1897.] CoLGAN. — Euphrasia Salisburgettsis in Ireland, 107 



And, finally, after examination of More's specimens, Babing- 

 ton writes, April 17, i860 : — 



" I certainly think that your Euphrasia is the same as mine from 

 Aran. It comes very near to Salisbtirgensis, although the true Continental 

 plant has even more deeply jagged leaves than this. I am not inclined 

 to separate the plant {^E. officinalis] into segregate species." 



Still dissatisfied with the uncertainty as to his Galway 

 Euphrasia, More, in the following year, 1861, sent a sheet of 

 specimens through his friend, J. G. Baker, to M. Boreau, 

 author of the Flore du Ceyitre de la F7'ance, by whom they were 

 identified as E. cuprea, Jord. Under that name both the Castle 

 Taylor and the Aran Island plants were recorded in Cyhele 

 Hibernica (1866), as a form of the aggregate E. officinalis 

 which Babington thought it inadvisable to *' split." 



The precise value to be given to Jordan's specific dis- 

 tinctions must depend on the greater or less development of 

 the analytic faculty in the individual student. To many 

 otherwise gifted botanists the true analytic vision is denied ; 

 they lack that instinct of discrimination which has enabled M. 

 Jordan in his Especes vegetales affines to evolve 200 species from 

 the Draba verna of Linnaeus, and for such as these E. cuprea 

 will remain a mere phase of E. Salisbiirgensis. Others may with 

 Nyman rank it as a sub -.species, others again with Gunther 

 Beck as a variety, and so on through all the dwindling grada- 

 tions from species down to " state." As for myself, having 

 compared the Castle Taylor specimens named E, cuprea by 

 Boreau^ with those from Ballyvaughan, I can find no distinction 

 of any importance. Some of the Castle Taylor specimens in 

 their narrower leaves and more truly filiform stems and 

 branches appear to approach closer to typical E. Salisburgensis 

 than the plant from Ballyvaughan, while in the latter the more 

 aristate toothing of the bracts comes closer to the type. 



In short, the late Mr. More's Castle Taylor plant of 1854 

 has as good a title to a place under E. Salisburge7isis, Funk, as 

 those from Menlough and Ballyvaughan, and has certainly 

 a better title to that position than the plant from I,ough Mask. 

 It was simply in deference to Babington's objection to split 



* To one of these specimens is appended the following note in the 

 handwriting of the late A. G. More : " Seen by Bab. same as Aran Isles " 

 [specimen .?] 



