37 



^ 



n. 



^ 



We 



^. 



white fog on the river. It cleared off by breakfast-time, but 

 left everything drenched and the air close and hot, and hot 

 was a mild word to apply to our climb to the top of the tall, 

 picturesque cliffs that rise out of the river half a mile below 

 the house. From the top we had a splendid view of the 

 swift, opaque, red river stretching away to the right in endless 

 rapids, the opposite banks clothed in the delicate spring 

 foliage, the blue hills beyond, and over all the white, dancing 

 heat of an almost tropical day. The objective point of the 

 climb was the rare Pachystima Canbyi^ which grows in a few 

 spare patches on the topmost ledges. We were able to find 

 a few of its tiny flowers, but saw no sign of any fruit. 



Rhus aro)natica and Berberis Canadensis grow on the 

 edge o( the dizzy height, and so do any number of ferns, the 

 most notable of which were Pell<2a atropurpiirea^ Asplenium 

 parv2iht7n and Cantptosorus rhizophylhis, 



Clematzs Vior7ia was in full bloom, and so was also the 

 pretty, delicate Arenaria stricta.^ 



After a dinner which was in every way In accord with our 



surroundings, we left for the station on the opposite bank of 



Canada, being most abundant, indeed, in temperate regions, and not plenty in 

 the regions where O. corniculata is most abundant. It is only depauperate 

 plants of O. strlcta that can be confused with O. cormculaia. In Germany, 

 where O. stricta is introduced as a weed, it is regarded as distinct from the 

 other species. (Reichenb. Icon. FL Germ. & Helv,, Fig. 4895; Koch, Syn. 

 Flor. Germ. & Helv., Ed. 2, 157,)— N. L. B. 



* Arenaria stricta, Michx. Fl. Bor. Amen i., 274 (1S03), not S. Wats. 

 Alsine Michattxii, FenzL Ann- Mus. Wien. i., 18 (1836). 

 Arenaria Michauxii^ Hook, f. Arctic PL, 2S7 {1S60). 



Arenaria stricta^ S. Wats., Bibh'og. Index, Polypet. 98 (1S7S), is based on 

 Spergtila stricta, Sw, Act. Holm., xx., 229 (1799), which is also Alsinc stricta^ 

 Wahl. FL Lap., 127 (1812), aiid the oldest name available for \i appears to be 

 Arenaria iiUginosa^ Schleich. Dr. Watson's binomial of 1S78 can in noway 

 displace Micliaux' of 1S03. To be sure, Swartz' specific name striata^ applied 

 to the arctic plant under Spcrgida, has priority over Miciiaux' stricta applied 

 to the species now under consideration as Arenaria, This is an Instance 

 where Dr. Watson maintained an original specific name under what appears 

 to me an erroneou:5 principle. — N. L. B. 



