﻿Drain's memoirs and memoranda. 



Halicystis ovams.— This plant, found two years ago for the 

 first time in British seas (Clyde Sea area) by Mr. George Murray 

 and Dr. Schmitz {Phycological Memoirs, pt ii., 47), has been re- 

 discovered by Mr. David Robertson at Lamlash, in Arran. The 

 original find was in 8-11 fathoms, and Mr. Robertson's specimens 

 were obtained from 7 fathoms. 



Potamogeton nitens in Cambridgeshire.— Early in September 

 I was busily engaged in searching the fens for x P. lanceoh/tns, but 

 without success. But I was rewarded by finding about two miles of 

 drain and ditch in which P. nitens grew plentifully. The locality is 

 Blackbush Drove, near Whittlesea, v.-c. 29. The other Potamo- 

 getons in the drains are natans, lucens, heterophyllus, per/oliatus 

 (these two in abundance), with some few crispus, and a fair 

 quantity of Friesii. Of hybrid forms, a sinyle stem of ihrijnens 

 occurred (the plant was not old enough to produce two), and a 

 very peculiar looking Zizii was rather plentiful. The niten^-lmn 

 evidently was not all due to one cross, but occurred in patches 

 along the drain where Jieterophyllus and per/oliatus grew intermixed. 

 Like all our Fenland Potamogetons, the Whittlesea nitens is a very 

 peculiar plant, with an extraordinary development of coriaceous 

 floating leaves, which fully bear out Weber's comparison of his 

 species to P. natans, which has puzzled so many botanists. I hope 

 to be able to figure and describe this plant in some future number. 



Saxifraga nivalis L. (p. 302). — The Messrs. Baker give the 

 height of 1500 ft. as the lowest elevation at which this is recorded; 

 but at the Aberdeen Natural History Society, Jan. 19, 1886, Dr. 

 Roy recorded it at « 1200 ft. in the N.W. of Skye." It occurs 

 in Mid-Perth at " 1900 ft." (Macvicar in litt.).— Arthur Bennett. 



We are assured on excellent authority that Saxifraga nivalis is 

 still to be found amongst the hills east of Appleby at an elevation 

 of between 400 and 500 yds. above sea-level. This brings it dis- 

 tinctly within the Super-agrarian zone. A height of 1200 ft. in 

 Skye would be on the line of upper limit of this zone. In the Lake 



only seen it myself on' the western cliffs of Helvellyn at 800-900 

 yds. W atson gives it only from the two highest of his six zones. 

 To these we may now safely add the two middle ones. — J. G. Baker. 



NOTICES OF BOOKS. 

 Memoirs and Memoranda, chiefly Botanical. By David Prain. 

 Reprints from Periodicals, 1887-1893. Calcutta: Baptist 

 Mission Press. 1894. Pp. 1-406, with the original maps 

 and plates, and a General Index to the whole added. 

 This very convenient reprint contains seventeen of Dr. Train's 

 smaller papers— in fact, all those published between l s ^7 and 1898, 

 except the strictly systematic. These smaller systematic papers 

 will shortly be published in a similar volume, entitled Novitia 



