of his followers, retired to Glastonbury, where they greatly improved the church and form of religion, and moreover enriched the altar with a sapphire of inestimable value.

King Arthur, after the fatal battle with his nephew Mordred, was interred in Glastonbury; his remains are said to have been discovered in the reign of Henry II., who instigated a search, which resulted in a large cross being exhumed from the tomb, bearing an inscription in rude characters something to the effect of "Here lies the famous King Arthur, buried in the isle of Avalon." Beneath was discovered a coffinlike excavation in the solid rock containing the bones of a human body, which was supposed to be that of King Arthur. These bones were deposited in the church and covered with a sumptuous monument.

In 708 Ina, king of the Saxons, in a sudden and spasmodic fit of zeal, greatly improved the convent, but it was left to Dunstan to execute alterations and improvements of any magnitude. He caused the abbey to be enlarged, and had it furnished in a state of unrivalled magnificence and splendour, to such an -extent, indeed, that in a short time it became "the pride of England, and the glory of Christendom,” as an old chronicler states. This was soon after the year 942.

Edgar, who had a palace within two miles of the town, and in a romantic situation still called "Edgarley,”—now a hamlet in the parish of St. John-endowed the abbey with several estates, and invested the monks with extensive privileges. The abbots lived en prince; the revenue having been, so far as we can ascertain, quite £40,000. This large sum of money, in common with the revenues of other abbeys, was appropriated by William I. From various causes, partly through internal ruptions and external civil wars and strife, these magnificent buildings rapidly degenerated into ruins, and nothing was present in 1797 to demonstrate a former glory, except the abbot's kitchen-which was pretty entire.

Having briefly sketched the history of the ancient town of Glastonbury, it now remains for us to mention a shrub narrowly associated with the legendary lore of this place; it is the Glastonbury thorn, a variety of Cratagus oxyacantha. Its origin is obscure, and even that highly-respected individual, "the oldest

On Christmas Eve, 1753, a vast concourse of people attended the noted thorn at Glastonbury, expecting it to flower then; but they were disappointed. It is recorded, however, that they watched it again on the 5th of January-the old Christmas Day-when it burst forth flower as usual. The cause of its blooming at Christmas is accounted for by the fact that the owner of the original tree-whoever he may have been-fixed the staff into the ground on a Christmas Day, when it immediately rooted, put forth leaves, and the next day was covered with milk-white blossoms. It continued, so we are told, to bloom every Christmas Day for a series of years with great regularity. O tempora!

At Quainton, in Bucks, we have it authentically recorded that above ten thousand persons on one occasion went with lanterns and candles to view a thorn in that neighbourhood, which was remembered to have been a slip from that at Glastonbury.

Another presumably miraculous wonder inflicted on the credulity of the Glastonbury folks in former days was a walnut-tree, which was said never to expand its leaves before the 11th of June-the feast of St. Barnabas-but this long ago ceased to exist.

Equally absurd is a variety of legendary tales which have become interwoven with the history of this place; particularly that in connection with some Chalybeate springs. These were numerously attended formerly by invalids from all parts, ostensibly for the purpose of participating in their reputed curative qualities.

Again, adverting to the thorn, its season of flowering, and the regularity of same, is passing strange. We have had it in flower in the sunny clime of Cornwall repeatedly at, or near, but rarely before, Christmas. We have come to the conclusion, after a patient research, and sifting the exceedingly few facts known, that its pedigree is not nearly so extensive as is popularly supposed.

"THE GEOLOGICAL RECORD" AT

HALDON, DEVONSHIRE.

By the REV. W. DOWNES, B.A., F.G.S.

HEN summer visitors to Teignmouth or Dawlish have spent a day or two in boating, bathing, and strolling along the beach, and a variety in the programme of the day is becoming desirable, the first thing probably which will suggest itself to them, or be suggested by others, will be a walk upon Haldon. Nor could any better suggestion be made. That elevated plateau is equally accessible from either of the two watering places, and is about equi-distant from either. Two miles of stiff and steady up-hill work will take the pedestrian from sea-level to 760 feet above it, where he will be fully rewarded for his climb by the splendid view over land and sea which

awaits him. The conspicuous headland, known as the "Ness," and the estuary of the Teign will be immediately beneath him, and his eye will range eastward, and south-eastward along the red cliffs of S. Devon; or, if he faces the other way, along the Tors of Dartmoor. A less conspicuous object, but one which, if he be a geologist, will have a special interest for him, will be the Blackdown range, about 25 miles distant, on the far side of the Exe valley upon the Somersetshire and Dorsetshire border.

Of this Blackdown range, the Haldons are two

supply is nearly exhausted) are still being cut out of the hard concretionary nodules of sandstone. At Haldon, however, the fossil fauna (corals excepted) is comparatively poor, for out of some 200 species found at Blackdown 50 only occur at Haldon. Whetstones moreover are not quarried at the latter place at all. The reason of the above facts will presently appear.

If we examine the general structure of the country, we find that horizontal beds of greensand rest unconformably upon the edges of triassic and liassic beds alike (see fig. 9). Both of the latter differ slightly to the

Fig. 12.-Turitella granulata.

Fig. 11.-Exogyra conica. outliers of irregular outline. Great IIaldon on the north, is about five miles long, and averages about one mile in breadth, while Little Haldon, separated from the larger outlier by a slight depression in the Trias is two miles long, and rather more than half a mile wide. In ascending the hill the trias is found to extend to within 80 feet or 90 feet of the summit, when it is covered by about 50 feet of greensand, capped in turn by about 40 feet of flint gravel.

The greensand of Blackdown is famous for two things, its abundant and splendidly preserved fossil fauna, and its whetstones. The latter (though the

eastward. With regard to the greensand it will be sufficient for the present purpose to subdivide it into three general portions, and to call them respectively lower, middle, and upper Blackdown beds. It will then be found that the lower and middle beds, which contain the whetstones and the chief fossiliferous zones, have thinned out to the westward, so that only the upper beds are found at Haldon. The upper beds themselves have however rather increased in thickness westward, and include a coral zone in their upper portion not found at Blackdown. This fact, together with the greatly increased thickness of the flint gravel,

BLACK DOWN

AND R. AXE

Fig. 17.

Fig. 21.

Fig. 22 "Fossil Sponge

Fig. 23.-Gervillea anceps.

duum. But sub-aerial denudation is not the only physical change indicated by the flint gravel, for upon the surface and for about a foot beneath it rounded pebbles occur, not only of flint, but also of rocks foreign to the bed itself, such as quartz and grit derived from the Paleozoic rocks adjoining.

Here then again come traces of aqueous action. And the natural inference seems to be that the bed had sunk again beneath the surface of the sea, and

Fig. 24.-Ammonites varicosus.

in an inland sea. 2. Subsidence, and more truly marine conditions, when the Lias was deposited. 3. Elevation, tilting, and denudation, prior to the deposition of the greensand. 4. Subsidence, and the commencement of the deposition of the greensand beds. 5. Elevation, or silting up, or both, until shallower water and littoral conditions favoured the growth of encrusting corals and polyzoa. 6. Subsidence again till oceanic conditions prevailed, and chalk beds of

considerable thickness were formed. 7. Re-elevation, at least above sea level, to account for the sub-aerial denudation of the chalk. 8. A slight re-subsidence, to form the marine plateau and introduce the rounded and foreign pebbles. 9. Re-elevation to the present altitude, combined with extensive recent denudation and excavation of the present valleys. Denudation has swept away enormous masses of both Trias and Greensand, but happily it is a broom which seldom sweeps quite clean, and hence Haldon is left to tell its tale.

BRITISH PLANTS IN NYMAN'S "CONSPECTUS FLORE EUROPÆÆE."

THE

By A. R. WAller.

HE following notes are intended to give the readers of SCIENCE-GOSSIP some idea of the differences in the nomenclature and classification of British plants in Dr. Nyman's "Conspectus Flore Europææ." Dr. Nyman's work is most invaluable to all systematic and geographical botanists; as it gives the full distribution of all known European species and sub-species, and in many cases that of varieties. English botanists will have to adopt the earlier names he uses, as the only safe rule for botanical nomenclature is that of absolute priority.

The classification of the Thalictrums (meadow rues) is rather different to what we have generally been accustomed to use. T. Jacquinianum, K. (=T. minus, Jacq. non L.), is the plant we have so long called T. majus, Smith, "Jacq.": T. majus, Murr. "Jacq." is not a British plant. England might be added to the list of countries for T. alpinum, L. (Alpine meadow rue); it grows in Yorkshire, Westmoreland, &c. It is mentioned as growing in Scotland and Wales. The Jersey buttercup is not thought to be Ranunculus charophyllus, L., but R. flabellatus, Dsf. var. Europaa. R. sardous, Cr., 1763, rightly replaces R. Philonotis, Ehrh. 1788, as the name of the hairy buttercup, and Glaucium flavum, Cr., 1769, instead of G. luteum, Sep. 1772, for the yellow-horned poppy, is another change in the right direction. Fumaria Borai, Jord., is elevated to specific rank with F. Bastardi, Bor., 1847 (=F. confusa, Jord. 1848), as a sub-species. Scotland might be added to the list of countries for F. parviflora, Lam. We are not credited with Iberis amara, L. (candy-tuft); it is certainly native in the centre of England.

Lepidium Smithii, Hook., is considered a variety of L. heterophyllum, Bth. Coronopus Ruellii, All. 1785, gives way to C. procumbens, Gil., 1782. Helianthemum vineale, P., appears as a full species with H. canum, Dun., as a variety, thus reversing the places of the two plants. Viola permixta, Jord., is thought to be a hybrid between V. hirta, L., and V. odorata, L., and Drosera obovata, Mk., a hybrid between D. longi

folia, L., and D. rotundifolia, L. Polygala serpyllacea, Whe., 1826, takes the place of P. depressa, Wend., 1831, and Silene Cucubalus, Wib., 1799, that of S. inflata, Sm., 1800 (bladder campion). S. quinquevulnera, L., is thought to be a sub-species of S. lusitanica, L. Scotland might be added to the list of countries for Dianthus Armeria, L. (Deptford Pink).

Sisymbrium Sophia, Sinapis arvensis, Capsella Bursa-pastoris, Batrachium heterophyllum, and Violas tricolor and arvensis are found in every country in Europe. Erucastrum Pollichii, Schp., is given as a native. At most, it is only a colonist. Arabis ciliata, Br., and Brassica monensis, Huds., are among the very few plants which are confined in Europe to Britain.

2. Hy. glabra, var.

Shell greenish-white, glossy, and semi-transparent. Bromley, with the type. 3. Valvata piscinalis, var. Shell shewing tracings of spiral banding. I am not sure of the exact locality, but it is from some part of Kent.

4. Planorbis vortex, var. Shell large, concave above, keel prominent, and placed almost in centre of periphery. From Fulham.

5. Limnæa glutinosa, monst. Spire very short, sunken, slightly raised at apex, body whorl swollen above, top of shell nearly flat. St. Nicholas Marsh, with type.

6. L. peregra, var. Shell showing spiral banding. From a ditch near Walmer Castle, Kent. (v. picta?) 7. L. stagnalis, var. Shell having short spire, body whorl large and expanded, mouth wide. Pond at Bromley with Lemna minor. Type form not present.

8. L. stagnalis, var. Shell smaller than type and shaped like L. palustris. Suture shallow. Shell often eroded. Pond at Chislehurst, with Anacharis alsinastrum and Callitriche verna.

9. L. stagnalis, var. Shell much smaller than type, usually about inch to I inch in length, suture rather deep. Shell eroded. Pond on Chislehurst Common, with Potamogeton crispus and Ranunculus aquatilis.

10. L. stagnaliş, var. Shell shewing traces of spiral banding. Pond at Chislehurst, with Ranunculus aquatilis.

11. L. palustris, monst. Shell turrited, about inch in length, whorls 5, last whorl more than half length of shell. Pond at Bromley, with type.

12. L. truncatula, var. Shell having 3 whitish bands on body whorl, corresponding to 3, 4, and 5, in H. nemoralis. Ditch at Bickley, with type.

13. Sphærium lacustre, monst. Shell distorted so as to resemble Pisidium amnicum in shape. Pond at Bromley, with type.

14. Cyclostoma elegans, var. Shell light yellowish, traces of spiral banding on upper whorls. Warlingham, Surrey, with type.

15. Helix aspersa, var. Shell having four welldefined bands. Chislehurst Common, amongst Pteris aquilina.

16. Helix aspersa, var. Shell having upper portion of whorl chocolate colour, described in a former note (p. 91). I find that when the light is allowed to pass through the chocolate coloured portion very faint mottlings become visible, indicating those present in a normal shell.

17. H. Cantiana, var. Shell smaller than type, glossy, and semi-transparent, slightly tinged with rufous, especially near the mouth. Lip pinkish. Farnborough, Kent, two specimens.

18. H. virgata, var. Shell large, and having one or more interrupted bands. Margate.

19. H. nemoralis, monst. Shell much distorted from repair of fracture, umbilicus wide and deep. Chislehurst Common, on Pteris aquilina.

20. Clausilia biplicata, monst. Mouth of shell oval, and contorted, probably from repair of fracture, channeling of lower part not perceptible. Three well-marked denticles present. Near Hammersmith, with type.

21. C. laminata, var. Shell rather tumid, inside of mouth, including denticles, of a purplish-brown colour.

Other varieties are described in former notes.
T. D. A. COCKERELL.
Bedford Park, Chiswick, 1884.

at that time rearing; as these foundresses of colonies, of both tribes, had been plentiful enough during the latter part of May and commencement of June, and I had already observed the wasps gathering wood fibres for the manufacture of the paper of which they build their nests and combs.* Moreover, during the spell of wintry weather that prevailed from June 6th to 10th inclusive, I had discovered a nest of the moss or carder bee (Bombus muscorum), containing a large amorphous cell, or wax-enclosed mass of beebread, enclosing six or seven larvæ of varying size from very small to what I took for nearly full-grown, as well as a single elegantly urn-shaped thin wax cell containing a very little clear honey.

The summer of 1883, however, was remarkable for a superabundance of the social wasps, and an abundance of the humble bees. To give an idea of the great plenty of the wasps I may state that I have known of twenty-five nests, or "bikes" (as they are here called), within an area of not more than forty acres of meadow and pasture land, this area being represented by the figure of a square; as well as two more nests a very little outside that square.. Within this same area were found three nests of the orange-tailed humble bee (Bombus lapidaria), and one of the common humble bee (B. terrestris); whilst outside of it, but at no great distance, another nest of each species was found.

Of the above-mentioned twenty-seven nests of the wasps, fifteen belonged to the Vespa vulgaris, six to the V. sylvestris, five to the V. rufa, and one to the V. Germanica. In addition to these were two others, small secondary nests of the V. rufa, built on the sites of the first nests which had been destroyed.

Premising that I was in the district indicated from the beginning of the fourth week in July until near the close of September ;—that the earthen dykes, with their hedgerows and numerous trees, bounding the several fields, were mostly stone-faced to strengthen them against the rutting and butting of the cattle, though with occasional interspaces free from stones; that flies (Diptera) were exceedingly numerous, especially in the lee of the dykes and hedgerows, and fruit abundant; and that the weather during the most of that period was warm, though variable and moist ;-I shall give some of my observations, on the wasps chiefly, mostly as they were jotted down and commented on at the moment.

July 25th, 1883.-Wasps are exceedingly numerous; have already seen nearly a dozen nests, or "bikes."

July 30th.-Observe more wasps' nests in the dykes. I have also observed three nests in the level ground in a small meadow, two being those of the Vespa vulgaris and one that of the V. rufa.

August 2nd. In the evening, after a very heavy and continuous rainfall, the temperature being then much lowered, three large nests of the Vespa sylvestris

* SCIENCE-GOSSIP, May, 1882, pp. 102, 103.