162 



at Chartham. A friend of mine has, however, cultivated the 

 latter for some years past ia a fresh-water aquarium, so it is not 

 particular to running water. 



The localities mentioned are very prolific in Rotifers. A new 

 species of Floscule, named Flosciilaria trifid-lohata, is described and 

 figured in the Journal of the Quekett Microscopical Journal in 

 November, 1895, found iu this locality by Mr. Danon, of Margate, 

 and recorded by Dr. G. M. Pittock, of that town. 



XXXVI. 



NOTES ON 8ILENE DICHOTOMA—L PLANT NEW 

 TO BRITAIN. 



BY 



GEORGE DOWKER, F.G.S. 



The Silene which I send these notes upon, occurred in an 

 arable field near the top of Wingham Hill, on the north of the 

 road from Preston to "Wingham, in the Autumn of 1887. I was 

 struck with its peculiar appearance reminding me of a large plant 

 of Silene nutans. I gathered specimens for my herbarium, and 

 saved some seed which I sowed in my garden at Stourmouth. 

 I could not identify the plant with any described in the British 

 flora, although it approached nearest to Silene gallica, of Hooker's 

 Students' (Flora). I submitted specimens to the Rev. E. J. Marshall 

 in 1891, and he pronounced it not italica, but probably some south 

 European species. In a letter of a later date he tells me it is 

 Silene diehotoma, so named by Mr. Bennett. I furnished 

 Mr. James Reid, of Canterbury, with some of the seedlings and 

 they grew and blossomed in his garden. 



After that I kept the plant in cultivation up to the summer 

 of 1894. It would appear that the plant is a biennial, protandrous 

 atd honey-scented at night. The stamens are very long and 

 pendulous. The plant seems incapable of self-fertilization and 

 rai-ely perfected its seed, although it bloomed freely enough. It 

 was seen to be visited by moths at night ; I was rather anxious to 

 preserve it and therefore gathered all the seed I could find, but the 

 last year none of this seemed perfect. It will evidently grow and 

 flourish in this country, but I think it is doubtful if the right sort 

 of insect visits the flowers, which may account for its seldom 

 producing perfect seed. At Stourmouth I seem to have been more 

 successful in getting the seed to perfect itself than here at 

 Eamsgate. 



