36 
Amblystegium Sprucei B. & S. “To an early distribution (1st 
or 2nd I think) I sent several packets labelled Amblystegium con- 
fervoides . Dove Holes, Dovedale, Derbysh. A recent examination 
of what remained of my gathering proved the moss to be A. Sprucei , 
both from the areolation of the leaves and from finding rather 
coarsely serrulate bracts. I called it A. confervoides in deference to 
the opinion of the late Mr. Whitehead. I believe that A. Sprucei 
has not before been recorded for Derbyshire.”—T. Barker, 21st 
April, iqoo. 
Amblystegium serpens var. depauperatum Boul. Lybster Burn, 
Caithness, r 0/6/98. Rev. D. Lillie. “ This plant was sent with 
the doubtful naming ? A. Sprucei or A. confervoides. Careful ex¬ 
amination however showed that though the smaller leaves often 
showed no trace of nerve, yet in the larger and stem leaves the 
nerve was present, often quite distinct and even, comparatively, 
broad, though very short, and ill-defined. This, together with the 
areolation, and general habit, showed it to belong to A. serpens , of 
which it is no doubt nearest to the var. depauperatum Boul.. which 
is recorded from Keiss Links, in the same county. I have, since 
examining this plant of Mr. Lillie’s, gathered a precisely similar 
one at Durness, on the north coast of Sutherland. I may add that 
Mr. Bagnall’s opinion as to Mr. Lillie’s plant coincides with the 
above.”— H. N. 1 >. “ Since sending out specimens last year tenta¬ 
tively and wrongly named A. Sprucei (?) I have found it in various 
localities round the sea coast of Caithness and the north of Suth- 
erlandshire, and Mr. Dixon notes that he has found it at Durness, 
so it seems to be most frequent here, in the extreme north of 
Scotland, always in my experience in a calcareous soil, either wet 
marly clay or shell sand. The colour, when growing, is rather 
curious when seen in a mass, being in some cases a rather bright 
golden yellow, and in other cases a brick red tinge, making patches 
of it somewhat conspicuous.” — D. Lillie. 
Alpine Mosses by the sea coast.—“ It may be of interest to some 
members that I have gathered the following (which the books give 
as usually found at considerable elevations) on sandy links close 
by the sea shore, almost at sea-level, in a district far removed from 
any mountains, viz.: Amblyodon dealbatus, Encalypta rhabdocarpa, 
Catoscopium nigritum , and Swartzia inclinata. Some of these at 
least are recorded from similar localities, but the difference of 
habitat is rather interesting. All the above were found growing in 
close proximity.—David Lillie.” “Is it possible that the plants 
named by the Rev. D. Lillie have a decided maritime predilection, 
and only occur in alpine situations as survivors of the time 
when our mountain summits were islands, as is the case with some 
flowering plants with montane and maritime roles of distribution ? 
Most of the species he names occur at sea level, at much lower 
latitudes than the north of Scotland, e.g. on the Lancashire coast. 
We have no Encalypta rhabdocarpa but E. streptocarpa occurs on the 
sand hills, with the var. of Amb. serpens he so well describes, and 
Amblyodon , Catoscopium, Meesia , —J. A. Wheldon. 
