46 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



Mr. Miller and Mr. J. Mackay." This is evidently a mere 

 repetition of the former record. 



It is easy now to see how the mistake arose. In making 

 out a list of records of Perthshire plants from the " Fl. Britt," 

 which he would do when he first began the work of compil- 

 ing a county Flora, Dr. White had copied the record correctly 

 enough, but had written L. hirtum for Lepidium hirtum, 

 the new name of TJilaspi hirtum. But in reading his own 

 note, probably many years afterwards, he would naturally 

 conclude that L. hirtum stood for Leontodon hirtum, a plant 

 which he had never been able to find in the county, instead 

 of Lepidium hirtum, quite a common plant in many parts of 

 Perthshire. Besides, by that time he would have got into 

 the habit of thinking of the latter plant as Lepiditim 

 Smithii, Hook., as given in the 8th edition of Babington's 

 " Manual," the Flora which he always carried with him for 

 reference. 



It is certainly a singular coincidence that the new dis- 

 covery should have been made so close to the place pointed 

 out in the old erroneous record. There can, however, in my 

 opinion be no doubt that Mr. Campbell is the first who has 

 really found the plant in Perthshire. But the question 

 arises, Is the plant really native, or has it been purposely or 

 accidentally introduced through the agency of man ? There 

 is not the slightest ground for supposing that it has been 

 purposely introduced, and I am unable to conceive in what 

 way it could have come there indirectly and unintentionally 

 through man's agency. On the other hand it may be asked, 

 Is it possible to believe that it could have been in its present 

 station for a lengthened period, and have escaped notice 

 until now ? Such cases have happened, and I could give 

 more than one instance of a plant, by no means very incon- 

 spicuous, which was overlooked for a long series of years, 

 although competent botanists must have walked scores of 

 times past the spot where it was growing. 



The question, therefore, is one which it is not easy to 

 decide, or rather it is one to which it is impossible to give 

 an absolutely certain reply. At present I incline to believe 

 that the plant has not come to Mr. Campbell's station 

 through the agency of man. 



