1901] Williams, — Erodimus at Tewksbury, Mass. 35 
Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. It assumed a nearly spherical 
form late in the season, and early in the winter broke away just at 
the ground with an almost circular fracture. It rolled over the Vine- 
yard hills in a manner quite like that of the tumble-weeds of the 
Great Plains.— CHaRLEs E. Bessey, University of Nebraska. 
Two Eropiums AT TEWKSBURY, MASSACHUSETTS. — It is not often 
that the collector, who has botanized for many years, in the country 
about his home, is afforded the keen pleasure of meeting with a spe- 
cies new to his experience. It was, therefore, an unmixed delight 
for me, to discover in a neglected field at Tewksbury, Massachusetts, 
two species of Ærodium which proved on examination to be Æ. 
cicutarium, L’ Her., and Æ. Botrys, Bertol. Notwithstanding the 
lateness of the season (Nov. 4, 1900) which gave an additional zest 
to the pleasure of discovery, both species bore abundant flowers and 
fruit and the foliage was fresh and green. 
Erodium cicutarium is given in most of our manuals and local 
floras as of occasional occurrence, but Æ. Botrys is mentioned for 
this region only in the Flora of Middlesex County, where the only 
locality given is “Westford, Woolen-Mill Yard (Dr. C. W. Swan). 
A native of South Europe but introduced in California wool.” 
Wishing to secure additional material, as I found that but few of 
my botanical friends had collected these plants, I visited the locality 
again a week later, in company with other enthusiastic collectors. 
Although a severe frost had occurred in the interim, we again found 
the plants in excellent condition and without difficulty traced their 
origin to many tufts of wool-waste which remained on the field here 
and there. While we were carefully examining the acre of land where 
these plants grew, the owner of the farm strolled up to us, wondering 
no doubt what kind of treasure or what form of insanity could induce 
four respectable looking city men to wander up and down his old 
turnip patch, digging up now and then a weed and clapping it into a 
tin box. On inquiry from him we learned that the field had been 
dressed some years before with wool-waste, from the Stirling Mills 
at Lowell. This seems to be the form of conveyance selected by 
Erodium, therefore when you meet one of the species, do not.con- 
clude it is native, but look for wool-waste.— EMiLE F. WILLIAMS, 
Boston, Massachusetts. 
