8o SUMMER 



sign of the way in which we regard the water as an alien 

 element that many water-plants and water-beasts are given 

 allusive names based on some likeness often vague enough 

 to a plant or animal on the dry land, which is our own 

 native element We speak of water-plantains and water- 

 violets and sea-mice and sea-cucumbers and sea-anemones, 

 but never of land-coral, which would be a good name for 

 certain fungi, or land - prawns for mole-crickets, or land- 

 whelks or land-periwinkles for snails. This fantastic nomen- 

 clature of the water fauna and flora tends to hide the real 

 wonder and beauty of the life of the water under an artificial 

 appeal. Much as the manatee used not to be thought to 

 be interesting enough for showmen to exhibit unless it 

 was called a mermaid, the water-plantain is named after a 

 less interesting land-plant in order to recommend it to our 

 acquaintance in a more familiar light. 



Two distinct riverside plants are known as the yellow 

 loosestrife. One is the moneywort or creeping jenny, which 

 crawls about damp banks, and opens its bright yellow 

 blossoms like fallen coins. This is a close relation of the 

 yellow pimpernel of the shady copses and the red pimpernel 

 which blooms under the lighter shadow of the corn. The 

 other yellow loosestrife belongs to the same family, and 

 perhaps has a better right to the name than the moneywort, 

 as it has no alternative in common use. Moneywort can 

 put up with very little sunshine, and therefore remains a 

 lowly plant, not competing with the tall flags and sedges ; 

 but the other yellow loosestrife grows in their midst, and 

 spreads its brilliant yellow blossoms to the sun on strong 

 branching stems which press among the harsh blades of 

 the sedge. In its branched growth and the brilliant yellow 

 of the blossoms it recalls the St. John's wort tribe, and might 

 be taken for a slenderer tutsan. The commoner purple 



