1859—60] BOTANICAL CORRESPONDENCE. 335 



few localities for them from the herbarium. On my way back I 

 spent a day very pleasantly at York with James Backhouse. Lately 

 1 have been to Wisbech, with much advantage to my " Cambridge 

 Flora." I now fancy that I am settled down for the winter. I 

 believe that Newbould has got your Arenaria serpyllifolia, at least 

 he lately told me something about an A. macroclados (I think he 

 called it) in connexion with you. I hope that you will be able to 

 read this unusually bad scrawl. — And believe me to be, yours ever, 

 Charles C. Babington. 



To the Kev. W. H. Purchas. 



Cambridge, Oct. 14, 1859. 



Dear Purchas, — I have much pleasure in doing all that I can to 

 remove your difficulty relative to the Ranunculus. I have nothing 

 exactly like it with floating leaves, but possess specimens without 

 them (from the river Dove and from Coventry), which I think must 

 be the same plant. I call them forms of the very variable R. hetero- 

 phjUus, and to that I also place your specimens. It seems remarkable 

 from its very much reflexed and tolerably persistent calyx. Boreau 

 has several more supposed species which I cannot identify, and 

 suspect are not your plant. I therefore recommend calling it a form 

 of R. heterophyllus until we know more about the French plants. I 

 am glad to learn that you are taking to the Brambles, and hope that 

 you may succeed in understanding them. I expect that the prevalent 

 species differ from those of some other parts of the country. I have 

 got nearly all the materials for an elaborate monograph of Rubi Brit, 

 and should like some time to have the advantage of examining at 

 leisure all your specimens, if only for the purpose of adding to my 

 materials for the geographical distribution of them. This winter I 

 shall be at work at the "Flora of Cambridgeshire"; after that I 

 hope to take up the work on Rubi and print next winter. I had a 

 pleasant time in Scotland, and should have had pleasure in returning 

 by a round-about way if I could have seen you. — Yours very truly, 

 Charles C. Babington. 



To the same. 



Cambridge, Feb. 7, 1860. 



Dear Purchas, — I shall be glad to look over the Rubi, and will 

 carefully return them to you. Perhaps the best way would be for 

 the parcel to come direct to me here by rail, as I shall not at all 

 object to the expense of carriage. I suppose that now I shall have 

 time to study them, as I have got over my duties as Geological 

 Examiner, and nearly finished my " Flora of Cambridgeshire " for 

 the press. I consider that Arenaria leptoclados is a good species. 

 It is not in G. and G.* It is my var. tenuior of A. serpyllifolia. 1 

 fear that you will have .... to purchase a copy of Boreau's 

 "Flore du centre de la France," ed. 3. Nothing can well be done 



* Grenier and Godron. 



