SG. GRAMINA. 213 



occidental (Atlantic) type ; so gi-adually do these distinc- 

 tive t}^3es pass into each othei*, although they have a real 

 and obvious distinction under any broad and general view 

 of the distribution of our indigenous plants. 



1337. Cynosurus cristatus, Linn. 



Ai-ea general. 



South limit in Cornwall, Isle of Wight, Kent. 



North limit in Shetland, Orkney, Hebrides. 



Estimate of provinces 18. Estimate of counties 83. 



Latitude 50 — 61. British type of distribution. 



Agrarian region. Inferagrarian — Superagrarian zones. 



Descends to the coast level, in the Peninsula. 



Ascends to 500 yards, in East Highlands. 



Range of mean annual temperatui'e 53 — 43. 



Native. Pascual. A very common grass throughout 

 Britain, excepting in the vipper zones on the mountains 

 and moors. Perhaps it might be correctly assigned to 

 the inferarctic zone, although I have only once met with 

 it above 450 yards ; and in that one spot, on the south- 

 eastern declivity of Ben Lawers, it was observed at 1600 

 feet by estimate, not exact measurement. As one exam- 

 ple of the difference to be understood between these two 

 terms, so frequently used in this work, I will explain 

 the signification of '1600 feet by estimate', in the 

 jjresent instance. In descending Ben Lawers towards 

 Loch Tay I observed Luzula spicata, Epilobiimi alpinum, 

 Gnaphalium supinum, on the gravelly side of a stream ; 

 and as this spot appeared to be a low station for those 

 plants, I was induced to stop there awhile in order to note 

 down the indications of the spnpiesometer. Continuing 

 the descent thence to the first plants of Pteris aquilina, I 



