90 Rhodora [May 



as almost everywhere else, were more active in the field a generation 

 or two ago than at the present period of narrow specialization or 

 indifference to the tremendous problems of natural history, have 

 published numerous local lists and records, including the Catalogue 

 of the Flora of Nova Scotia by Lindsay. 1 Professor Sommers's Intro- 

 duction to the latter work gives a pretty strong intimation that there 

 is little left to be learned regarding the vascular element of the Nova 

 Scotian flora, an impression surely conveyed by the following words: 

 "it may be accepted as the most complete synopsis of the Nova 

 Scotian Flora yet offered .... while the P[h]enerogamia ex- 

 clusive of Cyperaceae and Gramin[e]ae are nearly complete, the 

 Cryptogamia, excepting Filices and Lycopodiac[ea]e, are but spar- 

 ingly represented." Furthermore, one of the most acute Nova 

 Scotian botanists of recent years, the late Dr. Charles Budd Robin- 

 son, has stated that, "In general, the flora of the peninsula and is- 

 land is composed of plants which have migrated from the west or 

 southwest through New Brunswick;" 2 the other elements of the 

 Nova Scotian flora recognized by Robinson being the introduced 

 weeds and, in northern Cape Breton, "a third element, namely, 

 species that are believed not to occur anywhere upon the peninsular 

 portion of the province," in illustration of which 8 species are men- 

 tioned, some of which, like Habcnaria blcphariglottis, Aster netnoralis 

 and Drosera intermedia, are not only found on the peninsula but are 

 there dominant plants over hundreds of square miles of acid bog. 

 In fact, Professor L. W. Bailey, in his report on the geology of Yar- 

 mouth and Digby Counties had specially commented on "the abund- 

 ance of orchids, . . . The most common species is 



the white-fringed orchis (Habcnaria blcphariglotis, Hook)." 3 It 

 would thus seem, that the students of our northeastern flora, desirous 

 of spending the summer in the field to the best advantage and re- 

 strained by the present state of transportation-facilities and of man- 

 power from the exploration of less accessible regions of Gaspe, New- 

 foundland or Labrador, would be almost wasting time by concen- 

 trating on Nova Scotia. 



Nevertheless, outside the very general collections of Professor 

 Macoun there exist, in this country at least, comparatively few 



> A. W. H. Lindsay, Proc. and Trans. N. S Inst. Nat. Hci. iv. pt. 2, 184-222 (1877). 



1 C. B. Robinson as reported in Torreya, vi. 257 (19(>0). 



»L. W. Bailey, Geol. Surv. Can. Ann. Rep. n. s. ix. 18M (1898). 



