206 KENTISH BOTANY. [July, 



sope (the herb Saponaria), Crow-toe (the Ranunculus), and 

 Crow-bell, to which is the following interesting note from Au- 

 brey's ' Wilts Royal Society MSS./ p. 126 :— 



" In a ground of mine called Swices, growes abundantly a plant 

 called by the people hereabout Crow-bells, which I never saw 

 anywhere but there. Mr. Robert Good, M.A., tells me that 

 these Crow-bells have blew flowers, and are common in many 

 shady places in this countrey." 



These Crow-bells must be, I conclude, the same flowers as we 

 call Hare-bells [Hyacinthus nonscriptus) , and they may be the 

 same as the Crow -toes of Gerard. But I remember Milton, in 

 ' Lycidas,' speaks of " tufted Crow-toes :" does he mean by these 

 the Hyacinth ? Shakspeare, in ' Hamlet/ act iv. sc. 7, speaks 

 of " Crow-flowers " in connection with Nettles and Daisies, with 

 which Ophelia made her fantastic garlands. These appear to 

 me to be some of the Ranunculus or Crowfoot tribe. 



Sidney Beisly. 



KENTISH BOTANY. 



Plants of Ham, Pegwell Bay, Sandown Castle, Oldhaven, 

 Sandwich, etc. 



Next morning, (see ' Phytologist ' for June, 1861, p. 185,) the 

 5th, before breakfast, we went to Ham, to botanize about its 

 celebrated ponds. But ponds we saw none, though of deep water- 

 ditches plenty. 



The distance from Sandwich to Ham is under two miles, and 

 the way is by the Deal road, turning off to the right about a mile 

 from the former town. • On our way we met with Pimpinella 

 magna, not very plentiful, and with Crepis biennis, most luxuriant 

 and in great abundance. 



This fine plant, which is still occasionally confounded with 

 Crepis taraxacifolia, is common in many parts of Kent, particu- 

 larly about the roadside between Gravesend and Rochester, and 

 in the fields near the path from Cobham to Hailing. It is also 

 plentiful about Sevenoaks. But nowhere is it more abundant 

 than on the roadsides near Ham. Here it varies much in size, 

 and in the shapes and divisions of the leaves. Its height is from 



