BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 141 



of the nature of their habitats, and the few localities I have 

 searched out of compliment to my advisers have been almost 

 uniformly unproductive. Besides our labour in the cabinet, 

 we made some excursions, and one in particular which was 

 very interesting to me. This was into the heart of the 

 Landes, at some leagues from St. Se'ver, where the soil 

 is entirely composed of loose sand, and covered as far as 

 the eye can reach, with forests of pine, (Pinus maritima.) 

 The herbaceous vegetation was here of a character more 

 interesting and peculiar than that of Pau : the grasses 

 were Avena Thorei, Agrostis setacea,* Festuca uniglumis, 

 Airopsis globosa, and Agrostis elegans of Thore, the two 

 latter certainly equalling in elegance any of the family, 

 but now become excessively scarce. Intermixed with these 

 grew here and there Adenocarpus parvifolius, Arthrolobium 

 ebracteatum, Silene bicolor, and Lusitanica, (the latter surely 

 not distinct from our S. Gallica), Arenaria montana, Teesdalia 

 nudicaulis, Lapsana minima, and the very pretty Astrocarpus 

 [Reseda) sesamoides ; and in moister situations, Rhynchospora 

 fusca, Illecebrum verticillatum, Corrigiola littoralis, Bartsia 

 viscosa, Pinguicula Lusitanica, &c. Mossy places were nu- 

 merous, but like our fir-woods in England, containing only 

 few species. The only Sphagnum was S. compactum, and 

 1 was glad to get it in good fruit. I gathered also fruit 

 of Jungermannia obtusifolia and Francisci. Our promenades 

 on the steep wooded banks of the Adour afforded Cryp- 

 togamia in much greater variety ; several lichens which my 

 learned companion indicated to me, a pretty Trichostomum, 

 which may be Tr. subulatum of the Bryol. Europ., a Funaria 

 that is probably undescribed, Hypnum illecebrum, (which I 

 have this autumn gathered in fruit at Dax), Barbula canes- 

 ce ns, J un g m capita ta of Hooker, &c. 

 After my return from St. Sever, and when I had finished 



I arnnot certain that my plant is that of Hudson, but it is undoubtedly 

 that of De Candolle, whose specimens (described in the Flore Francaise) 

 ^ er e gathered in precisely the same locality as my own, when enjoying, 

 ke m yself, the hospitality of Dr. Dufour. 



