400 SCIENCE PROGRESS. 



ward. The few collected are published (23) and the authors 

 state that the flora is doubtless tropical and similar to that of 

 Mexico. Judging from the list of plants, it would be more 

 correct to designate the flora as subtropical, although the 

 islands are within the tropics. The total number of species 

 found on the two islands was twenty-six ; eighteen in 

 Socorro and twelve in Clarion, four being common to the 

 two. Teucrium Townsendii and Cardiospermum Palmen 

 are described as new ; but the latter had previously been 

 collected in Lower California. Most of the other plants are 

 common, or at least belong to common genera ; but as ten 

 of them have not been determined some doubt remains on 

 this point. It is clear, however, that the indigenous flora 

 has hardly been tapped. 



The Galapagos are the next group claiming our attention. 



In 1884 the Italian corvette Vettor Pisani, on a voyage 

 round the world, put in at the Galapagos, where ten days 

 were spent ; and Lieutenant Chierchia made a small collec- 

 tion of plants on Chatham and Floriana, or Charles, Islands. 

 This was worked out and published by Professor Caruel 

 (24). It is little more than a bare list and adds nothing 

 important to previous knowledge of the flora, though two 

 species are described as new, namely : Polygonum galapa- 

 gense and Cyperus galapagensis. There is a specimen of 

 the former at Kew, and it is probably an endemic plant ; 

 but it requires a very special knowledge of Cyperus to give 

 an opinion as to the validity of the proposed new species. The 

 Americans lost a good opportunity of increasing our know- 

 ledge of the flora of the Galapagos and of Cocos Island to 

 the north-east, in connection with the voyage of the Alba- 

 tross ; for although a few plants were collected (25) next to 

 nothing was added to what was previously known. In Pro- 

 fessor Agassiz's general sketch of the work of the expedi- 

 tion (26) there are many interesting details on the aspects 

 and composition of the three belts of vegetation in the 

 Galapagos first described by Wolf (27) "which can be 

 recognised on all the islands ". The illustrations afford an 

 excellent idea of the physiognomies of these belts of vegeta- 

 tion. Particularly striking in the lower or more barren belt 



