A HISTORY OF SUSSEX dense-flowered trefoil {T. suffocatum), the teasel-headed trefoil (Tl mari- timum), the subterranean trefoil {T. subterraneum) and the strawberry- headed trefoil (7". fragiferuni) are all to be found. A passing allusion can only be made to the starry-headed trefoil {T^. stellatum), since rapa- cious collectors are to be dreaded. Allied to these is the elegant birdsfoot fenugreek {Trigonella ornithopodiodes), minute and rather rare. On sandy banks are to be seen the biting stonecrops {Sedum acre) and the English stonecrop {S. Anglkum). The samphire {Crithmum maritimum), once abundant with us, as on Beachy Head, is still to be met with in almost all our districts, but sparingly. It once gave employment to our clifFsmen, and is in perfection towards the end of May. Having tasted pickled samphire by way of experiment I am bound to commend it. This is however to be looked on as a lost Sussex industry, and it may be doubted whether it will ever give occupation to our seafaring men again. From the coast we have derived divers of our vegetables. Here we find the wild carrot {Daucus carotd), the wild celery [Apium graveo- kns), the alexanders {Smyrnhim olusatrum), formerly cultivated and still to be seen around old gardens, the sea cabbage {Brassica o/eracea), and the wild spinach or sea beet {Beta maritima). This I am of opinion surpasses the cultivated spinach as having a slightly saline flavour, and is less collected in the spring than it should be. The yellow horned poppy {Glaucium luteum) is not uncommon eastward. It usually grows along the beach just beyond the reach of the tide, but I have met with it on chalk as far inland as Bramber, On the cliffs below Shoreham we have the narrow-leaved flax {Linum angustifolium) and the star thistle {Cen- taurea calcitrapa), and as we approach Brighton two plants that are rare westward occur, namely, the seaside bindweed {Convolvulus Soldanella), and the sea holly {Eryngium maritimum)^ whose blanched shoots are some- times substituted for asparagus, also a prostrate form of the woody nightshade {Solarium Dulcamara, known as S. marmum), which trails along the shore. Onwards towards Eastbourne we come to the shingle beach extend- ing to Pevensey, formed by rolled flints derived from the erosion of the chalk cliffs. Here some interesting species occur, including the least lettuce {Lactuca saligtia), the stinking hawksbeard {Crepis fatida), and the soapwort {Saponaria officinalis), while the lovely viper's bugloss {Echium vulgare) is very conspicuous. With the flora of Winchelsea and Rye we terminate our coast plants, coming upon the little bur medic {Medicago minima), and the sea buckthorn {Hippophae rhamnoides) on the Camber Sands, a very rare species, discovered there a few years 2. Plants of the Downs. — After a journey into Sussex, Gilbert White enthusiastically described our South Downs as majestic mountains. They may better be termed a chain of bold chalk hills, which stretch away in a south-easterly direction from the Hampshire border to Beachy Head. On the north they are steep and abrupt in the direction of the Weald, while they descend on the south with a gentle declivity. The 46
