MR selby's address. 83 



been comparatively rare throughout the district for the last two 

 years. Among the plants which attracted notice in the bog, were 

 the Typha latifolia, and Spergula nodosa ; and the pretty moss 

 Orthotrichum pulchellum^ was gathered from the bark of some of the 

 trees. From the Ilorse-bog, the rill which afterwards forms the fall 

 of the Routing'Lynn, takes its origin ; and by its margins, which pre- 

 sently become steep and clothed with hazel, the party pursued their 

 path towards the main object of the walk, — their progress at times 

 arrested by one of Flora's beauteous gifts, the flight of a passing in- 

 sect, or by the desire to pluck, as well as crack, the now embrowned 

 nuts, which hung in, clusters, most enticing, from the surrounding 

 spray. Arrived at the important point, where the rivulet first 

 throws itself over a ledge of rock, all doubts as to the accuracy of the 

 first zealous discoverer of the Royal Fern were dissipated, when we 

 beheld our worthy associate, Dr Douglas, with joyful and exulting 

 mein, brandish aloft a frond, and, in loud Stentorian voice, exclaim 

 Eureka ! 



The habitat of this interesting plant was at the margin of the first 

 or small cascade, situated about fifty yards above the higher and 

 more beautiful fall, called the Routing-Lynn. Two plants only were 

 observed in this locality, each sending up three or four fronds about 

 18 or 20 inches in height ; nor could another specimen be detected 

 in any other part of the rocky dingle below. 



Another ancient fort on the left of the Dean, having arrested at- 

 tention for a few minutes, the party proceeded to descend by a steep 

 and slippery path to the bottom of the higher cascade. Here the soli- 

 tude of the scene, the almost concave breast of richly coloured rock 

 over which the streamlet fell, the tangled copse-wood which sur- 

 rounded us, and hung in festoons over a portion of the basin of the 

 fall, all conspired to render the Lynn an object of extreme beauty, 

 and a fitting subject to embellish a future number of our transac- 

 tions. Besides the Osmunda^ several other Ferns were observed in 

 the vicinity of the fall, viz., Scolopendnum vulgare, Asplenium Jllix 

 foemina, Adiantum nigrum, &nd Blechnum boreale;Sind a white variety 

 of Erica tetralix was gathered here by one of the party. Descend- 

 ing the Dean, interesting from its devious windings, and the na- 

 tural copse-wood which still clothes its sides, the party proceeded 

 towards Fenton, and from thence, along the elevated ridge which 

 reconducts to Ford. During this portion of the walk, though little 

 occurred to interest the naturalist, attention was often arrested, 



