46 



THE VEGETATION OF SMALL ISLETS. 



Endymion nutans. Lastrea Fillx-mas. 



Scirpus niaritinius. Pteris aquilina. 



Plat Houmet ^ £ reen situated about 350 yards from the 



' north- western point of Herm. It can only be 

 reached on foot at low water during* the lowest spring tides, and the 

 channel which separates it from the main island is extremely dangerous 

 to cross when the tide is rising. As nearly as I could estimate the 

 islet is about 70 to 80 yards loner and one quarter as wide. The top is 

 level and profusely stocked with vegetation, but a careful investigation 

 only revealed seventeen plants, a very small number considering the 

 size of the islet and its proximity to the main island of Herm. 



Cochlearia danica. Armeria maritima 



Silene maritima. Plantago coronopus. 



Sagina ciliata. Beta maritima. 



Cerastium triviale. Rumex Acetosella. 



tetrandrum. Poa pratensis. 



Lepigonum rupestre. Sclerochloa loliacea. 



Trifolium repens Dactylis glomerata. 



Lotus corniculatus. Festuca rubra. 



Solanum Dulcamara. 



Houmet Homtolle. L^s off the northernmost point of Guernsey 

 about a quarter ot a mile from the shore, and 

 nearly half a mile from Houmet Paradis. Its area as nearly as possible 

 is 60 yards by 40. The surface is level, hardly at all rocky, and densely 

 covered with grasses and low plants which do not present much variety. 

 I have repeatedly visited tbe spot at different seasons and at intervals 

 of several years, hoping to increase the list, but I have not succeeded 

 in detecting more than the following sixteen species. The meagreness 

 of this flora is the more surprising because of the richness in plants of 

 the two sister islets, Houmet Paradis and Houmet Benest, both of 

 which lie off the same coast within a distance of scarcely more than a 

 mile. 



Cochlearia danica. Sonchus oleraceus. 



Silene maritima. Armeria maritima. 



Sagina maritima. Plantago coronopus. 



Lepigonum rupestre. Beta maritima. 



Trifolium repens. Agrostis alba. 



Lotus corniculatus. Sclerochloa loliacea. 



Daucus gummifer. Festuca rubra. 



Thrincia hirta. Lepturus filiformis. 



p . This is one of the numerous small islets and rocks that 



' lie scattered about in the open sea to the northward of 

 Herm, and are known collectively to the local fishermen as " the 

 Humps," a corruption of their French name Amphres. The four 

 principal islets, all of which bear vegetation, are called respectively 

 Anf roque, Godaine, Longue Pierre and Galeux. The last-named is the 

 nearest one to Guernsey, being situated about four miles east of St. 

 Sampson's ; but it requires some skilful navigation to reach it, owing 

 to the number of submerged rocks which abound in its immediate 

 vicinity. Galeux is a raised mound, surrounded by sloping beaches of 

 large boulders and pebbles, interspersed with gigantic rock-masses ; the 

 area of vegetation is small, rind much resorted to by sea birds during 

 the nesting season. The following fifteen plants were all I could 

 discover during a somewhat hurried search. The most interesting 

 species is the Tree Mallow, which occurs in considerable plenty ; the 

 specimens however are quite dwarf and stunted, although they were 

 flowering freely at the time of my visit at the end of May. 



