56 COMMON FLEA-BANE. 



The common Elea-bane flowers in August, 

 and is usually about a foot, or a foot and a half 

 in height; but in the month of September, 

 another species, very similar to this in appear- 

 ance, is found in moist sandy places in England, 

 especially where water has stood. It is the 

 Small Flea-bane {FiiUcaria vulgaris), and has 

 narrower leaves than those represented in the 

 enoTavino-. This latter kind is unknown in 

 Scotland or Ireland, and the Common Flea- 

 bane, frequent as it is on the English land- 

 scape, is a rare flower in Scotland. Both 

 kinds are believed to be noxious to insects, 

 and they were formerly very generally burnt, 

 or hung up in country cottages to exterminate 

 these intruders. The French peasantry com- 

 monly use for a similar purpose another plant 

 called Herbe aux puces, which we call Plough- 

 man's Spikenard {Coni/za squarrosa), and which 

 is frequent in autumn on our chalky or clayey 

 soils ; while a plant called by us the Canada 

 Flea-bane {Erigeron Ccmadense) has, both on 

 the Continent and in England, a repute for the 

 same services. 



