■'1909. Daviks. — Bryologlcal Notes from Down and Louth, i 



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of some value, a slight doubt attaches to the identification. 

 Mr. Dixon, to whom specimens were sent, says ''^ P. capillaris 

 in all probability," and Mr. W. E. Nicholson, who has also 

 obligingly examined specimens, while finding it somewhat 

 difficult, in the absence of male flowers, to pronounce a posi- 

 tive judgment, writes : -" Probably P. capillaris. Your speci- 

 mens are slightly more robust than I find in Sussex, on damp 

 sandy earth, but it agrees substantiall}^ in other respects." 



In August a brief sojourn was made at Greenore in County 

 Louth. Though any attempt at extended walks or hill- 

 climbing had then been forbidden me, yet in I'ambling about 

 here and there, a few noteworthy mosses were observed. Per- 

 haps the most interesting, and that the gathering of which 

 afforded keenest pleasure, is ^7;2(5/y<7^(:7;^ dealbatiis. It occurs 

 in a damp sand}' hollow near the shore of Carlingford Lough, 

 not far from Greenore. M3' attention was drawn to the spot 

 by a growth of Eleocharis 2iniglitmis, Lepturus filiformis, and 

 other plants, and it was when gathering some of these for in- 

 terested friends, that the distinctive form of the capsules of 

 our moss caught my eye. In County Down, one of the five 

 Irish counties for which it has been recorded, it is believed to 

 be now extinct. Discovered there byTempleton more than a 

 century ago, it has frequently been sought by subsequent 

 botanists, but has never been refound. Bryimi inttrmediiim^ 

 which seems to be equally rare with us, was also gathered in 

 close proximity to the Amblyodon. 



It was not until my return that it was ascertained from the 

 serviceable and ably edited Census Catalogue of British Mosses, 

 recently published, that some of the commonest species have 

 not been recorded for Louth (31), such, for example, as Brytwi 

 capilla7'e and B. argenteum. Being unprovided with a list, 

 unrecorded common species were not sought, else the few in 

 number that were observed might, doubtless, have been in- 

 creased. Other species more or less infrequent were also 

 noticed, but only those which are first records for the county 

 are here specified. New records for either county are indi- 

 cated b}^ an asterisk. 



To Mr. H. N. Dixon, Mr. W. E. Nicholson, and Mr. W. 

 Ingham best thanks are rendered for their kind examination 

 of specimens submitted and for much valued information. 



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