1 64 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



ON THE FLORA OF SHETLAND. 

 By WILLIAM H. BEEBY, F.L.S. 



SINCE my last article on this subject (" Annals," January, 

 1892), many visits have been made to the islands, but 

 naturally there has not been so much to record as during 

 the earlier years of the work. Moreover, the habit of 

 returning several times to the same place, for the purpose 

 of elucidating some doubtful point, does not tend to produce 

 the greatest number of new records. A considerable amount 

 of matter has, however, accumulated, and it seems desirable 

 that it should now be published. 



In the interval a new edition (I9O3) 1 of Edmondston's 

 "Flora" has been issued under the editorship of Mr. C. F. 

 Argyll Saxby, a nephew of the author. It is difficult to 

 know how to describe this work, which is neither a simple 

 reprint, nor a new edition brought up to date. It comprises 

 most of the species recorded in the original work, and the 

 arrangement and nomenclature are modernised. Many of 

 the records and remarks of the present writer are incorporated, 

 but not those of the earlier observers, Tate, Craig-Christie, 

 etc. ; so that a number of more or less common plants are, 

 in consequence, absent from its pages. Certain plants 

 recorded by Edmondston in his " Flora " are also omitted, 

 apparently quite at haphazard. Thus, on the one hand, we 

 note the exclusion of, for example, Dancus Carota, which 

 really was an erroneous record, although the plant still 

 flourishes in the Shetland of " Topographical Botany " ; 

 while, on the other hand, Mr. Saxby excludes Ranunculus 

 Ficaria, Sinapis arvensis, Silene acaulis, Arctiwn, Aira pr&cox, 

 and others, all of which are recorded by Edmondston, and 

 all of which really do occur ; the last in particular being one 

 of the most prevalent plants. There are three or four new 

 records which will require confirmation. Mrs. Jessie M. E. 

 Saxby, a sister of the author, contributes a brief but 

 interesting biography of the youthful botanist, whose short 

 life came to so tragic a close but ten months after the 



1 Oliphant, Anderson and Ferrier. Price 2s. 



