320 



Azores, which possess no genus of their own and relatively few 

 peculiar species that are beyond suspicion. The waves of migrating 

 plants that have in successive ages passed over this portion of the 

 globe left their wash on the Canarian and Madeiran groups before 

 the Azorean area became available for plant-stocking. If the pro- 

 portion of peculiar species in the Azores amounts to one-tenth, it 

 would be about one-sixth in Madeira, and one-tliird in the 

 Canaries. It is, indeed, curious that the group that is almost in 

 touch with the African continent displays the greatest evidence of 

 differentiation, and that the group that lies almost in mid- Atlantic 

 displays the least. 



As is remarked by Hooker in his lecture on Insular Floraa 

 (p. 15), but few of the Azorean plants are suggestive of such 

 revolutionary changes as are indicated in the Canarian and 

 Madeiran floras. The flora, if we except Myrsine africana, Cam- 

 panula Vtdalii, and one or two others, contains but few 

 '^problem" plants; whilst the Canaries and Madeira present a 

 host of difficulties of this kind. As Wallace recognised, in his. 

 '* Island Life'* and in his ^^ Darwinism," there can be no hesita- 

 tion in attributing the plant-stocking of the Azores to the existing 

 agencies of dispersal. In the Canaries quite other questions are 

 raised than those of dispersal, questions that may carry us far 

 back in geological time. In the Azores, on the other hand, the 



plants present us with a story of to-day for the upland moor and 

 of yesterday for the mountain wood. 



SUMMARY INDICATITn'G THE LEADING C0^"TE^'TS OF THE PArER. 



The author endeavours to describe briefly some of the most 

 conspicuous features of the native vegetation of the Azores as 

 illustrated on the mountain of Pico. In so doing, he directs 

 attention mainly to the vertical distribution of the plants. 



After pointing out that for purposes of comparison with Madeira 

 and the Canaries the Azores should be regarded as presenting 

 conditions for forest-growth up to levels of 3000 to 4000 ft. 

 (p. 307) he gives the zones of vegetation (p. 308), (1) the- 

 Faya zone, up to 2000 or 2500 ft. ; (2) the Juniper and Daphne 

 zone, 2000-4500 ft. ; (3) the Calluna, Menziesia and Thymus zone, 

 5000 ft. to the summit; (4) the Upland moors, 2000-4000 ft. 



A reference to the climatic conditions (p. 309) is followed by a 

 general account of the native vegetation of the mountain 

 (pp. 309-315). Beginning with tliat of the summit and of the- 

 higher levels (p. 310), he then describes in their order the 

 plants of the upper woods or Juniper and Daphne zone (p. 311), 

 of the lower woods or Taya zone (p. 313), and of the Upland 

 moors (p. 313). 



After alluding to the relatively small number of indigenous 

 plants as compared with introduced plants (p. 315), the com- 

 position of the forest of evergreens that clothed the islands at the 

 time of their discovery is discussed (p. 316), and the early writers 

 are quoted in support of the view that the trees of the original 

 woods were of far greater size than at present. It is then 

 shown that although in the existing woods the trees are of 

 small size on account of the persistent agency of the woodcutter,. 



