THE MEADOWS AND PASTTTBE-FIELDS. 223 



on hedgerow-banks is the Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris} . 

 It grows plentifully in the neighbourhood of old her- 

 mitages and monasteries. Its dark maroon fldwer-cups, 

 studded with rich violet-tinted flowers, distinguish it 

 from other labiate plants. The square stem is not 

 more than six inches high. Its country name of sickle 

 herb points to its use and time of flowering. 



Though it flowers much earlier, Caliban's treat and 

 the schoolboy's luxury, the Earth or Pig Nut (Su- 

 nium flexuosum) must be considered as belonging to 

 the autumn months. Its small white flowers, arranged 

 on umbels on a nearly simple stem some eight inches 

 in height, distinguish it when in flower ; but boys find 

 it easily by the finely-cut leaves. On limestone and 

 chalky soils it is very plentiful, and I have never failed 

 to find it. The nut is some two or three inches below 

 the surface of the soil, and is frequently as large as a 

 chestnut. It has a slightly bitter taste, but otherwise 

 pleasant, at all events to childrens' palates. 



On meadow lands, stretching across the whole of 

 the middle of England, the purplish crocus-like flowers 

 of the Meadow Saffron (Colchicwm autwmnale) may be 

 found here and there. They have been noted as 

 habiting certain spots for more than three centuries, 



