54 



The Naturalist. 



being sometimes found in a single field. On the other hand, certain 

 species were rarely or never seen on limestone or marl, e.g. — Lastrcea 

 Oreopteris, BlecJmum boreale, Papaver Argemone, Spergiil^ arvensis, 

 Lycopds arveyms, Salix repens, Rumex acetosella ; the heath tribe, the 

 whortleberry and foxglove, and the Sphagna. The absence of the 

 following plants, generally common on siliceous soils, was noted, viz. 

 — Senecio sylvaticus, Scleranthus annuus, Spergularia rubra^ Jasione Mon- 

 tana, Plantago Coronopus^ and Anihemis nobilis. Owing to the paucity 

 of peaty soils, bog plants were scarce, Pinguicula, Pantassia, A ndro- 

 meda, Genista anglica, Hypericum elodes, RhyncJiospora alba, and Potentilla 

 Comarum being absent, and Brosera, Eriophorum, Urica tetralix, and 

 NartJiecium ossifragum confined to one or two boggy spots on Men- 

 dip, where the old red sandstone comes to the surface. 



Maritime plants were represented only by two or three cryptogams 

 of not exclusively marine habits, as TricJtostomum crispulum. Clado- 

 pliora glomemta, and BnteromorpJia intesUnalis^ and by a few species 

 probably introduced by human agency, as Armeria maritima, Smyrnium 

 Olusatrum, Apium graveolens, Foeniculum vulgare, and Eroaium mos- 

 chaium, 



Alpine plants were absent, as the highest hills of the district 

 barely attained 1000 feet. The characteristic plant of the first, or 

 infer-agrarian zone of Watson — Clematis vitalba — was found to cease 

 at a height of 600 to 700 feet, so that the more elevated hills seemed 

 to attain to the second, or mid-agragrian zone. A few sub-alpine 

 species, chiefly cryptogamic, were found in some of the hilly woods, viz : 

 Vicia sylvatica, Poly podium PJiegopteris, TetrapJds pellucid a, Hypnum 

 hrevirostre and lor earn, Sticta fuliginosa and pulmonaria^ and Peltigera 

 horizontalis ; but the more characteristic mountain mosses and lichens 

 Andrcea^ Hedwigia, Racomitrimum , Sjjhcey'opJioron, Cetraria, Stereocaulon 

 and Cornicularia, were altogether absent. For a lowland district, 

 however, mosses and lichens were very abundant, and among the 

 wooded hills and rocky bottoms of East Somerset attained a luxu- 

 riance rarely exceeded, fruiting freely, and adding a great charm to 

 to the scenery. Fungi were also abundant in similar situations. 

 Club mosses were absent. Ferns were abundant, the stone walls of 

 the district being usually covered with the smaller species, especially 

 Ceterach officinarum. Unfortunately the rarer kinds were in danger of 

 extermination by unscrupulous collectors. Polypodium Phegopteris was 

 believed to be for the first time recorded for the county. Of the 

 phaenogamic flora the most striking peculiarity was the local 

 abundance of Ornitliogalum pyrenaicum^ the young flowering scapes of 



