THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 11 



The flagman near this place, through his interest, be- 

 came acquainted with everyone seeking treasure, there, 

 and in lieu of a policeman, we told our botanical troubles 

 to him. He it was, who, two \'ears ago, said to me, that 

 after Mr. Buchheister had passed along with his yellow 

 thistle, a man seeing it, said, "I'd give five dollars to have 

 found that." 



Every one of my trips \vas gladdened by the fact, that 

 although any number of ragged little bo^^s bathed there, 

 and all sorts and conditions of people came for a breath 

 of air, our capers at the water's edge still throve, undis- 

 turbed. Last week, while taking Miss Ryon (of Ne\v 

 London) to this ballast ground, I told her of all we might 

 naturally expect to find. To our great disma3^, there was 

 no sign of the caper, the yellow thistle, another valuable 

 thistle with purple flowers, the patch of poppies, a tinA- 

 fumaria and many other good things from both conti- 

 nents. The disappearance of many of these plants is not 

 due to., improvement, the usual apologA- for wholesale 

 iDotanical extermination, but to one who knew \vhat he 

 was about. It seems a pit^^ that these plants could not 

 have been left to gladden the hearts of future collectors, 

 who would have been satisfied with a couple of flowers, 

 thus carrj'ing out the precept of our late secretary, Wm. 

 MacDonald, '*0f a little, take a little, leave a little." 



Among a bunch of flowers, buttercups, daisies and 

 clovers, evidenth' dropped b^^ a child, were several spikes 

 of a bearded grass as fine as silk. It was new to both of 

 us, and we hunted vainly for the parent plant. I have 

 since come across one similar specimen in an herbarium 

 collection from the west, but could not learn the name. 

 However, mjr swan will doubtless prove a goose as has 

 heretofore happened. 



Plants found within a few years, in the ballast region 

 from Port Morris to Hunt's Point include Sisymbrium so- 

 phia, Thlaspi arvense, (mithridate mustard) rareh^ natu- 

 ralized, Ballota nigra (black horehound), Marrubium 

 Yulgare, (common \'\OYt\iound),Papaver argemone (prick- 



