106 THE HEATH. 



A smaller species, which is frequently con- 

 founded with the other, has fewer and less con- 

 spicuous flowers, and makes a shewy appearance 

 at the same season that the heath blooms, with 

 the purple bells of which it mingles its rich yellow 

 or almost orange-coloured flowers, each enhancing 

 the beauty of its companion. The two kinds may 

 easily be distinguished by examining the flower, 

 at the base of which the dwarf sort has two very 

 minute brownish scales closely pressed to the calyx; 

 the former also has two scales at its base, but 

 larger, and placed at some little distance from it. 



Furze-bushes are frequently rendered conspicu- 

 ous by tangled masses of a very singular plant 

 called Dodder.* It consists entirely of stems 

 and flowers, for being a parasite it has not even 

 roots properly so called. You might at first sight 

 suppose that some animal, clothed with very thick 

 red hair, had been stripped by the prickles of some 

 of its coat, but a closer examination will soon 

 convince you of your error. The plant consists 

 of numberless long red stems, no thicker than 

 packthread, which climb about in all directions, 

 and send out here and there knots of pinkish, 

 wax-like flowers. The old herbalist Gerard, 

 speaking of it, says, " It is a strange herbe, alto- 

 gether without leaves or roote, like unto threads 

 very much snarled, or wrapped together, con- 

 fusedly winding itself about bushes, and hedges, 

 and sundrie kinds of herbes." Threlkeld says, 

 that it is " a nonpareil (a plant like no other) 

 having no leaves, but red threads; and after it 

 has fastened its clasped or small tendrils upon a 

 plant, as line (flax), thyme, nettles, madder, or 



* Cuscuta Epithymum. 



