524 Botany of the Antarctic voyage of 



however, the scene is quite changed, for they are often 

 margined by a slender belt of brushwood, with an abundant 

 under-growth of Ferns stretching up the steep and confined 

 gallies. 



" The geological features of the two Islands are alike, 

 and the only difference in climate consists in that of Camp- 

 bell's Island being still more forbidding and dreary. Fogs, 

 snow, squalls, and mists are the prevailing meteorological 

 phenomena of these regions; and though such a state of 

 atmosphere has a tendency to check the general mass of vege- 

 tation, still the constant moisture and equable temperature 

 thus afforded support a luxuriant herbage in the very shel- 

 tered vallies. In Campbell's Island, the mountains, which 

 rise very abruptly to about 1300 feet, are almost bare of 

 vegetation, their rocky sides presenting a larger proportion 

 of Grasses, Mosses and Lichens, than in Lord Auckland's 

 Group. Though all the handsomer plants are also found 

 in the larger of the latter islands, yet, by growing here at a 

 much lower elevation and in far greater abundance, they 

 form a more striking feature in the landscape, the golden- 

 flowered Liliaceous plant being conspicuous, from its profu- 

 sion, at the distance of a mile from the shore." 



The following observations occur under the head of Gen- 

 tiana cerina, Hook. fil. ; and will give an idea of the high cha- 

 racter of the general remarks scattered through the work : 



" Although Gentians are seldom white flowered as spe- 

 cies, this and the former are decidedly so, with red or red 

 purple at the base of the segments, and the veins of the 

 same colour; the pure blue of the European species is un- 

 known amongst those of these regions, or of the higher 

 latitudes of South America. Indeed, I think that few genera 

 display so full a series of colours in the flowers as this does ; 

 red, blue, yellow and white, are all exhibited in it, with many 

 of the intermediate compound tints. Yellow and white are 

 rare in the regions of the Gentians, but almost invariably 



