208 SOLANACEJE. 



places in some localities. About Norwood and Blaekheath it 

 puts forth its clusters of small white flowers, and ripens its 

 handsome black berries in great abundance. The flower-stalks 

 spring from the axils of the leaves, which are ovate and bluntly 

 toothed. The whole plant is poisonous, and the berries are so 

 in a high degree. 



The Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna, Plate XIIL, 

 fig. 2), is a handsome plant, with large, bright green, ovate 

 leaves, and dull purple bells, of an inch long, proceeding from 

 the axils of the leaves. The berries are as large as a Cherry, 

 black, and very glossy. The plant grows between Warminster 

 and Corsley, and in many other places in that neighbourhood. 

 The flowers have a lurid tinge. The berries are very noxious. 

 A detachment of French soldiers, halting near Dresden, were 

 attracted by the inviting-looking fruit, and ate a quantity of 

 it : 180 men were thus poisoned, many of whom died, and the 

 rest were long in recovering. On another occasion eighteen 

 children ate of the berries ; they became unable to swallow, 

 and the pupils of the eye grew dilated ; they became drunk 

 and furious. They all recovered; but, on going to school four 

 days after, some saw everything as if red, some could not see 

 at all, and none of them could articulate. The Italian ladies 

 use this plant as a cosmetic : hence its name of Belladonna. I 

 know, too, that when administered internally it gives great 

 brilliancy to the eyes, and it is a homceopathic remedy for 

 visual ailments and for sore throats. 



I have the pleasure of presenting another poisonous plant, 

 but which is surely too untempting to be dangerous. The 

 Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger, Plate XIIL, jig. 3), has a 

 powdery appearance, and a very faint disgusting smell. The 

 leaves, which are large and closely set, are lance-shaped and 

 deeply cut, and the dull sulphur-coloured flowers are exquisitely 

 veined with dark purple. They grow in spikes, only two or 

 three compact flowers blooming at once. In bud the spike is 

 curved, but in seed it is tall and straight. The spikes of 



