1906-1907-] Rock Samphire, &c., on the West of Scotland. 355 



The poet supposes that Edgar is leading Gloucester along, 

 and says — 



" Come on, sir ; here's the place : stand still. How fearful 

 And dizzy 'tis, to cast one's eyes so low ! 

 The crows and choughs that wing the midway air 

 Show scarce so gross as beetles : half way down 

 Hangs one that gathers samphire, dreadful trade ! 

 Methinks he seems no bigger than his head : 

 The fishermen, that walk upon the beach, 

 Appear like mice." 



We are told that the name of our plant is more properly, 

 as it was formerly, spelt Sampere, or Sampler, from the French 

 Saint Pierre, being dedicated, owing to its love of sea-cliffs, to 

 the fisherman apostle, whose name is nirpoc, a rock, French 

 Pierre. 



In many Scottish libraries, private as well as public, there 

 is to be found a former Flora of this northern division of 

 the kingdom. I refer to the ' Flora Scotica ' of Lightfoot, 

 published in 1777, now 130 years ago. In this work we 

 are informed of the finding in Kilmuir parish, in the island 

 of Skye, in bogs near Duntulm Castle there, of that dis- 

 tinguished - looking plant among botanical aristocrats, the 

 Marsh Helleborine Orchis (Epipactis palustris of Crantz), 

 known previously as Serapias longifolia, to which we are 

 now to refer. The only record of the plant from the West 

 of Scotland seems to have been this of Lightfoot's, and we 

 do not learn that any one has found it since his time, or at 

 least has recorded it as occurring in that quarter. 



To the satisfaction of the valued botanical referee, our 

 Corresponding Member, Mr Arthur Bennett, F.L.S., this plant 

 was, at the end of July last, met with, growing in an evidently 

 suitable situation in the south-west corner of the island of 

 Colonsay, on damp, almost marshy, sandy grass -land, well 

 back from undulating dunes lying along the sea-coast. There 

 were altogether some ten specimens, several not being likely 

 to flower that year. In the immediate neighbourhood were 

 large quantities of the greater Twayblade (Listera ovata 

 R Br.), and abundance also of Orchis pyramidalis, with 



