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THE MANX SAND-DUNE FLOEA. 

 By J. W. Hartley and J. A. Wheldon, F.L.S. 



Early in June of the present year we spent half a day on the 

 sand-dunes of the north coast of the Isle of Man. Our chief 

 object was the collection of lichens, but we were also desirous of 

 comparing the vegetation of these dunes with the flora of the 

 similar but more extensive eolian sands of the coasts of Lancashire 

 and Cheshire. The season was too early for a thorough investi- 

 gation of the higher plants, and we are sensible that the lists 

 given are far from complete. Sufficient, however, was noted to 

 show that these dunes are of a totally different type from those 

 of Southport, Wallasey, or St. Anne's. The area of blown sand 

 is not extensive, commencing near Jurby and extending in a 

 narrow belt towards Point of Ayre. Inland the dunes overlie and 

 merge into the boulder clay, which eventually rises into a range 

 of low hills following the coast-line. At Point of Ayre there is a 

 wide expanse of barren heath, where the blown sand only partially 

 covers extensive beds of shingle, and does not form dunes properly 

 so called. 



In many places the sand has been blown away except where- 

 held by the roots of ling and heather, exposing the shingle or 

 boulder clay beneath. The moorland then bears a not distant 

 resemblance to the peat-hags of our moorland summits, only the 

 peaty bases of the stools are composed of sand instead of peat. 

 This ground looked interesting, and appeared to be especially rich 

 in CladonicB, which were fine and well-developed. Unfortunately 

 we arrived too late to give it an adequate examination, and dark- 

 ness coming on we were reluctantly compelled to leave the 

 exploration of this Point of Ayre heathland for a future excursion. 



As compared with that of Southport, the flora of these dunes 

 is poor and uninteresting. The species are fewer and of a less 

 specialized dune-type. The differences which immediately strike 

 the observer may be briefly summarised : — 



(1) The dunes are comparatively flat, and provide less variety 

 of aspect than those of the mainland. The absence of high 

 dunes and intersecting deep hollows, besides affecting the flora, 

 diminishes the picturesqueness of their appearance. 



(2) The whole of the coast we examined, both dunes and 

 heathland, was very dry. There are no wet " slacks." The flora 

 is therefore more uniformly mesophytic and xerophytic than at 

 Southport, the rich bryological and hydrophytic associations of 

 the latter locality not being represented. 



(3) The absence of Salix repens, a dominant species of the 

 Lancashire dunes, enhances the general flatness ; the secondary 

 dunes built up by this species adding greatly to the diversity of 

 the surface when it is present. 



(4) The calciphilous species are less prominent, the restricted 

 calciphile species being absent. 



(5) The larger fungi are very scarce, much more so than on 

 the damper dunes of the mainland, where, from May onwards, 



