Natural History of Thorne Waste. 321 
color, Cnicus palustris, Veronica officinalis, etc., with Carex ovalis 
in one limited area of fairly short turf. The flora of the waste 
where I touched it first was characteristic of a desiccating 
quagmire. The peat was much higher than the surrounding 
cultivated soils, with P/erzs as the predominating species, and 
with Calluna and Eriophorum vaginatum as first and second sub- 
sidiaries. The Plerzs clearly overpowered everything but the 
Betula verrucosa, which had all been cut down. Jolznta varia 
held the fourth place frequently in the varietal form depauperata. 
On picking up the tramway, which carries the dried turves to 
the manufactury, one of the prettiest ecological studies imagin- 
able came under review. The line, without much attempt at 
levelling, had been laid east to west right over the original peat 
surface, and cinders from the engine-room fire had been used 
as a binder to compact the road for the horses’ feet. These 
cinders provided sufficient mineral matter for the growth of 
common species on the rich, nitrogenous moor soil. I found 
no plant beyond six inches from the outside of the rails on 
either side, seldom as far, for not one of them can grow on pure 
peat, though almost all are more or less characteristic of peat 
mixed slightly with some introduced soil. Those I met with 
first are the most usual moor-side dwellers. The following is 
the order in which the species came into evidence :—Festuca 
sciuroides, Bromus mollis, Cnicus arvensts, Poa annua, Holcus 
lanatus, Poa pratensis, Cerastium triviale, Dactylis, Plantago 
lanceolata, P. major, Veronica serpyllifolia, Verontca agrestis, 
Veronica arvensts, Polygonum Persicaria was very sickly, 
Tusstlago very fine, Myosotis arvensis, Anthriscus sylvestrts, 
Lolium perenne, Trifolium repens poor, Agrostis vulgarts fine, 
Urtica dwtca poor, Bromus mollis, var. glabratus, Sentcio 
sylvaticus poor, Rumex crispus, Geranium molle, Hypocherts 
radicata, Arrhenatherum, Urtica urens very poor, Poa ¢trivialis, 
Bursa, Veronica chameedrys, Senecio eructfolius, Polygonum 
aviculare, var. rurivagum, Bellis, Cnicus lanceolatus, Senecto 
vulgaris, Lychnts alba, and Festuca rubra. The last five species 
were out of place altogether. 
The road, as soon as the peat is left, up to Midge Hall 
railway station, is an estuarine alluvium or warp. All our best 
pasture grasses came into evidence at once, Festuca elatior, 
typica, being very characteristic. Sonchus asper and Cnicus 
lanceolatus were both five feet high. Papaver rhaas was mixed 
with the variety Priors, Geranium dissectum, Matricaria inodora, 
keseda luteola, Linarta vulgaris, and Stsymbrium officinale, illus- 
1g07 September 1. 
