325 



or pasture, intersected by a river, crossed by a three-arched bridge. Over the 

 pasture are dotted little spruce round-topped trees, like those in a child's toy box. 

 The river winds from a line of distant hills. In the foreground stands Minerva, 

 sandalled and helmeted, but unarmed, and with her skirts tucked up. She is 

 superintending a school of six industrious cupids. The most prominent of these 

 is painting in oils, with an easel before him and a palette on his thumb. To his 

 progress the attention of the goddess is chiefly directed. Another cupid plays the 

 harp, two more sit on the frame of the design weaving festoons, another, also on 

 the frame near a celestial globe, is copying a satyr, playing on a flute under a 

 tree, which picture cupid the sixth holds up for him. The whole design is set on a 

 richly ornamented Jacobean frame, with the usual leafy curves and limbs, mingled 

 with two youthful heads as lateral ornaments, and below palms and festoons, 

 apparently of jewels. On the frame above are seated, right and left, two more 

 cupids as supporters to a medallion bearing the Countess's monogram, above 

 which is an urn, and below heavy bunches of fruit. The right cupid is masked in 

 the flowing robes of a philosopher, one hand holds a plummet, the other an 

 upright writing slab. The left cupid is attired as Mercury, with petasus and 

 caduceus complete. The plate is 5Ain. by 3|in. It is possible that the ex-libris 

 represents an interior of the Brampton Library, and the view may be one in the 

 Brampton Park. But Welbeck, which she possessed in her own right, seems to 

 have been especially Lady Oxford's favourite place, so that the reference may be to 

 Welbeck. Hither she retired after her lord's death, and in its galleries assembled 

 the portraits of her ancestors to a prodigious number." 



Thanks having been accorded to Mr. Lloyd, the Hon, Secretary, in the 

 absence of Mr. E. H. Greenly, read the following 



NOTES ON SOME OF THE RARER FLOWERS 



To supplement a paper on the Botany of the neighbourhood, read by Mr. J. 



H. Davies, on May 15th, 1873 (see Transections, 1873, p. 67), by 



Mr. E. H. Greenly, Titley Court. 



What plants would actually be found in flower must depend, of course, upon 

 the season in which the district is visited. I shall merely try to give a list of some 

 of those which may probably be met with by a party of botanists on or near the 

 route of the day's proceedings, presuming, however, that some of them will be 

 able to give a little more time to their search, and perhaps cover rather more 

 ground than is usually possible at an ordinary Club Meeting. Arriving at Titley 

 Station, Lyonshall Park, the large wood lying to the south-west of the station 

 should first be visited, and on the way there, a few hundred yards up the line, 

 may be noticed a large patch of the flowering willow (Epilobium angustifolium) 

 which has increased its area at this station so much as to be quite a conspicuous 

 object, when in flower, even from the window of a passing train. Passing into the 

 Park, the boggy pools lying almost in the centre of the woods will be found rich in 

 marsh plants, including the Marsh violet ( Viola palustris) the small Marsh valerian 

 ( Valeriana dioica) the Buckbean (Menyanthes trifoliataj the Marsh Cinquefoil 



