1858.] BOTANICAL SKETCHES. 615 



cake, and not many feet above the level of the tide at high- 

 water. In June it may be expected in flower. The Cranberry 

 is plentiful enough^ trailing along the surface. Its berries are 

 not abundant. Vaccinium Myrtillus, the Bilberry, grows on drier 

 parts, but it is not very common. One of the Pyrolas, either 

 media or rotundifolia, was reported from a fir-wood in the 

 neighbourhood of the moss, but this statement needs confirma- 

 tion. It is to be wished that some of the more active, zealous 

 botanists in Leigh and Tyldesley would either confirm or nega- 

 tive this report. 



The TJtricularias, Pinguicula, and Parnassia, do not honour 

 Chat Moss with their company. But there were two exotics 

 seen which are not commonly found of spontaneous growth on 

 British Mosses. 



In an old marl-pit, near what is called a tramroad, which 

 crosses the moss and joins the railway not far from Astley 

 station, we saw a single plant' of Rhododendron, probably a 

 European species, but the American species being equally hardy, 

 it might be one of these. In the same old marl-pit there grow, 

 or grew, several plants of Osmunda regalis. The origin of the 

 Rhododendron on Chat Moss was soon accounted for. After 

 crossing the tramroad, we entered by a wicket into an enclo- 

 sure, a sort of lawn, terminated by a small residence. This 

 place, " where," as the poet says, 



" Once the garden smiled, 

 And still where many a garden-flower grows wild," 



abounded in what are called American shrubs, and in the re- 

 mains of the hardier ornamental herbaceous plants. Among 

 these we saw many Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Sedums, Peonies, 

 Convallarias, etc. etc. The Rhododendron in the pit probably 

 sprang up from a seed which had been wafted thither from the 

 now deserted garden. The other foreign plant is Ledum palustre, 

 which was found in Chat Moss and taken to the Medical School 

 in Manchester. This I did not see, but the botanical lecturer of 

 that institution did, and heard, or was told, that it was collected 

 in the centre of Chat Moss. Its existence there may be attri- 

 buted to the same cause or causes which have been assigned as 

 accounting for the origin of the Rhododendron. 



On the sides of the railway Orchis maculata and Listera ovata 

 occurred, the former plentifully, the latter not sparingly in spots. 



