1866] Difficulties of Correct Identification. 185 



I do not wonder that you have trouble with the Burdocks. They are by 

 no means easily identified so far as my own experience goes, except 

 that the right A. majus does look quite different. It has much larger 

 heads than any of the Belfast specimens, and they are collected into a 

 sort of corymb at top of the stem. One of your specimens had a kind 

 of resemblance to this growth ; but only because the upper part of the 

 panicle had been broken off. The petioles also of the leaves of A. majus, 

 if cut through, appear quite solid, with no hollow or tube in the centre. 

 But I do not much think you will find it at Belfast, as we cannot lay 

 hands upon it at Dublin ; the only Irish locality is Clonakilty, Cork. I 

 much doubt whether A. minus, A. pubens ("intermedium"), and A, 

 nemorosum are distinct. 



I wrote to Mr. Oulton, and he has satisfactorily confirmed the habitat 

 of Hottonia in marshes crossed by the railroad close to Donaghadee. 

 I hope you will be able to look after Myosotis sylvatica next season, as 

 the specimens here are not very satisfactory. The Erythraea sent is 

 simply E. centaurium, so I do not return it. At the same time I must 

 say that I do not believe in E. latifolia, which I have seen growing 

 plentifully in the Isle of Wight, and which appears no more than a form 

 of E. centaurium ; but our Isle of Wight plants had much broader 

 leaves, and flowers often almost sessile on the leaves. 



There is one of your plants of which I should very much like to see a 

 specimen. Will you kindly send me a bit of the Juncus obtusiflorus 

 from Dundrum Bay, and tell me the locality precisely ? Is it north or 

 south end of the Bay, or near any place that could be named ? Also, I 

 should like to give the exact station for the very singular form of Allium 

 ursinum* with yellow flowers. Is it plentiful ? If you have another 

 specimen of it quite to spare, I should feel very glad to have it, as your 

 former bit was rather crushed by post. Carex axillaris I suppose had 

 better be dismissed as a probable error, as you have not succeeded in 

 finding it again. It is exceedingly scarce in Ireland. Dr. Moore has not 

 even seen any specimen. Juncus obtusiflorus is also very rare only 

 known for certain on marshy ground near the coast of Wicklow. 



I am now advanced as far as Carex in the MS., and hope to begin 

 printing in February. Thanking you once more most sincerely for your 

 kind help, which has been of very great use to us, I remain, dear sir, 

 yours sincerely, 



ALEX. G. MORE. 



P.S. There is a list of Shetland plants by Mr. Tate in the January 

 number of "Journal of Botany." It seems a very good paper, carefully 

 prepared, and will be of service. I think he was too hasty in determin- 

 ing several of the Belfast plants. But, with no herbarium for reliable 

 comparison, we must not blame him too much. 



* This turned out to have been an escape from cultivation. 



