OUR BRITISH PLANTS. 165 



coast-line of this submerged continent." The fauna and flora of 

 the Atlantic islands, bearing close affinity with those both of the 

 old and new worlds, seem to prove that continuous land once 

 existed between both hemispheres. Of the Atlantic type of plants 

 which once flourished on this long-forgotten land, the remains are 

 yet found in the Pyrenees and the hills of Killarney. The 

 fossil remains of the sub-tropical flora of Europe in Miocene 

 times are aUied to American forms, which are also found in Japan. 

 Probably these forms had travelled from the western land across 

 the great continent (scarcely to be called mythical) of " Atlantis," 

 and, still journeying when the Eocene period had passed away, 

 spread thfough Asia to Japan. 



On the hills of Scotland and northern England is yet another 

 type of plants, found only in the higher regions. These are the 

 Alpine forms : in number upwards of one hundred. On these 

 hills the flora is quite distinct from the vegetable growth of the 

 lowlands. The plants grow in dense, moss-like masses, adorned 

 with a profusion of comparatively large blossoms of brilliant hues ; 

 or the procumbent woody stems bear few hard leaves and small 

 inconspicuous blossoms. Some few of the plants seldom or 

 never flower in this country, but are propagated by buds. These 

 Alpine plants are not indigenous to our islands, as their stunted 

 growth and paucity of numbers seem to prove. Among the 

 mountains of Norway we find identically the same species, but 

 more luxuriant in growth, and in numbers more abundant. 

 Evidently the Scandinavian mountains are the native place of our 

 Alpine plants, and the course of their migration to southern 

 countries may be traced " by the species left behind on numerous 

 intervening points." Three plants of the type, Saxifragra trtais- 

 pidata, Kcenigia islandica, and Rajiunculus nivalis^ are found in 

 the Faroe Islands, but do not penetrate beyond. Further south, 

 in the Shetlands, we reach the southern limit of Arcnaria 

 Norvegica, a common plant on the Norwegian mountains. Still 

 further south, on the northern shores of Caithness and Sutherland, 

 the Scotch Pri7nrose^ a true Norwegian plant, reaches its limit. 

 Travelling in a south-western direction, we follow the line of 

 migration of the Alpine plants. " Several species were left 

 behind on the Braemar mountains j while an unusually large 



