234 



of late years has become so much more frequent than it formerly was. It grows 

 under the larch trees, and is often in such abundance as to colour the surface of 

 the ground. 



At Benthall the gardens were at once visited. Hardy plants are here ar- 

 ranged in their proper botanical classes, each with its own bed, separated by rock- 

 work from its neighbmirs, and all very carefully labelled and named. To attempt 

 to describe these families of plants woijld be to give a long catalogue of very hard 

 names, for the garden is worthy of continued study ; and it can only be properly 

 appreciated by the botanist and true lover of plants in the wonderful variety 

 that nature affords. 



The family of the crocus is the only one to which allusion can be made here, 

 since it is the one in which Mr. Maw is the great authority. Two years since, 

 only 50 varieties of the crocus were known to exist in Europe. By Mr. Maw's 

 energy and perseverance, 20 more have been since added to the list. Mr. Maw 

 has himself made very beautiful drawings of each variety, -with all the necessary 

 botanical details, drawn to scale, and when published, the work wU be one of 

 great interest and value to science, as well as one of great intrinsic merit in itself. 



The members of the club were then invited to luncheon, with a large circle 

 of private friends who had assembled to meet them. Amongst those present were 

 the Rev. G. Edmonds and Mrs. Edmonds, of Little Wenlock ; Mr. George Burd, 

 Mrs. and Miss Burd, of Ironbridge ; the Rev. H. S. Wood, Mrs. and Miss Wood, 

 of Coalbrookdale ; Captain and Mrs. Wayne ; the Rev. G. F. Lamb and Mrs. 

 Lamb, of Broseley ; the Rev. J. W. Ellis, of Wenlock ; Mr. Lowndes, Miss 

 Spearman, the Misses Thorn, and several others whose names did not transpire. 



After luncheon the members of the Club wandered through the rooms of 

 this picturesque and interesting mansion of the time of Henry VIII., whose hand- 

 some oak staircase, by the way, is figured in Nash's Mansions. The geologists 

 examined the shells and fossils which have been already alluded to ; the botanists 

 revelled in the dried plants and drawings, so well prepared by Mr. Maw ; and all 

 once more took a parting glance at some special tribe of plants, or others in the 

 botanical garden. 



The time had now arrived to leave, and with grateful thanks for most kind 

 and genial hospitality, the Club left for Wenlock under the guidance of the Rev. 

 J. W. Ellis — a very pretty walk of three miles by an ancient road wth many fine 

 old yew trees scattered along it. The weather had hitherto been all that could be 

 wished, but now a thunderstorm came on, and though it was at some distance, it 

 rained too much to enable the yew trees to be measured, or even a fine Polyporus 

 sulfureus to be gathered from the trunk of one of them in an adjoining field, 

 though it showed its beautiful tints from carmine to yellow in the distance. Wen- 

 lock was thus reached with half an hour to spare, and this was very pleasantly 

 spent in the beautiful ruins of the Abbey. The train conveyed the party safely 

 home, and all felt that a very enjoyable day had been spent, and another red- 

 letter of the Club had been added to the numerous list that has gone before. 



