THE AZORES 



433 



the Linnean species, adopts Hochstetter's altitudes of 1000 to 3000 

 feet. 



Menziesia polifolia, Sm. — In the first week of April on the slopes 

 of Pico it merely carried the last year's dried fruits with seeds. In 

 June and July it was in abundant bloom. Though it occurs in the 

 greatest profusion on the scantily vegetated lava slopes of the central 

 cone, extending from 5000 feet to the summit, it is also a characteristic 

 plant of the higher levels of the upland moors 3000 to 4000 feet and 

 may reach down to 2500 feet. Hochstetter refers it to the highest 

 zone on Pico, namely, above 5000 feet, and it is certainly most typical 

 of those levels. Though probably distributed over nearly all the 

 islands from Terceira westward, it has apparently not been recorded 

 from either San Miguel or Santa Maria, the two easternmost and 

 best-explored islands of the group. 



Myrica fay a. — Flowers according to Seubert in May and June. 

 On Pico it ripens its fruits at end of July and in August. Trelease 

 in his list of localities names all the islands except Terceira and San 

 Jorge. I found it on the first named, and recognised it on the steep 

 slopes of San Jorge from the steamer's deck. It is one of the most 

 characteristic trees of the lower woods of the Azores, and Seubert 

 remarks (following Hochstetter) that it occurs on all the islands 

 up to 2000 feet. This, as I found, is the usual upper limit both on 

 Pico and on San Miguel, and where it extends three or four hundred 

 feet higher it no longer forms a conspicuous feature of the vegetation. 

 At times one may find it growing in the bottom of a deep gulch 

 higher up the slopes of Pico. Thus I noticed it growing under these 

 conditions at an altitude of 3300 feet, where it had found protection 

 from the prevailing strong winds at these heights. My guide was 

 much surprised, and on his pointing out to me the usual upper 

 limit of the tree I found it to be about 2000 feet above the sea. It 

 descends to the coast, where it may be seen on old lava-flows and on 

 steep declivities. The island of Fayal is said to have derived its 

 name from this tree ; but there is a coast village of the name at the 

 south-east corner of San Miguel; and a town, river, headland, 

 and islet on the north-east coast of Madeira are thus called. The 

 Azores were occupied by the Portuguese about thirty years after 

 the occupation of Madeira in 1420, and the connection between the 

 tree-name and the place-name is by no means free from doubt. 



In Lacerda's Portuguese and English Dictionary (1871) " Faia " 

 or " Fay a " is the proper name for the Beech, and " Faial " is 

 " a place where beech trees grow, or a plantation of beech trees." 

 Prof. Henriques, who very courteously replied to my queries in the 

 matter, tells me that Fagus sylvatica is not met with in Portugal. 

 It is, however, curious that George Forster, who visited the island 

 of Fayal in the Resolution in 1775, speaks of the " great quantities 

 of beeches called faya," naming the genus Fagus (Voyage round the 

 World, 1777, II., 581-604). In Portugal, as Prof. Henriques in- 

 forms me, Myrica faya is known as " Faia das ilhas," or " Faia of 

 the Isles." 



This brings me to remark that this tree has long been established 

 in different parts of Portugal. Indeed, Dr. Christ in his paper on 



