THE YOUNG 



NATUEALTST. 



245 



prepared as a confection, and strewed 

 on cakes as a dainty. It is supposed 

 that the cracknels wherewith J eroboam 

 purposed to propitiate the Prophet 

 Ahijah were similiarly prepared. Fig- 

 uratively the poppy is the emblem of 

 sleep, and from its abundance in corn- 

 fields it was dedicated to Ceres, forming 

 part of her chaplet, and of the floral 

 tribute offered to her to propitiate a 

 favourable harvest. 



The botanic name is from " papa 

 a father, which is supposed to be the 

 phonetic rendering of the first cries of 

 an infant, and these being for food and 

 sustenance, so we have " pap/' the 

 first food of a child, and papaverj 

 because the seeds of this plant were 

 used for food ; or according to some 

 because the juice of poppies was added 

 to the food of infants to still their 

 screaming and soothe them to sleep. 

 Yiewed in the light of the present day 

 practice of nurses this derivation seems 

 only too plausible. 



The specific name argemone is from 

 the Greek " argema," because it was 

 i formerly used in the cure of cataract 

 1 in the eye. The species Bhms was 

 i called by the Greeks " mecon,'' a 

 j poppy "r^o^^?^"; Bhoia means a 

 [pomegranate, which the capsule of the 

 poppy resembles. Another derivation 

 is from Rheo^' I flow, possibly 

 because of the free exudation of its 

 milky juice when wounded, oozing out 

 ilike tears ; or else from the deciduous 



petals falling off when touched, the 

 older botanists named it P. erraticum 

 or liquidum from this peculiarity. The 

 Greek name for a poppy " meco7i" is 

 now restricted to the allied genus 

 " meconojosis'* the yellow Welsh poppy. 



Somni/erum^' from the Greek 

 " somnos sleep, is appropriate enough 

 when applied to the sleep -producing 

 plant. Such a common and conspic- 

 uous plant as the poppy is has got a 

 host of popular names, some of which 

 are very local, such as headache " or 

 "headwark," because the brilliant 

 coloured blossoms were believed by the 

 agricultural labourers to produce head- 

 ache. The children call it " Thunder- 

 flower," as they fear they will be 

 struck by lightening if the petals fall 

 when they pluck the flower, should 

 such dread consequenses ensue their 

 fate would be pretty certain, looking 

 at the evanescent character of the 

 blossoms. Some would derive this 

 name because the flowers expand 

 freely after a thunderstorm. Another 

 local name is " Joan's silver pin," 

 from the flaunting, flaming appearance 

 of the flowers, boldly thrusting them- 

 selves forward, like a solitary piece of 

 finery ostentatiously worn on all occa- 

 sions; or on the "fair without, foul 

 within" principle, the flowers are 

 gaudy whilst the essence is noxious. 

 It is also known as " cheese bonis," 

 from the shape of the capsules. 

 "Corn rose," "canker rose," "red- 



