1 68 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



Charmer Wick, so that the discovery of the plant at Levemvick 

 practically confirms Low's record. 



*Oxalis Acetosella, L. N. Abundant in a ravine on the Bjorgs of 

 Skelberry, alt. c. 500 feet. 



Vicia septum, L. S. Holm in Burga Water, and on various other 

 holms in the neighbourhood of Walls and Clousta. The one 

 or two plants recorded from Tingwall owed their immunity to 

 the fact that they grew in the midst of a mass of Lathyrus 

 pratensis, a plant which for some reason is avoided by the 

 sheep. 



Alchemilla vulgaris, L. All the plants so far collected belong to 

 A. filicaulis, Buser. The plant recorded as A. vulgaris, var. 

 subsericea, K., is referred A. filicaulis, var. vestita, Buser. 



A. conjuncta, Bab. The Queen's Hotel, Baltasound, lies some way 

 back from the road, and it was only on paying a visit there in 

 1898 that I saw this plant in the garden. It occurred in some 

 plenty, scattered indiscriminately over the small lawn and 

 flower beds, most or all of the plants being evidently self-sown. 

 I could only learn that the plant was there when the hotel was 

 built. Prior to its erection, the site was occupied by a store 

 kept by one Thomson, then dead. I had visited this store in 

 1886 and 1887 but on both occasions, unfortunately, after 

 dark. Mr. Thomson's family had left Shetland, but I learnt 

 from Mrs. Hunter of Ernsdale that Thomson was much given 

 to horticulture, and " was always bringing things into his 

 garden." Last year I heard that the' family had returned to 

 Shetland, and I wrote and elicited the following information : 

 (i) That the Alchemilla was not given to them by Edmondston, 

 who, I thought, might have had roots sent to him; (2) that 

 most of their plants were grown from seeds obtained from an 

 Edinburgh florist ; but (3) that there were also in their garden 

 some native Shetland plants originally got at Sandwick in Unst. 

 This seemed a possible clue to a native habitat for this most 

 illusive of British plants, and although I was not staying in 

 Unst last year I made a special trip to Baltasound in order to 

 investigate. Sandwick is, as its name implies, a sandy bay ; 

 two burns run down into it, and I thoroughly examined one 

 without result. The other looked quite similar through the 

 glass, but there was not time to search it. The ground did 

 not look at all likely, still the plant may occur somewhere in 

 the neighbourhood. I have given full details so that any 

 botanist visiting Unst and feeling disposed to follow up the 

 search may know where to start. If lodgings can be got, 

 sojourn should be made at Uyeasound, as this is quite near to 

 the ground to be worked. 



