New Jerfey, Raccoon, g j 



and when I fmelled a little too long at it, 

 my head ached. The Swedes call it Byorn- 

 blad (bear's-leaf ) or Byom-retter (bear's- 

 root.) The Englifi call it Polecat-root, be- 

 caufe its effluvia are as naufcous and foetid, 

 as thofe of the polecat, which I have men- 

 tioned before. The flowers are purple-co- 

 loured ; when they are in full flower, the 

 leaves begin to come out of the ground -, in 

 fummer the cattle do not touch it. Dr. 

 Golden told me, that he had employed the 

 root in all cafes where the root of the arum 

 is made ufe of, efpecially againft the fcurvy, 

 &c. The Swedijh name it got, becaufe the 

 bears, when they leave their winter habita- 

 tions, are fond of it in fpring : It is a com- 

 mon plant in all North America. 



The Draba verna was abundant here, 

 and now appeared in flower. 



The Veratrwn album was very common 

 in the marines, and in low places over all 

 North America. The Swedes here call it 

 Dack, Dackor or Dackretter, that is pup- 

 pet-root, becaufe the children make puppets 

 of its ftalks and leaves. The Englijh call 

 it Itch-reed or Ellebore. It is a poifonous 

 plant, and therefore the cattle never touch 

 it ; however it fometimes happens that the 

 cattle are deceived in the beginning of 

 fpring, when the paftures are bare, and eat 

 of the fine broad green leaves of this plant, 



which 



