56 PLANT NAMES 



refer to the animal ? I have seen it stated that in 

 the Middle Ages the nuts were used as a remedy for 

 broken-winded horses, but I suspect that this was 

 conjectured to account for the " horse." In like 

 manner we may reject the explanation that the 

 section of the leaf stem resembles a horse-shoe, or 

 that such a mark is impressed on the back of young 

 branches where a leaf falls. Harebell, too, almost 

 certainly has nothing to do with hares. It has been 

 suggested that it means " air-bell," but there is 

 nothing especially airy about the flower. A more 

 probable derivation is that of " har " or " haw " 

 bell, " har " being North Country for blue. The 

 blue Cornflower was the Hardock. King Lear 

 picked Hardocks in the Corn. 



