~ 
NOTICED IN NORTH WALES. o 
nothing to detain us here. The historical recollections of Os- 
westry are interesting, but we had neither time nor means of 
satisfactorily visiting the scene of the memorable battle fought 
between the ftictics king of Northumbria, Oswald, and the 
pagan king of Mercia, Penda. The victorious pagan, not con- 
tented with his conquest, caused, it is said, the body of his van- 
quished enemy Oswald to be cut in pieces and stuck on poles as 
trophies of his victory. Oswestry derived its name from this 
event. Tre or tref, in Welsh, is a home or town. This ancient 
town became Oswald’s long home or final resting-place. We 
have heard another etymology, viz. that as the dead body of 
Oswald was suspended from a tree, this object became famous 
in after-ages, like the Rufus-oak in the New Forest ; and as the 
Christian king was celebrated for sanctity, a religious house was 
built near the spot,—hence the town and its name. Before com- 
mencing the detail of botanical objects noticed conjunctly, we 
beg to introduce the followmg within inverted commas, which 
was observed by one of us separately in the previous July. 
“ Almost the first thing that attracted our attention was an 
extraordinary quantity of Fumaria capreolata, which completely 
covered the ground, climbing up and over a newly planted hedge 
for about half a mile together before you enter Oswestry from 
Chirk and Gobowen by the road; the beautiful appearance and 
delicate habit of the plant were quite striking, and I am per- 
suaded it might be troduced to suitable situations in gardens 
with ee Hereabouts also the Linaria Cymbalaria is per- 
fectly and ‘evidently an aboriginal, growing for miles along the 
hedge-banks, as well as on walls and farm buildings ; this is also 
the case in several parts of North Wales, ae in and about 
Dolgelly, where it is very ornamental. It would be difficult to 
conceive how any botanist that had seen it as about Oswestry, 
etc., should hesitate to admit it as an original native. It is true, 
Ray and other old authors do not notice the plant, and it may 
be said that it is a plant so conspicuous as not likely to have 
been overlooked ; yet its abundance and its so general distribu- 
tion in certain districts seem to negative its recent introduction. 
There is a very rich and well cultivated country all about Os- 
westry, Llansyllin, etc. I had not much opportunity of gathering 
plants; noticed Epipactis latifolia between the two places, and 
an immense one just entering the county Montgomery.” 
