396 SCIENCE PROGRESS. 



and flourishing luxuriantly. Three of the species have a 

 wide range, and belong to the British flora ; but the re- 

 mainder are peculiar to the cold regions of the southern 

 hemisphere. No less than nine out of the thirteen occur in 

 some of the outlying islands of the New Zealand seas. 



We may now pass to what may conveniently be termed 

 the American Pacific Islands. 



Ever since the publication of Sereno Watson's account 

 of a botanical collection made by Dr. E. Palmer in Guade- 

 loupe Island, Lower California (15), American botanists 

 have lost no opportunity of continuing the exploration of 

 what may be termed the Californian Archipelago. The 

 same botanist has again visited Guadeloupe Island and 

 brought away large collections. This island is situated 

 about 100 miles from the mainland, is twenty-six miles long, 

 with an average breadth often miles, and has a central moun- 

 tain ridge rising to nearly 4000 feet above the level of the 

 sea. In the article alluded to the composition of the flora 

 is carefully analysed, and found, like that of Lower Cali- 

 fornia generally, to be an extension of the Californian flora 

 rather than the Mexican of the same latitude. Trees are 

 plentiful over much of the island, and often of considerable 

 dimensions. Prominent among them are, an oak [Ouercus 

 tomentella), a pine [Pinus insignis, var. binatd), a juniper 

 i^Jzuiiperus calif ornica), and a cypress (Cupressus macro- 

 carpa). Besides these there is an endemic palm {Erythea 

 edulis), "the only thing on the island having a tropical 

 look". It has fan-shaped leaves, grows thirty to forty feet 

 high, and bears clusters of fruit forty to fifty pounds in 

 weight, which is eaten " by man, goats, birds and mice ". 

 The discovery of an endemic palm with an edible fruit 

 has, of course, not been paralleled in subsequent explora- 

 tions ; but a number of less prominent plants are new (16). 

 One hundred and forty-five species have been collected in 

 the island, and of these thirty have not been found else- 

 where. These are nearly all herbaceous plants, belonging 

 to natural orders characteristic of the region. In order to 

 complete the botanical bibliography reference should be 

 made to the visit of another botanist (17), who among other 



