Mr. R. B. Hinds on Geographic Botany. 



103 



abundant in all latitudes particularly high ; among the plants of 

 the spring they are more numerous than those of the autumn. 

 Though common in the tropics they are rarer than in northern 

 latitudes, and are more frequent in alpine situations than in the 

 plains. The xanthic series of colours are most numerous in situ- 

 ations exposed to the heat and brilliancy of the sun^s rays ; hence 

 their comparative abundance within the tropics in the autumn, 

 and in the plains over the mountains. This latter circumstance 

 seems to have been noticed by the inhabitants of Peru, for we are 

 told that in referring to the colours of the flowers, it is com- 

 mon for them to say, Oro en la costa, plata en la sierra (gold on 

 the coast, silver in the mountains) ; in the truth of which they 

 are borne out by nature. Yellow is frequent in some natural 

 families, as Composites, where it very generally prevails. Though 

 flowers of the cyanic series are plentifully mixed with the xanthic, 

 their preponderance is in other latitudes or diff'erent seasons. 

 Some of the intense blues and violets delight in the clear skies of 

 subtropic regions, whence might be inferred a partiality to a clear 

 transparent atmosphere over one, though warmer, yet often teem- 

 ing with aqueous vapour. Myrtacea, essentially a tropical family, 

 has not a single blue flower. Fruits, coloured branches or stems, 

 the internal woody structure, can all be ranged under these two 

 heads ; thus the number of xanthic woods within the tropics is 

 considerable. 



I could not neglect the opportunities which have occurred to 

 me to obtain some statistical details respecting the colours of 

 flowers, and a portion of my observations are subjoined in the 

 Table. 



