By Thomas Bruges Flower, Esq. 



197 



an open habitat, abounding in fields and exposed pastures, especially 

 in a chalky soil, where the Red Campion rarely intrudes. Both L. 

 diurna (Sibth.), and vespertina (Sibth.), vary in colour from red to 

 white and from white to red. 



4. L. Githago, (Lam.) Corn Cockle, Corn Campion, Wild Nigella, 

 Git vel Gith, n. indecl. a small seed. (Ainsworth.) The Gith of 

 the Homans was Nigclla sativa, the seeds of which plant they used 

 as the moderns do pepper. Ago in botan} T , when it terminates a 

 word, usually denotes resemblance, thus, Gith — ago, Medic — ago. 

 Agrostemma (Linn.) Engl. Bot. t. 741. St. 5. 6. 



Locality. In cornfields on a dry soil. A. Fl. June, August. 

 Area, 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 



A frequent plant in cornfields throughout Wiltshire, but probably 

 introduced. This is a very troublesome weed and should be erad- 

 icated by hand before it comes into flower. The seeds are large 

 and heavy, and their black husks when mixed with wheat, breaking 

 so fine as to pass the bolters, renders the flour speck} 7 . They are 

 therefore obnoxious to the millers and depreciate the sample of corn. 



Sagina, (Linn.) Pearlworth. 

 Linn. CI. iv. Ord. iii. 



Name. From Sagina, nutriment, it being supposed fattening to 

 cattle, though perhaps originally designating some nutritious sort 

 of grain. 



1. S. pro-cumbens, (Linn.) procumbent Pearlwort. Engl. Bot. t. 

 880. Reich. Icones, v. 201. 



Locality. On sandy ground, walks, grass plots and beds of 

 of neglected gardens, as well as on shady walls and gravelly banks 

 everywhere. P. FL May, September. Area, 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 



A common weed in all parts of the county. It sometimes occurs 

 with five sepals, five petals and five stamens, often without petals 

 with a five sepaled calyx, ten stamens and five pistils, thus 

 approaching to Spergula. The calyx and other parts of the flower 

 appear in this case to increase at the expense of the corolla, the 

 latter however is often wanting without an augmentation of the 

 other parts. Few plants assume a greater variety of appearance 



