foundation walls and entrances still exist, and the shape of the camp is oblong. It is supposed to date from an early period of the Roman occupation under Ostorius Scapula, A.D. 54. It was destroyed by Bernard Newmarch about 1090, and its stones transferred for the building of Brecon.

At Talyllyn Junction the party which had been separated now re-united, when it was found that some had found time to visit the grand old Priory Church, and many had prudently refitted themselves with purchases of stockings and boots. On the journey homewards the business of the Club was transacted, which included the election of the following four members :-Count L. Lubienski, Rev. F. R. Burnside, Mr. Harold Easton, and Mr. James Douglas Stretch-Dowse. On the return journey the beautiful scenery was viewed under the more favourable aspects of a clear sky.

A list of the members and visitors attending is now given, so far as could be ascertained, the total number being between sixty and seventy.

Sir Herbert Croft, President; Rev. Sir George H. Cornewall, Captain Campbell, Major Doughty, Revs. H. A. Barker, J. O. Bevan, W. Bowell, W. Elliot, J. E. Grasett, E. J. Holloway, A. G. Jones, W. H. Lambert, H. B. D. Marshall, W. H. Purchas, T. Prosser Powell, and R. H. Warner; Drs. T. A. Chapman, J. H. Wood, and A. J. Crespi ; Messrs. Robert Clarke, Luther Davis, W. J. Grant, E. H. Greenly, G. H. Hadfield, T. F. Inman, J. W. Lloyd, T. C. Paris, W. Pilley, H. Southall, Guy Trafford, H. C. Moore, Hon. Secretary, and James B. Pilley, Assistant Secretary; and the following visitors:-Ladies-Miss Davies, Miss Dawber, Miss Doughty, Miss Hayes, Miss A. Hayes, Miss Powell, Miss J. Powell, Mrs. Robinson, and Miss J. Robinson. Gentlemen - Lieut.-Col. Blathwayt, Captain Hayes, Revs. E. R. Firmstone, R. W. T. Hunt, E. B. Brackenbury, and A. G. Watson; Messrs. E. Bowell, Algernon Brackenbury, G. H. Busby, Hugh Croft, Basil Holloway, Kelsall, F. Lindsay, John Lloyd, Walter Reeves (of the Royal Microscopical Society), J. Robinson, and Reginald Robinson.

NOTES ON A FEW OF THE MORE INTERESTING FLOWERING PLANTS INHABITING THE

BRECON BEACONS.

By Rev. A. LEY.

MR. W. BOWLES BARRETT, F. L.S., published in the Journal of Botany for 1885, a series of papers styled "A Contribution towards a Flora of Breconshire." These papers contain an accurate and exhaustive summary of the Flora of the county. They afford far the fullest list of the flowering plants of Breconshire known to exist, and but little has been added, and that little chiefly in the critical genera of Rubus and Hieracium, to the Flora of the county since the date of their publication.

It is because Mr. Barrett's papers may not be in the hands of all the members of the Club, that I have thought it might be worth while to bring together a few notes upon the more interesting of the flowering plants which inhabit the range of hills upon which we stand. The following notes are taken substantially from Mr. B. Barrett's papers, but they have had the advantage of Mr. W. P. J. Le Brocq's criticisms. He has kindly consented to look them over, and to give us the benefit of his more recent investigations in the botany of these hills. Mr. F. J. Hanbury has also kindly looked over some critical Hieracia which I recently sent him, and has allowed me to incorporate his decision with regard to them in this paper.

The range of hills upon which we stand is well known for the magnificent view which is gained of their highest points from the immediate neighbourhood of the town of Brecon. These highest points are the "Beacons " from which the range takes its name. The hills conspicuously and characteristically present this double point which gives them the names of Beacons, whether viewed from the hills of Radnor or Herefordshire on the N. and N. E., or from those of Glamorganshire on the south. They form the most elevated tract of country in South Wales, reaching (by the Ordnance Map) the elevation of 2,910 feet at their highest point in the Beacons, and 2,631 feet some twelve miles further west at the Breconshire Van. This elevated tract stretches across the county of Brecon in its southern part, from Monmouthshire on the east into Carmarthenshire on the west; the straight line from the Blorenge, rising immediately above Abergavenny on the east, to the hills of the Llwchwr valley in which the range sinks down on the west, measuring about forty-two miles. The ridge, or backbone, of the hills joining these two points lies nearly due east and west, bending out however in the central and highest part considerably to the north; and, moreover, rendered a singularly tortuous and undulating line, by the lateral valleys and glens which invade it both from the north and south. These glens on the north are all, so far as Brecon and Monmouthshire are concerned, feeders of the Usk, while on the south they form the heads of the Taf, Neath, Tawe, and other rivers. Measuring from north

to south, the breadth of the range, at its broadest, which is also its highest part, opposite the town of Brecon, is some ten or twelve miles. From this point the hills become narrower, each way both to the east and west, till they are found to be only a few miles in breadth at the extremities of the range.

The whole range of hills has been well named, when spoken of collectively, as "the Vans :" the Welsh term " Y Fan" (one of the many words meaning a "top" or a "ridge ") being applied more frequently to the undulating "ridges" and "tops" which they present, than to those of any other group of mountains in the principality.

The geological formation of the hills is mainly the Old Red Sandstone with which we are so familiar in Herefordshire. This occupies the whole of the centre of the range; and in the Brecon Beacons this formation attains, I believe, its highest elevation, and its largest mountain mass in all the British Isles. The Red Sandstone is bounded on the south by the coal and iron district of Glamorganshire; and it is broken into at Pen-y-wyllt and the hills above Cwm Amman on the west, and again in the Monmouthshire part of the range upon the east, by tracts of limestone. This mountain limestone occurs in Breconshire (and therefore within the limits of this paper) only at Pen-y-wyllt, where it adds considerably to the number of interesting plants which have to be recorded.

No attempt has been made in the following lists to record the more common species. Those only are mentioned, which on account of their greater rarity, or for some other reason, may have more interest attached to them. The nomenclature of the 7th edition of the London Catalogue of British Plants has been used in order to maintain correspondence with Mr. Bowles Barrett's paper. New county records are marked with a *: introduced plants with a †.

Thalictrum minus, L. var. montanum. Very local. Confined, so far as is known, to one station. Craig-y-gledsiau, plentifully. Close to its southern limit in Wales, which is reached at Craig-y-llyn, Glamorganshire; or at Giltar head, Pembrokeshire?

Ranunculus Lenormandi, F. Schultz. A moorland plant, occupying the same position on the high lands which R. hederaceus does on the lowlands. Not abundant in these hills. Southern part of the range near Hirwain. Note: the Brecon Beacon and Black Mountain form of this plant is generally a small state, making a decided approach to R. intermedius, Hiern.

Caltha palustris, L. var. minor. Spring heads at high elevations on the hills; not common. At the southern limit of its range in Britain.

Trollius europæus, L. Globe Flower. Stream sides in the glens: locally abundant. Hepste glen. Pen-y-wyllt. Abundant in Cwm Serre.

Meconopsis cambrica, Vig. Welsh Poppy. Shady rocks and glens, rare. Ffrwd-grech and Rhyd-goch glens near Brecon.

Hesperis matronalis, L. Dame's Violet. Well naturalised on the Menascin brook near Brecon.

Arabis hirsuta, Br. On the limestone at and near Pen-y-wyllt. Walls in Brecon, abundantly.

* Lepidium ruderale, L. Very rare. Craig-y-rhiwarth, Pen-y-wyllt. Helianthemum vulgare, Gaert. Rock-rose. On the limestone, rare. Craig-y-rhiwarth, Pen-y-wyllt. Dinas ridge, Pont-nedd-fechan.

Viola palustris, L. Marsh Violet. Rare on these hills. Marshy ground near Penpont on the Nedd; and at Pen-y-wyllt. Near Capel Coel-bren, and near Cray.

Drosera rotundifolia, L. Sundew. Rare on the Brecon Beacon range. Bog at Pen-y-wyllt. Abundant in Cwm Serre.

Silene maritima, With. Sea Campion. Confined to one station. Precipice under the summit of the Beacons. In this station it is extremely abundant, and bears larger flowers than at any sea-side station in which I have seen it. This is one of the class of plants which inhabit both the sea-shore and the cold damp precipices of the higher mountains, but are absent from the intermediate ground. At intermediate elevations the Sea Campion is very rare, though not entirely absent, occurring occasionally upon the gravel of rivers and lakes.

Alsine verna, Bart. In one station only. Precipice under the summit, in moderate abundance. Quite a mountain plant in its tastes; making itself more at home on the cold precipices of the higher mountains, than upon the limestone hills.

Sagina nodosa, Meyer. Boggy places and rill sides upon the hills; very rare. Mountain rivulets above Pentwyn; var. glandulosa.

[Geranicum sylvaticum, L, is not known; but should surely be found in some of the numerous small glens of the hills. Found at Llanigon near Hay, and in the Black Mountain group].

Geranium lucidum, L. Shining Crane's-bill. On the limestone at Pen-y-wyllt. Usually confined to the lower, warmer parts.

Anthyllis vulneraria, L. Lady's Fingers. Very rare. On the limestone of Craig-y-rhiwarth, Pen-y-wyllt.

* Trifolium striatum, L. Canal bank near Brecon.

[Ornithopus perpusillus, L. Common Birds' Foot. Has not yet been observed in the county].

*Vicia Orobus, D. C. Rare in this range. Blaen-rhyd-nant, Cwm Cray. Rubus saxatilis, L. At one station only. Limestone at Craig-yrhiwarth, Pen-y-wyllt.

[Rubus Chamamorus, L. Cloud berry, seems to be absent].

Geum rivale, L. Water Avens. waterfalls in Cwm Serre and Cwm Llwch.

Moist glens. Near most of the small Frequent about Brecon.

* Geum intermedium, Ehrh. Rare. Fenni-fach.
*+Pyrus Aria.

Ffrwd-grech.

Hook. Common White-beam. Plantation near

Pyrus rupicola, Syme. Mountain White-beam. Confined to the limestone near Pen-y-wyllt, Craig-y-rhiwarth, and at the Cave, Nant-y-gwared.

Sedum Rhodiola, D.C. Rose-root. Precipices at two stations. Precipice of the summit; Craig-y-gledsiau; both in fair abundance. Craig-y-llyn, Glamorgan; its southern-most station in Britain.

Sedum Telephium, L. Orpine. Var. purpurascens. Rare. Pen-y-wyllt. Pont Cynedydd in Cwm Serre.

[Sedum anglicum, Huds. Can hardly be absent?]

Sedum Forsterianum, Sm. Var. virescens. Rocks, rare. Precipice of the summit. Rock in Cwm Serre. Craig-y-llyn, Glamorgan.

Saxifraga oppositifolia, L. Damp cold precipices. One of the most interesting and beautiful plants of these hills, reaching here its southern limit in Britain. Its only other known Welsh localities lie in the Snowdon ranges, Carnarvon. Precipice under the summit: Craig-y-gledsiau; in some abundance at both stations. Y-fan-big.

Saxifraga sponhemica, Gmel. Mossy Saxifrage. Well marked and abundant in the rocky glens and on the damper cliffs. At several stations on the Beacons. Blaen-Taf-fawr. A form on Craig-y-gledsiau, and at other places, answering admirably to S. affinis of Don; E. B.S., plate 2903.

Saxifraga hypnoides, L. Mossy Saxifrage. Frequent in the mountain glens and on the precipices; but hardly so abundant in this range as the last. At many stations on the Beacons.

[Saxifraga stellaris, L, and S. nivalis, L. Absent].

Chrysosplenium alternifolium, L. Golden Saxifrage. Not rare. Frwd-grech waterfalls, and at other stations.

Carum verticillatum, Koch. Boggy mountain pastures, local. Near Coel-bren in abundance. Southern parts of the range, in the Hepste valley?

*+ Lonicera xylosteum, L. Fly Honeysuckle. Frwd-grech.

Plantation near

Galium boreale, L. Rare and local. Rocks at the head of Cwm Cynwyn, Craig-y-gledsiau, near Capel Cellwen. Almost at the southern limit of its range in Britain, which is reached, as in the case of Sedum Rhodiola and other plants at Craig-y-llyn, Glamorgan, 15 miles further south.

Galium sylvestre, Poll. One station only. Limestone at Pen-y-wyllt. Scabiosa columbaria, L. Abundant at several stations both on limestone and sandstone. Limestone at Craig-y-rhiwarth; sandstone of Craig-ygledsiau, and of the summit precipice.