53 



churches. I have seen it on Cartmell Church, Hohne Cultram, 

 etc. It has the property of assimilating nitre, of which it contains 

 a great quantity, hence its requisition as a "sovereign herbe." 

 Some time ago, I was requested by a literary gentleman in Carlisle 

 to quote him the passage in Shakespeare in which this plant was 

 mentioned, a clergyman on whose church walls it grew having 

 pointed it out to him as a Shakesperian plant. However, it is not 

 mentioned by Shakespeare. The Hop, Humuhis lupulus, is to be 

 found on the Scar, at Carleton, etc.; generally the female plant; 

 the male I have seen only once, and that was at Dalston Green. 



Passing by four or five orders which contain trees and shrubs, 

 we come to those very highly-specialized flowers, the Orchids, 

 Orchidace.e. The means adopted by these flowers to secure 

 fertilization are amongst the most wonderful in plant life ; for an 

 account of these I must refer you to the works of Darwin, Miiller, 

 Grant Allen, etc. In the Twayblades, Lislera, L. ovata may be 

 met with in many places here. The finest plants I have seen 

 grew in a little plantation on the Longtown road not far from 

 Greymoor Hill. Here I have found the plant with one, two, or 

 three leaves. E2npactis latifolia grows by the side of the river 

 Caldew, near Holm Hill. An old station for Cephalanthera 

 ensifolia has been rediscovered this year by Mr. Shepherd, near 

 Talkin. In the genus Orchis, we have first 0. mascu/a, which is 

 common in many of our woods and meadows. This plant is 

 known by several curious names, such as Cain and Abel, Adam 

 and Eve, etc. One singular practice in connection with this plant 

 is to dig up its tubers and to throw them into the water, when one 

 sinks and the other swims ; but whether it is Adam that sinks and 

 Eve that swims, or vice versa, I am not in a position to say. 

 0. ustulata occurs on Stainton banks ; where also may be found 

 0. maculata, and also Gymriadenia conopsea, which is also to be 

 found on Dalston Green. Hahenaria hifolia is common on King- 

 moor. 



In the next order, the Iridace.e, I have but one plant to 

 mention, the Yellow Flag, Iris pseudacorus, which is not uncommon 



