8o Museum Neivs 



observations go, I have not yet seen a Swidden with plants 

 typical of other associations upon it. Ruderal species may 

 be observed upon moors, but only under one condition, 

 viz., — the ground must have been radically disturbed, and 

 the soil thereby considerably changed in character. Thus 

 Nettles, may be found growing upon artificial ground consisting 

 of cinders, sand, etc., by the side of the Rosedale Branch Rail- 

 way at Farn^ale Head. Again by moorland roadsides, where 

 road scrapings and gutter refuse have been banked up, ruderal 

 plants may be met with. Nettles, Thistles, Docks, etc. The 

 burning of the Heather, though it must undoubtedly exert 

 some influence upon the raw humus, does not change the char- 

 acter of the soil to any extent, and consequently ruderal and 

 other species not being adapted to grow upon peat never appear 

 on the Swiddens. 



From the foregoing facts it will be obvious that the unifor- 

 mity of Heather Moorlands is much disturbed by burning. 

 There can be little doubt that if left undisturbed, CalUma would 

 reign supreme over a much larger area ; whilst on the slopes, 

 especially towards the moor edges, Bracken and Bilberry would 

 not be so dominant. Again many important constituents of 

 the ericetal flora. Erica Tetralix, E. cinerea and Empeirum 

 nigrum, occurring sporadically as a rule amongst the Heather, 

 become much more abundant, and so help to break the 

 monotony of the moorland vegetation. 



What the order of succession of plants upon Swiddens 

 may be, and whether they spring from seeds or from the 

 underground parts of the burnt plants, are problems which 

 must be left for future consideration. 



MUSEUM NEWS. 



The late Felix Cobbold, M.P., has bequeathed /20,ooo to the Ipswich 

 Museum for the purchase of specimens. 



Mr. James Britten has retired from the Botanical Department of the 

 British Museum (Natural History), after serving thirty-eight years. 



By the generosity of one of the members of the York Philosophical 

 Society, a new lecture theatre is to be built in connection with the museum, 

 and the present theatre will be converted into an entrance hall. 



From the Manchester Museum we have received three publications. 

 The first is its Annual Report for 1908-9, in which are recorded many 

 serious changes in the administration of the museum. Publication No. 

 64 is Prof. F. E. Weiss' ' Chapters from the Evolution of Plants ' ; and 

 No. 65 is a reprint of Mr. R. Standen's paper in the Museums Journal, on 

 ' How to Make and Use Glue and Turpentine Cement for Alcholic Mounts.' 



Naturalist, 



