22 Rev. T. Salwey on the Cryptogamic Flora of Guernsey. 



be added respecting the comparative development and progress 

 of the two plants at other seasons. 



Two other smaller lochs in the same vicinity were not observed 

 to present any appearance of the productions in question. 



In connection with the subject of this short notice, it may be 

 stated, that during a visit to Ben Muich Dhu in 1846, the appear- 

 ance presented by a patch of snow at 3500 feet of elevation, at- 

 tracted attention. It seemed as if sprinkled over with soot ; a 

 quantity of the black matter was collected, and found to consist 

 in part of the following Diatomaceee : Eunotia hiodon, Navicula 

 viridula ?, N. curvula ?, and Meridion circulare, and along with 

 them Protococcus nivalis in very small proportion ; the remain- 

 der consisted of inorganic matter, the nature of which was not 

 ascertained. 



III. — Stirpes Onjj)toganue Sarnienses ; or Contributions towards 

 the Cryptogamic Flora of Guernsey. By the Rev. T. Salwey, 

 Oswestry*. 



So much has been done by Mr. Babington in his 'Primitive 

 riorse Sarnicje ' for the illustration of the phsenogamous flora of 

 the Channel Islands, that perliaj)s a bi'ief notice of the crypto- 

 gamic botany of one of the islands of this group may be accept- 

 able to some of the Members of the Botanical Society. Guernsey 

 does not appear to be very prolific in cryptogamic plants — a va- 

 riety of causes tend to produce this result — the open nature of 

 the country ; the great paucity of wood ; the general dryness of 

 the soil from the circumstance of all the rocks being of the pri- 

 mitive formation ; and the very great proportion of the land 

 being under the cultivation either of the spade or plough ; all 

 these circumstances are inimical to the growth and perfect deve- 

 lopment of cryptogamic plants. There are no woods in the 

 island, and the soil even of the orchards is in general under the 

 culture of the spade. It is at once evident therefore that the 

 great variety of Agarics, Boleti, and the innumerable other Fungi 

 which are found so abundantly in the extensive w'oods and ricli 

 pastures of England, have no corresponding habitats here in 

 which to grow. The same reason limits the number of Musci, 

 Hepaticse and Jnngermannise, whilst from the few brooks and 

 ponds which are found in the island it is equally hopeless to ex- 

 pect a great number of freshwater Algfe. Even the lichens do 

 not exhibit that luxuriance of growth which we find in the deep 

 woods and glens of the Cambrian mountains. Thus the com- 

 mon Pnrmelia saxatilis is seldom found here in fruit, and the few 



* Read before the Botanical Society of Edinhiirgli, Nov. 9th, 1818, 



