634 



the only two species, I believe, of this eminently alpine genus that 

 inhabit the low grounds at the sea level throughout Europe. 



Rhinanthus Crista-galli. Tn usually damp, but often in the driest 

 meadows and pastures ; likewise on boggy ground and wet heaths 

 and commons ; most universal and abundant. Plentiful, even on the 

 driest and warmest chalk hills, but of small size, and with the stem 

 mostly quite simple. V r ery large, bushy and much branched from the 

 base on peat bogs on Colwell Heath, Freshwater, and which I sup- 

 posed might be R. major, but it does not accord with that species. 

 Another form, with very slender, perfectly simple stems, and smaller 

 flowers than ordinary, I found plentifully last summer in woods near 

 Clanfield, whilst searching for Melampyrum cristatum. Is this the 

 R. minor of authors? Much confusion attends the discrimination of 

 the different species of Rhinanthus, that have been split off I suspect 

 very unnaturally from one most variable plant, the common yellow 

 rattle of our fields and pastures. In this island the yellow rattle is 

 called fiddle-cases, without doubt from the shape of the inflated ca- 

 lyx like the case of a violin. 



Eufragia (BarlsiaJ viscosa. In damp places, meadows, pastures, 

 and by road-sides, as yet only in the south-western part of the coun- 

 try (in and near the New Forest and towards the coast) ; very rare ? 

 At Hythe, near Southampton ; Dr. G. A. Martin ! Near Christ- 

 church ; Mr. J. Hussey in litt. Roadside betwixt Lymington and 

 Exbury ; Mr. J. S. Mill. Never found by me in the Isle of Wight, 

 but it seems to have occurred here in times past, from the following 

 passage in Ray's Synopsis (Dillenian edition) Indie. Plant. Dub. at 

 the end of vol. ii. : " Crataeogonum cubitalis altitudinis, flore luteo." 

 In the Isle of Wight ; Mr. Cole : and in the King's meadows at 

 Godstone, in Surrey. (Forte Euphrasia major lulea latifolia palustris 

 R. Syn. (Eufragia viscosa). I think there can be little doubt of our 

 present species being intended by the above cumbrous phrase, as 

 Dillenius also supposes, though it is possible the tall bog form of 

 Rhinanthus Crista-galli, lately alluded to, might have been in the 

 writer's mind, and the Godstone station seems an unlikely one for a 

 plant so western and maritime as the Eufragia viscosa. No part of 

 the county is theoretically more likely to produce this species than 

 the Isle of Wight, and we may confidently hope to fall in with it ere 

 long, most probably on the north-western side of the island, between 

 Cowes and Yarmouth ; it must, nevertheless, if found at all, be very 

 rare here, since it has eluded my observation for these twelve years 

 past. Yet the same thing has happened with Habenaria viridis, an 



