BOTANY 



A CONSPICUOUS feature of the county of Devon is the 

 generally hilly nature of the surface, and this feature prevails 

 in all districts ; the hills vary in height from a moderate ele- 

 vation to more than 2,000 feet above sea-level, and in a few 

 cases almost deserve the name of mountains ; their shape is very various, 

 in some cases being long and smooth about the top with gentle slopes 

 and flowing outlines, in other cases rather conical and having precipitous 

 sides with steep and narrow gorges ; the tors of Dartmoor are striking 

 piles of granite. The colours of the rocks in different regions show 

 tints of pale greenish grey, silvery grey, steel grey, warm grey, pale 

 reddish, red and buff. 



The wooded valleys which abound in many parts produce pleasing 

 diversities ; the river scenery, especially in the valleys of south Devon, 

 present very charming features ; in north Devon the coast scenery is 

 particularly grand. 



According to Ordnance Survey figures the area of the whole is as 

 follows : — 



i,666,454'964 acres of land 



4>433"i23 „ inland water 

 224'076 „ saltmarsh 

 18,342728 „ foreshore 

 3,061-521 „ tidal water 



1,692,516-412 „ Total 



The climate is moist ; the following table gives the monthly rain- 

 fall for three stations — one in the north part, the second in the south 

 part, and the third in the west part of the county. 



Monthly Average Rainfall of the Ten Years 1890-9, Depth in Inches, from 

 Wallis's British Rainfall, 1899, p, 28 {1900) 



Stations 



Alti- 

 tudes 

 above 

 sea- 

 level 



Jan. 



Feb. 



Mar. 



April 



May 



June 



July 



Aug. 



Sept. 



Oct. 



Nov. 



Dec. 



An- 

 nual 

 total 



Barnstaple, 



ft. 





























Athenaeum . 

 Ashburton, 



25 



2-83 



2-23 



2-o8 



1-88 



1-97 



1-85 



2-84 



3-30 



2-88 



4-21 



3'24 



379 



33-10 



Druid House 

 PolapitTamar, 

 Werrington 



572 

 315 



5-25 

 3-34 



3'40 

 2-33 



3-59 

 2-i8 



2-91 

 2-15 



2-48 



2-12 



2-49 

 1-76 



2-83 



2-66 



4-1 1 

 3'64 



3-19 



3-09 



6-12 



4-96 



6-08 

 4-05 



7-52 

 4-51 



49*97 

 36-79 



Means . . 



304 



3-8i 



2-65 2-62 



2-31 



2-19 2-03 



2-78 



3-68 



3-05 



5-10 



4-46 



5-27 



39*95 



55 



