501 



trict is rich in Orcliideaj. This seems also to be the northern point of 

 several plants not nncomraon in the south, such as Biscutella saxatilis, 

 Arabis arenosa, Ononis Natrix, O. Columnae, Seseli coloratum, Chon- 

 drilla juncea, Inula brilannica, Centranthus lanatus, Teucrinm monta- 

 num, Euphorbia Gerarcli, and Anthericum ramosum. Sesleria cseru- 

 lea is abundant here, and on other chalk-hills in Normandy ; a rather 

 curious anomaly, since, though plentiful on the limestone hills of York- 

 shire, it does not occur in the chalk districts of Kent and Sussex. 

 Mons. Cosson tells me of Astragalus monspeliensis ; but this I did 

 not see. He also finds, in some boggy ground at a little distance, 

 several plants which seem to attain here their southern limits, at least 

 in France. I need hardly add that the English botanist will be grati- 

 fied by finding many of the rarities of his own country. 



Tt would be as superfluous to describe the botany of Fontainebleau 

 as that of the road to Paris ; only I may notice that the English bota- 

 nist is surprised to find on the loose sandy soil plants which with us 

 are confined to the calcareous districts, as Asperula cynanchica, Phy- 

 teuma orbiculare, and especially Orchis hircina and ustulata, and 

 Aceras anthropophora. 



My next point of interest was the Sologne, a sandy, barren tract, 

 which extends for a considerable distance on the south side of the 

 Loire. 1 first made an excursion into it with M. Jullien, taking the 

 railroad to La Ferte. We had proposed to reach some boggy ground 

 at Massis, but found it too far. The most prevalent plant here is the 

 Erica scoparia ; and on the drier grounds an Astrocarpus is very 

 abundant, which M. Jullien assures me has been pronounced by M. 

 Godron to be Reseda purpurascens of Linnaeus. He has named it A. 

 Clusii; but there does not seem to be sufficient reason for altering the 

 specific name, since the general effect of the plant is a somewhat 

 purplish tinge. The stamens are more numerous than in the true A. 

 sesamoides, and the filaments are rough ; but I do not find the cha- 

 racters pointed out by M. Godron in the calyx and the form of the 

 fruit to be constant. The banks and the corn-fields show abundance 

 of Anthemis mixta. In considering the geographical distribution of 

 plants, it seems necessary to distinguish the localities where any spe- 

 cies is plentiful and where it may be expected whenever we meet 

 with circumstances favourable to its growth, and those outliers, some- 

 times at a considerable distance, where it occurs only as a rarity. 

 Erica scoparia, Astrocarpus purpurascens, and Anthemis mixta are 

 here district plants. Lobelia urens was also in tolerable quantity ; 

 and this is perhaps nearly the eastern limit of these four species, in 



