134 BRITISH GRASSES. 



in English, and myosuroides in Latin. It is a frequent 

 grass in the situations already mentioned, but is compa- 

 ratively rare in Scotland, and not recorded at all in Ire- 

 land ; it is found in most parts of Central and Southern 

 Europe, and as far north as Scandinavia. 



As an agricultural grass it is of no importance, for 

 cattle do not like it, so there is no hope of it exchang- 

 ing its descriptive title of weed for a more dignified ap- 

 pellation. Birds eat its seeds with avidity. It flowers 

 in July, and ripens its seeds in October. 



2. Alopecurus pratensis, Linn. Meadow Foxtail. 



Root fibrous, perennial ; stem erect, smooth, round, 

 striated ; joints smooth ; leaves smooth and somewhat glau- 

 cous, the stem-leaves roughish, acute, flat ; sheaths smooth, 

 inflated ; ligules short, rather downy ; panicle erect, one to 

 two inches long, cylindrical, blunt at the ends ; spikelets 

 stalked, numerous, overlapping one another, flat; outer 

 glumes equal, acute, scarcely united at the base, keeled, the 

 keels fringed with silky hairs; awn hair-like, thrice the 

 length of floret, geniculated ; flowering glume ovate-oblong, 

 with two green ribs on each side, and the long awn rising 

 from near its base, smooth except towards the apex of the 

 keel ; filaments slender ; anthers long, yellow, slightly 

 notched at each end ; seeds ovate. 



This is a familiar grass to all who wander in the 

 meadows in spring. We have only just done congratu- 

 lating ourselves on the arrival of the Sweet Vernal-grass, 

 with its fragrant promise of summer and summer joys, 

 when the tall culms and club-like panicles of the Mea- 

 dow Foxtail begin to claim a share of our attention ; 

 they are soft downy objects, these simple green clubs, 



