MARION ISLAND. 167 



masses at the Falkland Islands, and there is a tendency in many 

 Antarctic plants to assume a similar habit, as in the case, e.g., 

 of Lyallia kerguelensis. 



The grass is abundant everywhere, mingled with the Accena 

 and Azorella. The plants are, no doubt, rendered especially 

 luxuriant by the dung of the numerous sea-birds ; but no mutual 

 benefit arrangement has sprung up between the Poa and the 

 penguins, as it has at the Tristan da Cunha group between the 

 penguins and Spartina arundinacea. The Poa cookii nowhere 

 forms a tussock. The rookeries of King Penguins are entirely 

 bare, and the grass is not more luxuriant around the nests of the 

 Golden-crested Penguins than elsewhere. The Poa was the 

 only grass found in flower in the island. Different-looking 

 forms were observed, especially around the numerous pools 

 of water on the hill slopes ; but they are possibly mere modi- 

 fications of the same grass due to alteration of conditions ; none 

 of them were in flower. Pringlea antiscorbutica, the Kerguelen 

 cabbage,* is at least in the part of the island explored, by 

 no means so abundant as at Kerguelen's Land. It was some 

 time before a plant was found ; but subsequently a good many 

 were met with, but not growing in groups of more than four or 

 five plants. Some were found on the very verge of the shore, 

 within reach of the spray, and the rest on the banks of a small 

 rivulet. The cabbage was mostly in full flower and bud, with 

 sepals and anthers complete. No plants were found with seed 

 at all ripe. The last year's seeds were decayed. This plant at 

 least would appear to have a regular summer flowering-season, 

 since Sir Joseph Hooker found only the fruit at Kerguelen's 

 Land in the winter. 



Of the ferns the Lomaria alpina is the most conspicuous, 

 forming thick and wide patches amongst the Accena and grass, 

 and occurring abundantly everywhere. Aspidium mohriodes 

 was found growing under sheltered banks beside the small stream 

 together with the other three ferns. 



Hymenophyllum tunbridgense, the British species, and Poly- 

 podium australe grow abundantly on the sheltered sides of the 



* For an account of this plant and figure, see under Kerguelen's Land, 

 p. 184. 



