ladder," "Christ's thorn," "Holy Ghost," and "Herb-Trinity," make up
almost the whole list. On the other hand, the Virgin Mary has suggested
numerous names, some of which we have noticed in the chapter on
sacred plants. Certain of the saints, again, have perpetuated their names
in our plant nomenclature, instances of which are scattered throughout
the present volume.
Some plants, such as flea-bane and wolf's-bane, refer to the reputed
property of the plant to keep off or injure the animal named,[5] and there
is a long list of plants which derived their names from their real or
imaginary medicinal virtues, many of which illustrate the old doctrine of
signatures.
Birds, again, like animals, have suggested various names, and among
some of the best-known ones may be mentioned the goose-foot, goose-
grass, goose-tongue. Shakespeare speaks of cuckoo-buds, and there is
cuckoo's-head, cuckoo-flower, and cuckoo-fruit, besides the stork's-bill
and crane's-bill. Bees are not without their contingent of names; a
popular name of the Delphinium grandiflorum being the bee-larkspur,
"from the resemblance of the petals, which are studded with yellow
hairs, to the humble-bee whose head is buried in the recesses of the
flower." There is the bee-flower (Ophrys apifera), because the, "lip is in
form and colour so like a bee, that any one unacquainted therewith
would take it for a living bee sucking of the flower."
In addition to the various classes of names already mentioned, there
are a rich and very varied assortment found in most counties throughout
the country, many of which have originated in the most amusing and
eccentric way. Thus "butter and eggs" and "eggs and bacon" are applied
to several plants, from the two shades of yellow in the flower, and
butter-churn to the Nuphar luteum, from the shape of the fruit. A
popular term for Nepeta glechoma is "hen and chickens," and "cocks and
hens" for the Plantago lanceolata. A Gloucestershire nickname for the
Plantago media is fire-leaves, and the hearts'-ease has been honoured
with all sorts of romantic names, such as "kiss me behind the garden
gate;" and "none so pretty" is one of the popular names of the saxifrage.
Among the names of the Arum may be noticed "parson in the pulpit,"
"cows and calves," "lords and ladies," and "wake-robin." The potato has a
variety of names, such as leather-jackets, blue-eyes, and red-eyes.
A pretty name in Devonshire for the Veronica chamcaedrys is angel's-
eyes:--
"Around her hat a wreath was twined
Of blossoms, blue as southern skies;
I asked their name, and she replied,
We call them angel's-eyes."[6]