248 BOTANICAL EXCURSIONS. [AugUSt, 



I propose to give you an account of a botanical ramble which I 

 and another mate enjoyed with James Percival, the talented Pre- 

 sident of the Prestwich section of Lancashire botanists, whose 

 observant eye and perceptive mind are of so much value in a 

 botanical journey. Availing ourselves of the new line of rail 

 which has been recently made from Manchester to Knutsford, 

 we took our tickets by the 9.30 train to the latter place, which 

 we reached in about an hour ; and the town may be briefly or 

 barbarously described as a small place, with a large jail and 

 a good race-course, which was the most inviting locality. Here 

 we soon found Teesdalia nudicaulis, Filago germanica, Scleran- 

 thus annuus, Ornithopus purpusillus ; but we were subsequently 

 disturbed by a very smart shower of rain, and very cold, considering 

 it was late in June ; but in our retreat we found time to notice 

 Plantago Coronopus, Urtica urens, and that beautiful flowering 

 plant Vicia angustifolia. The rain abating somewhat, our next 

 visit was to the bog, or moor as it is called, which is situated on 

 the opposite side of the town to the race-course. This place is 

 the old locality for Saxifraga Hirculus, and those rare mosses 

 Hypnum nitens, Hypnum Blandovei, and Paludella squarrosa, 

 but unfortunately not to be found there now ; at the lower end 

 of this bog there is a large mgre (Tatton Mere), in which grows 

 Nymphaea alba in great profusion, but well guarded by a broad 

 long belt of thin jungle-like grass; Phragmites communis, grow- 

 ing in splendid condition ; not far from this we found the delicate- 

 looking Fern Aspidium TheJyperis in plenty, with Orchis lati- 

 folia, and a white variety of Lychnis Flos-cuculi, that beautiful 

 moss Climacium dendroides, may be reckoned by the acre. In 

 the hedges enclosing the bog may be seen Bryonia dioica, Cheli- 

 donium majus ; but a bog is not very agreeable to stop in long 

 together on a damp day such as this was, and we turned our 

 faces towards Mobberly. By the road, on a small common 

 (called Shaw Heath, I think), where were several pits, we saw 

 more of the White Water- Lily, among which were floating Poly- 

 gonum amphibium in bloom ; on the edges of the pits grew Galium 

 palusire, Myosotis ccespitosa, Catabrosa aquatica, and submerged 

 were several Potamogttons ; but having had a fair share of the 

 water above the earth, we did not care for dabbling in that be- 

 low the surface. In the hedge-banks adjoining were several 

 tufts of Festuca bromoides. We resumed our journey down the 



