76 FAMILIAR WILD FLOWERS. 



We have indicated this in the lowest leaf in our sketch. In 

 a drawing it is easy enough to remove all trace of these 

 depredations and to restore the broken outline, but when 

 one desires to find a good specimen for pressing, drying, and 

 preserving, the case is altered. Dried plants, though of 

 great scientific value, are generally poor relics of departed 

 beauty, and this is the case with this plant especially, 

 as it seems impossible to prevent it from drying a dull 

 black or a dismal brown. In some parts of the country 

 the heath pea is called the nipper-nut, a very meaning- 

 less-looking name on the face of it; but when we also 

 find it called nappart, we see that, like the knapweed, 

 some knob-like part of the plant has caused the name 

 to be employed. In the present plant the tubers have 

 given it the name of knob-wort, or knap-wort, or nappart, 

 and so by a further corruption from the original idea we 

 at length arrive at nipper-nut. 



