naturalists’ calendar. 
285 
II. NATURALISTS’ CALENDAR, 
OR OBSERVATIONS ON NATURE, FOR JUNE. 
Amongst the many beautiful vegetable productions of this month, which may 
well be termed the month of flowers, the corn cockle (Lichnis Githago (1) ) is 
very conspicuous in dry gravelly corn-fields. It commonly grows to the height 
of about three feet, and bears purple flowers, two-thirds larger than the engraved 
figure. The sheeps-bit Scabious (Jasiona montana (2) ), a small annual about 
a foot high, bearing a blue head nearly twice the size of the present figure, may 
be found in abundance in dry sandy fields, near to hedges, or on heathy ground. 
Upon the shady side of old walls, and on rubbish heaps, the Pellitory of the 
wall (P^rietaria officinalis (3) ) often flourishes. This herb was formerly much 
used in medicine, but is now little noticed. The expressed juice, sweetened with 
sugar, is a powerful diuretic. On waste and rubbishy ground, the common 
Dwale, or deadly nightshade, (Atropa Belladonna (4) ), may occasionally be ga¬ 
thered. It grows from four to five feet high, bearing violet coloured flowers, and 
bright black berries, which are very tempting in appearance, but of a deadly 
poisonous quality. Both the berries and leaves, however, are used in medicine. 
The deleterious principle has been ascertained by Vauquelin to be a little nau¬ 
seous matter, soluble in spirit of wine, forming an insoluble combination with 
tannin, and yielding ammonia when burnt. 
Peculiarities of Plants. —All succulent plants such as annuals, &c. have 
the leaves erect. This is a wise contrivance of Providence to supply them with 
the additional quantity of moisture they require, beyond what the roots can fur¬ 
nish. On the other hand, all woody plants, such as trees and shrubs, except the 
willow and a few others which require much water, have their leaves pendant. 
This arrangement furnishes as it were so many drains, or gutters, to carry off 
the superfluity of moisture. And it will be found, that as the wood is more or 
less solid, the stem is rugged and channeled, to convey the wet to the root. 
The bloom, or fine dust, discovered on plums, raspberries, grapes, and some 
other fruits, and that on the leaves of cabbages, is evidently intended to shoot 
off the water, which, but for this contrivance, would enter the porous skin, and 
rot the fruit or plant. In the flower of the Globe Amaranthus, the parts of 
fructification are inclosed in a thick down like cotton wool, and the pericarp is 
provided with a thick and hard skin impervious to moisture. This is a curious 
and essential provision, since from the varnished and parchment-like character of 
the calyx, it would act as a cup at its base to retain the moisture, were it not 
absorbed by the down just mentioned. The pericarp is also further protected 
by a thick and impervious capsulo .—Field Nat. Mag. 
Appearance of Leaves examined with a Microscope. —The back-side 
of a rose-tree leaf, but especially that of a sw'eet briar, appears to be diapered 
most excellently with silver. The back side of the leaf of English mercury 
seems as though it were rough—cast with silver, and the ribs appear to be stuck 
full of round white transparent balls, like innumerable grapes or oak apples, or 
a bracelet of crystal with footstalks, by which they are fastened to the ribs and 
fibres of the leaf. A leaf of rue seems to be full of holes like an honey-comb; 
