298 EXCURSION TO FALMOUTH. 
EXCURSION OF THE BIRMINGHAM NATURAL 
HISTORY SOCIETY TO FALMOUTH, 
JULY 57x vo 137rH, 1879. 
BY JAMES E. BAGNALL. 
Although we had cold and wet weather during our excursion to this 
neighbourhood, a fair amount of botanical work was done, but in this 
note I can merely glance at some of the general features, reserving my 
full report for the present. In the immediate neighbourhood of Falmouth 
about 350 species of flowering plants and ferns were noticed, and adding 
to these the plants seen in our longer excursions to Land’s End and 
Lizard Point, over 400 different species were observed during our visit. 
Many of these were very rare, and some of them special to the locality 
in which they were observed. But for the backwardness of the season 
and the inclemency of the weather, our list would probably have been 
very much longer. 
The coasts and cliffs in the immediate neighbourhood of Falmouth, 
so far as I was able to notice, appear to be barren rather than prolific in 
truly seaside plants, such as the Saltwort (Salsola Kali,) Seablite, (Sueda 
maritima,) the Glasswort, (Salicornia herbacea,) Sea Lavender, (Statice, ) 
Glaux maritima, Sea Holly, (Eryngium maritimum,) and other such plants. 
Still, I was very much pleased with the flora of the cliffs, covered as they 
were with masses of the Ladies’ Fingers, (Anthyllis,) which were still 
beautiful, though past their prime. Dense patches of Stonecrop (Sedum 
Anglicum) greeted one’s eye frequently, growing constantly in company 
with the rare variety of the Sand Spurrey, (Spergularia rupestris,) which 
is one of the common plants here. Dark-green tufts of Sea Plantain, 
(Plantago maritima, ) glaucous tufts of beautiful Thrift, (Armeria maritima, ) 
tangled masses of Sea Beet, (Beta maritima,) forests of the golden- 
flowered Black Mustard, (Brassica nigra,) here and there straggling 
patches of Scurvy Grass, ( Cochlearia officinalis and danica,) Wild Carrot, 
(Daucus carota,) and abundance of the comparatively rare Alexanders, 
(Smyrnium olusatrum,) which is said to have been introduced here, but 
if so it is now well established and abundant; splendid specimens of the 
Navelwort, (Cotyledon Umbilicus,) bearing spikes of flowers more than a 
foot long, with large patches of the Pellitory (Parietaria officinalis,) and 
here and there the more rare Samphire, (Crithmum maritimum.) 'These 
are the principal and most striking plants on the cliffs round Falmouth 
Bay. 
About a mile from Falmouth is a fine freshwater pool, called Swan 
Pool, in which I found the Sea Sedge, (Scirpus maritimus,) and Scirpus 
Tabernemontani, and Ranunculus Baudotii, all fairly abundant. 
The lanes about here are many of them very charming, beautifully 
bowered over with trees, and all so charmingly green, greener even than 
Warwickshire lanes, and rejoicing in such wonderfully verdant banks, 
often many feet high and clothed from top to bottom with a very 
profusion of growth. Wherever a particle of soil could lodge, something 
beautiful seemed to vegetate luxuriantly. The Hart’s Tongue( Scolopendrium 
" 
