The Scottish Naturalist. 



113 



112. Shetland. 



(These new records for Shetland are due to the visit of Mr. W. IT. Beeby in 

 1888, recorded in the January number of this Journal). 



Vicia sepium. 



Polygala eu-vulgaris. 



Hieracium pulchellum Lindeb. sp. 

 H. dovrense Fr. sp. 



Sparganium simplex. 



Ruppia roslellata sp. 



Scirpus setaceus m.s. 



Carex OEderi (auct.). 

 With the exception of Mr. Gray's records for 108 (Sutherland 

 West), most of the plants have been seen by the writer, either by 

 specimens contributed to his herbarium, or by others sent (and 

 afterwards returned) as vouchers for their occurrence, and even as 

 regards many records from 108 specimens have been seen as 

 vouchers other than Mr. Gray's ; and most of the remainder are 

 species that might have been expected to occur in the district. 

 After the remarkable records of 1887, it was hardly to be expected 

 that any new species of Scotch plants would be found in 1888 

 (excepting Hieracia) ; and probably most botanists will agree that 

 a more disagreeable summer than that of 1888 can hardly be re- 

 membered, or one less favourable for outdoor work among 

 plants ; so that the progress made during the year cannot but be 

 regarded as greater than might fairly have been anticipated. 



Melampyrum sylvaticum in Caithness.— With reference to 

 the remarks in Messrs. Grant and Bennett's " Flora of Caithness," upon this 

 species {Scot. Nat., 1889, p. 78), the following statement seems called for. In 

 Withering's Bot. Ed. III., the locality stands thus [Wick Cliffs, Mr. Swayne], 

 In Ed. II., it is not mentioned. I am unable to find out the meaning of the 

 brackets. Smith (Fl. Britan., II., p. 653) quotes this correctly, i do not 

 know of any other edition of this work. That volume is dated 1800. In his 

 English Flora, Ed. I., hi., p. 126, Smith also quotes the station correctly 

 in Withering's words. I have quoted the last edition of Withering's book for 

 which he was answerable, and also of Smith's books. It is therefore some un- 

 dependable edition of those books that Messrs. Grant and Bennett have quoted. 

 I cannot find anything resembling their quotation. C. C. Babington. 



By the Editor's kindness I have perused Prof. Babington's note on the above 

 plant. Mr. J. Britten, in the Journal of Botany, notes our misquotation, at 

 the same time himself misquoting. I must admit that I had taken the extract 

 from Smith's, Fl. Brit. (1800), and mixed it up with his Eng. Fl. Ed. II., 

 thus causing Mr. Britten to suppose Roemer's Ed. of the Fl. Brit, was meant. 

 In a later edition of Withering's Flora the locality is given as " Wick Cliffs, 

 Somerset, Mr. Swayne." Mr. Swayne was a well known (though doubted) 

 authority on Somerset plants. There is a Wick in Somerset, and one in 

 Caithness ; the species in Somerset is an utter improbability ; (unless planted) ; 

 in Caithness it is a great probability. The extract was rectified in the Journal 

 of Botany for June. Arthur Bennett. 



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