.384 j:ffects of droughts on distkilsl'tio-N or tlants. 



reservoir, and eoiisists of a succession of rockv kuk^es with 

 narrower or broader bands of k\'el rocky ground between them. 

 The whole of this slope, some 300 feet in height, was always 

 covered with a luxuriant evergreen vegetation, consisting of 

 various species of heath, Fsoralca piiutata, Eitryops critlnni- 

 foliiis and other composites, Cliffortia ruscifoUa and numerous 

 other shrubs and shrublets three to live feet high. In nooks and 

 shelters formed by rocks, or descending gullies, abounded larger 

 shrubs and small trees — e.g., Podocarpus latifolius, Gymnosporia 

 laiiriiia, Oha laiirifulla. Kiggclaria Africaiia. Prolca cynaroidcs, 

 Lcucadcndron dcconnu, and, l)etween specially damj) cliffs, also 

 d^varf trees of Cinionia capeiisis. 



l-'or many years I knew this part of the mountain as one of 

 the few localities of Erica yihc'a. a shrubby heath generally three 

 to four feet high, of the habit of the wideh-spread E. niaiitniosa, 

 w'hich is fref|uent in the Cape Flats and on the lower hills. 

 Judging from memory, 1 should say that there were several 

 lumdred good-sized slirubs of this heath scattered about, con- 

 spicuous in midsummer on account of the large racemes of k'lig, 

 tubular, greenish- white flowers. Wishing to gather a few twigs 

 of this heath last summer, I was surprised to find that it had 

 practically disappeared from this slope, there being just one 

 small bush left in the whole area. As I had photographed 

 several groups of this heath there some years ago, I knew the 

 locality in all its details, and was able to detect the remnants 

 ■of some of the heath l)y the guidance of other shrubs there, 

 T'/.c., some shrubs of Fsoralca pinnata and Protca cynaroidcs. 

 The dead sticks of some of the heath were still standing, show- 

 ing that the shrubs had died in the natural course of events, i.e., 

 ])y old age, and not by any outside interference, such as a fire. 

 Obviotisly all the shrtibs mtist have started life nearly at the 

 same period, perhaps after a bush fire, and no subserjuent 

 generations had developed there, i^robabl}- owing to the inca|)a- 

 bilitv of the ])lants to compete against the more robust and 

 closely-set undergrowth. When the age-limit of the shrubs was 

 reached, which may have been in this case some 20 or 25 years, 

 they simjily gradually perished without leaving any progeny 

 behind. 



As the locality is partly fenced in — the ground belongs 

 to the catchment area of the waterworks — and as I am cjuite 

 certain that no bush-fire passed over it for many years, the 

 gradual disappearance of the species from this spot, so to say, 

 on its own account, could not be doubted, and this observation 

 induced me to insjject several other places which I knew as 

 liabitats of this and another rather local, or rare, species. I 

 then discovered that another very handsome species, vi::.^ E. 

 vcrnix, has also nearly disappeared from a part of the mountain 

 where I knew it to have been plentiful in former years. 



In both cases the disappearance cannot be due to the ex- 

 ceptionally dry summer of 191 5, for it had taken place before 



