THE COLDER TEMPERATE ZONE. 53 



what we see there as a fair average specimen of the vege- 

 tation of this zone in the Old World. 



Here also, as almost everywhere in this part of Europe, 

 we find noble meadows and wide heaths, extensive pastures 

 and cornfields, forming chief features of the vegetation. 

 Another characteristic is the prevalence of shrubs, most of 

 them with large and beautiful flowers ; such as the nume- 

 rous Eoses and different species of Bramble, and the Snow-; 

 ball Tree, or Guelder Eose ( Viburnum Oputus) . The forests 

 form a very important feature of the German landscape, 

 both Pine-forests and forests of deciduous trees. The moun- 

 tain forests are composed of Firs and Beeches intermixed, 

 more particularly of the Beech (Fagits sylvatica) ; together 

 with the Hornbeam (Carpinus Belulus), which, next to the 

 Beech, is the most prevalent tree. The Firs are chiefly 

 Abies excelsa, Pinus picea, and P. Pumilio, growing on the 

 Alps at a height of more than 3000 feet ; and higher still 

 grows the Stone Pine (Pinus Cembra), even as high as 

 5000 feet and upwards. 



Woods of the Scotch Fir (Pinns sylvestris] characterize 

 the whole of Northern Germany ; the plains and sand-flats 

 are almost everywhere enriched with it. The brushwood in 

 these Fir-woods is composed of the common Heath (Erica 



