SHEPHEED'S NEEDLE. 



Scattdlx feetvn. Nat. Ord., Umbvlliferce. 



HE subject of our present illus- 

 tration is one of the characteristic 

 flowers of the corn-field, though, 

 as it lacks the brilliancy of the 

 scarlet poppy, the intense blue 



^ ^ e corn ' nower > or ^ e widely- 

 spreading golden rays of the mari- 

 1d, it is by no means a con- 

 spicuous feature in the flora of 

 the harvest-field. It is abundantly 

 met with in most parts of England 

 and Ireland and in the southern 

 districts of Scotland, and though 

 in an especial degree found in 

 corn-fields, is not exclusively con- 

 fined to them, but may at times 

 be found in other crops or on 

 waste land. Though it is but a small plant, the abun- 

 dance with which it occurs makes it at times injurious to 

 the crop, and it may be regarded as one of the farmer's 

 pests, as no use for it has ever been discovered. The 

 long beaks to the seed-vessels are a very curious feature, 

 and the novice in botanical studies might almost be 

 excused for taking it to be a species of crane's-bill. 



