94 * 



our native plants. The Essex Committee is simply organizing a 

 raid upon plants which are already near to extinction. I hope 

 that they will fail to discover the rarities which they selfishly 

 covet; their enterprise is, I venture to say, an injury to natural 

 history and to education alike. It may not be too late to get 

 this programme cancelled, and I would beg those who care for 

 live natural history to use their influence in diverting the atten- 

 tion of the Essex collectors to some other pursuit where they 

 will do less harm." 



ON SCIRPUS ROBUSTUS PURSH AND CERTAIN 

 OF ITS NEAR ALLIES 



By Eugene P. Bicknell 



A recent article by Mr. M. L. Fernald in Rhodora, 2 : 239 

 (" Representatives of Scirpus maritimus in America") brings to 

 notice a common eastern bulrush hitherto concealed under the 

 species Scirpus robustus Pursh. 



Mr. Fernald's paper, of much interest in itself, was of particular 

 interest to me for the reason that this same bulrush clearly an- 

 nounced itself to me in the field several years ago, when I was 

 led over the same technical ground traversed by Mr. Fernald's 

 more recent study, and to conclusions similar to but not identical 

 with those there expressed. 



Mr. Fernald's conclusion is that the new plant is related to 

 Scirpus robustus as a variety, by which term I understand a state 

 or condition of that species or a tendency of the plant, from what- 

 ever cause, to express itself in a particular form more or less 

 divergent from the recognized type. 



My own conclusions were that the plant was probably not a 

 very remote derivative, or ancestor, of Scirpus robustus, but that 

 the two plants had, nevertheless, reached a condition of organic 

 separateness — of individualization — which could be rightly ex- 

 pressed only in terms of absolute distinctness at species. Here 

 was a case, it seemed to me, one of many, indeed, where ex- 

 tremely close relationship would probably refuse to be transformed 

 under any conditions of environment into actual organic identity. 



Mr. Fernald finds this new eastern plant to be identical with 

 the Scirpus paludosus A. Nelson from Wyoming. This being 

 true I cannot doubt that the plant should continue to be known 



