Herbage Studies. 



263 



of about 30 specimens collected day by day by a cyclist during a fortnight's tour from 

 London to Wales and back, in the earlier part of July, only two were found to be almost 

 free from cyanide — one of these was obtained at Church Stretton, Somerset, the other 

 from the foot of Cader Idris, Wales. Specimens sent to us by Mr. Pickering from 

 Woolacombe, South Devon, and by Mr. Stapledon (L. incanus, Gray, L. villosus, 

 B. and H.) from Westward Ho, North Devon, were strongly cyanophoric ; on the other 

 hand, material sent to us from near the Lizard, Cornwall, gave no response to the test. 



At the end of June, one of us found the plant growing very freely, in full bloom, on 

 the retaining wall at the foot of the hill slope bordering the whole length of Rydal 

 Water, Westmorland ; of seven specimens, presenting no difference in appearance, 

 picked from this wall at fairly regular intervals, all but one were more or less strongly 

 cyanophoric ; the exceptional specimen contained the faintest trace, if any, of cyanide. 



During August, a very thorough study of the plant was undertaken by one of us, 

 chiefly in the valley of the River Cree on the borders of Ayrshire, Kircudbrightshire 

 and Wigtownshire, in the district where the previous year, at Whitsuntide, the specimens 

 examined were all acyanophoric. 



Again, in the places visited in the previous year, many specimens were found in which 

 cyanide could not be detected ; here and there, however, along the river bank and in the 

 adjoining fields, patches of the plant were met with now and then which were faintly 

 cyanophoric. 



On walking along the high road, across the moor, from Drumlamford, about five miles 

 from Barrhill Station, to Newton Stuart, a distance of about 12 miles, a delicate stunted 

 form of Lotus corniculatus was frequently found growing at the roadside among grass, 

 Lotus major being plentiful in damp situations near Newton Stuart. Five specimens of 

 the plant were secured in the course of 10 miles ; the first of these, obtained about 

 three miles out, was strongly cyanophoric, the picrate paper being coloured brick red by 

 the evening ; not a trace of hydrogen cyanide was observed in the case of the other four 

 specimens. About two miles from Newton Stuart, where the River Cree comes into 

 view, at the foot of a fairly steep hill, there was a profuse growth of L. corniculatus on 

 the top of the retaining wall at the left hand side of the road ; several specimens were 

 tested ; strange to say, none of them appeared to be cyanophoric. 



Very faint indications of hydrogen cyanide were observed in some but not in all plants 

 collected between Drumlamford and Barrhill Station. On walking from Pinwherry, the 

 next station north of Barrhill, to the coast at Ballantrae, about eight miles, along the 

 road passing through the valley of the Stincher, Lotus major was found to be abundant 

 everywhere in the moist bank at the foot of the hill slope on the right. L. corniculatus 

 was also met with here and there at the edge of the road ; specimens collected within the 

 first, within the second and within the next two miles, all gave fair to strong indications 

 of cyanide. 



At Ballantrae, as in 1911, L. corniculatus was growing freely in very coarse sand and 

 stones, on the upper level of the beach, in large clumps or compact tufts consisting of 

 long straggling stems bearing small, delicate leaves but large seed-pods, the underground 

 root growth being very strong ; cyanide was present in moderate amount in this plant. 

 A short distance away, across the main road, at the foot of the hill, delicate plants with 

 small seed pods were found growing in the grass beneath a wire fence bordering the 

 rough roadway leading up hill. In 1911, nothing was detected in the plant in this 

 situation but last year distinct indication of the presence of cyanide was obtained — 

 perhaps only because the test applied was a more delicate one. In any case, the very 

 different conditions prevailing on the shore and near at hand on the hillside had favoured 

 the development of very different types of plant. 



The contrast is equally striking when the plant growing^on the beach at Ballantrae is 



