Mr. H. T. Meimell's notes on the Plants of Cader Idris, dx. 267 



putting them into a bucket of fresh cold water, and should be 

 kept in the dark ; this will kill them, and in a few days partially 

 decompose the flesh, when it can be readily removed by cutting 

 off the carapace. When all the contents of the shell have been 

 cleaned out (or as nearly as possible), the specimen should be 

 washed in cold water, a Httle powdered alum sprinkled over the 

 interior only, and the specimen may then be set out on a board 

 and dried. The drying may be done in an outhouse or where 

 there is a current of dry air, excluded from sun-Ught or too much 

 heat. "When quite dry and rigid, the specimens may be freely 

 dressed with spirit of turpentine in which a very little gold size 

 has been mixed ; this preserves the specimens from insects, 

 damp, and decomposition, and gives them a slightly moist 

 appearance without the objectionable glaze of varnish. This 

 treatment is also applicable to sea-urchins and star-fishes. 



As regards the preparation of the microscopic material that 

 has been collected, that has already been described in a paper by 

 me before this Society. 



84. — Notes on the Plants of Cader Idris and Snowdon. 



By H. T. Mennell, F.L.S. 



(Bead Sept. 10th, 1890.) 



Last July I spent a fortnight with my sons in North Wales, 

 making the two mountain masses of Cader Idris and Snowdon 

 our centres. Both are composed of paleozoic sedimentary 

 rocks, which have been subjected at two distinct periods to 

 violent volcanic disturbance, throwing up vast masses of 

 felspathic lavas, volcanic ash, and scoria. Cader Idris has 

 been mainly affected by the earlier volcanic outburst; Snowdon, 

 of which it was the centre, by the later. Columnar porphyry is 

 seen ia the grand cliffs of Llyn-y-Cau, on the south side of 

 Cader Idris. Whether it be the geologic formation, or whatever 

 be the cause, there can be no doubt that these mountains are 

 less rich than those of Scotland in their alpine flora, and are 

 somewhat disappointing to the botanist. 



The alpine flora of the world, or of the northern hemisphere, 

 is wonderfully uniform, — whether it be on the summit of the 

 Grampians, the Scandinavian Fjelds, the Siberian Tundras, or 

 the Eocky Mountains or White Mountains of the New World. 

 This uniformity bespeaks a great antiquity for this flora, and is 

 evidence of a time when the whole of the northern hemisphere 

 was under more or less glacial conditions. 



This flora now maintains a struggling existence only on thq 



c 



