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leaves forming a sort of umbrella over the opening." For this 

 information I am indebted to my sons, who have frequently seen 

 the bird in this wood. 



Returning to the left side of the lake we lind on many 

 parts of the boggy ground a peculiar-looking three-leaved plant, 

 but at this season of the year without any flower. This is 

 Menyanthes, a plant which Dr. Lindley says is reckoned one of the 

 best of tonics. Were the time of year May, instead of August, we 

 should see that it bore a flower, equal in beauty to many of the 

 rarest exotics, and one which is hardly equalled by any ether 

 native plant. In similar kind of ground we find also the plant 

 called sheeprot (supposed at one time to give that disease to sheep). 

 It is noticeable as being the only British plant with a leaf like the 

 garden nasturtium — that is, with the leaf stalk from the centre of 

 the leaf This plant belongs to the large order Umbelliferse, but 

 it is very unlike the other members of the order, such as the carrot, 

 parsley, celery, and a host of similar plants, so much alike that in 

 many cases it is difficult to identify them. 



The most abundant species belonging to this order in the 

 valley at this time of the year is the Burnet saxifrage, which has no 

 particular virtue, unless it be that the root is said to have the 

 desirable property of clearing the complexion. A very large pro- 

 portion of the plants in this order are poisonous ; fully one-fifth of 

 thbse found in this country being either poisonous or. hurtful to 

 both man or other animals. Two of these grow in near proximity 

 to each other a little from the lake, one being Ethusa, or fool's 

 parsley, sometimes eaten with fatal effects for parsley; and the 

 other hemlock, a well-known poison, the plant with which it is 

 said Socrates was poisoned. In passing along by the lake side, or 

 in the lanes, we cannot have overlooked a rather handsome-looking 

 plant with a globular head of small purple flowers, which is abun- 

 dant on every side, and now in full bloom. The story in 

 connection with it is well known, but will bear repeating in the 

 quaint language of one of the old botanists. The name of the 

 plant is Devil's bit, and it has a stumpy root, as if the end were 

 bitten off. The old writer says : — " Some have fabled that the 



