BBYONY PURSLANE. 115 



regarding all earthly blessings : had the impatient Prophet 

 been exceedingly thankful to God for the Gourd, instead of 

 " exceeding glad " of it, his mind would have become softened 

 and subdued, and he would not have needed to be taught pity 

 for his fellows by the loss of his own shelter. When God 

 "prepares a worm" to smite our Gourds, it is because His 

 tender mercies and abundant blessings have failed in teaching 

 us love to Him, and to our brother man. This we must learn 

 somehow, and if the withering of our Gourd does not effect it 

 a " vehement east wind " must come, and the sun must smite 

 upon our head. The fruits of the nutritious members of the 

 Gourd tribe are well known to us, either by hearing or by 

 personal experience. But even from the poisonous kinds some 

 good is elicited; medical art discovered in the Colocynth a 

 valuable medicine, whilst the homoeopathic doses of our own 

 Bryony work wonders in allaying spasmodic coughs. "This 

 also cometh of the Lord of Hosts, who is wonderful in counsel, 

 and excellent in working." 



Our own Bryony (Bryonia dioica, Plate VIII., fig. 4), is a 

 graceful climbing plant with broad leaves, having five pointed 

 lobes, and rough both above and below. It has clusters of 

 pale green flowers, beautifully veined with darker green. The 

 stamens are in one flower, and the style in another. Its long 

 clusters of round scarlet berries form a beautiful object in 

 autumn. I have gathered specimens both in the neighbourhood 

 of Eipon and in Wensleydale, Yorkshire. 



The one British member of the PUBSLANE tribe (Montia 

 fontana), has also fallen in my way. It is a small pale green 

 plant, with spare clusters of tiny white flowers, boasting five 

 petals, and four stamens. It grows in watery places mine 

 is from Swaledale, and has the name of " Blinks." There are 

 exceedingly handsome members of this family growing wild 

 at the Cape of Good Hope, and they are much sought after 

 in our gardens and greenhouses. Blue and scarlet are their 

 prevailing colours. 



