1859.] ON EARLY ENGLISH NAMES OF PLANTS. 147 



leate shape of its leaves. In Scotland, the children, in play, used 

 them for spoons. 



Harlock is Charlock ; so is Hedlock or Kedlock. They are 

 corruptions or provincialisms. 



Passe-flower is Pasch- or Pasque-flower, Anemone Pulsatilla, 

 so called because it blows about the period when the feast of 

 Pascha, or Easter, is celebrated. 



Chesboule is Papaver, or Poppy. Cheese-bowls, flores papa- 

 veris horti, sic dicti a similitudine aliqua vascidorum caseaceorum 

 (Skinner) . Their flowers are like Chesils or Cheese-holds, or the 

 wooden vessels in which cheeses are made. 



Capon's-tail is a corruption of Capul-tail, and this is a corrup- 

 tion of caballus, equus, whence we have cheval and chivalry, 

 cavalry, etc. Hence it may be inferred that Capon's-tail, or Ca- 

 puPs-tail, is Equisetum, a species of Horsetail. 



Liricumphancy, or Liriconfancy, is the Lily of the Valley. The 

 first part of this very singular word is probably from Xelpcov, 

 Lily. 



Muskmillion may be a variety or a corruption of Muskmallow. 

 London-buttons, Irish-Madam, and Coventry-bells, may pos- 

 sibly be corruptions or provincialisms for London-pride, or Ba- 

 chelor's-buttons, or Prick-lMadam, or Canterbury-bells. 



e. g. Coventry-bells may be Canterbury-bells, or some species 

 of Campanula. London -buttons may be London-pride, or Lon- 

 don-Rocket, or some sort of yellow or white Rocket ; or it may 

 be Bachelor's-buttons, a name applied to several very diflferent 

 species. 



Culverkey is probably the Snake-weed, or Suake's-head, or 

 Snake's-root, Fritillaria Meleagris, or Polygonum Bistorta. Cul- 

 ver may be a form of coluber, a snake. 



Wincopipe is the Poor Man's Weather-glass, but whether 

 Anagallis arvensis, or some other meteoric plant, is unknown to 

 the present deponent. G. 



Note. A reverend correspondent suggests that Crowtoes is a species 

 of Ranunculus, wliicli is called Crae^s-taea in Scotland ; also that Spoon- 

 wort declares itself to be Cocldearla ; Lady-gloves, Acpdlegia vulgaris, or, 

 according to some, JDigdalis. London-button is Bachelor's-button, a dou- 

 ble form of PyretJirum PartKenium ; a weed in some gardens. Musk- 

 millions, — ? what in Devon is called Mother-of-miUions, viz. Linaria Cynu 

 halaria. 



