FLOEA OF ALDERNEY. 267 



Mr. E. A. Batters, F.L.S. I would strongly recommend all 

 those who are interested in Seaweeds to procure Mr. Batters' 

 recently published admirable %i Catalogue of Britisli Marine 

 Alga" which is not only a complete list of all the species 

 known to occur on the snores of the British Isles (including- 

 the Channel Islands), but is also a most useful guide to the 

 localities where they have been found. In this valuable work 

 Guernsey and Alderney are largely represented. 



In the course of last spring and summer I devoted special 

 attention to the study of the Fresh Water Alga? of Alderney, 

 and the list which I have compiled is considerably longer than 

 was anticipated when I commenced. It comprises 72 species, 

 more than half of them unrecorded for our area, so that in 

 this section of the flora Alderney, at the present time, holds 

 the proud distinction of heading the list among the Sarnian 

 islands. The stone drinking-troughs for cattle, which are 

 scattered about in various parts, and the little pools in aban- 

 doned quarries, have yielded many interesting things ; but as 

 there are no salt marshes or brackish ditches in the island, 

 species affecting such habitats are of course entirely absent. 



The exceedingly small variety of Desmids is quite as 

 noticeable here as it is in Guernse ". Only nine species (con- 

 fined to two genera) have occurred to me, although I have 

 examined gatherings from, I believe, every spot in Alderney 

 where Desmids would be likely to occur. If there were no 

 Desmids at all, one would ascribe it to the quality of the soil 

 or the water; but at least two of the species (Cosmarium 

 Botrgtis and Closterium acerosum) attain a healthy develop- 

 ment, and occasionally occur in the greatest profusion. I 

 mentioned in the Flora of Guernsey (p. 38) what appeared to 

 me to account in a great measure for the scarcity of Desmids 

 in Guernsey ; but in Alderney I think the deficiency must be 

 attributed to some different cause altogether, though what 

 that cause may be remains a puzzle to me at present. 



In the list which follows all the plants which are new to 

 the Sarnian Islands are distinguished by the prefix of an 

 asterisk. 



*Glaueium phcenieeum, Crantz. One plant in a garden at Platte Saline, 

 belonging to Capt. T. Broughton, E.E. This is the first record of this 

 casual for the Channel Islands. 

 Lepidium sativum, L. One plant on a rubbish heap on Butes Hill. 



MelilotUS Officinalis, Willd. One plant on the wayside at the top of 



Butes Hill. 

 Inula Conyza, DC. About a dozen fine plants on one part of the cliffs 



towards Le Becquet. Truly native, I believe, in this locality. A very 



rare plant in all the Channel Islands. 



