21 AUGUST 1909, Page 21

[To Ina Emma OF THE " &ROTATOR.")

Sin,—The old country names of flowers must vary greatly with the locality in which they are studied. In Essex thirty years ago the names common among the country people did not correspond with those mentioned in your article of August 14th. Adonis-flower—not a country name this—was then the scarlet pheasant-eye ; paigles was used all over East Anglia for cowslips, and cowslips were oxlips. Bachelor's buttons were white stitchwort, lady-smocks nightingales, purple orchids cuckoos, speedwell bird's-eyes, while butter- and-eggs was the yellow toadflax. Shakespeare's flower-names are, of course, Western Midland, while in the North Country another series would be expected to prevail.—I am, Sir, &c.,

M. BRA.MSTON.