ZOOLOGICAL NOTES 53 



of the plate is rather variable, which tends to make identification 

 troublesome. One specimen of Hydrachna has not yet been 

 identified, as the dorsal plate is a distinct departure from that of 

 any species hitherto found in this country. The large genus 

 Arrhenurus is poorly represented, only a few females not yet 

 identified having been taken. I have never been able to find many 

 specimens of Arrhenurus, and of those found the males are 

 decidedly in the minority. WM. WILLIAMSON, Edinburgh. 



BOTANICAL NOTES AND NEWS. 



The High Alpine Flora of Britain. In his first article (No. 67, 

 p. 1 68) Dr. Williams states that "as compared with Scotland, alpine 

 plants descend to lower levels in Ireland." This is an unexpected 

 proposition, in support of which no evidence is adduced ; for the 

 eighteen species enumerated (pp. 244-250), as descending to sea-level 

 in Ireland, are not alpine plants. They are nearly all of them plants 

 of universal range which may be expected at sea-level almost any- 

 where from Land's End to Saxa Vord. Indeed fifteen of them are 

 recorded in the " Cybele " as descending to coast-level in the 

 Peninsula, which means as much. W T ith regard to the other three, 

 Gnliiim boreale and Einpetrum both reach coast level in Scotland, 

 while Pyrola minor no doubt has the same habit since it " descends 

 almost to coast-level in the south of England." Turning to our 

 farthest north, four of these species are not known in Shetland, 

 while two others are so very rare that no deduction can be drawn 

 from them. The remaining twelve all occur at sea-level ; not in one 

 place, but commonly, with a frequency which varies with the preval- 

 ence of the respective species. Dr. Williams gives the descending 

 level in only two other cases. Vaccinium vitis-idcea " descends to 

 30 m. in Armagh," while so far it has not been noted below 120 m. 

 in Shetland. This is the only case which really seems to favour 

 Ireland in the comparison with Shetland, but here again we are 

 dealing with a rare plant known only from a few scattered localities 

 in the northern group of islands. On the other hand, the truly 

 alpine Saussurea alpina " descends to 305 m. in Donegal " ; but it 

 descends to 244 m. in Shetland, 1 though I have not myself seen it 

 so low down. 



Besides the plants referred to above, three others, for which Dr. 

 Williams gives no descending limit, are all found at sea-level in 

 Shetland. W. H. BEEBY. 



Nasturtium palustre, DC., in Orkney. In September 1908 

 Mr. M. Spence sent me specimens of the above species from N. 



1 Tate in " Journ. Bot.," 1866, <p 6. 



