I860.] CHAPTERS ON BRITISH BOTANY. 201 



matter. Sibthorp^ in Flora Grseca, states that it is found in La- 

 conia. This is found in America as well as in Europe. It is 

 also one of the plants of Malabar, on the west of Hindostan. 

 Rheede, in Flora Malabarica, mentions its use among the natives 

 of India as a remedial agent in epileptic cases : the patient is 

 bathed in an infusion of the root. Billerbeck, p. 94, states that 

 it possesses tonic properties (starkendes Medicament) . 



Adiantum {A. Capillus- Veneris) may possibly be aSiavrov of 

 Theophrastus. The genuine Maiden-hair Fern is frequent in the 

 south of Europe. In the British Isles it is found only (?) on rocks 

 near the salt spray or at no great distance from the sea. There 

 is a vague report of its having been recently seen on the Arenigs 

 in North Wales ; it is to be feared that there is no valid founda- 

 tion for this report. 



Agaricus, /jlvkt]. Sprengel says, "forte A. campestris or A. 

 deliciosus." The latter is reputed to be the species which Agrip- 

 pina, the niece as well as the wife of Claudius, is said to have 

 used for the nefarious purpose of poisoning her husband. This 

 latter species, which in this country is a very acrid fungus, 

 abounds in woods near Guildford and Albury, in Surrey. It is 

 readily distinguished from the other species of the subgenus to 

 which it belongs by its yellow or rather deep orange- coloured 

 milk (sap). 



tEgilops and Aira. The following genera and species of 

 Gramine(B are very ambiguous, viz. jEgilops ovata, Agrostis 

 (Triticum repens, Agrostis alba), Aira (Lolium temulentum), 

 Alopecurus {A. pratensis or A. utriculatus) . The first- named 

 [jE. ovata) is one of our rare visitants. It has recently been of 

 some importance in the question of transformation of species ; 

 being mutable, as the followers of the author of the ' Vestiges of 

 Creation' say, or capable of changing into Triticum. It certainly 

 looks more like bearded wheat, or even barley, than Triticwn 

 repens looks like T. sativum. Billerbeck says it is a kind of wild 

 Oat (29) . It is worth notice that the Greeks at this day call Dar- 

 nel {Lolium temulentum) by the name era, rjpa, which differs but 

 little from the ancient name, aipa, used by Theophrastus and 

 adopted by Linnaeus. 



To attempt the identification of the ancient Meadow Foxtail 

 {Alopecurus) with the modern plant, viz. A. pratensis, would be 

 as unproductive as milking the he-goat. Billerbeck says that 



N. S. VOL. IV. 2 D 



