THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, October 9, 1860. 
23 
when the spines are rubbed away the shell presents a pretty 
radiated appearance. The Purple-tipped Sea Urchin is found 
abundantly in the Irish Sea and on the west coast of Scotland, 
in England also on the southern shore, and in Guernsey. 
Feewing’s Sea Urchin {Echinus Flemingii ).—This is by far 
the finest specimen of British Sea Urchins, measuring about 
thirteen inches and a half in circumference, and about three 
inches and a half in height. In form it may be described as 
conico-globose. The colour of the body is yellow, with two 
broad longitudinal stripes of orange-red. The spines are of a 
yellowish-white, with purple bases, and streaked. If these spines 
be rubbed away the tubercles will be found elevated on pro¬ 
minent plates. 
This creature is only to be met with in very deep water. It 
was first caught in Zetland, but has been taken at Youghal on 
the south-west coast of Ireland. 
The Purple Sea Urchin {Echinus lividus ).— This is a 
remarkable species, and is peculiar, as far as the British Isles 
are concerned, to Ireland. It measures, without its spines, 
about two inches in diameter, occasionally more. The spines 
are about an inch in length, very slender and tapering, and of a 
deep shining purple colour. There is another variety having 
its spines much shorter and thicker, and of an olive-green tint. 
On the spines being rubbed off, the body is found of a brownish 
hue, and has a highly ornamental appearance, from the great 
prominence of the tubercles on its surface. The body is gene¬ 
rally round. And it is found most frequently located in a cavity 
hollowed from rock or limestone, exactly corresponding to its 
shape, and evidently formed by itself; by what means, however, 
remains yet to be discovered. 
These creatures are gregarious, and may be seen abundantly 
in rock-pools, stationary in their holes, large and small together, 
each in a cell exactly suitedjto its dimensions, where their perfect 
forms and long, purple spines present a most elegant appearance. 
Singularly enough every hole is coated internally with a thin 
layer of Coral, which is stated to be the common Millepora. 
The Silky-spined Sea Urchin {Echinus neglectus ).—This 
specimen, which is dredged off the Orkney and Shetland Islands, 
is of a flattened angular form. In colour it is a dark brownish- 
purple, having pinkish-white tubercles, and greenish spines; 
it is frequently confounded with a depressed variety of the 
common Sea Urchin, and at first glance bears a great similarity 
to it. The body is very thickly clothed with spines, of nearly 
equal length, and having a fine silky lustre. They are streaked 
longitudinally; but this appearance requires the aid of a magni¬ 
fying power to distinguish it. The largest specimen found 
measured a little more than nine inches in circumference, and 
was one inch eight-tenths in height.—W. 
{To le continued ) 
SPEEGULA PILIFEEA. 
Haying read many contradictory statements regarding this 
small plant as suitable for a lawn, will you permit me to say a 
few words respecting the experience I have had with it ? In the 
spring of 1859 I had a small plant of it sent to me about an inch 
in diameter. I planted it in a pan about one foot over, which 
it covered by the autumn, and was much admired by all who 
saw it, which induced me to purchase a larger quantity. 
When I received it from the nursery I parted it into plants 
of about an inch in size, and planted them out in the kitchen 
garden one foot apart in the month of October. It kept alive 
during the winter, but made no progress until the spring, when 
it began to show signs of life, but made very slow progress. 
Towards the middle of summer, being dissatisfied with the 
growth it was making, I took the greater part of it up, and re¬ 
dug the ground, and divided the plants again. One part I 
planted from six to seven inches apart, another I planted about 
four inches apart, which has now got close together, and made 
a beautiful, smooth, firm surface of a most lovely green. The 
part which was from six to seven inches apart has partly met, 
but I am doubtful whether it will form an unbroken surface 
this season. The piece I left as planted in October is still 
three to four inches "from meeting. I think if it is planted out 
in the autumn or spring seven inches apart, in any common 
garden soil, it will form a close surface during the summer. 
I have had many discouragements from several persons who 
saw it in the winter, and at the slow progress it made in the 
beginning of the summer, telling me I was wasting my time and 
ground for what I shoidd have ultimately to abandon. How¬ 
ever, they have now changed their ideas respecting it, since they 
have seen it coming to perfection, and think it would be desir¬ 
able to have an edging, or even a large patch of it, for the sake 
of the green colour. 
Would Mr. Summers, or any of your correspondents, state 
whether it will succeed in wet or shady situations, as I now 
think of removing the greater part of it to form a lawn ?— 
J. Hall, Either Green , Lewisham, Kent. 
[Last October was out of the usual run, and spoiled other 
things more than Spergulas. It stopped them and opened the- 
mouths of the croakers. The progress of a great and just revo¬ 
lution is more safe by the sure and certain step-by-step pro¬ 
gression, as in your own instance. We will readily admit all 
that can be urged either for or against Spergula; for its sub¬ 
stitution for grass on lawns involves too much expense, and the 
risk of too much serious disappointment to be treated lightly.. 
We believe that many persons think less highly of Spergula 
than we do, because they have not sufficiently rolled it.] 
FEUITS and FEUIT TEEES of GEE AT BEITAHSV 
{Continued from Vol. XXIV., page 361.) 
FTo. XXX. —The Diamond Plum. 
Though not a new plum, the Diamond is one which is not 
very widely known, nor so much cultivated as its merits demand 
it should be. As a cooking plum it is, perhaps, unsurpassed by 
any other of its season, and by those who prefer a briskness in 
their preserves it is highly esteemed for its fine sprightly acidity.. 
The fruit is large, being two inches long and an inch and three- 
quarters wide, of a handsome oval shape, and marked on one 
side by a rather deep suture extending the whole length of the 
fruit, and which is deeper at the stalk-hole. 
Shin thick, tough, and membranous, of a uniform very dark 
blue, or almost black, and covered with a thick bluish-wliite 
bloom. 
Stalh about three quarters of an inch loDg, inserted in a deep- 
round, narrow hole, which is cleft on one side by the suture. 
Flesh yellow, rather coarse in texture juicy, and with a very 
decided, but agreeable acidity, and when highly ripened rather 
sweet. 
The fruit ripens in the middle and towards the end of Sep¬ 
tember. The tree is a most abundant bearer, particularly when 
it becomes a little aged; and then it produces long pensile 
shoots, which in a good fruit year are completely laden with 
long clusters of this fine large fruit. 
i’his is a valuable household and market plum, and was raised 
accidentally about forty years ago in the nursery of Mr. Hooker, 
at Brenchley, in Kent.—H. 
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