THE FLORA OF FAIR ISLE 165 



Claparede regarded it as an Annelid. Mecznikow in 1865 dis- 

 cussed its affinities, and concluded that it is probably the larval 

 condition of a known or unknown Arthropod, but gave no reason 

 for his guess. Shipley ("Cambridge Nat. Hist." ii. 159) makes 

 it a family Desmoscolecidae, at the end of the Nematodes. 



The form we have may not be Claparede's species minutus, but 

 if it is not, the differences are minute. It corresponds very closely 

 with Mecznikow's figure, only differing slightly in the arrangement 

 of the hairs ; at any rate, till the systematic position of the beast is 

 assured, and we know whether it is larval or adult, it would serve 

 no end to discriminate species by slight differences. 



THE FLORA OF FAIR ISLE. 

 By JAMES W. H. TRAIL, A.M., M.D., F.R.S., F.L.S. 



ON his return from Fair Isle in October 1905, Mr. Eagle 

 Clarke left with me in Aberdeen examples of the plants 

 observed during his stay in the island. They were pre- 

 served with formalin, and were mostly in good condition for 

 determination ; though a few had suffered owing to the late 

 season of Mr. Clarke's visit. 



I was unaware that any earlier collection of the plants 

 of Fair Isle had been made or examined, except a few 

 noticed by Mr. Beeby in his excellent papers on his 

 botanical explorations in Shetland ("Scot. Nat.," 1887- 

 1891, and "Ann. S. N. H.," 1892). Hence it appeared 

 desirable to prepare a full statement of the species found on 

 the island, in view of its isolation. The announcement in 

 Mr. Clarke's account of his visit to the Fair Isle in the 

 January issue of this Journal, that I was to report on his 

 gatherings, brought me very welcome aid from Mr. Beeby 

 and Mr. Bennett, both of whom sent lists of the species seen 

 by them in collections made by the Rev. Ernest Straker of 

 Croydon during visits made by him -to the island about 

 1894. Mr. Straker's visits were devoted more, I understand, 

 to photography than to botany. Mr. Bennett also favoured 

 me with a perusal of a letter to himself from Mr. Straker, 

 in which he says : " The chief remarks that occur to me 

 re the flora are as follows : 



