i4<5 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



and other articles of this description. Though the 

 quarries have only recently been opened, a very con- 

 siderable industry has already sprung up in the stone, 

 which somewhat resembles marble in appearance. 



Soon afterwards we reached Saillon, and on the 

 castle hill gathered Scorzonera austriaca, Onosma 

 stellulatum, and Ononis Columnce, the latter not in 

 full flower; and, descending to the town, Isatis 

 tinctoria. We now crossed the Rhone, and near the 

 banks gathered Orchis latifolia and Camelina sativa ; 

 and then, after a weary tramp along a straight 

 shelterless road for some two miles, reached Saxon. 

 Here we were more fortunate than at Fully, and 

 after some luncheon, finding there was still a good 

 time before the departure of the afternoon train to 

 Martigny, we strolled through the town. The baths 

 still attract a considerable number of visitors, but 

 before the suppression of the gambling-tables the 

 village must have been a very lively place in the 

 season. Behind the village rises a range of moun- 

 tains, the best known peak of which is the Pierre-a- 

 voir (8123 ft.), a famous point of view. On the 

 flanks of this range we gathered Adonis vernalis, 

 covering a large space with its beautiful golden 

 flowers, and Veronica prostrata, and then returned to 

 the station and took the train to Martigny, where 

 we arrived in time for dinner, very tired, but well 

 satisfied with the results of our first day. Rising 

 early next morning, we mounted the hill near the 

 station, gathering Sisymbrium Thalianum, Onosma 

 stellulatum, Allium vineale, and Helianthetmim 

 Futnana, and a few others, and descended in time 

 for breakfast and to catch the 7 a.m. train for 

 Riddes, where we left the train, sending our baggage 

 on to Sion. Our route now lay along the left bank 

 of the Rhone, and before long yielded us Typha 

 Laxmanni, a beautiful little plant, Carex vesicaria in 

 swampy ground, and on the cliffs to our right Diplo~ 

 taxis tenuifolia ; out of easy reach grew Ononis 

 rotundifolia, but our day's journey was to be too 

 long a one for us to delay to climb after it. Before 

 long we gathered Dracocephalnm austriacum, a 

 beautiful Labiate plant with large purple flowers, 

 growing in a locality recently discovered, and almost 

 the only one now left in Switzerland. Along with it 

 grew Thalictrum fcetidum and Veronica prostrata. 

 Here we rested for a while under some fine walnut 

 trees, chatting with a well-to-do peasant who owned 

 a considerable extent of land covered with well- 

 grown fruit-trees. Starting off again, we tramped 

 for about two hours along the bank of the Rhone, a 

 most unpleasant walk — fine white sand in which the 

 foot sank deeply at each step, a broiling sun and 

 not a breath of air, and what is more, not a single 

 interesting plant to enliven the way. Crossing the 

 Rhone opposite Vetroz, we gathered Hieraceum 

 lanatum, growing amongst the stones of the embank- 

 ment, and shortly after, Ephedra distachya, Ifeli- 

 anthemum CElundicum, Ononis rotundifolia, Achillea 



setacea, and Sclerochloa dura, but our search for 

 Androsace maxima was fruitless. Passing over 

 Montorge, a hill on the road to Sion, we found 

 Arabis turrita and Amygdalus communis, the latter 

 growing in what to me looked suspiciously like an 

 abandoned garden. It was now a good deal past 

 midday, and we were almost done up with the heat, 

 so we descended into Sion, and sending for our traps 

 from the station, pressed our plants while dinner was 

 preparing. Later on we strolled up the hill on 

 which the old Episcopal castle is built, we gathered 

 Vicia lathyroides, Veronica verna, and Allium sp/nrro- 

 cephalum, and then back to the town to discuss plans 

 for the next day. After feeling much tempted to 

 search for Cypripedium calceolus and other plants on 

 the hill on the opposite side of the valley, the 

 knowledge that several rarities were to be had at the 

 entrance of the Visp Thai, leading to Zermatt, de- 

 cided us to proceed thither. Foolishly we postponed 

 our departure till the first train next morning, and 

 thus shortened by several hours the last day of our 

 excursion. It was nearly ten when we alighted at 

 the Visp station, and already very hot, so we lost no 

 time in starting off in search of the two specialities 

 we had in view — Arabis auriculata and Silene vallesia. 

 Our hopes of finding the latter were soon destroyed, 

 as we saw plants growing in a garden at Visp which 

 showed no sign of flower. Soon after leaving the 

 station we found Erysimum Helveticum, DapJine 

 alpina, Juniperus Sabina, Arabis saxatilis and A. 

 muralis, Hxttchinsia petraa, Hieracium piclum, and 

 several other species of this difficult genus, Viola 

 arvensis, var. minima, and Salvia officinalis. Near 

 Stalden were gathered Crupina vulgaris, Veronica 

 triphyltos, Trigo?iella monspeliaca, Saxifraga tridacty- 

 litcs, and after looking longingly up the valleys 

 leading left and right to Zermatt and Saas re- 

 spectively, we retraced our steps to Visp, and took 

 the evening train back to Bex. 



It will be understood that in this brief account of a 

 three days' excursion, all the plants seen are not 

 named, but only those which we had not previously 

 gathered. Nor would any stranger to the valley be 

 able in so short a time to find all the species 

 mentioned, but one of us having visited the neigh- 

 bourhood on a previous occasion, was able to find 

 many of the localities without much difficulty. 



H. 



NOTES ON THE EIGHTH EDITION OF THE 

 LONDON CATALOGUE OF BRITISH 

 PLANTS. 



By Arthur Bennett, F.L.S. 



[Continued from page 131.] 



1673 is 1520, 7th cd. 



1673 d is a var. with aristate glumes. 



1674 is 1 52 1, 7 th ed. 



