HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



llowered species ; Ccr'mthe glabra ; Corydalis fabacea, 

 woods ; Cotoneaster vulgaris ; Campanula barbata , 

 frequent on subalpine pastures, and a handsome plant, 

 though stunted and few-flowered at higher elevations. 

 Gt'/tiiaiia cri/ciata ; ciliata ; Gcrviaiiica; dry woods and 

 pastures ; utriculosa, wet pastures, rare ; calyx winged, 

 the tube inflated ; ciliata has a 4-fid calyx and 

 4 to 5-fid corolla, of which the lobes are fringed 

 below ; crttciata has a whorled inflorescence, and 

 is allied to liitea ; Hieracium Jacquinii ; villosum ; 

 Laserpitiiim latifoliiim ; Silcr ; Malva Alcca; Plantago 

 alpiiia ; viontana ( = a/?-ata) ; Pediadaris verticillata ; 

 Rhaunms piiniila, ascent from Erlenbach, rocks be- 

 fore coming to the tarn. Seseli Libanotis ; Stellaria 

 lumorum ; Sioertia pcrennis ; marshy places. Strep- 

 topus amplexifolius : woods ; rare ; a liliaceous plant, 

 with habit of Polygonatum, leaves closely set, am- 

 plexicaul, flowers greenish-white, solitary, on filiform 

 interpetiolar peduncles ; Scab/osa liicida. 



II. Upper section, above 5000 feet : Adenostyles 

 albifrons ; Anemone a Ipina ; narcissijiora ; Aniherimm 

 servtimtm ; above, on the steep incline towards the 

 Wallalp. Astrantia minor ; Aqiiilegia alpina ; rare ; 

 Arctostaphylos alpina; ascent from Niederstocken 

 and near the Wallalp. Androsace chama:jas?)ie ; Hel- 

 vetica; piibescens (= alpina) ; all three species in rock 

 crevices near the summit. Aster alpinus ; Allium 

 Victorialis ; AthamantaCretensis ; Avena distichophylla ; 

 Arenaria polygonoides ; Biscutella hvvigata; Bnpleiiruni 

 ramtnculoides ; stellatum. This species is a some- 

 what larger plant, with less leafy stems than ramin- 

 ciiloides ; involucral bracts large, mucronulate ; those 

 of the involucels connate below. Cherleria sedoides ; 

 Carex atrata ; firma ; tenuis = br achy sia chy s ; Schrank; 

 ascent from Erlenbach, before coming to the tarn. 

 Campaniila t/iyrsoidea ; inflorescence in a leafy thyrsoid 

 spike, flowers imbricated, of a yellowish colour ; 

 near spicata ; rocky places high up. Draba tomentosa ; 

 nivalis, a var. of Johannis ( = Carynthiaca) ; stellata, 

 another var. of Johannis (= var. )3. minor ; other 

 synonyms of nivalis are Jladnizensis and alpina, var. 

 minor) ; aizoides ; incatia ( = contorta ; confusa') ; 

 Pyrenaica ( = Petrocallis Pyrenaica) ; near the summit. 

 Erigeron alpinus ; iniijlorus ; Festuca pumila ; nigrcs- 

 cens ; violacea ; Globularia nudicaulis ; cordifolia ; 

 Gentiana acaulis ; Bavarica ; nivalis ; verna ; Geum 

 vtontanum ; Gymnadeiiia odoratissima ; between the 

 Aelpithal and Wallalp, ascent from Thun ; differs from 

 conopsca in its narrower leaves and much smaller, 

 stronger - scented flowers. Gnaphalinm dioicum ; 

 Carpathicum {— alpinum) ; Leontopodiiim ; summit; 

 Gaya simplex ; Hedysarum obscurutn ; Hutchinsia 

 alpina ; Hieracium aurantiacum ; alpinum ; Helian- 

 ihemum celandicum ; jfuncus filiformis ; triglumis ; 

 Linum viontanum ; Lonicera alpigena ; Leucanthe- 

 mum alpinum; Luzula spicata; Meutn Mutellina ; 

 Myosotis alpestris ; Nigritella angustifolia ; Orchis 

 globosa ; pallens ; OnobrycFiis inoniana ; Orobus luteus ; 

 Oxytropis montana ; Halleri ; campestris ; and van; 



rocky debris in company with montana, which 

 much resembles in habit ; the flowers are yellowish, 

 with a violet spot on the keel near the point (a var. 

 of montana ? ). Phaca australis ; astragalina ;f7-igida ; 

 Primula viscosa ; Pinguicula alpina ; Pedicularis foliosa ; 

 versicolor; RhamuJis pumila; rocks, ascent from 

 Erlenbach before coming to the tarn, Rosa alpina, 

 var. Pyrenaica ; Rhododendrons both species ; Salix 

 reticulata ; myrsiniies ; retusa ; habit of reticulata, but 

 leaves sessile retuse as indicated, and their nerves 

 parallel ; hastata, leaves certainly not hastate in the 

 ordinary acceptance of the term, but oval or oblong. 

 Senecio co7-datus (= alpinus, Cineraria cordifolia) 

 about the chalets frequently ; nebrodensis ( = lyrati- 

 foliiis), Wallalp ; aurantiacus, near the summit. 

 Silene acaulis ; quadrifida ; this is a delicate little 

 plant with slender subdichotomous stems, usually 

 one-flowered, petals quadridentate, white ; wet places 

 among the rocks. Sempervivum tectoruni ; Saxifraga 

 oppositifolia ; ccesia ; planifolia ; Sedum atratum ; Solda- 

 nella alpina ; Spergula saginoides ; Trifoliu?n alpinum ; 

 Tozzia alpina, wet places by the Mieschfluh and 

 Stockentarn. Viola calcarata ; lutea grandijlora {= '! 

 Sudetica) ; intermediate between calcarata and the 

 variable tricolor, from which it differs in being per- 

 ennial, and in the form of its stipules and showy 

 yellow flowers streaked with purplish-black lines ; 

 its caulescent habit and much shorter spur distinguish 

 it from yellow-flowered varieties of calcarata ; plenti- 

 ful on the grassy inclines high up; Veronica bellidioides. 



On the Neunenen grow also Agrostis rupestris; 

 Androsace lactea ; Arenaria ciliata, var. grandifora ; 

 Campanula linijolia ; Carex capillaris ; sempervircns ; 

 Gnaphalium stipinum, var. pusillum ; Polygala alpes- 

 tris ; leaves rosulate, resembles calcarea somewhat, 

 but flowers half the size ; Poa distichophylla ; Rumex 

 sciitatus. 



The Niesen, 7750 feet, may be ascended from 

 Thun by way of Wimmis ; from Interlachen, from 

 either Heustrichsbad, or Frutigen, all three bridle- 

 paths, and all falling into each other half-way up. At 

 Stalden, the last portion of the way is zigzag up very 

 steep grassy slopes. Near the last chalet is a high 

 peak called the Bettfluh, 8000 feet ; to the right of 

 this is the actual summit, a pile of shattered rock like 

 the ruins of some vast pyramid ; magnificent view of 

 the Bernese Alps. Directly opposite is the Bliimlis 

 Alp with the rest of the chain right and left of it 

 from the Wetterhorn to the Altels. The base and 

 flanks of this Niesen are of limestone, but the upper 

 portion is composed of gneiss and granite. Displace- 

 ments and distortions, added to the great changes 

 efi"ected by metamorphism, make of Swiss Alpine 

 geology a very difficult and complicated study, so 

 that in some localities it is hard to determine what is 

 igneous and what is truly sedimentary formation. In 

 many places along the northern face of the Alps one 

 may observe (the effect of contortions) limestone 

 underlying primitive rock ; as in the Mettenberg base 



