1854] Search for Lost Seaside Plants. 59 



explore it." A stay, however, of three months was made 

 at Carnarvon, whose botanical attractions are at present, 

 perhaps, somewhat too well known, as indeed was already 

 the case with some of them in 1854. 



An unavailing search was made at Abermenai Ferry 

 for the rarities which Ray had found there in the seven- 

 teenth century. 



" Sept. 2oth. F. and I rowed down to the Abermenai 

 Ferry, in order to explore the long narrow strip of sand 

 where we expected to find Diotis and Matthiola. Taking 

 the tide down, we were not long in reaching our destina- 

 tion, and landed near the two houses which are built on 

 the small round island at the end of the isthmus. Neither 

 of these is now inhabited, but one is used as a land-mark. 

 Taking the seaward shore, we skirted the whole edge of 

 the tongue of sand, but most unsuccessfully, since there 

 were only the very commonest sand plants, and, in fact, 

 except at the extremity, only Ammophila ; Eryngium sadly 

 washed ; Salsola ; one plant of Triticum junceum. The 

 sea appears now to make a clean breast over this tongue 

 at high tides, if one may judge from the numerous channels 

 cut through it, and the denuded state of most of the roots. 

 Many places seemed as if a torrent had run through, and 

 hollows with shingle at bottom were plentiful. The sand 

 lay in hopeless irregular water-worn heaps, crowned at the 

 top with Ammophila, which the old women were stacking; 

 but their sides were mostly bare, and the whole tongue 

 looks as if it was some day to be carried away or turned 

 into a mere bar. It must be much altered since the time 

 of Ray, and probably the plants are now lost in this 

 locality. . . . Even at the part where the mainland com- 

 mences there are the same broken, loose sandy hummocks, 

 and we hardly gathered any plants at all. (Silene mari- 

 tima in addition to those named.) The most likely spot 

 we thought was at the end ; . . . but in vain ; a great pro- 

 fusion of Thrincia arenaria was the most abundant plant." 



Two days later, however, a most exhilarating scramble 

 was enjoyed among the alpine plants of the famous chasm 

 of Twl Du. 



"We came to a sort of table-land, intersected with little 



