434 OUTDOOR LIFE IN ENGLAND 



was procurable only in those villages where the 

 soil and situation were alike suitable for its culti- 

 vation. Looking back on the days of childhood, 

 such I remember to have been the case in the 

 neighbourhood of the village in which the shop 

 I patronized was situated. The root is said 

 to be useful for various other purposes, and 

 to have been formerly in some considerable 

 request amongst shepherds for their flocks, 

 though for what special disease of sheep it was 

 a specific I am unable to state, nor whether it 

 was the root or the oil extracted therefrom 

 which was used. 



As its name implies, the eyebright was formerly, 

 and is still, used by herbalists as a remedy for 

 certain diseases of the eyes. Its white blossoms 

 are more or less visible throughout the summer 

 months among the herbage of our hedgerows. 

 It is a small and unpretentious little plant, barely 

 a foot in height, the leaves and root alike pos- 

 sessing a strong and astringent flavour. 



The foxglove, so brilliant and conspicuous a 

 flower during the fuller summer months, derives 

 its name from a somewhat curious corruption of 

 'folks' glove' ('fairies' glove'). The following 

 extract from a well-known author describes the 

 valuable properties of this plant, scientifically 

 named Digitalis purpurea, although the white- 

 flowered variety is frequently to be met with : * It 

 is the most stately and beautiful of our herbaceous 

 plants, and one that has had great reputation 



