1893] A Botanical Correspondence. 377 



CHAPTEE LI. 



A BOTANICAL CORRESPONDENCE. 



A CORRESPONDENCE with a lady who had made some im- 

 portant botanical discoveries in the West, in a locality 

 not far from Castle Taylor, shows the special nature of his 

 interest in several of the plants most characteristic of the 

 Western Flora. He had long been particularly anxious 

 to ascertain the exact range of Neotinea intacta. Indeed, 

 to facilitate search for this rare and easily overlooked 

 orchid, he had a number of photographs taken from the 

 original plate published in the "Journal of Botany/' one 

 of which was supplied to each of his correspondents who 

 undertook the exploration of any district likely to produce 

 it. Such other distinctively western plants as the Medi- 

 terranean heath, and his old friend Gentiana verna, were, 

 after Neotinea, among the species whose limits he most 

 wished to see traced. His correspondence with Mrs. 

 Joyce begins with a letter written from Hovvth in the 

 summer of 1892, but owing to the long illness which 

 immediately supervened he does not seem to have written 

 to her again for nearly a year. 



June 8th, 1892. 



DEAR MRS. JOYCE, Indeed I have not forgotten the pleasure 

 which I felt in making* your acquaintance, and I hope that you still take 

 interest in our native plants, and that you will kindly send me some new 

 localities for rare plants, which I am anxious to have before. October 

 next, as the preparation for a new edition of " Cybele Hibernica " is 

 now far advanced, and I hope to print it in the coming winter. Please 

 kindly tell me how should the locality be described where you found 

 the Vicia orobus ? Is it east of Athenry ? And again, Viola stagnina, 

 which you once sent me is it not on or near some Turlough ? and what 

 is the name of it ? Regarding the beetle which was devastating Rosa 

 spinosissima : if you will kindly send me a few by post, in a small box, 

 I daresay there will be no great difficulty in finding out the name. It 



