Proceedings. 43 



that I have not yet seen from elsewhere. The Irish plant 

 comes nearest to var. Watsoni. 



Carex salina, Whig., fi. kattegatensis, Fries. — "Abundant in 

 the Wick Eiver, Caithness," J. Grant. In August, 1883, 

 Mr. Grant sent me a specimen, but I did not carefully examine 

 it till last December. I sent it to Dr. Almquist, of Stockholm, 

 who returned it named as above. C. salina is one of the most 

 difficult of European Carices ; some thirty names have been 

 described under it as species, subspecies, or varieties, and the 

 limitation of its forms is very difficult. The small group of 

 Carices to which it belongs are natives of northern countries, 

 reaching far beyond the Arctic Circle, and southward to the 

 coast of Massachusetts, U.S.A., about 42° N. lat. This, 

 although many degrees south of the British Isles, has less 

 favourable climatic conditions. If you take the mean winter 

 temperature of 40°, you will see how rapidly this rises as it 

 approaches the British Isles ; after passing over them and 

 the Gulf Stream it then rapidly descends, striking the coast 

 of America about Cape Hatteras, far to the south of Massa- 

 chusetts. Then if you take the mean summer temperature of 

 60°, the difference is not so great ; in Britain rising to about 

 Edinburgh, then striking the American coast about Quebec, 

 in Canada. Here, then, you have the requisites of a northern 

 species, cold in winter and heat in summer ; there are of 

 course exceptions, as in everything else. 



Now this form of C. salina grows in Norway on the west 

 coast, and in the provinces of Bohnslaii and Halland, in 

 Sweden, in the former being plentiful about Goteborg, this 

 being about 1° lat. further south than Wick ; and I am pre- 

 pared to hear of its being found at the estuaries of some of 

 the rivers that fall into the Moray Frith, where its associates 

 already are recorded, e.g., Juncus halticus and Carex incurva. 



It will be noticed that most of the additions to our Flora of 

 late years have been amongst difficult genera, Juncus, Carex, 

 Potumogeton, &c. This may perhaps be accounted for by the 

 fact that few botanists pass by an orchid, whilst many will 

 pass by a rush, or sedge, or aquatic plant. 



There are two or three other Scandinavian Carices that 



