THE HEATHER. 179 



to the effects produced by their feeding upon turnips, 

 so that where they are allowed to browse on it also, 

 mischief seldom results from the succulency of those 

 roots. The shepherds of Lammermuir, as Dr. G. 

 Johnston tells us, consider the ling so superior to the 

 other heathers, as a food for their flocks, that they 

 most ungallantly term it " he-heather " while the 

 fine-leaved heath (E. cinerea), being considered as 

 the most valueless, is as they fancy degraded by 

 the name of " she-heather ! " These Lammermuir 

 shepherds, like others whose early childhood has 

 been passed in following flocks through heath-lands, 

 acquire a gait so peculiar that it is known amongst 

 the Lowlanders as " heather-lamping/'' 



I believe that, notwithstanding its astringent 

 qualities, the heather is not now employed in me- 

 dicine ; though Dioscorides says that the tender 

 tops are "good against stings of venemous beasts;" 

 and Gerarde very mysteriously declares that they 

 "have, as Galen saithe, a digestinge facultie, con- 

 suming by vapors/' 



The heather is very important as an article of 

 food to bees. They are exceedingly fond of the 

 heather-bells ; and, notwithstanding the assertion 

 of Gerarde that "of these flowers bees do gather 

 bad home," access to the plant enables them to 

 make a very large quantity of honey of the finest 

 flavour ; so that in the neighbourhood of a mountain 

 or heath there need seldom be any anxiety as to the 

 sufficiency of the supply of flowers for them. In 

 Berwickshire, when garden flowers become scarce 

 in the months of August and September, the pea- 



