Phytogeographical Excursion in the British Isles. 289 
On Sunday some members of the party visited the salt marshes 
on the north side of Hayling Island, where Dr. Moss demonstrated 
various species of Salicornia. Spartina Townsendi covers large 
areas of these marshes and 5. stricta was also found. 
In the afternoon of Tuesday, September 5th, an excursion to 
Southampton Water, under the guidance of Dr. Otto Stapf, who 
has specially studied these Spartinas, was made in a steam-launch. 
Near Warsash, on the Hamble Creek, Spartina Townsendi , the 
supposed hybrid between S. stricta and S. alterniflora , covers the 
salt marsh, as it does on nearly all the shores of the Water. A 
local patch of 5. alterniflora was also found, but no S. stricta. The 
launch then proceeded up Southampton Water close to the west 
bank as far as Hythe pier and obtained a good view of the vast 
stretches of S. Townsendi which have covered the mud flats of that 
shore within recent years. On the return journey the party landed 
at the point of the Calthrop Castle shingle spit and spent a short 
time examining the vegetation of this bank, which protects the 
Spartina- marsh behind it. 
On Wednesday, September 6th, the last expedition of the tour 
was made. This was to the chalk downs near Butser Hill and to 
the woods of Ditcham Park, by invitation of Mr. Cave. The train 
was taken to Rowland’s Castle station on the direct Portsmouth 
line of the South Western Railway. Here the party were met by 
Mr. Cave with four motor-cars, and were driven to the “ Coach 
and Horses” on the London road where it rises to cross the chalk 
downs close to Butser Hill. The dry chalk valleys contain a well 
developed scrub of many different species of shrubs. The chalk 
grassland is nibbled exceedingly close by rabbits, which swarm on 
these downs, and but few plants, of which Senecio Jacobcea is the 
most conspicuous, propagate themselves by seed under these 
conditions. Ground vegetation is practically non-existent in the 
fragments of beechwood which remain ( e.g ., on Holt Down) but the 
thicker ashwoods and copses are, for some reason, less afflicted by 
the scourge and have quite an abundant and varied flora. The 
party crossed Holt Down and passed through woods of mixed beech 
and ash, with oaks conspicuously absent except where the rain-wash 
had provided a deeper soil towards the bottom of the valley. On 
the opposite slope, within the boundary of Ditcham Park, fairly 
typical oak-hazel copse, developed on a deep relatively non-calcareous 
soil overlying the chalk was met with. From this point the cars 
were taken to Ditcham House where Mr. and Mrs. Cave entertained 
the party to lunch. In the afternoon the typical beechwoods of the 
chalk escarpment facing the Weald were visited. Here the ground 
vegetation is much less affected by rabbits, though it is probable 
that their influence is still felt and may have something to do with 
the absence of free regeneration of the woods from seed. Afterwards 
a slope of down crowned by a mixed wood of beech, ash and yew 
was visited. Here two plots of ground on the edge of the wood 
and grassland had been enclosed two-and-a-half years ago with 
rabbit-proof wire fencing, and the effect on the herbage of the down 
was extremely marked. The protected down grassland was said 
by the American visitors to resemble closely some types of prairie. 
The enclosures were made largely with the object of determining if 
the ravages of the rabbits alone prevented the regeneration of the 
