284 87. FILICES. 



British plants, though seldom so strongly marked as in 

 the present instance ; namely, the tendency of plants to 

 linger along the coast line to a higher northern latitude 

 than that at which they will exist in inland situations. 

 There are some exceptions to this tendency among Bri- 

 tish j)lants, and still more among those of continental 

 countries ; especially with annual species, the existence 

 of which depends more on the temperature of summer, 

 than on that of the year or of the winter. The Scolopen- 

 drium is not a maritime species, and yet all its recorded 

 stations in the northern jDrovinces appear to he on or near 

 the coast line. I never met with it inland in the glens or 

 valleys of the Highlands, the humid climate and shelter- 

 ing rocks of which wovild seem to be well adapted to its 

 growth, and of which the general vegetation is similar to 

 that of Orkney and Shetland, where the Scolopendrium 

 is recorded as stUl found. The northern limit of the 

 same fern more to the eastward is also insular, avoiding 

 the Scandinavian Peninsula, hut taking in one or more of 

 the islands of the Baltic, according to the Summa Vege- 

 tabilium. 



1403. BlECHNUM BOBEAiE, SlV. 



Area general. 



South limit in Cornwall, Isle of Wight, Kent. 

 North limit in Shetland, Orkney, Hebrides. 

 Estimate of ]5rovinces 18. Estimate of counties 80. 

 Latitude 50 — 61. British type of distribution. 

 A. A. regions. InferagTarian — Superagrarian zones. 

 Descends to the coast level, in the Peninsula. 

 Ascends to 1200 or 1300 yards, in East Highlands. 

 Range of mean annual temperature 52 — 34. 



