240 MR. R. N. RUDMOSE BROWN ON 
luxuriant profusion, and in more stony ground I found several 
plants of the sow-thistle (Sonchus oleraceus)—these latter in 
flower. The tussac-grass (Spartina arundinacea) was not, at the 
place of landing, so abundant as in other parts of the coast, but 
here and there on the hillsides down to sea-level there were large 
tufts of it. In habit it is very similar to the tussac-grass of the 
Falkland Islands, but does not appear to grow in such masses as 
to almost entirely exclude other plants as it does on those islands. 
The only sward-forming * grass” seems to be Scirpus (spp) : on 
the southern side of the stream was about half an acre of this, 
making a rich pasture. Other grasses are to be found, but growing 
in more isolated tufts. The characteristic tree of the Tristan da 
Cunha group (Phylica nitida) is well represented, and grows on 
Gough Island from about 2000 feet to sea-level, but above 100 feet 
it is most plentiful. The tree grows some 20 or 30 feet in height 
even on the most exposed ridges. The stems are not very thick, 
not more than 10 to 12 inches, and the branches are long and 
straggling, with leaves only at the extreme ends. Most of the 
branches are thickly encrusted with lichens. Tree-ferns grow in 
the rich ground beside the stream, and reach a height of 4 feet 
or more. The beach is thickly strewn with water-worn stems of 
these ferns, which have probably been brought down by the 
stream when in spate, carried into the sea and washed up on to 
the beach. Several species of ferns grow in nooks and crannies 
of the moist rocks, and apparently easily obtain a footing in the 
relatively soft voleanic ash. Mosses are plentiful everywhere, 
and in the bed of the stream I got several specimens of a liver- 
wort. 
The only plants in flower were Sonchus oleraceus and Apium 
australe and two species of Rumes, and the majority of even 
these were in seed.  Gaaphalium pyramidale bore withered 
flowers, and Phylica nitida and Empetrum nigrum, var. rubrum, 
were in fruit in a few places. 
I found no trace of any plants introduced for cultivation by 
the settlers whose ruined huts we found. Beyond the huts was 
half an acre of ground beset with tree-stumps, the remains, no 
doubt, of the native tree which they had cut down for firewood. 
The plants of Gough Island have, as might be expected, proved 
to be very similar to those of Tristan da Cunha. The present 
collection contains seventeen species of phanerogams and ten of 
