206 LEGUMINOS^ 



called tenuifolius. Some botanists place both this and the next species in 

 the genus Lathyrus. 



The tuberous roots of this plant constitute the Cormeille of the High- 

 landers, and are very highly esteemed by them. They are dried in the sun, 

 and afterwards chewed, in order to add a relish to their whisky ; and, 

 according to the Highlanders, they have the power of allaying both hunger 

 and thirst. Like the roots of several of our leguminous plants, they have a 

 sweet flavour, resembling liquorice, and they are, when boiled, very nutritious 

 and palatable. They have often been substituted for bread in times of 

 famine, and many think that this plant is the Chara mentioned by Ca3sar as 

 affording temporary food to the famished soldiers at the siege of Dyrrhachium, 

 and also l^elieve it to be the ancient Caledonian food described by Dio. In 

 Holland, the roots are commonly boiled and eaten, or they are brought to 

 table after being roasted, like chestnuts, and the flavour is then so similar to 

 that fruit, that one could scarcely detect the difference. Dickson recom- 

 mended their culture for the kitchen-garden, remarking, that by the end of 

 the second year the roots Avould be fit for gathering. Country children, 

 where the plant is common, make many a meal of them. 



2. Black Bitter Vetch {0. niger). — Stalks many -flowered ; leaves of 

 from 3 to 6 pairs of lanceolate or oblong leaflets, without tendrils ; stipules 

 narrow, somewhat awl-shaped, lower ones half arrow-shaped ; pods contain- 

 ing oval seeds ; stem angular, branched, not winged. Plant perennial. This 

 species is rare, and found only on shady rocks in Scotland. Its blossoms 

 are very similar to those of the last species, and appear in June and July. 

 The plant turns black in drying. 



16. Bird's-foot (OrmfJwpus). 



Common Bird's-foot (0. perpusillus). — Flower-stalks longer than 

 the leaves; calyx-teeth triangular, acute; leaves pinnate, with from 6 to 9 

 pairs of oval leaflets, and a terminal one ; pods curved, jointed, and wrinkled ; 

 flowers nearly sessile. Plant annual. This is a very pretty little plant, 

 common on dry, sandy, or gravelly soils ; often the companion of the harebell 

 on open heath or sunny bank. It is the smallest of our leguminous plants ; 

 sometimes so small that its spreading prostrate sprays of downy leaves, and 

 its tiny flowers, might all be covered by a crown-piece, though often the 

 stems are five or six inches in height. The plant is in flower from June to 

 August, the little cream-coloured blossoms being veined with crimson, and 

 having a leaf under each cluster. The pods are very singular, bending 

 round, as they ripen, into a curve, and at once suggesting the idea of a 

 bird's foot. This genus shares in other countries the name given from this 

 resemblance, and is the Fied d'oiseau of the French, the Fiede d' uccello of the 

 Italians, the Vogelfuss of the Germans, the Vorjelpoot of the Dutch, and the 

 Seiradilla of the Spanish and Portuguese, though they also call it Fe de 

 passaro. The Spanish Bird's-foot, under the name of Scrradilla, is cultivated 

 in fields, and is the Oruifhopus sativus of the Ijotanist. It was introduced 

 into our own country, for field culture, from Portugal, about the year 1818, 

 and is a very valuable plant for this purpose. It produces a large amount 

 of herbage fitted for cattle ; and on the barren soils of the sandy downs of 



