52 THE WILD-FLOWERS OF SELBORNE 



other places in East Anglia. It is now, alas ! almost, 

 if not quite, extinct. The walls have been demolished, 

 and the plant is gone. The yellow whitlow-grass 

 [Draba aizoides) is only to be found on old walls at 

 Pennard Castle, in Wales. The sweet-scented Not- 

 tingham catchfly is so called because it was first 

 discovered by a friend of the famous naturalist John 

 Ray growing on the walls of Nottingham Castle. 

 Strange to say, after the burning of the castle in 

 1830 the plant for a few years completely overspread 

 the ruins, establishing itself on the walls, in the 

 crevices between the stones, and in every place where 

 it was possible to obtain a footing. It is still there, 

 though not nearly in such abundance. It was, how- 

 ever, fairly plentiful a few summers ago near the spot 

 known as " Mortimer's Hole." On several old walls 

 at Oxford a strange kind of yellow ragwort may be 

 seen. Its proper home is in the south of Europe, 

 but by some means or other it has found its way to 

 Oxford, and evidently means to stay there. 



In the county best known botanically to the writer 

 many interesting species of our wall-flora may be 

 seen. Hampshire possesses several fine ruins, and 

 many hundred yards of ancient walls. There is Port- 

 chester Castle, and Carisbrooke in the Isle of Wight. 

 There are the ruins of the great Cistercian monas- 

 teries of Quarr, of Netley, and of Beaulieu in the 

 New Forest. There are the remains of Titchfield 

 Abbey and Southwick Priory ; and ancient walls may 

 be seen at Winchester, at Southampton, and else- 

 where. 



It may appear almost superfluous to mention the 

 common ivy in connection with walls and ruins. It 

 is so intimately associated with such places that " an 



