THE BOTANY OF GOUGH ISLAND. 239 
returned. Souvh-Sea whalers have occasionally touched here 
and even brought back collections of birds and rocks, but no 
plants seem to have been gathered. These whalers, chiefly 
American, are no doubt responsible for several introduced plants 
on the island. All that was previously known of the botany of 
Gough Island was the statement of the Tristan da Cunhans that 
Phylica grew there, and that several of the other plants were 
similar to the Tristan species. 
The Seottish National Antaretie Expedition, on its return 
from the Antarctic Regions in April 1904, made a stay of three 
days off this island ; but only on one (April 22nd) wasit possible, 
owing to the high sea running, to effect a landing, and even on 
that day it was only accomplished with difficulty. The extremely 
bad anchorage and the squally nature of the wind made it 
imperative that the shore party should keep within easy reach 
in the event of a sudden recall being necessary. This was 
unfortunate, as it prevented a visit to the higher ground, where 
several other species might haye been found. On approaching 
the island one is struck by the amount of green to be seen: 
from the highest summit to the water’s edge it seems to be 
clothed with vegetation, and even the steepest precipices, in 
which the land usually meets the sea, have their covering of 
moss. 
Rainfall is probably great, as evidenced in the cascades of 
water pouring over the cliffs on all sides. Comer * notes inces- 
sant strong gales with mist, rain, and snow in the meteorological 
log he kept while on the island, but he apparently took very few 
readings of the air-temperature. Probably, however, the climate 
of Gough Island is very similar to that of Tristan da Cunha, 
where the temperature varies from 48° F. in winter to 74? F. in 
summer, and the preeipitation is excessive the whole year round. 
At the time of our visit there was no snow-cap on the summit. 
On the eastern side of the island a torrent coming down to 
the sea has eut a deep glen, and this seems to afford the only 
practieable road to the interior. It was here that a landing was 
effected +. 
On landing one notices the rankness of the vegetation. Above 
high-water docks (Rumes frutescens) and the wild celery grow in 
* Verrill, Trans. Conn. Acad. ix. (1895) pt. ii. p. 471. 
T For a fuller account of Gough Island, see Scot. Geog. Mag. xx’ (1905) 
p. 430. 
