304 Von Hoff on the Origin of Meteoric Sioncs. 



entirely new, and soon afterwards thoroughly proved view, and 

 even then, in his first memoir, indicated the leading features of 

 the hypothesis he formed, and which he subsequently steadily 

 maintained. 



It was not until several months after the appearance of 

 Chladni^s publication, that, on the 16th June 1794, there oc- 

 curred the fall of stones near Siena, and then in the following 

 year, in 1795, on the 13th December, that of Woodcottage in 

 Yorkshire. The attention of the English was first directed to 

 the phenomenon by Chladni's essay, and by the two examples 

 of aerolites just mentioned, which occurred a considerable time 

 after the date of the publication of that essay. It was not, 

 however, Howard, but King, who was the first to turn his at 

 tention to meteoric stones. The latter published an extract from 

 Chladni^s work, and enlarged the notice there given, of accounts 

 of falls of stones. * Howard did not come forward with his 

 observations till after the great fall at Benares, which took 

 place on the 8th March 1796. 



Contributions to the Botanical Geography of Southern Europe. 

 By Professor 



THE flora of a country is one of its distinguishing features ; 

 it determines its character. To ask a reason for a plant being 

 found in one station and in no other, is like inquiring why the 

 domestic fowl is not provided with peacock's feathers. 



It is not an easy matter to find plants which characterise a 

 country in reference to its latitude, as well as to its longitude 

 and its height. We must select plants which are extensively 

 distributed ; we must select plants which are not easily pro- 

 pagated by means of seed, because these are easily transmitted 

 accidentally from one country to another ; and we must select 

 plants which do not grow among grain. On one occasion I 

 found, in Portugal, the beautiful corn blue-bottle (Centaurea 

 cyanus), which ornaments our northern fields. But even when 



* E. King's lleinarks concerning Stones said to have fallen from the clouds 

 in these days, and in ancient times. London, 1706. 

 t From Wiegmann's Archwfur NaturgescMchte. 1836. 



