344 CHARLES CARDALE BABINGTON. [1860 



only exists in places where it has almost certainly been planted (and 

 I know of no other in this county) it must have a f stuck upon it. 

 I fear that the claims here of Poteriwni muricatum are very small. I 

 might perhaps safely and wisely have used the dagger to some of 

 the other plants which you enumerate, but not to all of them. I 

 am not clearly informed so as to brand the two small Fuinarias con- 

 scientiously. They may probably be true chalk plants. Chrysan- 

 themum segetum, on the other hand, is a true plant of the black soil 

 (peat), and I believe it is native. Melilotus arvensis might well have 

 been marked, but I think not, Vicia gracilis. My estimates in 

 Appendix x. 4 are taken in the same groups as Watson takes them 

 in the "Cybele," viz., groups of vice-counties, decreasing by one 

 each time. I thought that better than arranging by number of 

 species, especially as Watson had done it for Great Britain. Have 

 you any idea of what Newbould has in view after the next few 

 months 1 He has told me nothing about his prospects. I wish 

 that his careful study in London could lead to his giving us some 

 results in a public form. But I have no hopes of such being the 

 case, and fear that he cannot be persuaded to act for himself in 

 botany. I think it likely that you are correct in joining Stellaria 

 umhrosa and neglecta. Have you observed the great omission in 

 Kindberg's essay ? viz., the total want of any characters for his 

 Stirpes except the annual or perennial roots. I find the want of 

 these very perplexing in the endeavour to identify our plants with 

 his. Lepigonum negledum = L. ruhrum yS medium Bab. ; L. rupicola 

 seems common ; L. marinum is the only one with the smooth 

 mostly-winged seeds. Except L. riibrum I have seen no other 

 kind in Britain. I am glad that the "Flora of Cambridgeshire" 

 pleases you. As to its comparison with other local floras I may 

 remind you that there is but one on the same plan, viz., Webb and 

 Coleman's of Hertfordshire, or, to a certain extent, Baker's Supple- 

 ment to the Yorkshire, unless, indeed, you allow my "Primitiae 

 Florae Sarnicae " to have been on the same plan, and the first on 

 that plan. There the islands form separate districts. I have already 

 had a few corrections, such as learning that Hypericum elodes con- 

 tinues to inhabit the ditch bounding the county near Gamlingay ; 

 Statice caspia ought to have been mentioned as a native of the nmih 

 coast of Norfolk ; Trifolium ochroleucum grows in Eton Socon parish, 

 in Bedfordshire; please on p. 318 (in section 13) erase Teesdalia 

 nudicaulis, inserted by an oversight ; at p. 85 for Lepigonum medium 

 read L. negledum. I have got young plants of Papaver Lecoqii (Cam- 

 bridge, and Eochfort in Belgium) and L. Lamottei of Sheffield and 

 Belgium growing in the Botanic Garden. I shall return here after 

 the British Association Meeting at Oxford to follow their growth 

 until they fruit. Why should not you go to the Oxford Meeting 

 for a few days 1 Newbould thinks of doing so. It will not be 

 expensive, and you would see and hear much. It begins on Wed- 

 nesday, June 27. — Yours truly, Charles C. Babington. 



