74 ALOPECTTRUS. [ciASS III. ORDER II- 



however, be remarked, that some of the largest animals at present known 

 to exist, are rather browsing than grazing animals. 



The injury to which grasses are liable by the depredation of insects, 

 parasetic fungi, and disease, is an extremely interesting part of their 

 history, but cannot with propriety be here treated of. 



GENUS XV. ALOPECU'RUS. LINN. Foxtail-grass. 



GEN. CHAR. Panicle spiked. Glumes of two simple nearly equal 

 valves, mostly united at the base. Glumella of one valve, with an 

 awn rising from the base. Name from aXwTnjf, a fox, and ouja, 

 a tail; in reference to the resemblance which the inflorescence has 

 to a fox's tail. 



1. A. praten'sis, Linn. (Fig. 92.) Meadow Foxtail-grass. Stem erect, 

 smooth, panicle spiked, nearly cylindrical, obtuse, glumes of two 

 lanceolate acute hairy valves, united at the base, glumella ovate 

 acute, awn twice as long. 



English Botany, t. 759. English Flora, vol. i. p. 80. Lindley, Sy- 

 nopsis, p. 299. Hooker, -British Flora, vol. i. p. 33. Sinclair, Hort. 

 Gram. Woburn. p. 139. 



Root fibrous. Stems from one to three feet high, erect, (except to 

 the first joint at the base, which is often prostrate,) smooth, leafy, stri- 

 ated, tufted at the base. Leaves flat, smooth, or slightly pubescent, a 

 somewhat glaucous green, upper ones much shorter, rougher, with 

 longer, more deeply striated, and slightly swelling sheaths. Ligula 

 short, obtuse. Inflorescence a close paniculed spike, from one to two 

 inches long, soft and silky from the glumes, which are downy and cili- 

 ated, remarkably compressed, united at the base (connate), and marked 

 with three green ribs. Awn arising from near the base, about as long 

 again. Anthers yellow, conspicuous. Styles united, longer than the 

 glumella. Stigmas spreading, feathery. Seed small, brown, ovate. 



Habitat. Fields and meadows, common everywhere. 



Perennial ; flowering from May to July. 



Meadow foxtail-grass is one of the most useful and valuable pastoral 

 grasses, especially for permanent pastures on a moderately light soil, 

 with a good supply of moisture, and " should never," observes Mr. 

 Sinclair, " form a less proportion than one-eight of any mixture of dif- 

 ferent grasses prepared for that purpose ;" and the same author further 

 remarks, that " the meadow foxtail constitutes part of the produce of 

 all the richest pastures I have examined in Lincolnshire, Devonshire, 

 and in the vale of Aylesbury. In Mr. Westcar's celebrated pastures at 

 Creslew, I found it more prevalent than in those of Devonshire and 

 Lincolnshire." As it does not, however, attain its greatest state of 

 productiveness until at least four years after it has been sown, it is not 



