' THREE DAYS IN CAERNARVONSHIRE. 41 



elevations, differ conspicuously from that of the Oolite of Yorkshire. The 

 former taken as a whole are "engeogenous/' the latter typically ^'dysgeogenous," 

 and I found, as indeed I was quite prepared to anticipate, from what I 

 had previously read upon the subject, a great contrast to what I had been 

 in the habit of seeing at home in the species that presented themselves 

 to view, and their relative prominence and predominance. There is no 

 department of science that I should like better to attempt to investigate 

 than this question, but unfortunately data are at present too scanty to 

 allow of satisfactory conclusions being drawn. 



There is much beautiful scenery for the tourist to admire in the vicinity 

 of Bangor. Several rare mosses have been gathered in this neighbourhood, 

 amongst which I may mention Hypnum elodes fluviatiUj and irriguum, 

 and Bryum obconicum. 



We left our Inn about six o'clock, intending to walk to Caernarvon 

 that evening. On the walls along the roadside we collected a few speci- 

 mens of Ptychomitrium polyphyllum, B. and S., {Trichostomum, Schwaegr,) 

 and noticed it more or less all the way between Bangor and Pen y gwryd. 

 We were much struck with the great abundance and large size of Clau- 

 silia nigricans and Zonites rotundatus, which were crawling about the stone • 

 walls in all directions; and some of the larger Helices — aspersa, hyhrida, 

 nemoralis, etc., here attain most unusual dimensions. About two miles 

 from Bangor, we observed a single patch of that elegant and interesting 

 moss Bryum atropurpureum, and, in close proximity to it, B. cernuum, 

 and a small quantity of Entodhodon Templetoni, growing in the midst of 

 a tuft of that species so well known on the continent under the name 

 of "La charhonniere" Funaria nygromtirica. 



In the neighbourhood of Caernarvon, the walls are covered with a thick 

 vestiture of LesJcea sericea, and Hypnum serpens. Doubtless other species 

 occur, but the dusk precluded minute examination. We reached the ancient 

 town about nine o'clock, and found comfortable quarters at an inn adjacent 

 to the castle. 



At an early hour next morning we turned out for the purpose of making 

 acquaintance with the lions of the locality. The castle, historically cele- 

 brated as being the birth-place of the second Edward, of course claimed 

 a fair share of our attention. At breakfast we set about inquiring the 

 distances of our proposed route. The waiter gave us to understand, amongst 

 other items of information, that Dolbadarn was ten miles distant, and that 

 an omnibus, trustworthy and excellent in every respect, etc., etc., would 

 leave the inn at ten o'clock; but we considered that on the whole we pre- 

 ferred a more unconfined, if lowlier, method of locomotion. 



The road we followed was bounded on either side with stone walls, on 

 which grew Ceratodon purpureiis, (Didymodon, H. & T.,) Eacomitrium 



VOL. VI. G 



