186 THE NATURAL HISTORY 



Chrysosplenium oppositifolium, opposite golden saxifrage, in the 

 dark and rocky hollow lanes ; 



Gentiana amarella, autumnal gentian, or fellwort, on the Zig- 

 zag and Hanger ; 



Lathrcea squammaria, tooth-wort, in the Church-litten-coppice 

 under some hazels near the foot-bridge, in Trimmings garden- 

 hedge, and on the dry wall opposite Grange-yard ; 



Dipsacus pilosus, small teasel, in the Short and Long Lith ; 



Lathyrus sylvestris, narrow-leaved, or wild lathyrus, in the 

 bushes at the foot of the Short Lith, near the path ; 



Ophrys spiralis, ladies traces, in the Long Lith, and towards 

 the south corner of the common; 



Ophrys nidus avis, birds' nest ophrys, in the Long Lith under 

 the shady beeches among the dead leaves ; in Great Dorton 

 among the bushes, and on the Hanger plentifully ; 



Serapias latifolia, helleborine, in the High-mood under the 

 shady beeches ; 



Daphne laureola, spurge laurel, in Selborne-Hanger and the 

 High-wood ; 



Daphne mezereum, the mezereon, in Selborne-Hanger among 

 the shrubs at the south-east end above the cottages ; 



Lycoperdon tuber, truffles, in the Hanger and High-wood ; 



Sambucus ebulus, dwarf elder, wallwort, or danewort, among 

 the rubbish and ruined foundations of the Priory. 1 



Of all the propensities of plants none seem more strange than 

 their different periods of blossoming. Some produce their flowers 

 in the winter, or very first dawnings of spring ; many when the 

 spring is established ; some at midsummer, and some not till 

 autumn. When we see the helleborus fcetidus and helleborus niger 

 blowing at Christmas, the helleborus hyemalis^ in January, and 

 the helleborus viridis as soon as ever it emerges out of the ground, 

 we do not wonder, because they are kindred plants that we 

 expect should keep pace the one with the other. But other 

 congenerous vegetables differ so widely in their time of flowering 

 that we cannot but admire. I shall only instance at present in 

 the crocus sativus, the vernal, and the autumnal crocus, which 

 have such an affinity, that the best botanists only make them 

 varieties of the same genus, of which there is only one species ; 

 not being able to discern any difference in the corolla, or in the 



1 [The rest of this letter was given in the original edition as an appendix, and 

 printed at the end of the Antiquities.] 



2 [The Eranthis of our gardens.] 



