ON THE FLORA OF SHETLAND 237 



that our knowledge of the Shetland Flora approaches completeness. 

 As recorded above, Salix Caprea is entirely confined to two small 

 holms in the middle of Mousa Vord Loch ; Vicia sepium is 

 practically extinct, except on various holms on which it flourishes ; 

 while Osmunda regalis luxuriates on the holms in some four or five 

 different lochs, and doubtless on others, but is no longer found 

 on their shores. It may be worth while to try to give a rough 

 picture of the vegetation on some of these holms. Burga-water. 

 As one approaches the green holm at the north end of this loch, 

 from the south, one sees a thick belt of Osmunda surrounding a 

 third or more of the islet ; mixed with it grow Spiraea Uhnaria 

 and other common species, while over all trail festoons of Vicia 

 sepium and Lathyrus pratensis behind this belt are considerable 

 thickets of Salix aurita, while in the open grassy spots between 

 the thickets are found Rhinanthus grcenlandicus, Hieracium crocatum, 

 and other interesting plants ; the northern part of the holm is 

 sterile, and is covered with a dense growth of Luzula sylvatica 

 almost to the exclusion of any other plants. Hostigates. The 

 small holm in the south loch contains large clumps of Osmunda mixed 

 with other ferns and common plants, as well as well-grown examples 

 of Pyrus Aucuparia ; these last, however, are not so fine as those 

 on the holm in the adjacent north loch, where they reach a height 

 of some six feet. Hamari-water. -The holm in this loch is 

 particularly interesting. A bank along one side was covered with 

 Rosa glauca and Lonicera Peridyniemim, both flowering profusely ; 

 among and below them common ferns luxuriate, and below these 

 Spiraea, Caltha, etc. ; while in the dryer parts Hieracium strictum is 

 plentiful, as well as Salix aurita, S. repens, and various other plants. 

 At the farther end I came upon a little forest of miniature rowan 

 trees, most of them perfectly symmetrical little trees, covered with 

 flowers and fruit, but none of them over four feet in height ! One 

 tree a little under four feet bore between thirty and forty bunches 

 of withered flowers and half-ripe fruit ; the lowest branches sprang 

 from the main stem only some three or four inches from the soil, 

 and were borne down and touching the ground with the weight of 

 the fruit. Nowhere else have I seen, in the wild state, plants that 

 so nearly approach the dwarfed Japanese trees with which we are 

 now familiar. Unfortunately, I had no camera with me ; but when 

 at Clousta some few years later, I made a special visit to Hamari- 

 water for the purpose of photographing the little forest. After 

 wading across to the holm, I was surprised to find that there were 

 no rowan-trees to be seen ; eventually, however, I recognised them 

 in a number of dead-looking sticks, some bearing one leaf, some 

 two or three, but no sign of flower or fruit. On getting back to 

 Clousta at night, I learned that there had been an exceptionally 

 severe snow-storm with biting north-east wind at the end of May 



