26 



another portion being thrown with a northern inclination at a still more acute 

 angle. These flags contain organic remains of Ogygia Buchii, Trinvcleus 

 fimbriatus, Trinucleus conccntricus, and others characteristic fossils of the strata, 

 but they are more sparsely scattered than in the Builth quarries, and require 

 a patient persevering search which the time at the disposal of the Club did not 

 admit. The route was next taken across the common to the Pump House hotel. 

 The pump-room was thrown open to the visitors free of charge, and most of them 

 tasted the celebrated Saline Waters and the Sulphur spring. The surprise was 

 general at finding them so little disagreeable, and some even preferred the taste 

 to plain water. The Saline spring issues at a higher level by nearly 20 feet than 

 the Sulphur spring, but both come from the Llandeilo shales. As faithful 

 chroniclers we must here state that another tap was also pretty generally tried, 

 and that was the excellent bitter beer of the hotel. 



At the word of command of the President the march was again 

 resumed through the grounds for the bog at the upper edge of the 

 common — the bog "of gi-eat botanical capabilities" — as the circular 

 stated. Right well the botanists attacked it, turning its flank through a 

 meadow, in they went like a pack of foxhounds to cover — jumping from tuft 

 to tuft, passing along slender ridges between dark and ominovis holes, under the 

 enthusiastic guidance of Blr. Lees and Dr. Bull, who evidently had been there 

 before. The pretty cotton grass — Eriophorum angustifoliiim — waved its silky 

 spikes at intervals over the whole bog. The graceful marsh cinquefoil, Potentilla 

 comarum ; and the more rare silvery-leaved marsh St. John's wort Hypericum 

 elodes were there ; the beautiful marsh clover, the trefoil bog bean, Menyanthes 

 trifoliata, showed still a few spikes in flower which were eagerly seized — 

 " Oft where the stieara meauilering glides, 



Our beauteous Mcnyanlhtu liides 

 Her clustering, friuged flowers ; 



Xor mid the garden's sheltering care 



0( faraed exotics rich and r.ire. 



Purple, or roseate, brown, or fair 

 A plant more lovely towers." 



Two orchideous plants were also gathered there, the Orchis latifolia, and the 

 more uncommon Gymnadcnia conopsea, and the marsh Pedioularis, Pedicularis 

 paluntris. The Sphagnum, and the goldilocks moss, Polytrichum commune, were 

 there of course, but in vain was the bog searched for the flowering fern, Osmunda 

 regalis, the bog myrtle, Myrica gale, or the suudew, Dvosera rotundifolia. Great 

 was the astonish-ment of the residents as they stood in knots on the common 

 above, to see such a hunt, but if they looked for casualties, none of importance 

 occurred. But what is that gathering in the meadow close by ? A beautiful 

 single-headed thistle has been discovered, which Mr. Lees pronounces to be the 

 Cardv.ua pratensis, and they are all busy gathering specimens. 



The other plants observed during the day were the cross-leaved heath, 

 Erica tetralix, just beginning to show those waxen flowers that give such grace 

 to the sedgy moors where it abounds, the pink flowered dwarf Pedicularis 

 sylvatica, the dwarf gorse, Ukx nana, the heath bfU straw, Galium saxatile, and 



