PIMPEENEL LOOSESTEIFE. 235 



abounds, is the favourite food of the wild boar : hence the plant 

 is called " Sow-bread." The leaves are dark green, with a 

 paler stain upon each ; they die away as summer advances, 

 to make way for the blooms, which appear in September. The 

 wheel- shaped corolla is split into five segments, which are 

 turned back. I have seen specimens from Suffolk. 



The Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis, Plate XIV., 

 jig. 7), is a well-known member of the Primrose order. This 

 very pretty little plant, so familiar in corn fields and waste 

 places, is called "the Shepherd's "Weather-glass." It always 

 shuts before rain ; but each day it closes at noon, so it must be 

 early in the day when its state can be regarded as a criterion 

 of the weather. It has five stamens, and its wheel- shaped 

 corolla is divided into five segments. Its oval leaves are bright, 

 and beautifully spotted with black underneath. This flower 

 and the Red Poppy are the only examples that we have in 

 Britain of true scarlet flowers. 



The Blue Pimpernel (A. cceriilea), so common in our gardens, 

 is occasionally found wild. I have it from corn fields in 

 Durham ; it closely resembles the Scarlet Pimpernel, except in 

 the colour of its flowers. 



The Bog Pimpernel (A. tenella), is a contribution from Corn- 

 wall; it forms plots on Marazion Marsh covered with rose- 

 coloured flowers. The petals are less expanded than in the 

 other species, and this gives the blossom more the form of a 

 bell than a star ; the tiny leaves are roundish and pointed, and 

 are placed on the short slender stems in pairs ; the flower is 

 terminal. When a plot of Bog Pimpernel is in full bloom it 

 represents a rose-coloured cushion. This family of plants are 

 well named Anagallis, or Laughter-causing, for their beauty 

 does cause gladness. Every species is pleasing, whether it 

 be the Scarlet Shepherd's Weather-glass, or the deep blue 

 stars of the Purple Pimpernel, or the rosy bells of the tiny 

 Bog-plant all are perfect in loveliness. 



The Loosestrife family come next. Here, as in the last 



