THE GREAT REED. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



" Syrinx Klage tont aus jenem Schilfe." 



Die Gotter Griechenlands. 



OF the half-dozen giant grasses 

 which adorn the gardens and the 

 wild spots of the Riviera the 

 commonest is the Great Heed 

 (Arundo Donax,'Fig. 38). This ar- 

 borescent grass is a sure sign of 

 damp ground. Along the mar- 

 gins of the watercourses, says 

 Professor Allman, its leafy stems 

 grow to a height of twelve feet 

 or more in picturesque groups 

 of tropical aspect ; while every- 

 where around their base, and 

 vigorously pushing themselves 

 through the soil, are the strong 

 light green conical shoots which 

 are to become the young stems 

 of the new year. 



Job asks (chapter viii. 11) 

 if the rush can grow up without 

 swampy ground, or the flag 

 flourish without water. We do 

 not know what plants are in- 

 tended by " rush " and " flag " in 

 this text. " Rush " appears to 

 be some sort of sedge (Cyperus] : 



, T -, i Fi^. 37. DISTAFF MADE OF 



the same word is translated AHL-XDO STEM. 



