UPON THE FLORA OF THE SHETLAND ISLES. il 
leaf at the distance of one-eighth of its length from the apex; and 
many others of the like nature were noticed by me. 
The maritime vegetation presents few characteristics. The dominant 
species of the natural pastures are—Festuca, Anthoxanthum, Lotus, 
Scilla, Thymus, Polygala, Ranunculus repens, Rhinanthus, Bellis, Pru- 
nella, Galium saxatile, with Orchis maculata, Habenaria viridis; the 
marshes dispersed among the pastures have for their characteristics, 
Myosotis repens, M. cespitosa, Menyanthes, Pedicularis palustris, Stel- 
laria uliginosa, Iris, Juncacea, and Carices. 
The common agrestal plants are, Viola tricolor, Spergula, Cerastiums, 
Lamium purpureum, Galeopsis Tetrahit, Lycopsis, Veronica agrestis, V. 
hederifolia, and Myosotis. 
Papaver dubium, Viola arvensis, Ger anium molle, Valerianella, Fu- 
maria officinalis, and Lamium intermedium are confined to sandy soil. 
The plants of the moorlands and bogs are such as are usually met 
with throughout Great Britain. 
Though it is possible, when the distribution of plants in these isles 
is viewed as a whole, to distinguish vertical zones of vegetation, yet a 
very large number of the species, elsewhere well defined in their range 
relatively to others, in the Shetlands encroach and modify the vegetation 
of a lower or higher zone, as almost to set aside any attempt to utilize, 
at least for a limited district, the vertical range of the species. Thus, 
a few alpine plants may be here recognized as occurring at much lower 
levels than elsewhere in Britain :— - 
- Thalictrum alpinum, 0-1460 feet; Arabis peiræa, 10 feet ; Draba in- 
cana, 70-460 feet; Gnaphalium Norvegicum, 100 feet; Polygonum 
viviparum, 0-1476 feet; Salix herbacea, 900-1470 feet; Empetrum 
nigrum, 0—1000 feet ; Saussurea alpina, 800-1400 feet; Carex rigida, 
800—1400 feet. 
However, the general vertical distribution of the plauts seems to be 
as follows : — 
l. The Superagrarian Zone of vegetation, here extending from the 
sea-shore up to an average elevation of about 100 feet. 
2. The Infer- and Mid-Arctic Land Zones, not clearly separable ; the 
Infer-Arctic extending to at least 600 feet. These zones embrace the 
remaining surface, excepting the summit E Ronas Hill, which is cha- 
epos by a Super-Arctic vegetation. 
Super-Arctic Zone commences at an elevation of about 800 
