THE WILD GENTIAN 437 



which I have ever seen growing wild. I may 

 add that they are of the white variety. 



It is truly distressing to see the large baskets of 

 the roots, as well as bunches, of this flower which 

 are annually exposed for sale in the streets of 

 Oxford during the month of April. In the water- 

 meadows of the Cherwell and I sis, which were 

 formerly brilliant with their blossom, it is now 

 often a matter of difficulty to find a single flower. 



The name fritillary is derived from the Latin 

 fritillus, a dice-box, having reference to the 

 peculiar chequered markings on the petals of the 

 flower. The plant is also known as the snake- 

 head, chequered daffodil, turkey hen. 



The purple-blue flowers of the wild gentian are 

 conspicuous on nearly every hillside pasture 

 during the earlier autumn months, and even at 

 times late into October. As its second name of 

 bitterwort implies, it is possessed of tonic proper- 

 ties, though it is from the Gentiana lutea, a native 

 of the Swiss and German mountains, that the 

 drug which is used by chemists is procured. The 

 Swiss also prepare a kind of fermented tonic 

 drink from the root, which they call * gentian- 

 wasser.' 



Few of our wild-flowers can equal, and none 

 can surpass, the wild garlic in grace and beauty ; 

 but at the same time it must be regretfully ad- 

 mitted that to no product of the field or hedgerow 

 can the epithet of stinking be more truthfully 

 applied. Yet, notwithstanding, this flower has 



