BOTANICAL NOTES AND NEWS 257 



few plants which appeared to me, when gathered, to be an extreme 

 form tending towards typical Flammula, and which were not meant 

 to be circulated. Mr. Ewing's Loch Leven form is probably the 

 same thing ; and he is, therefore, not without good grounds for his 

 opinion. I am, however, now very doubtful whether these 

 specimens belong to true R. petiolaris ; if so, they are considerably 

 "off type." EDWARD S. MARSHALL. 



Callitriehe autumnalis in Nairnshire. A bed of this plant 

 was discovered by me on the 3rd November 1894 in the Coulmony 

 Burn, Ardclach. It is new to the flora of Nairnshire. - - R. 

 THOMSON, Ferness. 



Salix Lapponum, Z., in Midlothian. When reading Walker's 

 "Essays of Natural History," published 1808, though supposed to 

 have been written between 1764 and 1774, it struck me that the 

 origin of Salix Lapponum, L., being in its anomalous station of 

 Colinton, Midlothian, was probably to be found here. 



In the Essay named " Salicetum " he mentions Salix Lapponum 

 as first observed in July 1762 on the Morfat hills. Mr. J. T. 

 Johnstone informs me it is still to be found in the place given in 

 the Essay. Walker also states having kept it in his garden for 

 many years, as he did several other willows. Dr. Walker was 

 minister of Moffat from 1762 to 1783, at which latter date he was 

 appointed to the Parish of Colinton. That he took an interest in 

 his garden here also is evident, as Lord Woodhouselee in his " Life 

 of Lord Kames " mentions " having passed many pleasant hours 

 with Dr. Walker in his garden at Colinton." It seems most prob- 

 able that he would take some of the plants which he had kept for 

 years at Moffat to Colinton with him, especially an Alpine like 6". 

 Lapponum. 



Dr. Walker appears to have been fond of transplanting roots, so 

 he might probably like to naturalise S. Lapponum in the low-lying 

 grounds of Colinton and neighbourhood. 



Dr. Walker, who acted as Professor of Natural History in 

 Edinburgh University for some years, has not, I think, received the 

 attention his botanical discoveries deserve. He discovered some 

 plants in Britain at dates anterior to those given by Mr. W. A. 

 Clarke in his paper at present being published in the "Journal of 

 Botany." 



Dr. Walker in his "Statistical Account of the Parish of 

 Colinton," an abstract of which was published in Sir John Sinclair's 

 work, gives a list of " the most unfrequent species " occurring in the 

 parish. Salix Lapponum is not mentioned. He would have been 

 sure to have mentioned this Alpine willow if it had been a native in 

 the low-lying ground of his district, as it could hardly have been 

 otherwise than unfrequent. SYMERS M. MACVICAR. 



