no THE WILD-FLOWERS OF SELBORNE 



second edition is some evidence of a growing interest 

 in botany, perhaps of all outdoor pursuits the most 

 delightful, and one open to rich and poor persons alike 

 who have the good fortune to live in the country. 



That the flora of Hampshire is an exceedingly rich 

 one will be evident at once, when we say that Mr. 

 Townsend claims for the county no less than 1179 

 species of flowering plants. Or if we compare the 

 flora of Hampshire with those of the adjoining counties, 

 we learn from the comparative tables drawn up by 

 the editor, that while Surrey possesses 61 plants 

 not found in Hants, Dorset 45, Berkshire 31, and 

 Wiltshire 25, yet, on the other hand, Hampshire 

 possesses no less than 196 plants not found in 

 Wiltshire, 166 plants not found in Berkshire, 1 20 

 plants not found in Surrey, and 66 plants not found 

 in Dorset. And this comparative wealth is no 

 doubt to be accounted for by the varied nature of 

 Hampshire soil and scenery, and the large extent 

 of its acreage. Hampshire ranks as the eighth 

 English county in respect of size, stretching from 

 Surrey to Dorset, a distance of over forty miles, and 

 from Berkshire to the English Channel, a distance of 

 some fifty-five miles, and comprising with the Isle of 

 Wight an area of about one million acres, of which, 

 roughly speaking, one-half consists of chalk and the 

 other of the various tertiary formations. While 

 Hampshire cannot boast of any mountain range, yet, 

 as Mr. Townsend says, there are few counties in 

 which there is more varied and picturesque scenery 

 of a truly English character. Its highest hills are the 

 well-known North and South Downs — spoken of by 

 Gilbert White as a " vast range of mountains " — 

 drawn in soft and flowing lines, and clothed with 



