75 



newly accumulated clouds, so that T considered myself amply rewarded by finding 

 Cnicus heterophyllus, Habenaria viridis and Gentiana campestris. Recrossing tlie 

 bridge we pursued the course of the stream, which, almost immediately below the 

 Snout, takes a sudden turn, and thus we found our track hemmed in by the over-laden 

 Tees on our right hand, and the lofty basaltic rocks called Falcon Glints on our left. 

 My eye was now anxiously directed to the face of these rocks, to discover, if possible, 

 the chief object in taking our present course — Woodsia Ilvensis. Rain now began 

 to fall heavily, and the wind, which had been all day very tempestuous, bore it against 

 us so as to render observation, either of locality or objects, very imperfect. However, 

 after tracing as near as I can judge about 400 yards, I espied some small specks of 

 green through the broken fragments of a stream which poured over the Glints, and 

 under which I soon stood, pulling hastily the patches I had seen, and these, to my 

 delight, proved to be two small plants of the Woodsia, mixed with a few fronds of 

 Asplenium viride and Cistopteris fragilis. The state of the weather, for by this time 

 the rain had penetrated a Mackintosh cape, rendered all further search impracticable ; 

 we therefore retraced our path as quickly as possible to our starting-point, having 

 picked up as we proceeded Sedum villosum, Lycopodium Selago and Selaginoides, 

 Galium boreale and Solidago Virgaurea, all of which were growing in great profusion. 

 On the following day I went in the opposite direction, into Baldersdale, to gather Sax- 

 ifraga Hirculus ; and here again I provided myself with a guide, a requisite in search 

 of a plant which is confined in its growth to a very limited area. It gi'ows on the sur- 

 face of a very lofty and exposed hill to the south of the Balder, at the exact point of 

 its junction with the Black beck. The storm of wind and rain was violent as yester- 

 day, and I was once more completely "wetted to skin," even through another Mackin- 

 tosh cape : but I do not complain ; I found the plant in great plenty and luxuriance, 

 growing among moss, and where I had to stand at least six inches deep in water whilst 

 I gathered it. The storm again prevented further search, or any advance lower down 

 the beck for the purpose of gathering Epilobium angustifolium, which grows there. 

 Yet let it not be supposed that the wettings were not counterbalanced, when Woodsia 

 Ilvensis and Saxifraga Hirculus were in the scale against them. — Samuel Simpson; 

 Lancaster, Aug. 19, 1841. 



37. Avena alpina found in Yorkshire. Whilst on a visit to a friend near Settle a 

 fortnight since, Mr. J. Tatham took me to a hill above that town to gather Avena 

 alpina, which had been discovered there for the first time a few weeks previously, by 

 himself; and in the evening of the same day I discovered it in a hazel wood, a little 

 northward of Stackhouse near Settle, in great abundance. I mention this, thinking it 

 may be interesting to know that this almost exclusively Scottish plant has a habitat in 

 Yorkshire. I believe it was not known to Mr. Baines as having been found in that 

 county. — Id. August 25, 1841. 



38. Asplenium lanceolatum. It affords me pleasure to be able to communicate 

 what I am sure will be interesting to you, viz., a locality for the rare Asplenium lan- 

 ceolatum, not mentioned in Mr. Newman's delightful little work on the ferns. Mr. J. 

 W. Ewing, of Norwich, who resided here for some time a few years ago, discovered the 

 plant growing on a bank at Stapleton, about three miles from Bristol, and pointed out 

 the spot to me. Not paying much attention to the ferns at that time, the circumstance 

 escaped from my memory, until reminded of it by a friend who was with us at the 

 time. I have recently revisited the spot and again found the plant, but growing there 

 very sparingly ; however, by searching very diligently, day after day, the rocks in the 



