THE COEN-COCKLE. 



Agrostemma Githago. Nat. Ord., 

 Caryopliyllacea. 



IKE the poppy, the corn chrysan- 

 themum, and the beautiful blue 

 blossom that is pre-eminently 

 called the corn-flower, the present 

 species is one of the typical plants 

 of the harvest-field. It is by 

 most writers spoken of as an in- 

 troduced plant, one that has pro- 

 bably been brought over from 

 Russia, where it is very common, 

 and from whence large quantities 

 of grain have been procured, the 

 theory being that the seeds of this 

 plant might readily be introduced in 

 such cargoes, and distributed over the 

 land when the corn was re-sown in Eng- 

 land. It will easily be remembered, how- 

 ever, by many who read these lines that the 

 importation of foreign corn has only been a 

 matter of comparatively recent development. As, more- 

 over, amongst the Anglo-Saxon names of plants we find 

 the coccel mentioned, its claim to be a native appears to 

 be proved, if only, and this we cannot certainly say, 

 the Anglo-Saxon plant so named was identical with the 



