ST. JOHN: SABLE ISLAND. 37 



the species collected, many could not be positively identified even by 

 so able a botanist as Dr. N. L. Britton of Columbia College, who was 

 kind enough to make the attempt for me and to furnish the scientific 

 names. * * * The blueberry bushes were blossoming the second 

 week in June, many of the tiny sprigs trailing in the sand, partly cov- 

 ered by it, and the leaf buds of the rose bushes were little more than 

 half unfolded." This short quotation will give a hint of the con- 

 dition of the vegetation and Dr. Dwight's interest in it. He says 1 

 "my specimens show that not less than forty species occur." "I* 

 make no pretense to a complete enumeration of the plants of Sable 

 Island, for reasons given, but those that I have mentioned are among 

 the most conspicuous and characteristic of its flora, which resembles 

 in many respects that of the adjacent mainland. " 



He mentions several species that have been cultivated, and also 

 some that were presumably introduced, but to him appeared so thor- 

 oughly naturalized that they were hard to distinguish from the nat- 

 ive ones. To quote his own words 3 : "Timothy (Phleum pratense L.) 

 and Red-top Grass (Agrostis alba vulgaris With.), as well as Red Clo- 

 ver (Trifolium pratense L.), have been cultivated near the stations, 

 and White Clover (T. repens L.) is frequently met with, but man's 

 influence has been at work on the island for so many centuries that it 

 is almost impossible to draw the line between indigenous species, if 

 such there be, and those artificially introduced. * * * Before 

 my departure nearly the whole surface had acquired a visibly greener 

 tinge with here and there the ruddy glow of blossoming Sorrel (Rumex 

 Acetosella L.) while such weeds as the Beach Pea (Lathy rus maritimus 

 (L.)), Everlasting (Gnaphalium sp.?), and Meadow-rue (Thalictrum 

 sp.?) were becoming conspicuous." 



It is quite true as Dr. Dwight says, that some of the introduced 

 species have made themselves thoroughly at home on the island, but 

 the writer in no case had any difficulty in deciding whether or not a 

 plant was a native. Trifolium repens is frequent on the island, par- 

 ticularly on the dry sands near the Life Saving Stations and along the 

 shores of the adjacent ponds where the cattle and the domesticated 

 ponies browse continually. It does not occur in the remoter parts of 



1 Dwight, I. c. 13. 



2 Dwight, I c. 14. 



3 Dwight, I c. 12. 



