126 



with, which was applied to cure dimness of sight ; thus the 

 plant got the name of Eye-bright. 



YELLOW-RATTLE. RHINANTHUS. 



COMMON YELLOW-RATTLE. Rhinanthus crista-galli. 

 Plate 9, jig. 13. 



There are very few gaping flowered plants which are of a 

 yellow color, but this is one of them, and by far the most 

 common ; it may be found in almost every meadow, flowering 

 just before the hay is cut and also in many a pasture ground, 

 standing up and rattling its round capsules of seeds, at a 

 later period, while all the grass around has been cropped by 

 the cows, who refuse to eat this herb. The stem is square. 

 The leaves opposite, tapering towards the point, and deeply 

 serrated. Flowers towards the upper part of the stem, sessile, 

 one flower in the bosom of each leaf, of a yellow color, with two 

 bright blue spots on the upper lip. Calyx very much swelled, 

 four- toothed, beautifully veined, and very light green. Cap- 

 sule round, two-valved, many-seeded, with the seeds lapping 

 over each other at first, but when ripe loose in the capsule. 

 Whole plant quite smooth, a foot or more high, upright, not 

 much branched. 



O. S. Larger Yellow-rattle found in corn fields in the North of England. 



Note. The swelled calyces of the Yellow -rattles form very beautiful 

 vegetable skeletons, and so do also the calyces of the Henbane, of all the 

 Campanula tribe, of the Winter Cherry, and the Nicandra; the capsules 

 of the Poppy; the leaves of the Box, Apple, Poplar, Ivy.. Holly, Magnolia, 

 Passion Flower, Tulip Tree, &c. &c. They may be made readily thus : 

 Put a quantity of leaves, &c.. altogether in a pan or tub, cover them with 

 water, and in this state let them remain, without changing the water, 

 for six weeks or more, in the Summer, exposed to the sun and weather. 

 At the end of that time they will be quite finished, and will only require 

 to be washed clean and bleached, which last process is very simple : 

 Place the prepared leaves, first damped, in a close box, along with a little 

 brimstone burning in a pan or ladle, and in an hour they will be very white. 

 You will not succeed if the water is often changed, nor unless many are 

 done together indeed the more the better. 



COW-WHEAT. MELAMPYRUM. 

 COMMON YELLOW COW-WHEAT. Melampyrum pratense. 



Plate 9, fig. 14. 



In thickets, copses, and woods, growing a foot high, slender 

 in habit, with opposite leaves, spreading branches, quite 



