628 



again a few days ago, and found two more plants, Koch makes it a 

 variety of O. mascula, which it probably ought not to be kept separate 

 from, the difference being more in appearance than in well-defined 

 characters. It is, however, a noble-looking plant, growing nearly 

 eighteen inches high. 



" May 28, 1852. — I herewith send you one of the smallest speci- 

 mens of the Orchis speciosa, Host, which 1 will thank you to show to 

 Dr. Balfour. Some of the flowers in the rachis are imperfect, wanting 

 the labellum. The specimen figured had also imperfect flowers, which 

 would appear to be characteristic of the species. I confess I cannot 

 find good characters to distinguish it from O. mascula, though it dif- 

 fers so widely in general appearance." 



In regard to the Orchis, Dr. Balfour read the following communica- 

 tion from Mr. Babington : — " I see that Mr. Moore has sent you a 

 paper upon the supposed Orchis speciosa of the county of Wicklow, 

 and that it is to be brought before the Botanical Society, on Thurs- 

 day next. He has been so good as to send me a specimen of the 

 plant; and I have informed him very recently that I could not con- 

 cur in the opinion that it is the O. speciosa of Host. I believe it to 

 be nothing more than a very luxuriant state of the O. mascula. A 

 few days since I found two specimens, exactly corresponding with the 

 Wicklow plant, in the wooded part of the Devil's Ditch, in this county 

 of Cambridge. They possess the remarkable size of Mr. Moore's 

 plant, and the rather acuter segments of the perianth, such as he finds 

 on his specimens. The true O. speciosa (which is itself only a variety 

 of the O. mascula) has very much more attenuated segments of peri- 

 anth. It is figured by Reichenbach in his recent elaborate volume 

 upon the Orchidacea? (forming Icon. Fl. Germ., vols. 13 and 14) ; and 

 1 have lately received a plant which is much more like it than is the 

 Irish plant, from Mr. Keys, of Plymouth. Our English O. mascula is 

 noted by continental botanists as an obtuse-petalled form of the spe- 

 cies. Mr. Moore's plant is far nearer to the continental type of the 

 species." 



5. ' On Plants observed in Westmoreland and Cumberland, in May, 

 1852 ;' by Mr. James B. Davies. Mr. Davies recorded the flowering 

 of the following plants during the month : — Arabis hirsuta, Anthriscus 

 sylvestris, Nuphar lutea, Trifolium pratense, Chelidonium majus, Pri- 

 mula veris, Bromus mollis, Caltha paluslris, var. radlcans, TroUius 

 Europaeus, Geum rivale (with yellow flowers), Melica uniflora, Poten- 

 tilla Tormentilla, Ranunculus hederaceus, Carex dioica, Juniperus 

 .communis, Valeriana dioica, Caltha palustris, var. minor, Arum 



