588 



name of its variety (E. fluviatile) should not be substituted for the 

 name of the species, (E. limosum). As to the plant now universally 

 called E. fluviatile by British botanists, the same objection vrould not 

 lie against a change for an older name than that erroneously applied 

 to it by Smith and others. The species which is now known in Bri- 

 tain as E. fluviatile, must have been confounded with E. arvense by 

 Hudson and others ; for it is too frequent to have remained unknown. 

 The E. fluviatile of Hudson must be the branched form of E. limo- 

 sum; E fluviatile of Smith is probably the variety 0. of Hudson's E. 

 arvense. — Hewett C. Watson ; Thames Ditton, April 10, 1843. 



295. Places of growth of Equisetum Jluviatile of Smith. There is 

 a partial inaccuracy in the statement that Equisetum fluviatile "affects 

 loose gravelly and sandy places unconnected with water," (Phytol. 

 533). It occurs occasionally in corn-fields and other places out of 

 water, but is always (as far as my observation goes) short and stunted 

 in such situations. The finest examples that 1 have met with were in 

 the counties of Chester and Lancaster, growing on the red marl, by 

 the sides of streams or in water with a deep muddy bottom. Indeed, 

 it is a notion among the rustics of Cheshire, that horses get "bogged" 

 by their endeavours to graze on this plant in the muddy pools of that 

 county ; and I have certainly seen a horse almost over head in mud in 

 a small pond filled with the tall "horse-tails," which is the name given 

 more particularly to the barren fironds of the present species. I may 

 add also that I met with one locality for the same species in the Azores, 

 and was ankle-deep in mud before I could reach a frond of it. — Id. 



296. The supposed locality of Geranium nodosum near Halifax. 

 The communication of Mr. S. Gibson (Phytol. 556) is interesting and 

 satisfactory, as tending to establish the accuracy of localities for rare 

 plants which were published in the ' New Botanist's Guide,' on the 

 authority of specimens derived through the hands of Mr. Bowman ; — 

 but it seems that we must make an exception to this, in the case of 

 Geranium nodosum, the locality of which was printed " Waterham, 

 near Halifax." Mr. Gibson corrects this, by saying that the species 

 was " G. pyrenaicum," and the locality " Washerlane, near Halifax." 

 Doubtless I misread the label, which, even now, looks to me more 

 like the name that I printed, than the one now given by Mr. Gibson ; 

 but every one must be aware of the difficulty of reading unfamiliar 

 names unless very distinctly written. In regard to the species, how- 

 ever, I can only affirm that my specimen is certainly not G. pyrenai- 

 cum ; but that it belongs to a section of the genus which includes our 

 indigenous G. pratense and G. sylvaticum, as also that doubtful na- 



