310 PRELIMINARY REMARKS, Chap. IX. 



the seeds of useful plants ; and as the soil near the hovels of 

 the natives 10 would often be in some degree manured, improved 

 varieties would sooner or later arise. Or a wild and unusually 

 good variety of a native plant might attract the attention of 

 some wise old savage ; and he would transplant it, or sow its 

 seed. That superior varieties of wild fruit-trees occasionally are 

 found is certain, as in the case of the American species of haw- 

 thorns, plums, cherries, grapes, and hickories, specified by Pro- 

 fessor Asa Gray. 11 Downing also refers to certain wild varieties 

 of the hickory, as being " of much larger size and finer flavour 

 than the common species." I have referred to American fruit- 

 trees, because Ave are not in this case troubled with doubts 

 whether or not the varieties are seedlings which have escaped 

 from cultivation. Transplanting any superior variety, or 

 sowing its seeds, hardly implies more forethought than might 

 be expected at an early and rude period of civilisation. 

 Even the Australian barbarians "have a law that no plant 

 bearing seeds is to be dug up after it has flowered;" and Sir G. 

 Grey 12 never saw this law, evidently framed for the preservation 

 of the plant, violated. We see the same spirit in the super- 

 stitious belief of the Fuegians, that killing water-fowl whilst 

 very young will be followed by " much rain, snow, blow much." 13 

 I may add, as showing forethought in the lowest barbarians, that 

 the Fuegians when they find a stranded whale bury large portions 

 in the sand, and during the often-recurrent famines travel from 

 great distances for the remnants of the half-putrid mass. 



It has often been remarked 14 that we do not owe a single useful 

 plant to Australia or the Cape of Good Hope, — countries abound- 

 ing to an unparalleled degree with endemic species, — or to New 

 Zealand, or to America south of the Plata ; and, according to 

 some authors, not to America northward of Mexico. I do not 

 believe that any edible or valuable plant, except the canary- 



10 In Tierra delFuego the spot where 1845, p. 261. 



wigwams had formerly stood could be 12 ' Journals of Expeditions in Aus- 



distinguished at a great distance by the tralia,' 1841, vol. ii. p. 292. 

 bright green tint of the native vegeta- 13 Darwin's ' Journal of Researches/ 



tion. 1845, p. 215. 



11 • American Acad, of Arts and 14 De Candolle has tabulated the 

 Sciences,' April 10th, 1860, p. 413. facts in the most interesting manner in 

 Downing, ' The Fruits of America,' his ' Ge'ographie Bot.,' p. 986. 



