340 BOTANICAL SKETCHES. [February, 



Dog DaySj when Violets had long disappeared. In a cornfield 

 close to Caversham^ where there is a path^ — and footpaths are not 

 very common here^ — Veronica Buxbaumii was not unfrequent 

 among the green Barley. Petroselinum segetum was scarce, but 

 visible, and the British form of Venus's Looking-glass {Prisma- 

 tocarpus) was common. A few plants of Penny-cress {Thlaspi 

 arvense) were seen in a turnip-field further on. Plant ago major, 

 with a leafy spike, was observed in a lane where Campanula Tra- 

 chelium, Nepeta Caiaria, Conium maculatum, Verbascum nigrum, 

 and V. Thapsus were observed here and there. Where V. nigrum 

 grows at all, it is always (?) more plentiful than V. Thapsus. Its 

 range or area is seven, and the range of V. Thapsus is sixteen. 

 It is found in seven of the eighteen botanical provinces into 

 which Great Britain is divided, and the latter in sixteen of them. 

 Notwithstanding this, from observation in many other places, as 

 well as here in Oxfordshire, it is inferred, that if a census of the 

 individuals were taken, there would be found a hundred indivi- 

 duals of V. nigrum for every one of V. Thapsus. In Clent, Wor- 

 cestershire, V. nigrum was about as plentiful as the Foxglove; 

 here it was infinitely more so. The Foxglove was not very plen- 

 tiful in the area we traversed this day (the 13th July). The V. 

 nigrum was very abundant. A little way from Mapledurham we 

 lighted on a fine patch of Linaria repens, the only place where 

 Ave saw this rare plant in this day's botanizing. 



Here we diverged from the lane, and went up a rather steep 

 wood, or hanger, as these steep woods are called in some parts of 

 the country, in hopes of meeting with Paris quadrifolia. In this 

 hope we were disappointed. But we found on the margin of the 

 wood, by the side of cultivated land, several plants of Orchis py- 

 ramidalis in fine condition, also of Campanula glomerata, Gentiana 

 Atjiarella, and Carlina vulgaris. The cornfield adjoining was 

 nearly fall of Iberis amara, several with lilac flowers. Orobanche 

 minor, Carduus nutans, and Onobrychis saliva were also adjoin- 

 ing. We then struck through some woods for Whitchurch, and 

 in the deep and shady parts observed Monotropa Hypojntys and 

 Listera Nidus-avis. In a little hanger not far from Whitchurch, 

 Hypericum m,ontanum and H. hirsutum and other interesting 

 plants were seen. The banks hereabout produce Scabiosa Co- 

 lumbaria, Bipsacus sylvestris, and Pimpinella Saxifraga. On old 

 walls about Whitchurch, Corydalis lutea and Sedum album were 



