TROLLIUS. 29 



counties of England and Scotland, are named the yellow Gowan, Gow- 

 lon, or Gollande." Hardy in Hist. Berw. N. Club, ii. p. 20. But 

 that the Caltha principally conferred the name I infer from the fact 

 that there are two fields on Sansonseal which still bear the name of 

 the Eastern and Western Gowlans, and, even in their present reclaimed 

 state, it is easy to discover that they must have been, at no distant 

 date, wet boggy ground such as the Caltha only delights in. The 

 position of these fields is marked by an old ash which rises conspi- 

 cuously above the trees in the modern plantation. This ash is called 

 the Gowlan-tree ; and a tradition Ungers about the spot that, on a 

 skirmish of unremembered date between the Scotch and English, the 

 leaders of one party dismounted and tied their horses to it. 



In Sweden, Linnseus says, " Floret dum Cuculus cantat, Rutilus lu- 

 dit etbutyrum flavescit quamvis a vaccis intacta;" Flor. Suec. 199 : 

 and so it is with us. — Gray tells us that in North America, of which 

 this plant is a native, it is used as a pot-herb in spring when coming 

 into flower; Manual, p. 12 : and the pickled flower-buds, which are 

 apparently the " cuckoo-buds of yellow hue " of Shakespere, have 

 been recommended as a substitute for capers ; but, however prepared, 

 they will be found to acquire no flavour of capers whatever ; nor are 

 they free from acrid and poisonous qualities. See Christison on Poi- 

 sons, p. 448. 



19. Trollitjs EUROPiEus. The Globe-flower. — Not uncommon 

 in our district, and a local poet has endeavoured to preserve one of 

 its stations in his verse : 



" By Billy-bum in the lang-syne days. 



The Globe-flower oft I have plucked with thee. 

 Or wandered about on the mossy braes 

 Chasing the dragon-fly and wild red bee." 



G. H. in Border Magazine, ii. p. 296. 



I trust the Trollius is still to be found there, for its habitats are 

 disappearing annually before the encroachments of the plough. I 

 cannot now find it on Lamberton moor, where it grew pleasantly 

 twenty years ago. — B. Banks of the Leet near Swinton ; Edington 

 or Edinham moor ; Bunkle wood. Rev. A. Baird. Plantation near 

 Billy-mill, G. Henderson. Bog south of Hardacres, Dr. R. D. Thom- 

 son. Coldingham moor below Lumsden. Penmanshiel moss ; How- 

 park dene ; and Blackburn-rigg dene ; and in bogs near Craneshawes, 

 J. Hardy. In plantations on Lightfield farm near Gordon. — D. 

 Haiden-dene; and Felkington bog. Dr. James Thompson*. — N. Hen- 

 hole, Cheviot.— R. On Graden moor. Dr. F. Douglas. — The common 

 people who know this fine plant call it Stacks, — a name which has 



* Dr. James Thompson was the youngest son of Mr. James Thompson, 

 tenant of Shoreswood Hall, where he was bom on the 3rd September 1801. 

 He received the usual education of boys of his station in Tweedmouth and 

 Berwick, when he went to study medicine in the University of Edinburgh, 

 where he graduated M.D. in August 1824. His Thesis was entitled " Tent, 

 inaug. de quibusdam Plantis medicinalibus et eamm succedaneis." It was 

 shortly after this that my acquaintance with Dr. T. began, and we made 

 many botanical excursions together. His manners and appearance were 



