46 



THE YOUNG 



NATURALIST. 



cerned, but so far as the senses are 

 concerned as organs for the acquisition of 

 knowledge, they are very indifferently 

 educated indeed. ■ This habit of minute, 

 careful and accurate observation, which is 

 inseparable from Natural History studies, 

 gives to the mind that habit of accurate 

 distinction, which is invaluable as an 

 assistant in the pursuit of every branch of 

 knowledge. Lastly, let me say, that these 

 analogies of Natural History are invaluable ; 

 they have a most gracious effect in developing 

 the finer faculties of the mind ; they 

 establish a connection between the different 

 portions of creation." 



VITALITY OF SEEDS OF 

 HENBANE. 



By John E. Robson. 



The sudden appearance of plants, some- 

 time in enormous numbers, in places where 

 they were not previously known to exist, 

 has attracted the attention of the least 

 observant. Many experiments have been 

 made to prove the vitality of seeds under 

 special circumstances (in water, for in- 

 stance), and it is known that some will 

 retain the power of germination much 

 longer than others. How long they will 

 retain this power under natural conditions 

 is quite another matter, but some interesting 

 cases are on record. The instance of the 

 London Rocket (Sisymbrium irio), appearing 

 in abundance on the ruins of London after 

 the great fire is well known, and has already 

 been the subject of discussion in our 

 columns. Macauley's illustration of the 

 sudden growth of an enormous number of 

 poppies, on the field where the battle of 

 Lutzen had been fought, was also quoted 

 there. I am now able to give from personal 

 observation an illustration where another 

 plant has appeared in some numbers, in a 



place where the seeds must have remained 

 dormant for a very lengthened period. It 

 is impossible to say how long the seeds in 

 question have lain without germination, but 

 a recapitulation of the circumstances will 

 show that it must have been at least for 

 some hundreds of years. Hartlepool is a 

 very old town, its charter dates from the 

 time of King John. A progenitor of the 

 Scottish King Robert Bruce is buried in the 

 Church-yard. The Church itself is sup- 

 posed to have been erected about the year 

 i ioo. The local history refers to Canute, 

 in general history, and even earlier dates 

 referring to purely local matters are known. 

 Anciently a walled town, the fortifications 

 having only been removed within the last 

 fifty years, there is a still older wall across 

 the moor, now but a grass-grown mound 

 stretching from the sea. How long the surface 

 of the moor has been undisturbed there is 

 no evidence to show ; but the above dates, 

 and the fact that the older wall still remains, 

 certainly point to a very remote date. As 

 the fields, or "closes," that surround it 

 have been built on, human bones have 

 always been discovered, some of which have 

 been attributed to Saxons and Danes, and 

 one turned up this week and now in my 

 possession is undoubtedly Roman. The 

 corporation recently converted a portion of 

 this moor into a bowling-green. It was 

 rather a low-lying place, and in wet weather 

 was frequently covered with water. The 

 soil was but a few inches thick, and below 

 it was magnesium limestone rock. To make 

 the bowling-green, the sods were taken off, 

 the ground levelled up, and the sods relaid. 

 A walk was made round the portion in- 

 tended for play, and outside of this the sods 

 were removed altogether and the soil dug 

 up to form a flower-bed. Walking round 

 one day I observed a large number of seed- 

 lings appearing that I felt sure were Hen- 

 bane (Hyoscyamus nigra). I watched these 

 with some interest until I was satisfied they 



