NOTES ON LEDUM PALUSTRE. 253 



was due to Mr. Shearer, Bridp^e of Allan, who had 

 discovered it in Blairdrumniond Moss, and that a 

 supply for medical purposes could only be got from 

 the Arctic Regions." Mr. Croall was mistaken in 

 describing the station where the plant was found 

 as Blairdrummond Moss instead of Lecropt Moss ; 

 and that led to a similar error in the List of 

 Plants given in Shearer's Guide-Booh to Stirling, 

 which was based upon the Catalogue of the Field 

 Club compiled by Mr. Croall. My doubts, however, 

 as to its claim to recognition as a British plant had 

 the effect of cooling my interest in it, until the 

 statement by Professor King, to which I have re- 

 ferred, appeared in our Society's Proceedings. I sur- 

 mised that my old acquaintance, the shoemaker, had 

 brought it under the notice of Sir J. D. Hooker ; 

 and having occasion to be at Bridge of Allan on 

 business the other day, I called on Mr. Geddes, when 

 he gave me some important information as to new 

 stations which he had discovered for the Ledum, 

 and also as to its identification by the botanical 

 authorities. 



Mr. Geddes had found it in flower after I had left 

 Bridge of Allan, and its striking apjiearance made 

 him anxious to learn its name. Pie accordingly sent 

 a specimen to Sir Joseph Hooker, in the name of 

 his daughter, as it was one of the plants in her 

 school collection. The specimen was handed by Sir 

 Joseph to Mr. Arthur Bennett, F.L.S., Croydon, by 

 whom it was exhibited at a meeting of the Royal 

 Botanical Society of London; and a vote of thanks 

 to Miss Nellie Geddes was passed by the Society, 

 and transmitted to her by Sir Joseph Hooker in a 

 very kind letter. Mr. Geddes also showed the j^lant 

 to the late Mr. James Ramsay, who was residing for 

 some time at Bridge of Allan, and took him to the 

 moss where it was growing, and Mr. Ramsay was 

 satisfied that it must have been established there 

 for a very long period. 



Being anxious to get a specimen in flowei-, I went 

 to the moss, accompanied by my friend, but the 



