83 



by the wind in passing over *the uninter- 

 rupted surface of the sea. It is common 

 to attribute the blasted vegetation of trees 

 in the neighbourhood of the sea to the 

 sahne or chemical qualities of the sea 

 breeze. If it were so, the growth would 

 not be hurt more on one side of the tree 

 than the other, for the atmosphere on one 

 side of the tree must be as much impreg- 

 nated with salt as on the other. If it were 

 so, trees would grow as luxuriantly on the 

 south-west side, and on the top of Mount 

 Edgecombe, as they do on the sheltered 

 north-east side, for the chemical qualities 

 of the atmosphere must be the same in 

 each place. If it were so, we should not 

 find the same sort of scarecrows on our 

 inland bare plains and heaths. In a 

 bare open country we have only to see 

 on which side of a tree is the lowest 

 and shortest growth of its head to 

 know where the south-west is ; and if 

 the stem of such a tree is cut across, 



F 2 



