FLOWERING PLANTS OF THE GREEN LANES. 253 



because of the fancied resemblance of the leaves to 

 the lungs. Eed flowered plants were fully believed 

 to be useful for blood diseases, and bright-eyed ones, 

 such as the speedwell, eyebright, &c., for diseases 

 of the eyes. We need hardly stop to point out the 

 utter baselessness of such a belief. Science now 

 goes deeper than externals like these. It is possible, 

 however, that the wholesale experimenting on the 

 qualities of herbs induced by such a belief, led to the 

 actual discovery of some species which were beneficial. 



Fig. 190. 



Pollen of Pond Weed (Potamogeton densitm), Ditto Great Burnet 

 (Sanguisorba officinalis), and of Eye-bright (JSuphrasia officinalis). 



Very curious microscopical objects are the pollen 

 grains of the Spear Thistle (Cnicus laticeolatus) one 

 of our commonest, too abundant, thistles. They are 

 not unlike the toothed wheels of a watch. The 

 pollen of the common rush (Juncus conglomeratus] 

 when viewed in a certain light, also forms an attractive 

 object. That of the Common Bitter Vetch (Orobus 

 tuberosus) a most beautiful plant, with pink and 

 red flowers, and grass-like leaves, growing abun- 

 dantly in the shady lanes of Lancashire and 

 Cheshire, although scarcer elsewhere greatly re- 



