As regards the _flora_ the elevated position of parts of the county makes it the home of a number of plants which do not commonly occur in the South of England. Thus there are found on Exmoor the crowberry (_Empetrum nigrum_), the parsley fern (_Cryptogramme crispa_), and the oak fern (_Phegopteris dryopteris_). _Asplenium septentrionale_ is found at Culbone; _Listera cordata_ grows on Dunkery and near Chipstable; and the cranberry (_Oxycoccus palustris_) is said to occur at Selworthy and on the Brendons. On the other hand, Somerset likewise furnishes congenial conditions for those plants that love low-lying, marshy ground, and on the peat-moors in the Glastonbury district the flowering fern (_Osmunda regalis_) and the bog myrtle (_Myrica Gale_) are met with. Within the British Isles the following are found only in Somerset: _Dianthus gratianopolitanus, Hieracium stinolepis, Verbascum lychnitis_, and _Euphorbia pilosa. Arabis stricta_ occurs only on the limestone near Clifton; _Helianthemum polifolium_ is confined to Somerset and Devon; _Pirus latifolia_ to Somerset and Denbigh.[2] [1] For the birds of Somerset, see a paper by the Rev. Murray A. Mathew, M.A., F.L.S., in the "Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society," vol. xxxix., from which we have borrowed. [2] For fuller information, see "The Flora of Somerset," by the Rev. R.P. Murray, M.A., F.L.S., from which the above facts are taken. VI. HISTORY Somerset gets its name from a Saxon tribe, but its earliest inhabitants, like those of the southern half of bur island generally, were Britons or Celts, and the Saxon invasion was preceded by the Roman. Reminders that the county was once occupied by a Welsh--speaking race occur in the constituents of many place-names, such as _Pen_ Selwood, _Maes_ Knoll, and the numerous _combes_ (cp. Welsh _cwm_). The name of the British king, Arthur, is associated with Cadbury (near Sparkford); and the neighbouring villages of Queen Camel and West Camel recall the legendary Camelot. The earliest church at Glastonbury (_Avalon_) is believed to have been of British origin, and it is Arthur's reputed burial-place. In the dedication of the churches at Porlock (Dubricius or Dyfrig) and Watchet (Decuman or Tegfan) is preserved the memory of certain British saints, though these probably came on an evangelistic mission from the other side of the Bristol Channel. But of the primitive population the most trustworthy memorials are the numerous earthworks and other material remains which survive in various parts of the county, and these will be more appropriately noticed under another heading (see pp. 20-21).