568 FLORA OF McNAK's ISLAND, HALIFAX, N. S. BARBOUR. 



in slum-land the simple methods of keeping in the way of thriv- 

 ing, their few window plants, possibly their only knowledge of 

 the country beyond the city's outskirts. 



Part IV. — Occasional Notes on Flora of McNab's Island. 



Early fruit. — A ripe blackberry was found by me and eaten 

 on July 20th, before I saw ripe raspberries. 



Instances of similarity in colour and shape hetiueen various 

 plants. — A couple of strawberry flowers which were found in 

 different spots, but in both cases in the middle of a patch of 

 OxaJis acetosella, had taken on the purple-white or pink colour 

 of this latter flower, and both had only four petals. At a dis- 

 tance they were indistinguishable from the Oxalis, and it was 

 only by chance, when picking- these flowers, I noticed those of 

 the strawberry. 



Linnaa horeaUs 1 found quite white in the middle of 

 bunchljcrries. 



The Basidiomycetes, or mushrooms and toadstools of the 

 island also in many instances seem to take on the colour of 

 plants near which they grow ; whether it is due to assimilation 

 of colouring matter from such plants which can be quickly 

 elaborated by these fast-growing fungi, or what is its special use 

 I cannot say. For protection it can'not be ; for fertilisation pur- 

 poses it is very nearly unnecessary. As instances of what I 

 mean I give the following, which I saw myself: 



I saw a concolvulus flower trailing close to the ground; 

 beside it was a toadstool, purple-red in colour, with a dirty 

 white mottling as well, and a slight dimple on the upper surface 

 of thepileus. The convolvulus flower was almost exactly the same 

 in appearance, the white of the flower being dulled also. More- 

 over the opening of the tube of the corolla was so closed that one 

 would say it was more like a fissure or dimple. At the first 

 glance I thought both flower and toadstool were both the latter. 



