198 mKRESPONDENCE. 



(ToiTcsponbtntc. 



Botanical (Tote, Jn.v 9th, 1881. — Having walked this afternoon 

 to a Common about five miles from this town. I met with one or two 

 plants, the reoord of which may be interesting bo botanists. In some 

 very wet ground I was surprised to find a specimen of the Royal Fern, 

 Osmunda regalis, being rare in this district ; a small portion of which 

 only 1 gathered, Leaving the large root as it was. Near this was a 

 great quantity of fche Marsh Cinque-foil, PotentiUa Comarum, well in 

 Bower, growing among d( use moss, and so wet it was not easy to reach 

 a plant. Aft<-r some search I found also a few heads of the Cotton- 

 Eriophorum polystachyon, sparingly growing in boggy peat, and 

 which also has few localities near here. Unusually large plants of 

 the Tway-bla le, Listera ovata, were still in flower in damp spots, one 

 measuring fully twenty-five inches high, with flowering portion eight 

 inches long, and leaves about four inches wide. At the margin of a 

 pool on bh Common wen a Ei h Water Dropworts, Mnanthe ftstulosa, 

 only B6( ii at one spot. Upon returning o,ver a less frequented part of 

 a neighbouring heath, the waxydooking and some nearly white flowers 

 of the cross-leaved heath, Erica tetralix, formed large masses of bloom ; 

 while it formed a pleasant sight to come upon a showy cluster of the 

 comparatively common Viper's Bugloss, Echium Dulgare, with some' 

 spikes of flowers about two feet long. Though not yet in flower, it 

 was interesting to find Dipsacus p/Iaxa*, the small Teasel, associated 

 with Eupatorium cannabinum and the beautiful yellow Flag, growing 

 above some large flowers of late Forget-me-not, in damp spots beside 

 a stream; also to gather the Meadow Oranesbill, Geranium pratense, 

 one of our loveliest wild flowers, which is rare or almost unknown 

 within several miles of this town, and which I have not previously 

 found so near as this distance of about two miles and a half : for this 

 was upon my return journey. I may remark that, while resting at a 

 pool on the Common, a, Heron rose from some Scotch Pines on the far 

 lid curved once or twice above the surface, near enough to shew 

 > tone of his wide wings, then sailed away majestically 

 towards the south. — Hoeace Pearce, F.L.S., Stourbridge. 



Plants in Doitsi; tsiiiue. — After the meeting of the Midland Union 

 <>f Natural History Societies at Cheltenham, 1 went on into Dorset- 

 shire, where I found the following plants of more or less rarity, the 

 first live I had not gathered before : — Lathyrus Aphaca, Carum Garvi, 

 Melittis Melissophyllum, Pinguicula lusitanica, Herminium Monorchia, 

 D lia, Silaus pratemis, Carduus Marianus and pratensis, 



Orobanche //<</,';■<< , Samolus Valerandi, Daphne Laureola, ()j>Iirij* apifefa, 

 and Ruscus aculeatw : also near Christohuroh, Hants, Butomus 

 itinbrllntti*. -(). M. I'i hi i.\. Frankton, Salop. 



A I ' \ , esoaped from its cage in this place and was out for nine 

 or ten daj s In ing about in the trees &o., around the house in which it 

 had lived. During this time it- was observed to find difficulty in 

 mffioient food itself, at any rate several common sparrows 

 wen b i<otually feeding the canary by putting food into 



its mouth, as if feeding young birds. \V. S. Gresley, Overseal, Leices- 

 tershire. Julj 29th, L881. 



