262 



THE JOURNAL OP BOTANY 



1906, and Dale, March, 1907, A. Brinkman. West Lancashire: 

 near Caton, 1899, J. A. Wheldon. Kirkcudbright: Holme Glen, 

 New Galloway, January, 1895, J. Mc Andrew. Berwick : Tower 

 Dean, Cockburnspath, January 9, 1904, W. Evans. 



Soapania obliqua (Arn.) Schiffn. Martinellia obliqua Arnell in 

 Eevue Bryol. 1905, p. 1. Herr Arnell has kindly confirmed the 

 name of a specimen of this Scapania from Ben Vorlich, Dumbarton- 

 shire, July 4, 1901, I have also found it in my herbarium from 

 other localities. It is readily distinguished from S. undulata by its 

 oblique greatly decurrent antical lobe of leaf. The postical lobe is 

 also more decurrent, the margins of both lobes are always entire, 

 and the leaf-cells are slightly thickened at the angles. It occurs on 

 our hills in wet ground, especially in streamlets and springs, form- 

 ing large swelling masses of a dark green colour, with sometimes a 

 purplish tinge in parts of the tufts. 



8. paludosa C. Mull, is at once distinguished by its highly arched 

 commissure of the leaf. The postical lobes are also occasionally 

 dentate, and the plant is light green. 



Prof. Schiffner states in his Bryol. Frag. xxii. in Oesterr. Bot. 

 Zeit. 1905, that S. obliqua is most nearly related to S. uliginosa, 

 and, in fact, mentions having seen intermediate forms ; but as the 

 former retains its characters in similar places to those in which 

 S. uliginosa is found, and as the description of the latter would 

 have to be considerably altered to include 5. obliqua, he does not 

 consider that it should be treated only as a variety. Well-marked 

 specimens differ from S. uliginosa in colour, flaccidity, in the larger 

 antical lobe of a different shape and more obliquely inserted. In a 

 packet gathered on Ben Lawers there are some stems which I should 

 place to S. obliqua, and some which appear indistinguishable from 

 S. uliginosa. On the other hand, a specimen from Ben Doureinn, 

 Argyllshire, which I find to be S. obliqua, bears comparatively little 

 resemblance to S. uliginosa. 



The localities, other than Ben Vorlich, in Britain, at present 

 known for the plant, are : — Argyllshire : BenCruachan, alt. 1200 ft., 

 June 10, 1903, S.M.Mr, Ben Doureinn, June 25, 1904, P. Ewing 

 dS.M.M.; Ben Arthur, alt. 1900 ft., June 29, 1906, S.M.M. 

 Mid Perth: Ben Lawers, alt. 2700 ft., June 22, 1901, S. M. M. 

 West Inverness : Roshven, Moidart, alt. 2500 ft. June 24, 1900, 

 8. M. M. I should also feel inclined to include a plant gathered on 

 Bnowdon, alt. 2500 ft., May, 1904, by Mr. Pearson, which was con- 

 sidered to be a lax form of S. uliginosa by Herr C. Miiller, as Mr. 

 Pearson informs me. Also possibly a plant found by Messrs. 

 Wheldon & Wilson on Treby Fell, West Lancashire, June, 1901; 

 but the specimen is too small to distinguish with certainty from 



S. uliginosa. 



Madotheca rivularis Nees var. simplicior (Zett.) Lindb. M. 

 simplicior Zett. Oversigt. af Kongl. Vetensk. Akad. Haudl. n. 2, 

 p. 53, 1877. M. Levieri Jack et Steph. in Flora, n. 30-32, p. 496, 

 1888. In characteristic specimens of this variety the mode of 

 branching is very different from that of the plant which is usually 

 regarded as the type. The stems are long, with a few irregular 



