THE ARCTIC ZONE. 23 



tures or in mountainous situations in England, Wales, and 

 Scotland. As for the little Azalea, it gives one a slight 

 sensation of surprise on first seeing it, to discover how un- 

 like it is to its highly-cultivated drawing-room relations; 

 but indeed these last must own the connection, for the 

 structure is the same, though it is a very humble little 

 thing, growing close to the ground, with hard little dark 

 green leaves, and small crimson blossoms : as however it 

 grows in masses, it must have a considerable influence on 

 the appearance of vegetation. 



The summers in this zone are no warmer than they are 

 in the Polar Zone ; so that we shall meet again with many 

 of the alpine plants, as they are called, which we found 

 there, growing here at the level of the sea. Eor instance, 

 near Kunnen, on the west coast of Norway, we find in the 

 meadows (for the verdure of some of our own grasses is 

 not quite wanting in the Arctic Zone) a species of Lych- 

 nis ; the Purple Saxifrage (Saxifraga oppositifolia] ; a kind 

 of Potentilla (Potentilla alpestris), which must surely be 

 the same as the rare orange-yellow Potentilla sometimes 

 found on our own mountains : and besides these, Alpine 

 Meadow Hue (Tlialictrum alpinum) ; a shrubby, heath-like 

 plant (but a Monochlamyd), called Crowberry (Empetrum 



