pfant bore, teegcr^/, dn^ bijric/-, 365 



Heartsease. — See Pansy. 



HEATHER. — Included under the term Heather are the six 

 English species of Heath (Erica) and the Ling (Calluna). Although, 

 in the Scriptures, the Prophet Jeremiah exclaims, "And he shall 

 be like the Heath in the desert," it is probable that the Juniper is 



really referred to. In Germany, the Heath is believed to owe its 



colour to the blood of the slain heathen, for in that country the 

 inhabitants of the uncultivated fields, where the Heath (heide) grew, 



came in time to be known as heathen, or heiden. Heather was the 



badge of •' Conn of a hundred fights." The Highlanders consider 

 it exceedingly lucky to find white Heather, the badge of the 

 captain of Clanronald. The Picfts made beer from Heather. 



" For once thy mantling juice was seen to laugh 

 In pearly cups, which monarchs loved to quaff; 

 And frequent waked the wild inspired lay 

 On Teviot's hills beneath the Pictish sway." — Leyden. 



The secret of the manufacture of Heather beer was lost when the 

 Piifls were exterminated, as they never divulged it to strangers. 

 Tradition says that after the slaughter by Kenneth, a father and 

 son, the sole survivors, were brought before the conqueror, who 

 offered the father his life, provided that he would divulge the secret 

 of making this liquor, and the son was put to death before the old 

 man's eyes, in order to add emphasis to the request. Disgusted 

 with such barbarity, the old warrior said : " Your threats might, 

 perhaps, have influenced my son, but they have no effecfl on me." 

 Kenneth then suffered the Picfl to live, and he carried his secret 

 with him to the grave. At the present time, the inhabitants of Isla, 

 Jura, and other outlying distriiTts, brew a very potable liquor by 

 mixing two-thirds of the tops of Heath with one of malt. 



HELEN lUM. — The flower of the Helenium resemble small 

 suns of a beautiful yellow. According to tradition, they sprang up 

 from the tears shed by Helen of Troy. On this point Gerarde 

 writes in his ' Herbal ' : — " Some report that this plant tooke the 

 name of Helenium from Helena, wife to Menelaus, who had her 

 hands full of it when Paris stole her away into Phrygia." 



HELIOTROPE.— The nymph Clytie, enamoured of Phcebus 

 (the Sun), was forsaken by him for Leucothea. Maddened with 

 jealousy, the discarded and love-sick Clytie accused Leucothea of 

 unchastity before her father, who entombed his daughter, and thus 

 killed her. Phoebus, enraged with Clytie for causing the death of 

 his beloved Leucothea, heeded not her sighs and spurned her 

 embraces. Abandoned thus by her inconstant lover, the wretched 

 and despairing Clytie wandered half distraught, until at length — 



" She with distracted passion pines away, 

 Detesteth company ; all night, all day, 

 Disrobed, with her ruffled hair unbound 

 And wet with humour, sits upon the ground ; 



