^CURIOUS HISTORIES. 165 



feri'ed to the latter plant, a circurastauce 

 commemorated by Linnaeus in the giving of 

 the name Vaccinium Myrtillus to the bil- 

 berry. From the European whortleberry 

 the name was transferred to the similar 

 American plants. 



The showy corn-cockle, which has to be 

 pulled from nearly every wheat-field in the 

 country, and which most farmer boys asso- 

 ciate with back-aches, is connected with quite 

 as complex a history as is the carnation or 

 purslane. Botanists are now agreed in call- 

 ing this plant Lychnis Githago, but it was 

 formerly known as AgTostemma Githago. 

 An outline of the history of its botanical 

 and popular names may be given as follows : 

 The pungent seeds of the nutmeg-flower or 

 fennel-flower (Nigella sativa) of old gardens 

 are employed by the Egyptians and other 

 Oriental peoples as condiments and as medi- 

 cines. These seeds were at one time con- 

 sidered acceptable substitutes for pepper, 

 and they have always been associated with 

 such aromatic-pungent seeds as caraway and 

 dill. This plant is probably the fitches of 

 which Isaiah gave the manner of sowing and 

 reaping : " When he hath made plain the 

 face thereof [the ground], doth he not cast 



