THE SCABIOUS TRIBE. 205 



has bitten it off, that it may not flourish. They 

 were therefore pleased to hear that the scabious 

 tribe is a very important one, on account of the 

 teasel family, which belongs to it. 



" The teasel is that handsome plant with a large 

 prickly head of lilac flowers," said Henry. "Its 

 large leaves have very sharp thorns at the back, 

 and they meet together round the stem, so as to 

 hold a great deal of water." 



"Another kind of teasel/' said his father, 

 "largely cultivated in the clothing districts, sup- 

 plies the prickly heads so much used in the cloth 

 manufacture. When you accompany me to some 

 cloth mills, you will be amused to see the numbers 

 of teasel-heads fixed in frames, for the purpose of 

 raising the nap on cloth. Delicate kinds of ma- 

 chinery have been tried for this purpose, but 

 nothing is found to succeed but the teasel, so that 

 it is of high importance to our manufacturers." 



