THE FLORA OF ALDERNEY. 363 



list is probably far from complete. It comprises, however, 

 about 140 species not recorded for Alderney in Babington's 

 Flora Samica. 



To anyone sufficiently acquainted with the botany of 

 Guernsey and the smaller islands, Alderney is exceptionally 

 interesting, not only on account of the diversity of species- 

 distribution, but also because so many plants are not 

 represented in the other islands. I was aware that certain 

 species were peculiar to Alderney, but I hardly expected to 

 find so many. The following, for example, are unknown in 

 Guernsey : — - 



Ranunculus Lingua. Centaurea Scabiosa. 



Cochlearia officinalis. Carduus acaulis. 



Helianthemum guttatum. Tragopogon minor. 

 Dianthus Armeria. „ porrifolius. 



Silene nutans. Picris hieracioides. 



Scleranthus annuus. Orobanche Rapum. 



Gerairiurn sanguineum. Thesium humifusum. 



Hippuris vulgaris. Orchis pyramidalis. 



Rubia peregrina. Avena pubescens. 



Valerianella eriocarpa. Briza media. 



During the summer I paid two visits to Burhou, an 

 uninhabited island lying midway between Alderney and the 

 Casquet Bocks. My chief object was to study the nesting 

 habits of some of the sea birds ; but I availed myself of the 

 opportunity to ascertain what sort of vegetation would cover 

 a lonely wind-swept islet, situated very nearly in mid-channel. 

 My first visit was made on May 30 ; my second on July 5 ; 

 and on the latter occasion I had the unpleasant experience of 

 having to pass the night on Burhou, owing to the sudden 

 appearance of a dense fog. 



The great mass of the vegetation I found to consist of 

 only four species : Bracken fern (Pteris aquilina) very 

 abundant ; Blue Bells ( S cilia nutans), of which the plants 

 were unusually fine, with splendid flowers of a deep purple- 

 blue, and deliciously fragrant ; the Bock Spurrey ( Lepigonum 

 rupestre) which forms a soft green carpet on all the bare 

 spots not occupied by the two preceding ; and the Sea 

 Campion (Silene maritimaj, abundant in places, especially 

 on Little Burhou, which is separated from Great Burhou 

 by a channel uncovered at low tide. 



The following plants were plentiful all over the island 

 but not in sufficient quantity to form a conspicuous portion 

 of the vegetation : Anagallis arvensis, Erodium maritimum, 

 Cochlearia danica, Cotyledon umbilicus (common among rocks) 



