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milder in their flavour than afterwards. Sad stories are on 

 record of persons eating the roots, and illness or death being 

 the result. Happily it is easy to recognise the plant when 

 once you have been introduced to it. 



!Not entirely guiltless of poisonous quality is the Pine-leaved 

 "Water Drop wort (QE. phellandrium). It grows as tall as the 

 noble Hemlock Dropwort, but its umbels are not so large. Its 

 foliage is cut into the finest possible wedge-shaped segments, 

 and the plant has at once a stately and elegant appearance. 

 Edward found it at Hawkhurst, growing up to his knees in the 

 water of some fish-ponds. 



The Sulphur Water Dropwort, with its thick stems and large 

 fruit has not come in our way. Sir J. E. Smith speaks of it as 

 rare. 



We now come to that noted plant the Samphire (Crithmum 

 maritimum, Plate IX.., fig. 7), once so much sought after even 

 at the risk of life as a pickle for the table of the epicure. It is 

 a fleshy, glaucous plant about a foot high, with much-divided 

 leaves, and an umbel of greenish flowers. It always grows on 

 rocks and cliffs above the reach of the highest tide. No shore 

 is more favoured by this plant than that of Cornwall ; it adorns 

 the cliffs for miles, and flourishes in richest luxuriance all 

 around Looe island. Dr. Murray in his "Physiology of Plants," 

 gives a very interesting story connected with this plant, which 

 I cannot repeat better than in his own words : " During a 

 storm, in November, 1821, a vessel was driven on shore near 

 Beachy Head. It appears the entire crew were washed over- 

 board, a few escaped to the rocks, apparently only to await a 

 more lingering death. Each advancing wave narrowed the 

 circumference of the little circle. They had already retreated 

 to the highest point, and while debating whether to cast them- 

 selves into the waves, and trust the desperate event, or remain 

 to be swallowed up, one in his struggles had laid hold on a 

 plant of the Crithmum maritimum, which he providentially 

 remembered never grows beneath the surface of the water. It 



