60 WITH THE FLOWERS AND TREES 



themselves to his clothing in the same fashion and 

 as multitudinously. Superficial observers mistake 

 horehound at long range for catnip an error that 

 pussy never falls into, for it lacks entirely the aro- 

 matic exhilaration of the latter herb, which curi- 

 ously does not seem to take kindly to tramping in 

 California. 



Another weed that has become very troublesome 

 in parts of California is a conspicuous thistle with 

 large prickly edged leaves showily blotched with 

 white, out of which rise purple flower heads. It is 

 an immigrant from Mediterranean shores, where it 

 is indigenous from Spain to Greece Silybum 

 Marianum, milk- thistle or Our Lady's Thistle. To 

 the student of folk lore it is precious because of an 

 Old World tradition that clings to it, in explana- 

 tion of the white spots upon the leaves. These, the 

 legend says, are the markings of drops of milk 

 which fell from the Virgin's breast as she nursed 

 the infant Christ. The plant's port of entry seems 

 to have been San Francisco where it began to be no- 

 ticed about 1853; and it is more abundant, still, in 

 Central California than in the south. Mr. S. B. 

 Parish, in an interesting and valuable contribution 

 to our knowledge of the naturalized plants of Cali- 

 fornia, 2 records its first appearance near San Ber- 



2 Published in Zoe, Vol. 1, No. 1, et scq. 



