748 



Rather abundantly at the foot of an old and long wall at East Cowes, 

 where I have known it for at least ten years ; but the species was first 

 observed and pointed out to me in this island by ray friend the Rev. 

 Darwin Fox, growing in his garden at Binstead, but very sparingly, 

 and he suspected introduced by accident from seed brought by him 

 out of Derbyshire. Observed for some years past under a wall in Mr. 

 Butt's garden, at Ryde, though sparingly, by Dr. Salter !! At Gos- 

 port here and there ; rather plentifully under the wall of Trinity 

 Church Cemetery. At Fareham, under a wall, October, 1848. Fare- 

 ham, Wallington ; Mr. W. L. Notcutt !!! By the Magazine at South 

 Sea Castle, Portsea Island ; Mr. Jacobs !!! and probably in many other 

 places in the county. More frequent usually along the coast than in- 

 land, but I have seen it plentifully at Guildford, in Surrey, and other 

 interior towns. The smell of this repulsive little species has been 

 compared to that of stale salt fish. I can liken it to nothing so much 

 as to the odour with which our common snake {Natrix torquata) as- 

 sails the olfactories of the zealous herpetologist who ventures on its 

 capture in the breeding-season, and who is more to be pitied than 

 the captive, as he vainly tries with soap and water to purify his hands 

 and clothes from the slimy exudation that bewrays them. The smell 

 of the plant is nearly as difficult to be got rid of, and I recollect once 

 sending a specimen to a female friend of my own, who was so annoyed 

 by its offensiveness, that my well-meant contribution to her collection 

 of plants, instead of being received with thanks, was thrown by her 

 out of window without farther ceremony. Gerarde (em. p. 327) is 

 pleased to be facetious on the subject of this plant, but the nature of 

 his humour is probably of such a kind as makes it safer to take its 

 excellence for granted, rather than more fully to appreciate its point 

 by a too nice inquiry into the import of his remarks. This, unlike 

 the generality of small annuals, is very persistent in its several 

 stations. 



Chetwpodium polyspermum. In low, damp, muddy places, waste 

 ground, gardens, about dung-hills, and even in woods. By no means 

 unfrequent in the Isle of Wight, though it cannot be called here a 

 common plant, unless relatively, as compared with most other species 

 of the genus with us. Unlike the last, it is fugacious in its habitats, 

 seldom remaining long in one station without becoming scarce, or va- 

 nishing altogether to appear elsewhere. Cultivated fields near Ryde, 

 Binstead, and, I understand, a weed in the garden at Pondwell. Fre- 

 quent on old manure heaps at Sandown. About Shauklin, in the 

 garden of the Shanklin (late Williams's) Hotel. In a wood (Sham- 



