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SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XV. No. 386. 



produce periodic swamps. Standing waters, 

 lakes, etc., are not especially characteristic, 

 being merely broadened stream beds, as a rule. 

 The orographic and geological features of the 

 country are considered somewhat briefly un- 

 der coast formation, literal, islands and main- 

 land. The climate varies from subtropical 

 along the Adriatic to boreal in the higher 

 mountains. The summer months along the 

 coast are very hot, and often entirely without 

 precipitation. The total rainfall for this 

 region is 90 cm. From October to December, 

 the seirocco brings heavy rains. Frost and 

 snow are rare. Further inland, the climate 

 differs chiefly in its colder winters, greater 

 precipitation, 140-190 cm., and in the fact 

 that its prevailing wind, the bora, is a cold 

 north wind. In the hill and mountain land, 

 the sujnmers are hot, but not dry. The 

 winters are severe, the temperature often 

 sinking to — 30° C. The precipitation varies 

 from 70 cm. to 150 cm., much of which falls 

 as snow during the winter. In the higher 

 mountains, the snowfall begins in October, 

 and the snow mantle persists from November 

 to April. The total precipitation is 152-229 

 cm., the greater part falling as snow during 

 December and January. 



The plant formations of the Mediterranean 

 region are grouped in the following series: 

 thicket and forest formations, treeless for- 

 mations and culture formations. The sole 

 thicket formation is the evergreen 'Maechie,' 

 a xerophytic, chaparral-like vegetation of the 

 Dalmatian coast. In the formational list, 

 the plants are grouped in two main divisions, 

 upperwood (Oberholz) and undergrowth. 

 The upperwood comprises evergreen trees with 

 entire leaves. Arbutus unedo, Myrtus italica 

 and Viburnum tinus; with pinnate leaves, 

 Pistacia; and with acicular leaves, Juniperus 

 oxycedrus, J. phoenicea and Erica arborea; 

 a very few deciduous trees, Coronilla and 

 Ligustrum, and such woody plants as Ephedra 

 and Spartium. A number of evergreen and 

 deciduous lianes are also found here, such as 

 Smilax, Bosa, Bubus, Clematis and Lonicera. 

 The species of the undergrowth are turf- 

 builders, Oryzopsis, Diplachne, Carex; bulb 

 and tuber plants. Allium, Gladiolus, Orchis; 



hapaxanthous herbs, Trifolium, Linumj 

 Arabis, Torilis, Helianthemum; and pleiocy- 

 clics. Genista, Teucrium, Silene, Anemone, 

 Inula, etc. 



The cryptogams also receive more consider- 

 ation than is usual. The principal mosses 

 are Weisia, Fissidens, Trichostoma, Bryum 

 and Hypnum; and the lichens, Oladonia, 

 Endocarpum and Psora. 



The strand pine formation, with a single 

 facies, Pinus halepensis, is a characteristic 

 open formation of the islands and of the im- 

 mediate vicinity of the coast. The under- 

 wood (Unterholz) contains species of Ju- 

 niperus, Erica, Qxiercus, Pistacia, Myrtus, 

 Laurus, etc.; the undergrowth, Dorycnium, 

 Erythrwa, Allium, Genista and Brunella. 

 On the pine trunks occur Frullania, Oladonia, 

 Parmelia physodes, P. saxatilis, P. caperata, 

 Lecanora suhfusca, Lecidea parasema, etc. 

 On certain foothills of the Dalmatian moun- 

 tains, the black pine formation (Pinus nigra) 

 replaces the strand pine. The laurel forma- 

 tion {Laurus nobilis) occurs on the Dalma- 

 tian coast from Fiume to Castelnuovo, though 

 examples of it are not frequent. The laurel 

 is associated with Quercus, Oastanea, Ostrya, 

 and Pistacia; the underwood also is almost 

 entirely deciduous, consisting of Oarpinus, 

 Oorylus, Ficus, Cotinus and Fraxinus. The 

 density of the foliage restricts the under- 

 growth mostly to a few ferns, except in the 

 more open places. The litoral oak formation 

 contains many facies, of which five are de- 

 cidiTOus oaks, and one, Quercus rohur, is 

 evergreen. The underwood contains many 

 evergreens of the macchie and pine forma- 

 tions, and about an equal number of decidu- 

 ous trees and shrubs, Oarpinus, Ootinus, 

 Cornus, Oratwgus, Pyrus, Prunus and 

 Rhamnus. The undergrowth, which is not 

 very well developed, is much the same as that 

 of the other Mediterranean woody formations. 

 The turf and herb formations of the coast 

 region are the following: (1) the Dalmatian 

 rockfield formation, with an extremely varied 

 vegetation, consisting largely of Salvia offi- 

 cinalis^ Inula Candida, Phlomis fruticosa, 

 Helichrysum italicum, Marrubium, Euphor- 

 bia, etc.; (2) the dune formation, comprising 



