26 FLORA OF THE BRISTOL COAL-FIELD. 



absent from any English comity, this grass is little 

 known in the vicinity of Bristol. Until last sum- 

 mer we supposed that it could not be found nearer 

 than the Mendips in Somersetshire, or on Yate 

 Common in the northern division of the district. 

 Molinia is not mentioned in Swete's book, nor in 

 any list of Bristol plants with which I am ac- 

 quaihted. But in the Stephens Herbarium there 

 are specimens from " Durdham Down," not dated. 

 Dr. Stephens was an accurate botanist, and his col- 

 lection is excellent ; but unluckily for those who 

 are engaged in working out the distribution of 

 Bristol plants, he very rarely attached to his speci- 

 mens the locality and date of their collection. All 

 that we knew, therefore, was that some thirty or 

 forty years ago the " purple hair-grass " had been 

 gathered on our downs, and had probably been 

 extirpated since that time by some adverse in- 

 fluence. Consequently it was with some astonish- 

 ment that last September I observed a large 

 quantity of the plant flowering among the furze- 

 bushes near the band-stand on Clifton Down, and 

 also in another spot close to the fountain. The 

 stems, being mostly a yard high, were noticeable 

 at a distance, and, at the latter place, could be 

 recognised from the road. Mr. Wheeler informs 

 me that about the same time he likewise observed 

 it on Durdham Down, near the Grully. 

 It cannot be deemed possible that the conspicuous 

 panicles of Molinia^ had they been regularly pro- 

 duced, season after season, could have escaped 

 notice in spots so much frequented, and have been 

 entirely overlooked by scores of botanists who 



