1854] A genial November. 35 



Dr. Salter he bad now the pleasure of exhibiting his new 

 addition to the insular flora, Filago spathulata, in its place 

 of growth. Dr. Salter was particularly anxious to see the 

 submarine "forest," to which he walked on November 2Qth ; 

 but the day turned out unfavourable for the purpose, as the 

 tide did not recede sufficiently far, and the doctor was fain 

 to content himself with carrying home a quantity of lignite 

 from the shore. 



The following is from the diary for the last day of 

 November : 



" Nov. 30. Walked out with Mr. M'All to show him 

 the locality for Osmunda and Blechnum, in pursuit of 

 which we got involved in some extremely swampy ground 

 close to Motteston Mill, and were thoroughly wetted. We 

 were, however, successful so far as ferns are concerned, 

 and the locality looks a very promising one for the summer. 

 I could not find Thelypteris or Ribes nigrum, for which the 

 locality seemed well adapted. From this point, Mr. M'All 

 conducted me to the Bottle, or Buddie Hole source of the 

 stream, a spot of quite romantic interest, the clear stream 

 gushing from a natural arch surrounded with ferns, in the 

 centre of a beautiful hollow well shaded by trees. . . . 

 I found Chrysosplenium in great abundance along the 

 stream, and in the swampy alder thicket it quite covers the 

 ground in many places. In one very small spot, where 

 the wood had just been cleared, we must have flushed as 

 many as twelve Snipes. The great tufts of Carex paniculata 

 attain an enormous height on this ground, while between 

 them the treacherous, soft watery bog requires some atten- 

 tion to avoid sinking above one's knees. Equisetum 

 palustre, chiefly the form ' nudum,' was another plant new 

 to me, flowering, and with fresh young shoots as if in 

 spring." 



A week afterwards the family left Brighstone for a 

 projected tour along the south coast of England, and with 

 this departure the connexion with the Isle of Wight was 

 practically severed for a considerable time. A stay of a 

 few days was made at Lymington, where a change of pro- 

 gramme occurred; and the winter months of 1853-4 were 

 .spent with some relatives at St. Catherine's, near Doncaster. 



D 2 



