BY A. A. HAMILTON". 505 



evidence points to the distribution of the Buttercups by birds. 

 The protuberances which cover the flattened sides of the fruits 

 of B. muricatus, and endow it with a specific name, impart a 

 rough surface to the achenes when dry, which would cause them 

 to catch in the plumage of birds, or to adhere to their muddy 

 feet. The achenes of this species sank within 12 hours. 



The Rib-herb, Plantago lanceolata L., a tufted perennial with 

 a wide distribution in temperate countries, is frequent in the 

 station selected by B. muri-catus, and behaves in a similar man- 

 ner. Hooker (24, p. 271) notes that the seeds of this species 

 have a mucilaginous testa. 



Several Docks of which the Curled Dock, Bumex crispus L. 

 and the Clustered Dock, B. conglomeratus Murr., are the most 

 frequent, form tufted colonies in. the boundary pasture. These 

 aliens have a perennial rootstock and a fusiform tuberous tap- 

 root which descends to a considerable depth in the sour soil 

 where no eonqietition is encountered. During their resting 

 period the tap-roots accumulate a large supply of food which is 

 greedily absorbed by the plants in the growing season. When 

 the active growth commences the tufts enlarge — the Docks em- 

 ploy the same method as that practised by B. muricatus to 

 secure expansion — and stout leafy stems arise from the crown 

 of the rootstock upon which the inflorescence is elevated. After 

 fruiting, the aerial portion of the plant dies and the tuft is 

 reduced to a small rosette. The Sheep's Sorrel, Bumex aceto- 

 sella L., is occasional in this station where, though not mechanic- 

 ally aggressive, it maintains a position owing to exceptional 

 tolerance of soil acidity. Its antipathy to a calcareous soil has 

 been frequently noted. . The Sorrel has replaced the deep tap- 

 root of its congeners the Docks with the shallow rhizomatic 

 growth adopted by most of the marsh herbs. Seeds of the 

 Sorrel either enclosed in the perianth or separated from it sank 

 within 24 hours. 



Melilotus parviflorus Desf., the Scented Melilot of Europe, 

 an adaptable annual with an erect growth habit, has no diffi- 

 culty in securing a footing among the pasture herbs, its deep 

 taproot descending to feed below their root systems and its 

 aerial growth ascending above them. In moist, permeable, non- 

 saline soil the plants may rise to a height of 3 feet, but at 

 Cook's River a small colony was noted on the margin of the 

 salt plain, debilitated by the excessive salinity, flowering and 



