Januaky 15. 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
271 
: D 
I M 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
I) 
\V 
JANUARY 15—21, 1856. 
Tu Acheta domestica. 
W Nepacinerea. 
Th Notonecta furcata. 
F Notonecta glauca. 
S Fulex irritans. 
Son Septuagesima Sunday. 
M Sun’s declinat., 20° 1' s. 
Barometer. 
Thermo. 1 Wind. 
Rain in 
Inchea. 
Sun Sun 
Rites. \ Sett. 
Moon 
R. & S. 
Moon’t 
Age. 
Clock 
kf. Sun. 
Day of 
Year. 
30.456—30.223 
. 1 
35—21 ^ W. 
00 
2 a 8 > 17 a 4 
1 
8 
8 
9 
33 
15 
30.081 — 30.017 
40—22 N. 
01 
1 IS 
2 
31 
9 
9 
54 
1 6 
30 077—30.011 
32—29 ' N.E. 
00 
1 20 
3 
55 
10 
10 
14 
17 
30.118 — 20.955 
34-18 N.E. 
00 
0 21 
5 
15 
11 
10 
34 
18 
29.984 — 29.879 
28—13 : S.E. 
00 
VII 23 
6 
27 
12 
10 
53 
19 
29.8.39-29.702 
31-18 N.E. 
00 
58 25 
7 
24 
13 
11 
11 
20 
29 .841 —29 724 
34—17 I N.E. 
00 
67 27 
8 
9 
14 
11 
29 
21 
Meteorology ok the Week. —At Chiswick, from observations during the last twenty-nine years, the average highest and lowesttera- 
peratures of these days are t2.1°, and 31.7°, respectively. The greatest heat, Co°, occurred on the 19th, in 1838; and the lowest cold, tj®, 
on the 19 th, in 1838. JJuring the period 108 days were fine, and on 88 rain fell. 
BOTRY'CH[UM LUNA’llIA. 
This is known as Common Moonwort, Small Lunary, 
and Mooiiicort. 
Its rout is composed of a slender tap-root, from wliicli 
j issue numerous simple, cylindrical, yellowish fibres, like 
! those of a Hyacintli, and proceeding in a whorl, or 
circle, from the tap-root, but spreading horizontally in 
! the soil. Stem simple, cylindrical, pale green, erect, 
nine inches high, with a few large, brown, sheathing 
scales at the bottom. It has only one leaf springing 
from about the middle of the stem, which leaf has five 
or si-K pairs of fan-shaped, pale milky-green, short- 
stalked leaflets, and a terminal leaflet of the same form. 
Each leaflet is scolloped, or toothed, on the edge, and, 
usually, more or less lobed. The stem ends in a doubly- 
compound sjnhe of small, round, light brown capsules. 
These are nearly stalkless, and are arranged somewhat 
over-lapping each other on one flat side of the stalk, or 
receptacle. Spores oval, smooth, and, usually, jointed 
together in pairs. 
There are three varieties, viz :—1. with several stalks 
and leaves ; 2. with leaves much more cut and jagged 
than usual; and 3. with the leaflets divided into leafits. 
Its usual birth-places are mountain meadows, and 
pastures. It is not common, though found in various 
parts of England, Ireland, and Scotland. It has been 
collected in Westmorland ; at Mear Bank, by Sykes 
Wood, Ingleton ; and Settle, in Yorkshire; Scadbury 
Park, and Chisselhurst Common, Kent; on the north 
side of Bredon Hill, in Worcestershire; at Shirehampton, 
and on Kings-Weston-Hill, near Bristol; near Bury, 
in Suffolk; on Stratton Heath, in Norfolk; on coal-pit 
banks, near Stourbridge; at Bootle, near Liverpool; 
on the sea-coast between South Shields and Sunderland; 
on Oversley Hill, near Alcester; and near Alaw and 
Abcitfraw rivers, in Anglesea. In Scotland, on Ard- 
garth Hill, to the north of Linlithgow’; near Dun" 
donalds, two miles from Little Loch Broom, on the west 
coast of Ross-shire, and in the Isle of Skye. In 
Ireland, on the rising ground of a meadow, about two 
hundred yards north of the second lock of Lagan 
Canal. 
’The first English botanist w'ho mentions this Fern 
is Turner, who, in the third jmrt of his “Herbal,” 
published in 1568, gives a very good woodcut of the 
plant, and, after its description, adds, “ it may be called 
wel in Englishe Cluster Lunarye, or Cluster Moonwort." 
Gerard, writing a few years subsequenlly, mentions 
many places where it had been found in England, and 
after describing its appearance, and stating its various 
appellations, proceeds to observe, that “ Small Moon¬ 
wort is singular to heal green and fresh wounds. It 
hatli been used among the alchymists and witches to do 
wonders withall, who say that it will loose locks, and 
make them to fall from the feet of horses that graze 
where it doth grow, and hath been called of them 
Martagon, whereas, in truth, they are all but drowsy 
No. CCCLXXXI. VoL. XY.' 
