HARDWICKE'S S CIENCE -GOSSIP. 



151 



plants makes its api^earance, including many rare 

 and curious orchids, the Herb Paris, &c. &c. 



The trees themselves, of which these low woods 

 are composed, are well worthy of note. Among a 

 great many others we noted Pijrus Aria, P. tor- 

 minalis, P. Malus, Primus communis, P. Cerasus, 

 Viburnum Lantana, V. Opulus, Carpinus Betulus, 

 Castanea vulgaris, Euonymus Europceus, Phamnus 

 catharticus, &c. Beneath these trees we found 

 immense beds of woodruff, and pretty little masses 

 of the beautiful Oxcdis acetosella. Poterium san- 

 guisorha is everywhere very abundant on the chalk. 

 By the way, self-fertilization is somewhat carefully 

 provided against in these plants. The flowers are 

 in dense heads, the upper flowers being pistil- 

 liferous and the lower staminiferous. Tlie stigmas 

 of the upper florets are in a receptive condition a 

 considerable time before the staminiferous florets 

 open — indeed, when these latter open, the stigmas 

 are withered and dried away. Thus it is rendered 

 impossible for the florets on any given head to fer- 

 tilize each other. The pollen must be brought 

 from some other plant, or at all events from some 

 other flower-head. 



Arrived at Boxley Hill we wandered about in 

 search of specimens, and were soon richly rewarded 

 for our trouble. Some years ago 1 found Afropa 

 Belladonna growing on the wooded hill-side, and in 

 the hunt to find it again, which proved unsuccessful, 

 we met with the beautiful Fly orchis {Ophrijs musci- 

 fera), the unique beauty of which cannot be under- 

 stood from any description ; it must be seen to be 

 appreciated. Many non-botanical friends to whom 

 it was shown were highly delighted, and bore tes- 

 timony to the correctness of its name by suddenly 

 exclaiming, " How like a fly !" "It might be used 

 as a bait for fly-fishing," &c. &c. Near the same 

 place we found the lovely CepJialanthera grandi- 

 flora, the curious Aceras anthropophora, some fine 

 specimens of Orchis maculata and 0. pyra- 

 midalis. My friend at this point began turning 

 over large stones in an old chalk-pit, and we were 

 greatly astonished to find beneath almost every 

 stone a fine specimen of Blind-worm or Slow-worm 

 {Anguis fragilis). The names of this lacertiau 

 appeared to us to be sad misnomers, for the crea- 

 tures are very active when aroused, and far from 

 being blind, they possess a pair of very sharp and 

 extremely pretty eyes. We caught three, which were 

 liberated after a careful examination. 



In this pit we found the pretty Hellehorus fcetidus, 

 a great number of orchids, and a splendid plant of 

 Rosa rubiginosa, which occurs in great abundance 

 in this neighbourhood, &c. &c. 



Among the plants here adorning the greensward 

 were Hippocrepis coniosa, Anthjllus vulneraria, 

 Lotus corniculatus, Helianthemum vulgare, and Poly, 

 gale vulgare; and Columbine {Aquilegia vulgare) was 

 very abundant in the thickets. We met with 



several specimens of a white variety of Herb Robert 

 (not common, I think). 



Tea was consumed in a lovely quiet lane near the 

 wood. We preferred roughing it thus to driving 

 into Maidstone. Here all our senses were gratified 

 at one and the same time. The scenery is delight- 

 ful, and, owing to the rugged^ature of the ground, 

 much land is incapable of cultivation, and many 

 miles of hills are covered with plants and trees of 

 great variety, growing in rich luxuriance. Hundreds 

 of yew-trees stud the hill-sides, their dark sombre 

 foliage contrasting finely with the intermingled 

 richer greens of other trees. The barer spots are 

 everywhere thickly dotted with juniper-bushes, 

 which grow here in great abundance. About a 

 hundred feet above us towered a white cliff of 

 chalk, in which numerous jackdaws and starlings 

 had built their nests, and with clamorous cries 

 were busily performing their parental duties. In 

 one part of the cliif a windhover had taken up its 

 abode, and we were highly amused by w^atching 

 the occasional concerted attacks made upon him by 

 jackdaws, which did not seem to relish such a for- 

 midable neighbour. On an old wall we found 

 Linum c dharticum, Saxifraga tridactylites, Linaria 

 cymbalaria, Arenaria serpyllifolia, Sagina, Lactuca 

 muralis, Asplenium ruta muraria, several specimens 

 of epilo'jium, and last, and most noteworthy of all, 

 Meconopsis Cambrica. The finding of this last fairly 

 astonished us, as its station is much to the west 

 and north of us. Has it previously been recorded 

 from this part of Kent ? The small stream along 

 the roadside was profusely ornamented with brook- 

 lime {Veronica beccabunga), Poteiitilla anserina, the 

 Slums, &c. A wall, alongside which flows the 

 stream, was covered about its base with the lovely 

 golden saxifrage {Chrysosplenium oppositifoliam). 



From here we followed the course of the stream, 

 and were rewarded by once more finding many an 

 old floral friend, the sight of which recalled to us 

 other days. A pleasant ride home in the cool 

 evening air, enlivened by the richly-modulated song 

 of the nightingale, the peculiar thrilling notes of the 

 nightjar, and the mellow call of the cuckoo, brought 

 our much-enjoyed afternoon to a close. 



Kew Brompton. J. M. Hepwokth, 



Cockatoos.— It may interest>ome of your readers 

 to know that a rose-breasted cockatoo which I 

 have had in my possession for eighteen years, and 

 kept quite alone, laid an egg in its cage on March 

 13th. It is white^ and of an oval form.— (?. A. B. 



" Ix studying a flower, the first thing to do is to 

 look at it well, so as to get a good notion of its 

 general form and appearance ; and in proceeding to 

 dissect it, the beginner must start with the idea 

 that he has a machine made of several parts, more 

 or less complicated, to pull to pieces." — Masters' s 

 " Botany for Beginners." 



