-O THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 
coins and paintings reproducing its form were not intended to be 
botanically exact, and therefore are of no value in pursuit of a 
decision. A comparative survey of their structure indicates the 
cotton thistle. {Onopordoji acantJiiuin) as the Scotch thistle in 
America and most botanists so credit it now. Though no light 
of legend nor brightness of song hover near its tasselled blooms, 
the broad hoary leaves, the stout stem, the formidable spines that 
repel all advances of friendship so like the touchy Scot, manifest 
its ancient and royal lineage. One prickly enemy in boyhood was 
the Cniciis acanlis, the low stemless thistle. It lurked low in the 
grass and unshod feet suffered well for thoughtless treading on 
the testy leaves. 
The aromatic pennyroyal ( Hcdcoina pulcgioidcs) and bone- 
set [Eupatoriuni pcrfoUatuni) reputable and honest members of 
the domestic meteria medica, are usually tenants of the pastures 
and roadsides. The aroma of our pennyroyal resembles the true 
pennyroyal of Europe,i\/r;z^/z^ pnlcgiiim, and is decidedly a faith- 
ful alleviator of the disagreeable colds of winter. 
Hartford, Conn. 
IXDL\X TREE AXD PLAXT ^lYTHS. 
Once you have inspired confidence in your malice and can get 
him to speak without reserve on the mystic wonders of the vege- 
table world, you would hear marvellous stories and myths, com- 
pared with which the legends and superstitions that still linger in 
our old-fashioned English villages are absolutely tame. There is 
a belief in the South of India that any bare-footed person who 
happens to tread on a "Burdock" datura plant, would immediately 
become intoxicated and losing his way, wander miles and miles 
out of his correct path. There is another mystical plant, the iden- 
tity of which none of my informants could help me to establish, a 
single leaf of which, if shown to an angry cat. would at once hyp- 
notize the creature and prevent it from moving a single limb. Of 
flowers, trees and plants which are the favorite abodes of malig- 
nant demons, the people of this country believe in a good many. 
There is the sweet-scented jessamine, for instance. In some parts 
of the country, the people never plant it in front of the house, for 
fear a certain wicked imp may take up his abode in the branches 
