ii6 VIGNETTES FROM NATURE. 



houndstongue and catmint, it has a nauseous 

 taste. Then again, in the hawthorn and the 

 blackthorn, some of the shorter branches 

 have developed into stout sharp spines, which 

 tear the skin of would-be assailants. In the 

 brambles, the hairs on the stem have 

 thickened into pointed prickles, which an- 

 swer the same purpose as the spines of their 

 neighbours. In the thistles, the gorse, and 

 the holly, once more, it is the angles of the 

 leaves themselves which have grown into 

 needle-like points, so as to deter animals from 

 browsing upon them. But the nettle pro- 

 bably carries the same tendency to the 

 furthest possible limit. Not content with 

 mere defence, it is to some extent actively 

 aggressive. The hairs which clothe it have 

 become filled with a poisonous irritating juice ; 

 and when any herbivore thrusts his tender 

 nose into the midst of a clump, the sharp 

 points pierce his naked skin, the liquid gets 

 into his veins in the very neighbourhood of 

 the most sensitive nerves, and the poor 



