Mr Hardy's Botanical Notices. 157 



Bot." p. 232) informs us that mats arid rugs were woven with 

 it by country folks in the olden time. Ruellius, who wrote 

 in the time of Francis I., of France, (" De Natura Stirpium," 

 1537, p. 441), and Gesner assents to him, says that Sparga- 

 nium (or Butomus of their nomenclature) was by the herbaries 

 and the apothecaries called " Juncus Cabacinus " {i.e. basket- 

 rush) ; for the reason that from the leaves mats and slight 

 baskets were constructed, like those plaited from Esparto- 

 grass. The baskets (Oorbulas) in which figs and raisins were 

 kept, were then ordinarily called Corbas or rather Cabas ; 

 (hence cabacinus). In Charles Stephens' work " De Vasculis," 

 Paris, 1544, p. 50, " Cabatz de Agues " is given as the 

 Venetian name for the baskets in which figs were carried. 

 This word is also the same as our Corb, a basket in which 

 coals were carried from the pit ; and the Corbis of the days 

 of Cicero and Proper tius — then composed of willow wands, 

 and associated with the labours of the harvest-field. These 

 appear to be the more prominent facts and coincidences 

 brought out by the history of Sparganium. 



2.— On Milium effusum, L. 



This grows in the oak wood below Old Middleton, which 

 faces the Wooler water, among one of those collections of 

 detached stones, so frequent on Northumberland hill-sides. 

 It is new to the " Eastern Border Flora," as constituted 

 by Dr. Johnston ; but not to the Club's field, being found in 

 " Rugley wood, rare," (" Hist, of Alnwick," ii., p. 480). In 

 October, my eye was attracted to it by its peculiarly dark- 

 green corn-like foliage, still fresh and lively among the droop- 

 ing and faded sward in other parts of the wood. Un- 

 fortunately, I have never yet seen it in the gracefulness of its 

 summer growth. Dr. Withering's notice of it is worthy of 

 the old botanists. " Panicles tall and wide-spreading, very 

 much scattered from the various lengths of the secondary 

 fruit-stalks, which grow in whorls, and give the whole plant 

 an airy, light, and elegant appearance." Join to this the 

 picture of Parkinson ; " The common Millet G rass riseth up 

 with a joynted slender stalke, with two or three somewhat 

 larger leaves thereon, and at the toppe, a bushy spreading 

 tufte of many long featherlike sprigges, consisting of many 

 small chaffie husks within which lye small seede, which the 

 small birds greedily devoure." Add also from Gerard ; " the 

 stalke or leaves do resemble the bents, wherewith country 



u 



