699 



the railroad, one of the driest upon the Common. Then Drosera 

 rotundifoha has gi'own upon some parts before, but disappeared, many 

 years since, from all pai'ts of the Common, and re-appeared in this, in 

 the midst of Sphagnum and Hypnum, &c., where it certainly was not 

 before. . With regard to Equisetaceae, E. Telmateia is growing in 

 several places, and as abundant as though it had been established 

 here for the last century ; yet it is impossible it could have existed 

 here pi-evious to the formation of the railway. E. fluviatile was not, 

 I think, known before upon the Common ; E. palustre grows a quar- 

 ter of a mile distant ; E. arvense is too abundant as a weed. Oro- 

 banche minor is at home in a clover-field ; but who previously saw it 

 on a heath or clay common, and not apparently parasitical ? It may 

 be argued that Fasniculum and ffinothera are garden escapes; but 

 where was the garden from which the seeds escaped ? — as, before the 

 cutting, the whole distance it occurs in (more than half a mile) was 

 the plain Common clothed with gorse and heather. The Melilotus is 

 abundant, in company with the Medicago, in the same direction as 

 the Foeniculum, Helminthia, additional Leguminosse, &c. ; and if one 

 has escaped they have all done so, but where from ? Many of the 

 plants are apt to spring up in similar situations ; still, upon exami- 

 nation we appear to have somewhat above the average share upon so 

 small a space of ground. 



Let us take a candid view of the locality, and note the vast and 

 likewise varied number of plants, usual tenants of directly opposite 

 soils and habitats, which are found assembled together. Com- 

 mingled as they are, where, when, and by whom will that difficult 

 task be attempted, of drawing the line of demarcation between culti- 

 vated and uncultivated plants ? The seeds have probably remained 

 inert from the time the deposition of the marl and gravel took place, 

 caused by the physical revolutions the earth has undergone, and upon 

 their exposure again to the action of the atmosphere were re-called 

 into life. 



In proof of my views I may mention, that in many places on the 

 Richmond line, where the ballast was taken from the cutting in ques- 

 tion, many plants uncommon to the district have appeared upon the 

 embankments, identical with those in my list. 



P.S. — Phalaris arundinacea, &. variegaia, is growing near Lycopo- 



dium inundatum. 



K. M'Ennes. 

 Vauxhall, August, 1852. 



