THE NATURAL HISTORY OF BRITISH GRASSES. 61 
may account for ovina taking on the rubra form in such a 
locality. 
As respects ovina and duriuscula, it may be remarked 
that poor uplands present the first, the bushes and hedge- 
rows of these the second, which is sure to prevail in good 
upland meadows; but seldom are they greatly intermixed, 
which perhaps may be taken as an argument that the vari- 
ety is induced by the difference of circumstances. From 
long observation of these, we can only consider them as 
varieties of the same species, and had we choice of names 
should choose for it F. dwriuscula, as the departure seems 
to be from that type, of which the ovina is the mountain 
form and the rubra a sea-side one. 
Festuca loliacea varieties.—At the same time as the above, 
were sown the three forms tabulated below in the following 
order :— 
F Festuca Festuca 
stu k i 
1 : ea loliacea, loliacea, 
Rane var. pratensis. var. elatior. 
Plot 1. : 2 3. 
These plots the first year of flowering presented the fol- 
lowing appearances :— 
Plot 1. F. loliacea—most of the plants were of the true 
spicate type, but were sparingly intermixed with paniculate 
flowers; the herbage of all was of the rich green which 
characterises the true type. 
Plot 2. F. loliacea, var. pratensis—all came true, but 
with a tendency to a rigidity of leaf. 
Plot 3. F. loliacea, var. elatior—scarcely distinguishable 
from plot 2. 
In three years great changes had been wrought, as 
under :— 
Plot 1. No spicate flowers in the whole plot. 
Plot 2, More rigid and larger; in fact, none of the true 
type. 
