TRANSACTIONS. 



XXVI. 



EEPORTS OF LOCAL SUB-COMMITTEES, INSTITUTED 



AT THE REQUEST OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION 



FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIEN'CE ; 



TO OBSEEVE AND EEPORT UPON ; 



I. — The extinction and disappearance of rare Plants, and the 

 introduction and spread of others. 



II. — Earliest dates of Plants flowering. 



III. — Life histories of Plants. 



IV. — Coast erosion. 



I. — The extinction and disappearance of rare plants, and the 

 introduction and spread of others. 



Mr. Dowker, who has studied the botany of East Kent, and 

 recorded his observations upon it for about thirty years, has 

 supplied the greater part of the following notes. 



Cetjcifee^ : Cardamine amara — once abundant on the banks of 

 the Stour, is now much less frequently met with. 



Erysimum cheiranthoides — still blooms in abundance at Elmstone. 



Sisymhrium sophia — is scarce. 



Lepidium draha — has increased vastly in all the eastern part of 

 the district. 



Lepidium latifolia — is exterminated from its old spot near 

 Sandwich. 



Caeyophtilace^ : Lianthus armeria — is not nearly so frequently 



seen in its old localities. 

 Saponaria officinalis — is still abundant in its old habitat, Ash 



Street, in spite of efforts made to exterminate it. 

 Silene nutans — the Dover variety is still abundant on the cliffs ; 



a dwarf variety occurs on Lydd beach. 

 Silene noctiflora — as a corn-field weed is not as frequent as 



formerly. 

 Silene dichotoma — found in a field in the parish of Wingham, is 



new to Kent. It is a native of south-eastern Europe, and has 



not been recorded before. 



