THE NATURAL HISTORY OF BRITISH GRASSES. 7 
Catabrosa aquatica—W ater whorl-grass. 
Alopecurus geniculatus—Floating foxtail-grass. 
Molinia cerulea (Melica)—Purple melic-grass. 
Aira cespitosa—Hassock-grass. 
Of these, the four first mostly grow in water. The first, 
however, frequently occurs in damp meadows, especially in 
their hedge-rows; the four last may be found on oozy mud 
banks, thus often directing to a watershed or spring. The 
two last more especially affect furrows, and the neighbour- 
hood of a defective drain. 
3. Marine or Sea-side Grasses.—Under this head we may 
just glance at a list of grasses which particularly affect the 
sea-coast ; the contiguity of salt-water, and banks of sand or 
marine mud, being requisite for their growth in a natural 
state. Of these, the following may serve as examples :— 
Ammophila arundinacea—Sea-reed or matweed. 
Elymus arenarius—Upright sea-lyme-grass. 
Spartina stricta—Twin-spiked cord-grass. 
” alternifolia—Many-spiked cord-grass. 
Poa procumbens—Procumbent sea meadow-grass. 
Marine grasses are for the most part exceedingly harsh, 
so that cattle cannot eat them; bué some of them have 
their uses in keeping together the loose sands of the sea- 
shore. This they do by their creeping rhizome* (under- 
ground stem), which, running in every direction, forms a 
thick matting in the sand. It is on this account that the 
two first of the above-named are carefully preserved, not 
only on our own shores, but those of Holland, as a good 
natural safeguard against the encroachments of the sea. 
4. Meadow Grasses.—By far the greater number of our 
British grassey may be arranged under this head. They 
are those which supply us with the hay store, as also pas- 
ture for cattle; and as pastures occur over the country 
under the widely differing circumstances of climate, eleva- 
* A specimen of the rhizome (erroneously called the root) of Am- 
mophila arundinacea, upwards of 30 feet in length, was communicated 
to me by my friend and pupil, Mr. George Maw. 
