i8o Yorkshire Naturalists at Knaresborough. 
At the close of this excursion the usual meeting was held, 
under the chairmanship of Mr. Sheppard. Excellent reports 
on the work of the sections were presented. Votes of thanks 
were accorded to the landowners, Lord Furness, Lord Harewood, 
C. E. Charlesworth, Esq., and E. C. Geddes, Esq., for their 
courtesy in granting permission to visit their estates, and to 
Mr. Fortune for his services as guide, and in making the local 
arrangements. Nine new members were elected, and the 
Keighley Naturalists Society became affiliated. — W.E.L.W. 
Flowering Plants. — Mr. W. E. L. Wattam writes : — 
The ground traversed on Saturday, proved most prolific 
in species. The large grit blocks in the pastures had their 
upper surfaces whitened with the bloom of Draba verna and 
Cerastium glomeratum. Common plants of the hedgerow base 
were Sisymbrium officinale, Lamium album, and Arum macu- 
latum, but the gem of all, half hidden from the eye, was the 
glorious scented violet, Viola odorata. 
Ribes grossularia and Euonymus europceus were in the 
hedgerows. In the vicinity of Plumpton Lake the most pro- 
minent sight was the coral-pink staminate flowers of the fine 
examples of Cypress, in such abundance as to give quite a 
ruddy tinge to the dark green foliage, and Portugal Laurel 
white with blossom ; seedlings of the latter were abundant. 
There are also some fine specimens of Taxus baccata, and 
Hedera Helix displayed huge quantities of ripened fruits. Of 
the water loving plants, Myriophyllum verticillatum, Mentha 
aquatica, Myosotis palustris. Polygonum amphibium, Hippuris 
vulgaris, Potamogeton crispus, Scrophularia aquatica, Car- 
damine amara, and the golden beauty of Caltha palustris came 
under observation. On the rockery at Plumpton Hall were 
specimens of Helleborus feetidus and H. viridis, which doubtless 
had been obtained in the immediate vicinity. Birkham 
Wood showed some interesting phases of ground vegetation. 
On the drier portions where the trees were mostly Oak and 
Mountain Elm, Rubus fructicosus made dense thickets in the 
more open parts, while Lonicera Periclymenum was in great 
profusion. Practically dividing the wood is a broad zone of 
Birch, with a moderate sprinkling of Larch and Spruce Fir. 
Within this Birch zone the ground is very wet, mosses being 
abundant, with Luzula sylvatica, L. pilosa, Aira ccespitosa 
and Phalaris arundinacea, with occasional bands of Pteris 
aquilina. Beyond, the trees are again chiefly Oak, Mountain 
Elm and Hazel ; the dominant feature of the ground carpet 
here is Mercurialis perennis. 
In the neighbourhood of Abbey Plain occurred Atropa 
Belladonna, Anchusa sempervirens, Chelidonium mafus, and 
Marrubium vulgare, Cheiranthus Cheiri, Parietaria officinalis, 
Naturalist, 
