BOTANICAL HISTORY. 



session of part of Scotland, was applied to the Heather 

 which they saw abounding there. Quoting Prior 

 again, he says in connection with the word "Ling:" 

 "Dr. Nor. and Sw. Lyung; a word which Holmloe 

 considers to represent the Skr. gangala by replacing 

 g with 1 ; the common heath. This word is often com- 

 bined with Hede, a heath, as in Swedish Ljung hed, 

 Danish Lynghede, ericetum, a heath land, and, con- 

 versely, hedelyng, a heath plant, leading to the be- 

 lief that heath was the waste land and Ling the shrub 

 growing on it. Calluna vulgaris, Linn." 



Miller says: "Heath is called 'Ling' in some 

 parts of England ; in Shropshire, 'Grig' (this is from 

 the Welsh Grug), in Scotland. 'Hather.' It is re- 

 markable that Shakespeare enumerates heath and ling 

 as different plants. The former of these plants is from 

 the German Heide, and the latter from the Danish 

 Lyng; in Swedish it is Liung; in Italian, Erica; in 

 Spanish, Brezo; in Portugese, Urze, Erice, Torga or 

 Estorga ; in Russian, Werese." The French call it 

 Bruyere commune. 



Dr. Johnson gives Ling (N. S.) heath; yet Bacon 

 seems to distinguish them, as in "Heath and Ling 

 and Sedges." 



In some parts of Scotland, Calluna vulgaris is 

 called dog heather, and Erica cinerea, carlin heather 

 she heather. 



"Heath," says "Norden Surveiors, Dialogue 1601," 

 "is the general or common name, whereof there is 

 owne kind called hather, the other Ling." 



Shakespeare makes Gonzalo declaim, in The 

 Tempest, Act I., Scene i : "Now would I give a 

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