THE STORES-SILL. 19 



poisonous piant, or so unfortunate as to find in it their 

 death penalty for treason to the State. 



The stork's-bill is very generally distributed, though in 

 some localities it is much more common than in others. It 

 should be looked for on rather dry waste ground, or 

 mingling with the crops in cultivated fields. A variety of 

 the plant, that by some botanists has been classed as a 

 separate species, is sometimes found near the sea-coast. 

 When elevated to specific rank it is the Erodinm hirtum. 

 Many plants vary considerably from the type form when 

 found in a maritime district. We are not. ourselves 

 acquainted with this variety, and can therefore express no 

 opinion, but it is ordinarily regarded as but a variation 

 from the type, and not of sufficient distinctness to be 

 recognised as an independent species. 



The stork's-bill flowers throughout the summer. The 

 main stems are ordinarily about a foot in length, but as 

 the general growth of the plant is not so erect as in many 

 other species, it does not quite attain to that height, and 

 sometimes the plant rises no more than six inches from 

 the ground. From the free branching of the stems it is a 

 somewhat bushy-looking herb. Most of the leaves spring 

 directly from the root, and they are very deeply cut, and 

 are borne on long stalks ; those on the stems have shorter 

 stalks than the radical leaves. Both stems and leaves are 

 covered with short hairs. The flowers spring in an umbel 

 from the summit of the flower-stalk, or peduncle. The 

 flowers, though generally pink, are sometimes purple or 

 white. The stamens are ten in number, but only five of 

 these are truly developed the alternating forms being 

 sterile and rudimentary. 



The genus includes two other species, though these are 



