

 nosurus cristatus, Lolium perenne, and Poa trivialis." 



Now, in opposition to this, we beg to offer our observaticms, 

 of some eight years, upon this grass, as it occurs in the park of 

 Earl Batjmrst at Cirencester. 



This park, which is very extensive, rests on the stonebrash of 

 the great oolite, with some of tlu? higher ridges just capped with 

 forest iiiarl)le day; all j)arts of this, and especially tlu; portion 

 called tlu; Deer Park, is full of the Cynosurus cristatus, which 

 grows equally well on the brash and tlic clay, and the thickness 



