1858.] THE FLORA OF PORTLAND. 605 



side we find another underclifF, commencing in the first place 

 with broadj unapproachable ledges, on which the herring-gulls 

 breed in great numbers, occupying these ledges to the exclusion 

 of the guillemots and puiSins, which, together with razor-bills, 

 prefer the caves and crevices at the south of the island. Lactuca 

 virosa and muralis are to be found here, together with many- 

 plants mentioned before ; also maritime varieties of Sagina pro- 

 cumbens, and the dwarf variety pulchella of Erythrcea Centaurium, 

 as well as Alsine marina and Trifolium ornithopodioides. 



In speaking of the " Grove" just now, let not our readers 

 imagine a cool, shady retreat from the scorching rays of the 

 sun, nor make up their minds to consume their luncheon by 

 the side of some rippling woodland brook, for if we except the 

 private grounds of Pennsylvania Castle, where a few trees do 

 exist, we can scarcely find a tree on the island, and as for water, 

 the nearest approach to a river is a ditch, and even these are 

 few and far between. It is a curious fact that at Pennsylvania 

 the only trees that could be found to resist alternately the 

 boisterous western gales and summer drought were an outer 

 ring of Sycamores, which, as they grew up, formed a protection 

 for their less hardy neighbours. Under such circumstances we 

 cease to wonder that Portland should be one of the most thirsty 

 places in the world for a hard-working explorer, for besides 

 the direct rays of the sun, from the universality of grey rock, 

 he will have the further advantage of the reflected rays, which 

 combination seldom fails to remove a facial epidermal layer. 

 Consequent on this aridity, we fail to add to our list the in- 

 teresting Fluviales and Lysimachia of meadow lands ; at the 

 same time, if there be no rivers, a few damp places occur here 

 and there, for the most part near the shore, and in such lo- 

 calities of course Equisetum Telmateia and Coltsfoot abound. 

 Here also Carex glauca, vulpina, and Mrta, with Eleocharis 

 palustris, spring up from among beds of Samolus Valerandi, 

 Apium graveolens, and Forget-me-not {M. palustris). One of 

 the best plants to be met with here is Scirpus Savii, being 

 the variety known as mono st achy s. This variety, although 

 agreeing with S. Savii in the markings of the nut, is readily dis- 

 tinguished by its scale-like leaves and solitary spikelet, which is 

 barely: oyertopped by the lower glume. These charadters appear 

 to be invariable, from an examination of several hundred plants. 



