246 



THE BRITISH NATURALIST. [December 



bright scarlet nodules like beads. This plant is of course not a native 

 here. 



At Rocquaine Bay in a few places in the sand, you may see the 

 tail Sea Stock, Matthiola smmta, with its handsome purple flowers, 

 hoary stem and indented leaves. 



Here and there, peeping out of the sand, is that exquisite flower, 

 Convolvulus soldanella, the sea convolvulus, with its pink red-veined 

 cups so soon withering. As you get on towards Vazon bay, look out 

 for that rare knapweed, Centaurea aspera ; and refrain from picking the 

 malodorous wallcress, Diplotaxis tenuifolia, which occurs in large clumps, 

 w 7 ith bright lemon flowers here, and all round the coast. Many plants 

 are common in Guernsey which are rare in Britain, and vice versa. 

 The sea Radish, Raphanus mavitimus, is very common, and grows to a 

 large size, sometimes having white flowers, but generally yellow. The 

 ordinary R. vapha.nistvum is not at all common, and is of course found 

 inland. The Four-leaved Allseed, Polycarpon tetrapliyllum, is a common 

 weed in dry places, although so rare with us, being only found in the 

 South-west. Both Herniaria glabra and ciliata are found on L'Ancresse 

 Common. While there, just get down on your knees and grub for 

 Isoetes hystrix. Above ground it looks rather like a stunted specimen 

 of the sand-sedge, so you often have to dig it up, and see whether you 

 have that common plant, or this rarity with its bulb. I had a long 

 hunt without success in a place where I was told it had been found. 

 You will be sure to find the pretty little Lotus nispidus, with its very 

 soft hairy leaves, much branched stem, and small orange flowers. The 

 rarer L. an gustifo Hits —looking so much like L. hispidus — occurs with it 

 in a few places. 



The finest flowers I ever saw of the Evening Primrose, CEnotheva 

 biennis, grew in abundance just off the Common, and as the evening 

 had come, their fragrance was sweet. The CEnotheva odovata is found 

 in Guernsey, but more frequently so in Jersey. 



Owing to the drought, I only obtained very stunted plants of Silene 

 anglica var . quinqucvulneva ; each petal of this catchily campion having 

 a spot near its insertion the colour of a drop of blood. Near Bordeaux 

 harbour I was shewn luxuriant clumps of Bvassica adpvessa ; also the 

 extremely rare Lavatera sylvestris ; that Tree Mallow to which the 

 Eondon Catalogue assigns only one habitat. The L. arborea is not 

 uncommon on various parts of the coast. I never saw it growing 

 more than five feet high in Guernsey, but its velvety leaves form a 

 large ciump of dark green foliage, and always in some barren place, 

 often overhanging a bluff of sand and pebbles marking the position of 

 some former sea beach. There is plenty ol evidence inland in 

 Guernsey of these raised sea beaches. I saw one that was exposed by a 

 road cutting, quite inland, and about fifty feet above the present sea level. 



