75 
On the north coast of the Isle of Wight, between Cowes 
and Yarmouth, is a narrow creek with numerous arms, on 
whose shores many years ago a considerable trade was done 
in salt, produced by evaporation in the numerous salterns 
on each side of the creek. The newer method of obtaining 
salt from the brine formed by the beds of rock salt in 
Cheshire and other districts, has led to the abandonment of 
the salt pans at Newtown, and very few are now left. Some 
have been absorbed by the formation of oyster-parks on 
both sides of the creek, as well as by brick-works, and 
similar destruction threatens the remainder. The particular 
locality in which the Lychnothamnus occurred lies a few 
hundred yards north of the Coast Guard station at New- 
town, and contiguous to the shores of the creek. At this 
spot are the remains of three old salterns containing water 
as salt (to the taste) as that of the sea, and filled with Rup- 
pia spiralis, Hartm. The saltern nearest the creek is the 
only one of the three which contained the Lychnothamnus, 
and from it I obtained, by wading, a number of very fine 
plants, many of whose stems would be from 18 to 24 inches 
in length. They were greatly infested with a confer void 
growth, which rendered it difficult to secure good-sized 
plants. 
I spent some time in a subsequent visit, exploring some 
of the ramifications of the creek, but failed to find a trace of 
the plant in any other station. One of the large oyster 
parks on the western side of the creek was carefully, but 
unsuccessfully, searched during this second visit, its nearly 
empty condition affording every facility. The most likely 
station for its being found on the western side of the creek 
