THE SEDGE. 367 



more cultivated on our sand-drifts, where it would 

 form a satisfactory bulwark against their encroach- 

 ments on valuable lands, at the same time that it 

 would gradually prepare for the growth of a better 

 kind of vegetation ; for its root-fibres penetrate into 

 the most shifting sand-hills, while the tenacious root- 

 stalk, or rhizoma, binds down its surface as securely 

 as the thatcher binds down the straw upon the rick 

 top. The roots are also used in medicine, being 

 both sudorific and diuretic ; and two celebrated 

 physicians, Gleditsch and Sumacher, following the 

 practice of their rustic brethren, found it most use- 

 ful as an alterative in cutaneous diseases. 



The sea-seg is, perhaps, the only one of our thirty 

 British species which has very well-ascertained 

 uses ; though the whole of the tribe are most eagerly 

 sought out and eaten by cattle ; while the pretty 

 little pendulous-seg (G sylvatica), so common in 

 our shady woods, is manufactured by the Laplanders 

 into a coarse but serviceable clothing, a purpose 

 for which the whole tribe is admirably adapted. 



The term " acuta " applied to the carex by Virgil, 

 has been supposed to present a difficulty, and even 

 to argue that his carex was rather some kind of 

 rush, or juncus, than a sedge ; but the form of the 

 leaves confirms, rather than opposes, its claim to that 

 epithet, and the objection seems to be unnecessary. 



The Welsh name hesgen, perhaps, shews the use 

 of h for s, as in hafern for Severn. In this the 

 Welsh and Irish are like Greek and Latin ; thus, the 

 Welsh halen (salt), is the Irish salen; hals (Gr.), is 

 the Latin sal ; helike (Gr.), is salix (Welsh, helyg) ; 

 and helios (Gr.), is sol (Welsh, haul.) 



