FURTHER NOTES ON THE FLORA OF DENBIGHSHIRE 6 



between Yspytty If an, Pentre Foelas, and Cerrig-y-Druidion. The 

 lonely mountainous country in this part of Denbighshire offers 

 botanical possibilities, and many of the remote rocky nants here- 

 abouts should well repay attention. I regret that, owing to the 

 limited time at my disposal and the difficult nature of the district, 

 I had to leave several tempting spots unexplored. 



Another month was spent in systematic investigation of the 

 flora of the county in 1912. Bhyd-y-Foel (= "The Ford of the 

 Bald Hill"), inland of Llanddulas in the north of Denbighshire, 

 served as a centre for a fortnight in August. The carboniferous 

 limestone is well developed in this neighbourhood, and in con- 

 junction with the varied character of the district conduces to a 

 rich and interesting flora. After leaving Ehyd-y-Foel, I went on 

 to Llansannan (= "The Church of St. Sannan"), a secluded spot 

 among the Hiraethog Hills, where I stayed for a fortnight. 

 Surrounding Llansannan, and especially to the south, east, south- 

 east, and south-west, there is a wild and somewhat dreary expanse 

 of country, where habitations are few and far between, and where 

 a stranger or tourist is rarely seen. This extensive tract of 

 Wenlock Shale supports a rather monotonous moorland vegetation, 

 consisting largely of Calluna vulgaris, Erica cinerea, Vaccinium 

 Myrtillus, Nardus stricta, Molinia ccerulea, and Empetrum nigrum. 

 Here and there, but of less frequent general occurrence, are Erica 

 Tetralix and Viola lutea. Perhaps the most interesting localities 

 to a naturalist in such a district are the nants and lakes, which 

 yield a pleasant variety by comparison. 



In such an area as we have in mid-Denbighshire, it is hardly re- 

 markable that old customs, traits and superstitions die hard, thanks 

 to the absence of railways and through comparative seclusion from 

 the outer busy world. Here one may still encounter inhabitants 

 who are quite ignorant of a single word of English. There are 

 little mountain farms and cottages where rush-lights are still 

 burnt and the quaint old-fashioned rush-light-holders — canwyll 

 pren canwyll frioyn — are yet employed. Notwithstanding the 

 general adoption of the threshing machines, there are still a few 

 inhabitants of this area who perforin their threshing with a 

 primitive arrangement known as a ffust, or what we should call a 

 flail. The mowing machine is practically unknown in many of 

 the upland farms, where the primitive scythe and sickle are still in 

 general use for reaping. 



Clematis Vitalba L. A patch on the road between Llanddulas 

 and the sea, 1912, F. M. T. ! South-west slope of Bryn Euryn, 

 1909, Mrs. Neiv. Boadside hedge, Llysfaen Hill, Russell Trevor 

 Quarry, near Cefn, abundant, 1875, Kb. Whitwell ! Trevor Kocks, 

 1881, Kb. Ruddy ! Garden hedge by smithy, Bryn, between 

 Buabon and Erbistock, 1911, Loftus ! Bank of Nant Tyrel, close 

 to confluence with Dee, ibid. A patch on shingle between 

 Llanddulas and Llysfaen, 1912. Close to the road just north of 

 Glan Conway. Above the church at Llansantffraid Glan Conway. 

 Boadside at Pentre felin, towards Llangollen. 



