452 OUTDOOR LIFE IN ENGLAND 



are used in demulcent drinks instead of linseed or 

 marsh mallow. 



The water plantain is one of the many plants 

 which have been supposed to be a cure for hydro- 

 phobia. 



By the edges of the ploughed fields, as well as by 

 the roadside, the pink flowers of the rest-harrow 

 may be often observed throughout the summer 

 months, and it is also by no means an uncommon 

 object among the chalky cliffs of our Eastern and 

 Southern coasts. The stems of this plant are fre- 

 quently covered with sharp, thorny spines. Its 

 name is said to be derived from the toughness of 

 its long roots, which are said to impede the pro- 

 gress of the harrow, a derivation which appears 

 to be somewhat far-fetched. It was formerly 

 believed to be so obnoxious to snakes as to keep 

 them from frequenting the localities in which it is 

 abundant, and it was also supposed to possess 

 medicinal virtue in cases of delirium. 



The shepherd's purse, a weed so troublesome 

 and familiar in gardens, was, when the culture 

 of vegetables was less understood than at the 

 present time, boiled and used as a substitute for 

 greens, and also was supposed to possess certain 

 medicinal properties. It was also styled the St. 

 James's wort. 



The silver-weed, which is conspicuously abund- 

 ant on many a waste ground and grass-grown 

 by-road, is remarkable for the beauty of its leaves, 

 both as regards their shape and their cool silvery- 



