58 A NEW FLOEA OF 



plateau above 800 yards in elevation, which is not less than a 

 mile across from east to west. Besides this, the Upper zone 

 includes the summit of about a dozen of the peaks that encircle 

 the head of the Wear, beginning with Stangend E,igg and Kil- 

 hope Law, just above AUenheads, and curving round by way of 

 the county boundary as far east along the watershed between 

 Wear and Tees as Newbiggin and Swinhope. To get into this 

 Upper zone we have always to rise quite out of the ravines, and 

 there is very little rock within its area, so that the range of 

 variation in plant-stations which it furnishes is very small. 



The line of limit between the Middle and Lower zones extends 

 up the College Eurn to the farm-houses (Goldscleugh and Duns- 

 dale), at the very foot of Cheviot. The !N"ewton Tors rise dis- 

 tinctly into the Middle zone, but Yevering Bell only just reaches 

 it, and what is called Wooler Common, i.e., the portion of the 

 Cheviot range outside the Common Burn, is all below 300 yards. 

 In the Caldgate ravine the Langlee-ford farm-house, at the foot 

 of Hedgehope, is 250 yards above sea-level. Prom North Mid- 

 dleton Moor the boundary line between the two lower zones 

 stretches along the steep Cheviot slope above Ilderton, Eoddam, 

 Alnham, and Biddleston to Alwinton. The highest point of the 

 range of sandstone hills east of the Till is within a few feet of 

 350 yards, and the moors north of Eothbury, and east of the 

 hollow between Alwinton and Alnham, reach about the same 

 altitude. North of the Coquet there is a wide extent of high 

 undulated moorland, that forms part of the great Cheviot mass, 

 and begins just over Alwinton ; but the 300 yards contour 

 line only touches the stream considerably west of Windyhaugh. 

 Between the Coquet and Eeedwater the ridge reaches continu- 

 ously into the Middle zone from the county boundary to Both- 

 bury, a distance of 20 miles. In the wide tract between the 

 Beedwater and South Tyne the area that reaches into the Middle 

 zone is small. North of the North Tyne it includes the ridge 

 along the county boundary from Carter Fell to the moors above 

 Kielder, with spurs towards the south-east; but between the 

 two branches of the Tyne, the country of the Roman wall and 

 the loughs, only a few of the highest ridges and peaks. But 



