HEATHER MOORS 191 



of large trees are exposed. Sometimes even as many as three 

 forest beds, separated by a layer of thick peat, without any traces 

 of tree remains, may be seen. Professor Lewis gives the following 

 results of the investigations of some twenty-four districts which 

 have been investigated during the last three years between the 

 south of Scotland and the Shetland Islands, Aberdeenshire and 

 the Outer Hebrides. 



1. Recent peat. 



2. Forest. 



3. Peat-bog plants with Arctic plants. 



4. Forest. 



5. Peat-bog plants. 



6. Arctic plant bed. 



7. Peat-bog plants. 



8. Forest. 



9. Arctic plant bed. 



Those that are interested in these peat remains cannot do 

 better than read Dr. Lewis' paper in Science Progress, October 

 1907. 



Shallow peat may be formed in any badly drained area where 

 there is a certain amount of stagnation of water. 



HEATHER MOORS 



One of the most characteristic plants of shallow peat is the 

 Common Ling or Heather, perhaps the most widely distributed 

 of our wild plants ; a few inches 

 of peat are quite sufficient for 

 it. The structure of the flower 

 is worth noticing. Both the 

 calyx and corolla are pinkish- ^\\ s --/. 



purple ; the calyx is much 

 larger than the corolla, and 



. . - r , . . . , FIG. 56. Flower of Ling. A single stamen 



consists of four distinct sepals, on left . ^ Spores of anther . ^ horned 



whilst the COrolla, though in spurs of anther ; /, filament ; /, petal ; , 



one, is almost divided into bract * 



four petals. The anthers open to let out the pollen by pores, 



and have at their base two horned spurs 



