1862.] THE PLANTS OF HOLY ISLAND. 13 



of the Priory. Though a short description of these might be in- 

 teresting to some readers, it would be out of place here; there- 

 fore I shall content myself with indicating the plants I gathered. 



Among the ruins, and on the waste ground near them, was a 

 quantity of Salvia Verbenaca ; and in the adjacent fields I saw 

 Cardims Marianus and Carl'ma vulgaris, both apparently wild. 

 Asperiigo procumbens grows in profusion on and about the ruins 

 of buildings on the Heugh. It was seen there by Ray now 

 nearly two hundred years ago; yet, notwithstanding its abun- 

 dance, it remained unobserved till it was re-discovered in 1850. 



T next made for the rocky ridge that lies between the town 

 and the sea, called the " Heugh," and found manj* plants that 

 are not universally distributed over the island, viz. Glyceria 

 rigida, Hordeum murinuin, Plantago maritinia, Sagina maritima, 

 and others, grew on the grassy banks, as did Vicia lathyroides, 

 but it had gone out of flower long ago. Silene maritima was 

 growing in the crevices of the rocks facing the sea, and Seduni 

 ariglicum occupied similar localities. The coast between the 

 Heugh and the Castle is low and rocky ; in proceeding along it I 

 saw Trifolium scabrum growing in some of the crevices, but in 

 small quantity ; the delicate little Trefoil, T. arvense, decorated 

 the banks in many places. 



As I approached the Castle, I saw patches of Allium olera- 

 ceum in several places, and some straggling plants of Cynoglos- 

 smn officinale and Hyoscyamus niger. 



Several of these plants occur again on the rock on Avhich the 

 Castle stands. Sagina apetala grows on the walls, and on the 

 summit Echium vulgare stands conspicuously. Erigeron acris has 

 been reported to the north of the Castle, but though I searched 

 diligently, I was unable to discern any trace of it. In going 

 northward through the cornfields, I found Silene noctiflora grow- 

 ing as a weed. Indeed the " weeds" appear to thrive amazingly. 

 One field is brilliant with the Poppy, Papaver Rhoeas ; Anagallis 

 arvensis luxuriates in another ; and I crossed a third that ought 

 to have produced a crop of barley, but one might have imagined 

 it had been sown with Carduus arvensis and Lycopsis arvensis. 

 It is here that the Lough is situated. I made a careful inspec- 

 tion of it, and saw the following plants, in more or less abun- 

 dance, round its margin : — Potamogeton pectinatus, Chara his- 

 pida, Veronica Anagallis, Alisma ranuncul aides, Ranunculus 



