Geographical Hotanv. 2^-j 



No larger foiilribution tu the knowledge of our vegetation has 

 been published since then, but a very interesting paper by F. C. 

 Clarke deals with another feature of this study. In the " Proceed- 

 ings of the Royal Society of Great Britain " (vol. 70) he gives an 

 account of the distribution of the tribe Schoeneae. which forms a 

 section of the order Cyperaceae. This account demonstrates beauti- 

 fuiiy how large the number of .species of this tribe is in the Southern 

 extremities of the three continents, and how rapidly they decrease in 

 number further North. The obvious conclusion being, that the com- 

 mon origin ma\ have l)een in .some Antarctic region, which has 

 either disappeared in the ocean, or is now covered by eternal ice. 

 The importance of this paper lies in the bearing which it has on the 

 question of the origin of this " famous flora," which predominates in 

 the little South-Western comer of the Cape. 



Let us hope that the expeditions which are at present exploring 

 the Antarctics mav discover .some geological records, that will throw 

 some more light on this question. 



