284 Alexander Goodman More. [i88i 



Ireland. Have you seen or heard anything of Mr. Corry lately? If he 

 has the time to spare I think he should apply for a grant to examine 

 Ben Bulben next year. ... A new (8th) edition of Babington's Manual 

 has just come out. 



Such letters give glimpses of his method of pushing 

 botanical exploration, as from a hidden centre of energy, 

 which too often was his sick-room. The new year found 

 him still only convalescent. " It must have been very 

 grievous to you to be laid aside again when in full and 

 useful work," Professor Babington wrote (Dec. 28th, 1880); 

 "may it please God in his mercy soon to restore you to your 

 former health." A severe attack of bronchitis in February 

 further threw back his progress, and change of air was 

 necessary. He went (Feb. i5th) to Malvern, and after- 

 wards to Bournemouth. Museum business taking him on 

 to London, he had the pleasure, on March i4th, of visiting 

 his old Rugby master, Archbishop Tait, in Lambeth 

 Palace ; and a few days were very happily spent with 

 Mr. and Mrs. Babington at Cambridge. His recovery, 

 however, was only partial. The specimens of the Lesser 

 Horse-shoe Bat in the Dublin Museum were probably 

 obtained while on sick-leave, towards the end of April, at 

 Coole Park, near Castle Taylor. The same illness led to 

 his being shown (as described in the "Journal of Botany, " 

 vol. xx., p. 8) a quite unexpected new station in Kerry for 

 the remarkable "Canadian grass" (Sisyrinchium), whose 

 status in its sole previously known Irish locality, at Wood- 

 ford, had so long exercised his mind. Such occasional 

 treats in field-natural-history poorly compensated him for 

 the interruption of more serious work ; but by the begin- 

 ning of May he found himself stronger, and the remainder 

 of the year's record was unbroken by any return of illness. 

 In July, with his sister, he visited Llandudno. They went 

 to have another look at Cotoneaster, on theOrme's Head. 

 But the coast was not quite clear. Some boys seemed to 

 be watching ; and fearful of betraying the favourite rarity, 

 he hesitated whether he might venture near enough even 

 to see that it survived. Not far from the exact site grew 

 some spikes of the rather rare orchid, Epipactis ovalis, 

 which was now in flower. " Let us gather these/' he 



