162 TYPES OF BRITISH PLANTS 
Henbane is of the same order, and almost equally 
poisonous. 
The Borage group is far more attractive in appearance, 
and here also we find, as in the Speedwells, that the 
flowers vary largely in the length of the tube, from a 
bell to a cup, and from that again to an almost flat disc. 
The bell-shape is well represented by the Viper’s Bugloss, 
a rough, prickly plant which grows abundantly by the 
seaside, in old gravel pits or quarries and similar situa- 
tions. At first the buds are a bright red, but as they 
open, as they do from the ¢op of the cluster, the expanded 
flower turns blue, and it has been suggested that the 
contrast of the hues brings more insects to visit the 
plant. It is certain that all kinds of insects find it 
most attractive, and H. Miiller recorded eighty different 
kinds that came to it for honey, a variety of agents that 
ought to ensure the pollen being properly placed by 
something. The bell type is followed by the Common 
Comfrey, which grows by the side of slow-running 
streams, and bears flowers which may be dirty white, 
dirty red, or dirty purple, but are always dirty. One 
curious fact I have noticed is that the purple and red 
flowers seem to require more nourishment, for they only 
seem to appear when the soil in which the Comfrey is 
growing is particularly rich in sewage or refuse of some 
organic kind. The richest colour I have ever seen was 
on a plant that was rooted by an astoundingly evil- 
smelling outfall from a paper-mill on the Cherwell. 
A curious cup-shape is seen in the flowers of the 
Hound’s Tongue, which grows chiefly in waste places 
near the sea. They are of a dull purple, and are also 
noticeable for the strong smell of mice, which they share 
with the whole plant. For its seeds, the Hound’s Tongue 
