Igo 
MEss-ABED. The Dandelion, Taraxacum 
officinale. Dr. Downes’ writes:—‘‘A _ curious 
superstition prevails in western countries, even 
into Cornwall, that children who pick Dandelions 
will ‘wet their beds.” This is no doubt con- 
nected with the old herbalists’ view that the 
root ‘makes an excellent decoction to promote 
urine.’’’ See PIss-ABED. 
MeEws. Moss. Mr. Elworthy tells us “ Whit- 
droats’ nestes bain’t never a builded way MEwWs ; 
they always be a-builded way motes o’ hay like. 
Cuddlies now d’always make theirs way MEws.”’ 
MEZARD. Wild Cherry, Prunus aviun (Chard- 
stock). See MAZZARD. 
Mice’s Movutus. The Yellow Toad flax, 
LTinaria vulgaris (S.W. Wilts). 
MICHAELMAS Crocus. Meadow Saffron, Colchi- 
cum autumnale. 
MICHAELMAS Daisy. (1) The general English 
name for the cultivated Aster Tradescanti and 
other species of Aster. 
(2) The Sea Aster or Starwort, Aster Tripo- 
lium ; common in mud-banks along the coast and 
the salt marshes of Somerset. 
(3) The name is erroneously applied to other 
flowers as well, at an earlier season of the year, 
including the Feverfew, Chrysanthemum Parth- 
enium. See MiIpsuMMER Daisy (2). 
MIDDLE CoMFREY. An old country name for 
the Bugle, Ajuga reptans. 
MIDSUMMER Daisy. (1) The Ox-eye Daisy, 
Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum. 
(2) The Feverfew, Chrysanthemum Parthenium,. 
in flower at this time of the year, but sometimes 
called MICHAELMAS DAIsy through confusion. 
MIDSUMMER F'AIR-MAID. A lady at Compton 
(near Yeovil) gives me this as a local name for the 
Thrift, Statice maritima. 
MipsuMMER Liny. The White Lily, Lilium 
candidum (Mr. W. C. Baker). 
MIpsUMMER Man. A lady at Chilmark (Wilts). 
gives me this as a local name for the Broom-rape, 
Orobanche. 
MipsuMMER MEN. (1) The Orpime or 
Livelong, Sedwm Telephium, from an ancient 
custom of girls to try their lovers’ fidelity with 
it on Midsummer-eve, as described in Brand’s 
Popular Antiquities. Hannah More relates of 
a young country girl, that she would never go to 
bed on Midsummer-eve without putting up in 
her room a piece of the plant called Midsummer- 
men, as the bending of the leaves to the right or 
to the left would indicate the constancy or faith- 
lessness of the object of her thoughts. 
