164 WILD FLOWERS. 



that, if eaten in any quantity, they are very per- 

 nicious. A very common kind, the cypress- 

 spurge, {Evphorhia ci/pmnssius,) readily dis- 

 tinguished from the rest by its long, slender, 

 numerous leaves, was formerly called, " Wel- 

 come to our house ;" though on what account 

 so dangerous a herb was so gratefully welcomed 

 one cannot guess. The gum-resin, termed, Eu- 

 pho}'bium, which is diluted for medicinal pur- 

 poses, is obtained by incision from a common 

 African species. Its fresh juice raises blisters 

 on the skin ; and the poor people employed in 

 collecting it are so affected by the noxious pro- 

 perties of the withered branches of the plant, that 

 they are obliged to cover their faces with a linen 

 cloth when they approach it. One British spe- 

 cies, the Irish spurge, (Euphorbia Hibernica,) 

 is said by Dr. Hooker to be much used by the 

 peasantsof Ireland for poisoning, or rather stu- 

 pifying fish. He adds, that its qualities are 

 so powerful as that a small creel, or basket, 

 filled with the bruised plant, will suffice to poison 

 the fish for several miles down the river. 



The corn-fields, which are now ripe and 

 brown, add much to the beauty of the land- 

 scape of August. The healthful toil of the 

 reaping peasant, and the busy employment of 

 the rustic maid and matron, are interesting to 

 every one fond of the country. To those 

 whose minds are well stored with Scripture 

 story, and who have associations formed 

 between the scenes of nature and the descrip- 

 tions of holy writ, the corn-field is connected 



