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rapidity, and supplementing the indigenous vegetation; Vernal- 
grass, Sorrel, Docks, the Sow-thistle, and Water-cresses, are rapidly 
driving out native growths, the foreign Clover is killing the Ferns, 
and “ the freshly turned up soil is quickly occupied by the hardy 
species intimately associated with European culture, which follow 
the white man in all his wanderings ” (Wallace, ‘ Compendium of 
Geography and Travel,’ p. 568). To sum up in the words of 
Mr. W. T. L. Travers (Trans. E". Z. Inst. 1869, vol. ii. p. 299—330) ; 
“ Such in effect is the activity with which the introduced plants 
are doing their work, that I believe if every human being were at 
once removed from the islands, for even a limited number of years, 
looking at the matter from a geological iDoint of view, the intro- 
duced would succeed in displacing the indigenous flora.” 
Instances of the rapid spread of the introduced plants to the 
exclusion of native species might be quoted indeflnitely, and in 
almost all cases Sir J oseph Hooker states the invaders will be 
found to bo natives of Horth- western Europe.* Two curious 
instances of what were probably accidental transports of British 
plants to very distant localities, are given by Sir Joseph in a 
paj^ei lead before the Itoyal Institution in 1878. jA^rriviug by 
night, now nearly forty years ago, at the Falkland Islands, a 
boat was sent ashore to report the arrival of the ship to the 
Governor. Being anxious to know something of the vegetation 
of the islands as early as possible, he requested the officer in 
charge of the boat to pluck for him any plants he could feel 
for, it being too dark to see anything; the armful he brought 
consisted of nothing but the English Shepherd’s purse. On 
another occasion, landing on the small uninhabited Lord Auck- 
land’s Island, south of New Zealand, the first evidence he met 
with of its having been previously visited by man, was tlie 
English Chick-weed ; and this he traced to a mound that marked 
the grave of a British sailor, and tliat was covered with the plant ; 
* Mr. Wallace says ( ‘ Island Life,’ p. 47G) that more than 150 European 
plants have established themselves in Neiv Zealand ; but, notwithstanding 
the still greater intercourse with Australia, and even though seeds from the 
latter country were “habitually scattered” by the late Mr. Bidwell during 
his extensive travels in New .Zealand, only two or three Australian plants 
Iiave similarly established themselves. See also Mr. Wallace’s remarks on 
tlie “ Agressive Power of the Scandinavian Flora,” 1. c. p. 479 . 
