ttBASSY NOOKS. 153 



is common enough in England, as farmers know, as it 

 has an awkward habit of getting into corn land. 



The Dog's-tooth Grass (Oynodon) has its florets 

 arranged in loose spikes, and the Finger Grass (Digi- 

 taria), with its many spikes and purple glumes, fre- 

 quent our southern shores, but are somewhat rare. 

 The dog's-tooth grass is the " Doole-grass " of India, 

 held sacred by the Brahmins, and is much used by the 

 Europeans for lawns. 



The next great family of grasses have two or 

 three florets enclosed between each pair of glumes. 

 Amongst these we have the elegant Hair Grasses 

 (Aria) : their fine and delicate panicles give a light- 

 ness and beauty to the river-bank, the field, and the 

 woodland, where various members of the family dwell. 

 The Tufted Hair Grass (A. ccespitosa) grows in masses 

 by our woods and hedges, some three feet high. It 

 has light panicles of glossy florets, which have one 

 awn from the bottom of the outer glume. The Wavy 

 Hair Grass (A. fleocuosa) , the Crested, the Silver, the 

 Early, and the Grey Hair Grasses are also common : 

 the latter frequents the sea-shore. 



The Panic Grasses (Panicum) are found but rarely 

 in our fields., though they are charming in our gardens 



