238 



R. M. HARLEY 



Rubus arcticus L. ( X §) drawn from the specimen at Harrow 



this is so. It is perhaps unlikely that the plant would linger more than a few years repro- 

 ducing vegetatively and thus, if sterile, its occurrences in this country would have to 

 be attributed to adventives. It seems likely that seeds may have been brought over by 

 winter migrants from Scandinavia, such as the fieldfare, which migrates direct to Scotland. 

 The fact that these migrants to England come via Scotland or Europe perhaps explains 

 why no plants have been seen in the south of England. In Scandinavia, fieldfares appear 

 to inhabit ground suitable for Ruhus arcticus, that is birch, pine or spruce woods, commonly 

 near damp meadows. Feeding is said to reach a peak before migration ; and it seems 

 at least possible that some seeds might reach the British Isles by their agency. Even so, 

 it is hard to imagine that this would explain the presence of the plant in all its recorded 

 localities, especially in view of its apparent absence in Britain today. 



It is greatly to be hoped that more recent specimens will soon be found to shed 

 some light on the problem. 



REFERENCES 



DRUCE, G. C, 1920, The extinct and dubious plants of Britain, Rep. Bot. Soc. and E.G., 5, 731-799. 

 POLUNIN, N., 1953, Arctic plants not yet found in Britain, Watsonia, 3, 34-35. 

 SMITH, J. E.. 1806. English Botany, ed. 1, 23. 

 SYME, J. T. B.. 1864, English Botany, ed. 3, 3. 



WITHERBY, H. G. and others, 1938, The Handbook of British Birds, 2. 



