Nov. 1, 1869.] 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



259 



BOTANY. 



Lastrea Montana. — Several of the standard 

 works on British ferus, in describing the vernation 

 of Lastrea montana, state that the pinna; " are not 

 convoluted I have examined several plants of 

 montana during the expansion of their fronds, and 

 have always found that the pinnae are convolute. I 

 should like to know if any of your correspondents 

 have noticed the same character. — /. Morley, Jun. 



Veronica Buxeatjimii.— It may interest your 

 correspondent "R. W." if I mention that Veronica 

 Buxbuumii was three years ago (when I was living 

 there) very abundant in my garden at Evenlode, 

 near Moreton- in- Marsh, Gloucestershire. It was 

 fond of rubbish-heaps, but was also so abundant 

 all over my kitchen garden as to be a nuisance. — W. 

 Hambrough. 



CONVALLARIA VERTIC1LLATA. — In books Oil 



botany it is commonly stated that the principal 

 native habitat of this plant is the Den of Rechip, 

 five miles from the beautiful village of Dunkeld and 

 the famous hill of Birnam, in Perthshire. It is pos- 

 sible it may still be found there, but I am sure it is 

 very rare, if it be not quite extinct. The den or 

 ravine is about a mile and a half in length, thickly 

 wooded on its steep sides, and a sparkling stream 

 running through its midst. A friend and I searched 

 the glen thoroughly in July last, but there was no 

 appearance of Convallaria. The luxuriance of ferns, 

 however, is something remarkable. Dryopteris, 

 Phegopteris, Eilix-fcemina, Dilatata, and others at- 

 tain a prodigious size, and there was one plant 

 covering a considerable space, which we did not 

 expect to find there. This was Saxifraga umbrosa } 

 London Pride, quite naturalized. No doubt it had 

 been planted or its seeds scattered there at some 

 time, but we could not see that it was cultivated in 

 any of the cottage gardens at the foot of the glen. 

 Authors seem to copy the statements of preceding 

 writers without any effort to verify them. Hence 

 habitats are given for plants in which they no longer 

 exist. This is tbe case at least with Epimedium 

 aJpinum, said to grow on Carrock and Skiddaw, in 

 Cumberland. There is no such plant there now. — 

 R. W. 



The Holly.— May I be permitted to ask Mrs- 

 Watney in what part of Wales the Holly is called 

 "Hellig," as there must be error somewhere. It 

 would be a pity to demolish so much ingenuity as 

 Mrs. Watney has displayed in tracing the etymology 

 of the Holly ; but I am afraid it must be done, for 

 the simple reason that tbe name "Helyg" (which 

 no doubt, is the same as Hellig) is uot the name of 

 the Holly at all, but of the Willow, — at least, it has 

 this name in eight Welsh counties, and in every Welsh 



writer on plants that I am acquainted with (take 

 "Davies's Welsh Botanology" for a standard). I 

 know not whether Mrs. Watney is a proficient in 

 her native language or not ; if so, the error may be 

 only one of substitution. The Welsh name for 

 holly is Celyn, as every Welshman knows : thus we 

 have Bryn-Celyn, holly-bank, &c. However, as Mrs. 

 Watney's propositions are only advanced as a 

 fancy, without positiveness, it is not so great a 

 matter, though I am afraid her "conclusions'' 

 about Holly and Hellig will be found more fanciful 

 than real. — Thomas Williams, Bath Lodge, Orms- 

 hirk. 



Holly (p. 235).— When I read Mrs. Watney's 

 note, in which she derives our English name 

 "Holly" from the Welsh "Hellig," it struck me 

 that, although the derivation seemed so probable, 

 there must be some mistake, as / bad always heard 

 th e Holly called Celyn (pronounced Kellvi) in Wales. 

 I thought it possible, however, that the word 

 "Hellig" might also mean "Holly" (as indeed it 

 may, for anything I know to the contrary, iu South 

 Wales) ; so I referred to a dictionary, and a Welsb 

 Herbal, compiled by the Bev. John Williams in 

 1737. There I find " Hellig " is given as the 

 Welsh for " a willow tree." I think, in all proba- 

 bility, the word " Holly " is derived from the Celtic; 

 not, however, from " Hellig," but from Celyn, which, 

 by an easy change, becomes llollin, — a word still in 

 use in many country places, and which is also the 

 name of the plant in the ,Manx language, another 

 branch of the Celtic ; and this has been shortened 

 into " Holly."— Robert Holland. 



Elora of Middlesex. — This excellent Flora by 

 Messrs. Trimen and Dyer, is just published. It 

 forms an imposing volume of 42S crown octavo 

 pages, and will, we imagine, fully gratify the most 

 sanguine expectations of the subscribers. It is our 

 intention to give a more extended notice of this 

 work at an early date, and only mention it now in 

 order that all London and Middlesex botanists may 

 secure copies. 



Fagtjs sylvatica. — Many of our beech-trees here 

 are infested by a minute insect, of a scarlet colour, 

 which envelops itself in a kind of white downy 

 matter, so that the bark is quite white in places. 

 I have heard it called, though perhaps only vulgarly, 

 the " American bug." Several fine trees have died 

 in consequence of these insects preying upon the 

 bark. As I bave not to my knowledge seen these 

 in any other place, might I ask some one conversant 

 with the subject, to name and give some account of 

 these pests. If not beyond the scope of your jour- 

 nal, I should be glad to know some successful means 

 of saving the trees by exterminating the destroyers. 

 —H. N., Oscott. 



