50 
“ Notes on the Botany of Mere, Cheshire,” by Mr. George 
E. Hunt. 
The border of Mere Mere has for long been a locality 
famous to the botanists round Manchester. 
The first published Manchester floras bore its name as 
the habitat of the rare Elatine hexandra and Limosella 
aquatica. 
In 1855, Mr. Wilson’s Bryologia Britannica gave a still 
greater notability to the place by the record of several 
extremely rare mosses from thence, and among others of 
Physcomitrium sphcericum, which is thus recorded by 
him : — “ On the dried mud of pools, Mere, Cheshire, Sept., 
1834. — W. Wilson. Not found in any subsequent year: 
the only known locality in Britain.” 
The following are also recorded in the same work as 
occurring at Mere : — “ Phascum serratum ft ; Phascum 
sessile ; Phascum rostellatum.” 
I was led, in 18G4, by these various notices, to commence 
a systematic and continuous exploration of Mere, with the 
view of discovering as many of the recorded mosses as 
might still exist there. Some of them being exceedingly 
minute, it has taken a considerable time to detect all ; and 
it may be of service to other bryologists in the district to 
mention those which grow there at the present date, and 
also the nature of soil they prefer. 
1. Physcomitrium sphcericum. A careful search, in 1864, 
led to the re-discovery of this species in very minute 
quantity. In 1865 it was still more sparing (not above a 
dozen capsules). 1866 was so exceedingly wet a season 
that the plant could not have come up at all. 1867, it 
again occurred very sparingly. 1868, it was plentiful, but 
destroyed by the autumn rains before much of the fruit 
had ripened. 1869, again frequent, and would have been 
plentiful but the autumn rains again destroyed it whilst 
the fruit was even more immature than in the preceding 
