30 Transactions of the 



worked much more extensively than at present. In Sliipham and 

 Eowberrow parishes, adjoining Cheddar, both calamine and zinc 

 were once raised in some quantity. Ironstone and manganese 

 have been found in small quantities on the hill surface, but no 

 accurate search seems ever to have been made for them. 



Botany. — The flora of Cheddar is a very interesting one, and 

 indeed, there is a plant found here which occurs nowhere else in 

 England — the beautiful Dianthus caesius, or ' Cheddar Pink.' 

 This exceedingly rare species (which has very glaucous foliage, 

 and large fragrant flowers of a rose colour) occurs plentifully on 

 the cliff's, but unless some restriction be placed on its indiscrinu- 

 nate gathering, it must ere long be added to the list of species 

 exterminated by the hand of man. For every one who visits 

 Cheddar is solicited to buy specimens of Cheddar Pink, and 

 several old women seem to derive their livelihood from this prac- 

 tice so nefarious (in a botanical point of view). The Pink can be 

 readily grown, proper attention being given to soil and station 

 — circumstances so commonly overlooked by those who try to 

 naturalise it in their gardens. At Bitton, Mr Ellacombe has a 

 fine specimen, growing on a wall in his interesting gardens, and 

 we have ourselves been able to establish the plant in two places 

 on the rockery of our new Botanic Garden. The Welsh Poppy 

 (Papaver Cambricum) is another denizen of the cliff's : Thalic- 

 trum minus, too, is abundant. Among other plants found on the 

 hills we might name the following : Erodium moschatum and 

 cicutarium, Pyrus aria, Sedum rupestre, Saxifraga hypnoides, 

 Hieracium murorum. On the marshes of the level and the hill 

 country occur such ordinary bog plants as Menyanthes trifoliata, 

 Anagallis tenella, Narthecitim ossifragum. The peat swamps 

 and ditches at Wedmore contain Aridromeda polifolia and 

 Utricidaria vulgaris, while Goniarum palustre is said to grow 

 near Axbridge. Ferns are very abundant among the hollows of 

 the cliffs, the most beautiful and valuable being Polypodium 

 calcareum, which will ere long share the impending doom of 

 Dianthus caesius (and from a similar cause), unless a powerful hand 

 can avert its fate. The other ferns of the cliffs are Asplenium 

 Ruta-muraria&ndi trichomanes, Athyrium filix femina, Ceterach 

 officinarum, Cysto})teris frag His, Scolopendriumvidgare, lobatum 

 and crispnm, with the commoner forms of Polypodium, Polysti- 

 chtcin, and Pteris. Osmunda regalis is also occasionally found. It 

 is right to add, that Mr Stevens' little work on Cheddar has been 

 of material assistance in supplying us with this list of the more 

 striking Cheddar plants (several of which want of time prevented 

 us from personally examining), and to the same book we are in- 

 debted for sundry facts mentioned in our paper. 



