NOTES.
39
however, in the matter of nomenclature that the fortunate—though in one respect
most unfortunate—collaboration of the late Mr. Pryor and Mr. Jackson, both
critically accurate in their knowledge of continental work, shows itself pre-emi-
nently. Based mainly on Nyman's "Conspectus," the Flora is strikingly original
not only in this respect, but in giving fully dated authorities for each name adopted.
It is perhaps to be regretted that the Editor did not feel himself at liberty to
incorporate the 16 pp. of Additional Localities with the body of the work, or to
add the truly local popular names of the plants. These are, however, almost the
only unfavourable comments we can make on a work which more than sustains
the credit of the home counties, as taking the lead in county Floras.
G. S. Boulger.
Danewort or Dane's-blood.—In a note in the Essex Naturalist for July
last (vol. i., 150) we gave extracts from Camden's "Britannia" and Neville's
"Antiqua Explorata," which seemed to show that two distinct plants were called
"Danes-blood "or "Danewort" in Essex. Our kind friend, Mr. Joseph Clarke,
F.S.A., in reply to enquiries, has cleared up the difficulty. It appears that in the
neighbourhood of Bartlow and Royston, two species of plants do bear these
names. One, the Pasque-flower (Anemone Pulsatilla), Mr. Clarke writes, "is
an anemone-like flower, with very deep purple blooms, more dwarf, and its
foliage more finely serrated, than the garden flower ; it is tuberous-rooted, blooms
in spring, scatters its downy seeds, withers away, and is no more seen during the
year. Its only locality in Essex is [or, alas! was.— Ed.] the Bartlow-hills. I
have heard of a few specimens on a baulk between Essex and Cambridgeshire,
hardly in Essex. It is a semi-Alpine flower, only found in elevated situations. I
could never induce it to grow in gardens. It has been said to have been plentiful at
Bartlow ; I never found it so, and it does not, I think, grow lower than half-way
down the tumuli. On going to Royston (Herts), which is on high ground, and visiting
the heath, higher still, I found this little Anemone in great abundance growing on
the mounds which are numerous; it was late for it, few blooms were left, but
its winged seeds were flying about in all directions. Oddly enough it was there
called 'Dane's-blood.' The other plant (Sambucus ebulis) certainly does not
grow on the hills, or near them ; it grows in low meadows, damp places, and the
borders of rivulets and ditches. At Hadstock, about a mile from Bartlow, it is
plentiful. It is a troublesome weed, and from its creeping roots is very difficult of
eradication." Mr. Clarke adds that Mr. Gage Rokewood, in his account of the
opening of the Tumuli, mentions the Sambucus ebulis, Dwarf Elder, as being
called "Dane's-blood"; the Anemone not being in flower at the time, he was
probably not aware that two plants bore the same local name. We add, with
sorrow, to the above interesting account, the following line from a former letter
of Mr. Clarke's :—" There were two plants, rare here, that grew on the hills, but
they have been completely eradicated by botanists (?); one was the Pasque-flower
—."—Ed.
Introduction of the Red-legged Partridge and the Lombardy Poplar.
—In Mr. J. Yelloly Watson's "Tendring Hundred in the Olden Time" (3rd
edition, 1884), page 234 we read :—"On the 8th June, 1763, he [William Henry
de Nassau, 4th Earl of Rochford] became Ambassador Extraordinary to the
Court of Spain ; and on the 1st July, Ambassador to the Court of France. When
he returned, he is said to have brought with him French or red-legged partridges ;
and one of the early breed, shot at St. Osyth nearly a century ago, stuffed, and
with a white pheasant in a case, is before us as we write. Soon after this, he
introduced the poplar trees from Lombardy, and two of the first planted in
England are now to be seen in the Park." [St. Osyth Priory.] Mr. Daniel,
shooting near Colchester in 1777, found a covey of fourteen "red-legs" which
were flushed with difficulty, but after half-an-hour's exertion one was got up, and
"immediately perched on the hedge, and was shot in that situation without its being
known what bird it was." Two and a half brace more were killed from this covey