4 



especially characteristic of the northern regions of Europe. But 

 while it is with the present Alpine Flora of Britain that we are 

 to be concerned, our purpose, in harmony with the object of this 

 Association, is to show that this is intimately connected with, 

 and directly derived from a past Geological condition of our 

 island. It is indeed of but comparatively recent date that this 

 condition has been generally recognised and rightly understood, 

 though it is one in many respects most interesting and sugges- 

 tive to the Geologist. Hence if to the purely Geological 

 phenomena by which distinct intimations of it are given, we can 

 add support from phytological sources, it will consequently 

 derive so much extra and desirable confirmation. The subject 

 may probably be novel to some of you, for, with few exceptions, 

 it has scarcely received from Botanists or Geologists the atten- 

 tion which it so well deserves. 



As already intimated, the Alpine Flora of Great Britain com- 

 prises such plants as grow only upon the higher mountain ranges 

 of our island in Scotland, N. England, and Wales. It is, how- 

 ever, only in the first of these, more especially on the lofty and 

 extensive group of the Grampians, that they occur in the greatest 

 plenty and variety. The limits of altitudinal range, within which 

 they are usually met with, are from some 1,500 feet, the upper 

 limit of cultivation in Braemar, to 4,406 feet on Ben Nevis, the 

 loftiest mountain in Britain. The space between these limits 

 has been termed the Alpine region, which is sub-divided into 

 certain zones, both physically and botanically distinct from each 

 other. Commencing at the upper limit of the region, which in 

 our country does not reach the snow-line, these are as follows : 

 (1). The alt-alpine or gravelly zone, characterised chiefly by ex- 

 tensive tracts of detritus, scattered heaps of broken boulders, and 

 large patches of snow in summer, extending downwards to about 

 3,500 feet, and which is fully represented only on some of the 

 more elevated of the Grampians. As might be expected from 



