24 Woodruffe- Peacock : The Ecology of Thome Waste. 



The object of these notes, however, is not to prove that 

 Scheiichzeria was once in Lincohishire, for which a three foot 

 ditch in peat as a county boundary I am quite indifferent to 

 the county question, but to point out that the ecology of these 

 ancient turbaries, whatever parish or county they were in, 

 on account of their lowness, i.e., wetness, and of their broken 

 scurf or floral blanket, were the only places it could be 

 abundant in till other niduses were made for it by man's 

 work. In my day, at least, the scurf of the great bog was far 

 too overpowering except where fractured. 



The Lincolnshire seed -carriage is from E. to W., or from 

 the shore inland, as a rule with many exceptions from local 

 movements of fowl. Sand -bog species are carried more 

 directly N. to S. So far as I can judge with my past ex- 

 perience of Thorne moor, and present information, only two 

 species are likely to have been seeded from W. to E. locally 

 across this wide moor — Corydalis claviculata and Lathyrus 

 palustris. Scheuchzeria and Eriophorum latifolium no doubt 

 came from the N. to the S. by moorland bird-carriage. 



There is only one other matter. Can anyone say whether 

 there are any localised specimens of Scheiichzeria in existence 

 from Thorne Waste ? I have never heard of any in herbaria, 

 neither has Mr. Arthur Bennett, who knows far more of 

 existing specimens than I do. I have a specimen from this 

 area, but it is unlocalised, I regret to say. So it may have 

 been taken in anyone of the three counties ; but / have good 

 reason to believe that it was taken in Yorkshire, though the 

 locality may have been in Lincolnshire. 



PERSONS, BOOKS AND CONTRACTIONS. 



1 Phiheas Ellis, a doctor, of Crowle. He gave me the notes I use 

 here in 1874-75. He is not to be confounded with his younger brother 

 and partner, Henry, who lived there too and in 1880 supplied 10 (below) 

 with certain information re Crowle 'New Decoy' as I call it, 2-3 miles 

 away on the waste. As printed not quite accurate ; I cannot believe 

 that he said Beech for Birch, which was the species there. 



2 W. Tune, the late, of Eastoft, a very original and thoughtful 

 labouring man naturalist, from whom next to Phineas Ellis, I obtained 

 most valuable information in 1874-75. 



3 Dr. W. G. Smith, late President of the L.N.U. (in IQ19). 



4 Rev. W. T. Humphrey, in 1874-75, Vicar of Eastoft, in Lincoln- 

 shire and Yorkshire. My first trainer in what is now called ' Ecological 

 Botany.' 



5 F. A. Lees, author of The Flora of West Yorks. As also by letters 

 and in conversation. 



<' The Rev. R. P. Norwood, now Vicar of Crowle. 

 ^ Arthur Bennett, of Croyden. I^etters and personal collections of 

 notes on Scheuchzeria palustris. 



8 Earl of Cromarty, Phil. Trans, v. 27. 



9 Henry Ellis, brother and partner of Phineas Ellis. 



