WILD TRYlTE.—npnus Serpyllum. 



Class DiDTNAMiA. Order Gymxosperiiia, Nat. Ord. Labiate. 

 The Labiate Tribe. 



It is pleasant to wander over the " bank 

 wliereon the AVilcl Thyme blows/' and to 

 breathe the ah^ which, in July and August, 

 is fragrant with the odour of its purple flowers 

 and aromatic leaves. It is very abundant on 

 dry hilly pastures, and Dr. Armstrong, in his 

 celebrated poem on the Art of Preserving 

 Health, recommends such spots as peculiarly 

 salubrious. 



" Mark ■where the dry champaign 

 Swells into cheerful hills ; where Marjoram 

 And Thyme, the love of bees, perfume the air, 

 There bid thy roofs, high on the basking steep, 

 Ascend ; there light thy hospitable fires." 



Doubtless the pure air of such places 

 strengthens the human frame, and we know 

 well that sheep flourish where Thyme is 

 plentiful. It was long thought that the value 

 of the animal was increased by feeding on 

 Thyme, but this is generally known to be an 

 error. Mr. Bowles, the author of the " Sheep- 

 walks in Spain," says that sheep are not fond 



^^o. 12. 



