Page:Glossary of words in use in Cornwall.djvu/271

 2 A GL08SABT OF DEVOKSHIBE PLANT NAMES. special mention is On the PcptUar Narries of British PlafUs,hy R. C. A. Prior, mj)^ ihe third edition of which appeared three years ago (1879). This valuable little work contains, in the words of the title-page, "an explanation of the origin and meaning of the names of onr indigenoos and most commonly cultivated species." There is an introduction covering twenty pages (pp. viL-xxvii.), in which the history of the subject is briefly treated, and notes are made on the writings of Greek, Latin, and Continental authors, as well as those of our own land, especially such as treated of plant medicine in the old herbals, where many names are found which have died out of the classical language, and exist only in our local dialects. The list of works referred to is of special interest, but it is only needful to mention it here. Next in order we would place English Plant Names from the Tenth to the Fifteenth Century, by John Earle, M.A., Sector of Swanwick, &c., Oxford, MDCOCLXXX. The introduction (pp. ix.-cxii) is simply invaluable, and only those who have carefully studied it will be able to realize how vast an amount of- information has been condensed in so small a compass. The lists, notes, and index are of great service in assisting one to the identifi- cation of plants mentioned by early authors. But the fullest, most exhaustive, and at the same time most purely local work, is A Dictionary of English PlarU-Names, by James Britten, F.L.S., and Bobert Holland. This work is published by the EngUsh Dialect Society. Part I. appeared in 1878, and contains a brief introduction, and names from A to F in- clusive. In 1879 Part II. was published, containing G to O inclusive. The editors have Part III. in the press, and it will doubtless be issued by the time (or before) these pages are printed. To say the work will be exhaustive would not be correct ; for the list I submit herewith contains many names which do not there appear, although I have supplied Mr. Britten with lists from time to time for embodying in his appendix ; in fact, we may coufidentiy say that it will yet take years to collect all the local names of plants from the various counties of England^ and Devonshire alone would yield a much larger Ust, if only the time and attention requisite for their accumulation could be found. The English Dialect Society has also published Turner's Names of fferbes, under the able editorship of Mr. Britten. Possessing the foregoing works, one may be said to have, in compact form, a very full and compendious dictionary of plant-names ; while each of them supplies us with references to such other works as it may be desirable to consult.