260 Alexander Goodman More. [i876 



CHAFER XXXVII. 



IN IMPAIRED HEALTH. 



[1876.] 



GRADUALLY his opportunities for field-work lessened, as 

 his health each summer seemed more precarious than the 

 year before; but as yet he had no suspicion of any perma- 

 nent injury, and continued to plan further exploration, 

 especially among those islands of the wild west coast, his 

 love for which had already cost him so dear. The prepa- 

 ration of his Report on the Flora of Bofin afforded him 

 great interest, and several letters refer to it. Professor 

 Babington determined the brambles, though not without a 

 little pressure, as the troublesome " barren " stems had 

 somehow got mixed. 



NAT. HIST. MUSEUM, Jan. iqth. 1876. 



DEAR BABINGTON, Many thanks for your letter. I am glad that 

 the parcel has arrived, but I am afraid that I cannot give you any 

 further clue about the barren stems of the Rubi. Another time I will 

 be more careful, but in the hurry and difficulties of our trip I scarcely 

 had time to do more than I did, which was to secure in all cases the 

 barren stem from the same plant. Still I hope you will not find the 

 difficulty of re-uniting them too great, as it will be of so high an interest 

 to know the names in such a remote spot. 



I gathered some 300 species in four days, and I hope to print the 

 whole list, and a comparison between the Schist flora of Bofin and the 

 Limestone flora of Aran, which will be very interesting, as Bofin has 

 about 90 species not found in Aran, while Aran yields (on about four 

 times the ground) about 160 species not found in Bofin. So that the 

 contrast is very striking. 



I do hope that you will be able to manage the Rubi, for curiously 

 enough R. caesius and R. saxatilis are the only two known in Aran, 



and neither occurs in Boffin I have an Isoetes to send you from 



a lake in Bofin. It has all the look of, and slender tapering fronds of 

 echinospora, but I can't make sure of the seeds. 



For the coming summer he thought of exploring Clare 

 Island, which lack of time had prevented in 1875. On 



