300 Formation and Flora of a Shingle Island. [Sess. 



Primula acaulis, Teucrium Scorodonia, Luzula maxima, and 

 Lastrsea Filix-mas. 



Breakwater. — From this corner of woodland runs out the 

 breakwater already mentioned, which contains a number of 

 young trees, up to 10 feet in height. It is distinguished 

 from the rest of the riparian strip by the presence of Stellaria 

 Holostea, Geranium Eobertianum, Epilobium montanum, Vol- 

 vulus sepium, Urtica urens, and one or two young Betula alba. 



Lower part. — The lower part of the riparian strip contains 

 chiefly Sagina procumbens, Hypericum pulchrum, Anthyllis 

 Vulneraria, Lotus corniculatus, Vicia Cracca, Spiraea Ulmaria, 

 Potentilla silvestris, P. Anserina, Heracleum Sphondylium, 

 Galium boreale, G. palustre, Valeriana officinalis, Scabiosa 

 Succisa, Solidago Virgaurea, Tussilago Farfara, Senecio aqua- 

 ticus, Centaurea nigra, Hieracium vulgatum, Euphrasia offici- 

 nalis. Thymus Serpyllum, Plantago lanceolata, P. maritima, 

 Rumex crispus, R. Acetosa, and Equisetum arvense ; and the 

 stony bed of the winter stream was full of Ranunculus 

 Flammula. At the extreme edge of the fields, immediately 

 above the sandy bank, was a sturdy, though stunted, border 

 of Calluna Erica. 



The Shingle Island. — On visiting the island, the first thing 

 that struck us was how amazingly certain plants were flourish- 

 inw. By far the most conspicuous was Plantago maritima, 

 which was growing in dense cushions a foot or more across, 

 and flowering splendidly, over a great part of the island, 

 including the bare eastern shingle - bauk.^ Less ubiquitous, 

 but very much at home, were Ranunculus acris, Lathyrus 

 pratensis, Alchemilla vulgaris, Heracleum Sphondylium, Cen- 

 taurea nigra, Rumex Acetosella, and Oxyria digyna ; there 

 was also a good deal of Geranium sylvaticum, Vicia Cracca, 

 Achillea Millefolium, Hieracium vulgatum, Hypochoeris radi- 

 cata, and Equisetum arvense. Less widely spread, but form- 

 ing conspicuously fine clumps, were an Aster hybrid of the 

 Michaelmas daisy type,^ Tanacetum vulgare,^ Cnicus hetero- 



1 This was in June 1905. On revisiting the island in September 1906, we were 

 astonished to find hardly any trace of this plant. There were only a few tiny 

 rosettes left, and one very large cushion two feet by three. Possibly the plants 

 had reached their limit of growth, and exhausted their remaining stock of 

 vitality in the final magnificent effort of last summer. 



^ Garden escapes. 



