420 X. GENERAL EEMAEKS, 



conspicuous item of English vegetation than Ribes ; 

 though the four si^ecies of the latter bring up their 

 comital repetitions to a higher figure than those of the 

 single Ilex. So, again, Acer and Empetrum compose 

 more of the vegetation of Britain than Daphne does ; but 

 the few comital repetitions for the two species of the 

 latter, added together, make a higher figure than do those 

 forthe single species of the former, taken as separate orders. 

 In comparing Rosacece and Amentiferce it is to be remem- 

 bered that the former order is rendered unduly numerous 

 through excessive segregation among the species of 

 Ruhus ; while in the latter the over-numerous species of 

 Salix have been aggregated into half of the old number. 

 The trees of Rosacece are comparatively rare, and never 

 form forests ; while those of Amentiferce are several of 

 them common in hedges, and frequently constitute exten- 

 sive groves and forests. The catkin-bearers ought pro- 

 bably to stand above the rose-flowerers. 



In the third column Qramina rightly stand first. It is 

 quite within belief that in ages long past, — before man 

 drained so many swamps and marshes, converting them 

 into meadows and pastures, corn-fields and road-ways of 

 various kinds, — the Cyiyeroides may have composed more 

 of the vegetation than the Gramina then did. Perhaps 

 they still do so in North Britain, where various species 

 of Scirpus, Carex, and Eriophorum prevail so abundantly. 

 It is somewhat remarkable to find Orchiclacece and Jun- 

 cacem so nearly equal ; the size and abundance of Juncus 

 conglomeratus and effusus, with the frequency of some 

 other species of Juncus and Luzula, seeming to give that 

 order a real predominance in the vegetation. Their 

 plentifulness is neutralised in the total result by the 

 restricted areas of the alpine species ; and three of them 

 are also maritime species, unknown in the inland coun- 



