NOTES ON THE FLORA OF EASTERN ROSS-SHIRE 227 



Lews, lying in the bluest of seas, under a beautiful blue sky, 

 while the mountains of Ross and Sutherland Ben More of 

 Coigach, Stack Polly, Canisp, and Suilven showed deeper 

 shades of the same colour, till those most distant were 

 almost cobalt in hue. On the ridge are a few pools in 

 which a Sparganiuin, probably affiue, but too young to 

 differentiate, was growing with Callitriche Jianmlata. The 

 grassy slopes on each side, i.e. east and west, afforded Carex 

 saxatilis ; and on the west Ccmstiuui alpimun grew in 

 quantity. I then climbed to the summit, on the way pick- 

 ing Deschampsia alpina, new to Ross-shire ; and Cherleria 

 was frequent, and with Silene acanlis, both pink and white, 

 was flowering freely. The view from the summit was even 

 more extensive than from the ridge, and the magnificent 

 outline of An Teallach was a prominent object in the south- 

 west, while Loch Broom, with the Summer Islands, made a 

 charming prospect. The way homewards led over bare, 

 rocky shoulders, on which Arctostaphylos alpina was a 

 prominent feature, or over damp heathery moors, where 

 Betula nana was common. Another day was spent in 

 exploring the ravine of a small stream near Aultguish and 

 the banks of the river Glascarnoch. Here we noticed 

 Agrostis pumila perfectly fertile and free from Tilletia, so 

 that its characters are not necessarily owing to the presence 

 of that fungus. A third day was spent in climbing the 

 splendid Sgur Mhor Fannich, 3637 feet high, and Ben 

 Liath Beag, etc. ; while a fourth was occupied in walking 

 to Tollymuick Forest at the head of Strath Vaich, but the 

 corrie at the head was very disappointing. Betula nana and 

 ArctostapJiylos alpina were characteristic plants, and Epilobium 

 angustifolimn grew high up on the cliffs above Gorm Loch, 

 most certainly native. 



We also spent a short time at Garve and a day at Tain, 

 where we explored the curious tract of shell-sand stretching 

 towards Tarbert, near which is such a curious feature of the 

 district. Here the pretty form of Polygala o.vyptera, which 

 was found by the Rev. E. S. Marshall, was gathered, and I 

 afterwards met with a form at Golspie which approaches it. 

 The dwarfed condition of Draba incana is striking, as in 

 some instances the leaves are closely aggregated into a 



