150 THE BOOK OF THE OPEN AIR 



Part of the crop indeed consists of the corn crowfoot, whose prickly fruit 

 the naturalized crimson trifolium, its forms the " hedgehogs " of the school- 

 handsome ruddy spikes overtopping boy, the umbelliferous corn-parsley, 

 and almost concealing its own three- one or two species of campions and 

 fold leaflets, as well as the verdure of knobby knapweeds, and the charming 

 the other legumes. Like the terrible little pheasant's eye. Common report 

 substance which dyed the hands of allows England only two scarlet wild 

 Macbeth, these flower-heads seem to flowers, the poppy and the pimpernel, 

 render but this autumnal " adonis " is a third. 

 The multitudinous seas incarnadine, Three years ago a field below the en- 

 Making the green-one red. trenchments of Old Sarum was largely 



Other exotics of the same order, intro- tenanted by this little pilgrim. Like 



duced by human agency, and now, in their human counterparts, such fugi- 



some districts, practically wildings, are tives conceal themselves where most 



the pink sainfoin and the deep purple protected. Reared often in warmer 



medick, or lucerne. climes, they suffer from competition 



The clovers passed, the path strikes with our hardy natives. Remove the 



through a field of wheat. The rapidly defence afforded by the tall corn, 



yellowing grain is studded with the and the precarious roothold is of 



fugacious blossoms of the scarlet poppy, naught . 



This plant affords a type of denizens We next examine the refuse heap of 

 of the cornfield usually deemed emi- a farmyard. Among the dust, burnt 

 grants. They have great fondness for clay and brickbats, we may look for 

 cultivated crops ; cunningly, as it were, an alien lepidium known to be partial 

 they ripen with the corn and so get to such spots. Should there be an 

 sown with the corn. The poppy may admixture of manure in the heap, the 

 be of Roman lineage, perhaps also the thorn apple, or datura, a native of the 

 corn-cockle, whose large purple flowers United States, will perhaps be noted, 

 are flanked by five long, outstanding Its large green fruit capsules are densely 

 sepals. Being an annual, this beauti- clad with stout spines ; the bell-shaped 

 ful flower may be banished from a flower is of a pale mauve tint. Re- 

 field in a year, but it will reappear in puted to be poisonous, it may be spared, 

 remarkable profusion elsewhere. Other because it has medicinal uses ; besides, 

 plants which hide among the grain are it is never abundant in our country. 



