134 



on the loamy uplands. These are well supplied with humus, 

 and may be designated for brevity rich woods. On the more 

 gravelly soil ("Alton stony loam") the forests are much the 

 same in aspect, but include a few trees rarely seen on the richer 

 soils, such as Tsuga, Quercus coccinea and Q. montana, and the 

 shrubs and herbs differ correspondingly. Wet woods or swamps 

 are quite common, but not extensive. There are a few wet 

 meadows, similar to those so characteristic of New England, 

 which may or may not be natural phenomena.* The salt 

 marshes were almost undisturbed until about a square mile 

 along Flushing Creek was filled in a few years ago, byt they seem 

 to present no striking features. Toward the heads of some of 

 the streams emptying into Flushing Bay the salt marshes pass 

 gradually into fresh marshes, with a greater variety of plants, 

 much like the wet meadows above the influence of tide. There 

 are also a few large cat-tail marshes several feet above sea-level 

 and not connected with tidal marshes, and a few small ponds 

 and undrained bogs. The abundant weed vegetation is not 

 considered here, though it presents some interesting problems 

 which may be worth investigating in the near future. 



Plant census. — In the following list all the various habitats 

 are combined, but the normal habitat of each species is stated 

 briefly. The species in each structural class are arranged as 

 nearly as possible in order of abundance, as usual, and for the 

 trees the percentages are given to the nearest integer. Species 

 believed to constitute less than half of one per cent, of their 

 class are omitted, as are all bryophytes and thallophytes, for 

 the reasons given in the paper on southern Kings and Queens 

 Counties in the January number. 



Trees 



14 Quercus velutina Uplands 



II Casianea dentata'\ Uplands 



* See Torreya 16: 269-270 (footnote). 1917. 



t Since 1906 the chestnut has been dying from canker {Endothia parasitica), 

 and there are now comparatively few living trees and no sound ones; but it has 

 been counted here as it was in 1905. If it fails to survive the epidemic the per- 

 centages of the other trees will be increased proportionately. 



