898 



and Rosemary Lane Copses, the following varieties : a. Flowers de- 

 licate pink, verging on flesh red. @. Lip white, destitute of spots ; 

 sepals and superior petals violet without, greenish white within. y. 

 Flowers violet ; disk of lip whitish, shading off into violet on the mar- 

 gin, its centre thickly dotted. This is certainly one of the most beau- 

 tiful of British Orchises, whether we consider the soft lustre of its deep 

 purple blossoms, emulating the richest velvet, or the diversity of 

 shades and variegated colours they assume. The character of having 

 single nerved bracts, which is made the foundation for a sectional di- 

 vision in the Manual, applies only to the highest in the spike, if even 

 always to them, for the lower and middle bracts in all the specimens 

 of O. Morio I have examined, are from 3 to 5 or even 7-nerved, but 

 the lateral nerves are often obscure, at least in the living plant, for in 

 the dried state they are extremely conspicuous. 



Orchis mascula. Very common in most parts of the county and 

 Isle of Wight in moist woods, meadows, pastures, and other damp 

 and shaded situations. Var. (3. Flowers pure white. I have gathered 

 it at St. John's and near Appuldurcombe. Near Ryde; Miss Lucas!!! 

 Near Westridge; Mr. Robert Hudson ! The long spikes of bright 

 purple flowers and finely spotted leaves of the " Kettlecases," by 

 which unintelligible name they are called in this island, are hailed 

 with delight by young and old in April's fickle prime, 



"When wheat is green and hawthorn buds appear." 



This species begins to flower a little in advance of the last, which is 

 always in blossom with us in the earlier half of May, and usually par- 

 tially so at the close of April. O. fusca, militaris and macra are all 

 or severally not unlikely to enrich the Hampshire Flora. The first 

 has, according to Mr. Watson, been found by the Rev. G. E. Smith 

 in west Sussex, the two last occur in the conterminous county of 

 Berks and the not much more distant ones of Oxon and Bucks ; 

 hence these species may be expected along our northern and eastern 

 boundary. 



ustulata. On dry chalky hills, downs, banks and pastures; 



mostly in elevated situations, not very frequent, though I believe 

 widely diffused over the county. Tolerably abundant on St. Boni- 

 face Down, between Ventnor and the Pulpit Rock, and in chalky 

 meadows at Bonchurch occasionally. Steephill ; Mr. Albert Ham- 

 borough ! Freshwater, near the cliff (on High Down, &c.) ; Mr. 



