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BOTANICAL EXCURSION IN 
botanized in its neighbourhood without 
much success. Juncus filiformis is not 
now to be found at the landing-place, but 
is abundant a little more to the right, on 
some flat ‘marshy ground, and on the shores 
of a neighbouring peninsula. I ascended 
Saddle Back ; and a ridge, called the Sharp 
Edge, with almost perpendicular crags 
facing the North, moist and abounding in 
vegetation, seemed to promise a tolerable 
harvest, but though I ascended the edge, en- 
tering from time to time among the rocks on 
the northern face,and Mr. Wright scaled the 
crags, we found nothing. Hardly any, even 
of the common mountain plants, grow there; 
and if any one should write an account of 
the Botany of Saddle Back, it must be, not of 
the plants which it possesses, but of those 
in which it is remarkably deficient. On 
the 28th I went to Wythburn, where there 
is a very comfortable public house, gather- 
ing Imperatoria Ostruthium by the way, 
and on the 29th again ascended Helvellyn, 
but not to the highest point. I descended 
and again ascended the projecting part of 
the mountain, which is, I believe, called 
Sunday Crags, observing there most of the 
plants which I had met with before on 
these mountains, and lower down, in de- 
scending towards Grisedale, I added to my 
list Thalictrum alpinum and Silene acau- 
lis in some very rough ground. I slept at 
Patterdale, and walked the next day to 
enrith 
From this account, it would appear, that 
the mountains about the lakes of Cumber- 
land and Westmoreland, offer by no means 
a rich harvest to the Botanist, but it is well 
sometimes to know what places are unpro- 
ductive, in order not to lose time in re- 
examining what has been already examined 
in vain. The points to which I would 
chiefly direct the attention of the future 
tourist, are some micaceous rocks on the 
North side of Skiddaw, at about half the 
ascent. These, so far as I know, have ne- 
ver been well explored, and they are said 
to be the only micaceous rocks in the dis- 
trict, and as a micaceous soil is among the 
best for Botany, it is very probable that 
THE NORTH OF ENGLAND. " 
they may contain some rare plants. Next 
to these, in point of interest, is the district _ 
n" 1 tn the Qanth ond us 
about Hel 
east of that mountain, lying between the 
roads from Wythburn to Ambleside, and 
from Ambleside to Patterdale. The small 
part that I visited of this tract was certainly 
the richest of any which I encountered 
among the lakes this year, and my memory 
of what I found on a former visit, to the 
left of the last-mentioned road, confirms 
me in this opinion. Perhaps the moun- 
tains above Coniston might be visited with 
advantage, and also those to the right of 
the road, over Kirkstone from Ambleside 
to Patterdale. Epilobium alsinifolium is 
abundant about the head of Kentmer and 
of Long Heddale. Salix herbacea and 
some other plants are said to grow with 
uncommon luxuriance on Red Pike ; while 
Dale Head, above Crummock Water, is 
the station assigned by Hudson for the 
Hieracium Auricula, a plant which seems 
not to have been found in Britain by any 
body else. The station is not quite cor- 
rectly given in the books, as Dale Head is 
near a mountain called Grasmer or Gras- 
moor, and not near the lake called Gras- 
mere. One of my objects in examining 
so carefully Wastdale Screes, was to find 
the Epimedium alpinum, recently said to 
have been discovered there, among bram- 
bles. There are no brambles on the upper 
part of the mountain, and therefore if the 
Epimedium grow there at all, it must be 
in all probability, at the foot of the rocks, 
and at the head of the sloping shivery bank 
which descends from them into the lake; x 
a part very difficult of access, on account m 
of the loose and yielding materials ofwhich 
that bank is composed. 
Epimedium alpinum in deep bo 
at Brayton. At Mugdock (in Scotland) it 
has established itself on the wall of the old : 
garden of the castle. It seems hardly pro- 
bable that so scarce a plant should be 50 - 
little nice in the choice of its position. g s 
know not its exact situation in the coun- 
tries where it is more plentiful. It 
not occur in the Flora of Swi 
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B 1. 4 
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