1858.] BOTANICAL SKETCHES. 651 



Two or three varieties of Salix fusca ? cover large tracts of the 

 depressions between the sand-hills. There are probably other 

 varieties. These ought to be interesting plants, but like Rubi, 

 Hieracia, and other disreputable genera, they " are made odious/' 

 as Mr. Watson truly says, "by books." We eschewed these 

 troublesome plants. 



The Orchids seen were few and far between, " like angels* 

 visits." Orchis pyramidalis and 0. latifolia, of each one speci- 

 men. Of other Orchids saw we " ne'er a trace." 



Carex arenaria, AmmopMla arundinacea, Phleum arenarium, 

 and Triticum junceum, complete the list of plants noticed by us 

 at New Brighton. 



As usual, the list of plants we hoped to find and did not find 

 is nearly as considerable as our real captures. 



Silene maritima was expected ; so were the Sea Lavenders 

 and the Sea Pink, Statices and Armeria maritima. These we 

 should not have expected had we known that there is no muddy 

 shore between the Mersey and the Dee, or along that part of 

 the shore which we traversed. The Sea Wormwood, Artemisia 

 maritima, was not there, nor Convolvulus Soldanella, a plant 

 which does grow on sand. Pyrola rotundifolia we only thought 

 we had heard of as a New Brighton plant ; probably a misap- 

 prehension, and therefore we could not see it, because we did not 

 look in the right place. Euphorbia Paralias and E. portlandica 

 were both expected, but they did not appear ; no more did Epi- 

 pactis palustris. 



Notwithstanding our disappointments, we had a right pleasant 

 day's botanizing at New Brighton, where we spent about five 

 hours, and regretted that we were not able — time would not per- 

 mit us — to walk along the whole extent of the coast to the estuary 

 of the Dee. 



The inland marshes, if there be any, probably produce Par- 

 nassia, Pinguicula, and Utricularia ; of all these we did not see 

 a single example. At an earlier period of the season this coast 

 would repay inspection. Trefoils, Cerastia, early Grasses, proba- 

 bly Knappia agrostidea, might repay the search of the diligent 

 botanist. I looked wishfully for Lithospermum maritimum, which 

 I did not see, and now and then thought of Echinophora spinosa, 

 which I did not expect to see. But I saw enough to convince 

 me that I should like, when I have more time, and am well pro- 



