DEAD NETTLES 151 
nettle.” It has no stings. Its young leaves make 
good eating, like those of the Stinging Nettle ; but 
the latter protects itself by its stinging hairs, which, 
as you know, can make us feel very uncomfortable. 
Cattle will not touch the Stinging Nettle on account 
of its stings. But why do they not eat up the tender 
White Dead Nettle, which has no stings ? Well, you 
see, the Dead Nettle has leaves very like those of the 
Stinging Nettle, and cattle are deceived by it. They 
know that some nettles sting, and so they avoid all 
nettle-like plants. You can see, too, that the 
Dead Nettles grow very near to, and often amongst, 
Stinging Nettles. Don’t you think it a clever 
arrangement ? It is just like a traveller disguising 
himself in the clothing of hostile peoples, in order 
that he may be mistaken for one of themselves, 
and so have his life preserved. 
We have some five species of Dead Nettles in 
our flora. You will know that common weed, the 
Red Dead Nettle (Lamium purpureum) very well ; 
it comes up far too persistently in the gardens. 
The leaves are all more or less nettle-like. All these 
plants belong to the Sub-class Corollifloree and the 
Natural Order Labiatz (Latin, labiwm=a lip). The 
corollas of the Labiate family are tubelike at the 
base, but in their upper and more conspicuous 
portions they are split into two lips, and have the 
appearance of a wide-open mouth. The top lip, 
as you can see from the flower of the White Dead 
Nettle, forms a little helmet-like protection to the 
stamens, while the lower lip makes a good step or 
platform for insect-visitors who are eager to secure 
honey. Take one of these flowers and suck it be- 
