THE FLORA OF HERM. 



( Bead before the Society by Mr, E. D. Marquand, 

 June 18th, 1889 J. 



The delightful excursion to Herm of the Guernsey Natural 

 History Society on Saturday last, proved an excellent com- 

 mencement; of the series projected for the present summer, and 

 we shall await with interest the various reports of work done 

 on that day in the matter of entomology and marine life in 

 general ; for great spoils were brought home. My own re- 

 searches were purely botanical, and in the course of my solitary 

 ramble across the sandhills I more than once cast a wistful 

 glance at the long stretch of rocks left bare by the retreating 

 tide, teeming with curious creatures and quaint forms of life, 

 till I almost wished I had thrown aside my vasculum and 

 joined the party of marine zoologists. 



As I happen, however, to be actively engaged at the present 

 time in collecting materials for a complete ' ' Flora " of the 

 island of Guernsey, I gladly availed myself of an opportunity 

 of studying the plant life, or at least the phanerogamic section 

 of it, of the little sister island of Herm, — and accordingly 

 devoted my attention solely to that object. The five or six 

 hours allowed on the island soon sped by, but in my hurried 

 scamper over the place I catalogued one hundred and eighty- 

 one flowering plants, six ferns, and one Chara, (a very fine 

 growth of 0. vulgaris). 



Of course this must not be regarded as at all an exhaustive 

 list, for there were innumerable nooks and crannies, and 

 stretches of sand of most promising aspect, which time would 

 not allow me even to run over ; indeed something much nearer 

 five days than five hours would be required to work the island 

 properly. 



