366 BOTANICAL NOTES, NOTICES, AND QUERIES. 
logus Plantarum Anglize,’ nor in Hudson’s ‘Flora Anglica,’ 1762. It is 
in Withering’s ‘ Arrangement,’ vol. ii. p. 463, 3rd edit., and the notice is 
as follows :—‘ I am indebted to Mr. Gough, of Kendal, for the knowledge 
of this being a native. He says that it sometimes occurs in moist hedges 
in Westmoreland: in many places on the border of Winandermere ; and it 
has been lately discovered by Mr. Dalton, of the Academy of Manchester, 
by the road between Pool Bridge and Colthouse, near Hawkshead, Cum- 
berland. It is well known in our gardens by the name of Spirea frutex.” 
Shamrock.—The word Shamrock, which is the name given by the Irish 
to the Trefoil (a variety of Trifolium repens), which they wear in their hats 
on St. Patrick’s Day, is, I am certain, derived from the word Shomrecha 
(in Psalm exxi. 5). ‘The word is composed of four Hebrew letters and 
four Hebrew vowel-points. The first letter is Sf (shin), the next is m 
(mem), the next is 7 (resh), the last is ch (caph). The root is shamar, 
“to preserve or keep;” and the verbal noun, with the pronominal affix 
cha, is Shomrecha, and means “ thy keeper.” The sense of “Jehovah shom- 
recha’ is “the Lorp thy keeper.” St. Patrick is reported to have been 
asked how he would define the Blessed Trinity. He took a leaf of the 
Trefoil, which is parted into three divisions on one footstalk, and illus- 
trated the Trinity by it. I have no doubt but that this is the meaning of 
the word Shomrecha. I therefore conclude that we should not think that 
a variation in the vowels ought at all to set aside my interpretation of the 
word Shamrock; and as for cs at the end of the word, we know at this 
day how perfectly unsettled the spelling of words was, even among those 
whom we should justly call well-educated people. I, who do not use the 
points, should feel myself justified in pronouncing ‘“ Shmrch” Shemrek or 
Shamrak. Hy B: 
(The Hebrew word Skemzr means sentis, a Briar or spinous shrub; so 
called because it retains or preserves on its spines soft objects, as wool, 
eloth, etc.; or because the prickles or thorns preserve it from being 
eaten by animals. Shemir vashaith (Isaiah v. 6) is translated, mm our 
common version, “ériars and thorns;” also Ushimiro, “and his thorns” 
(Isaiah x. 17); Shimurim, “ statutes and customs” (ordinances) to be 
kept; MJeshmar, “‘a prison,” because it keeps or preserves the prisoners, 
etc. As we have no other derivation of Shamrock to propose, we will 
leave our learned readers to decide whether or not the oxe proposed by our 
ingenious Correspondent ‘‘ H. B.” is a feasible one. ] 
Sir,—The following list of plants growing near Bomere Pool, ete., was 
found in a copy of Purton’s ‘Midland Flora.’ They were probably col- 
lected by some former possessor of the work, who has made several annota- 
tions on the margin of this copy. Possibly some Shropshire Correspondent 
of the ‘ Phytologist’ may be able to verify the statements contained therein, 
and probably might guess the author.— Yours truly, LIBRARIUS. 
Llatine Hydropiper, Cicuta virosa, Carex filiformis, C. curta, C. teretius- 
culd; ©. Tiinosa, Isoetes lacustris, Scirpus fluitans, Lobelia Dortmanna, Lit- 
torella lacustris, Pilularia globulifera, Scheenus albus, Drosera longifolia, 
Utricularia minor, Rhamnus Frangula, Typha minor, Alisma ranunculoides, 
Prunus Cerasus, Sparganium natans, Hypnuim stellatum, Hf. loreum, H. 
fluitans, H. lucens, Dicranum adiantoides, Hypericum Elodes. 
ett 
