ARCTIC PLANT-BEDS IN SCOTLAND 53 



that in the American check list the names of Perainiuui, Legonzia, 

 Roripa, and Gyrostachis appear respectively for the genera known to 

 us as Goodyera, Specularia, Nasturtium, and Spiranthes. Those 

 changes, it will be seen, are suggested by me in the foregoing notes. 

 A few other names are also changed, which shall be alluded to 

 on some future occasion. I observe that an older name for the 

 Cranberry than the one I have given is Oxycoccus quadripetala, 

 Gilib., "Fl. Lith.," 1781 ; and I omitted to state that Carex verna 

 Chaix, in Vill., " Fl. Delph.," 1784, is antedated by C. prtzcox, Jacq., 

 1778. From the " Kew Index" we learn that Viola ericetorum, Schrad., 

 which I was sorry to see replaces V. cauina, L., in the " Catalogue," is 

 synonymous with V. sylvestris ; while if there had been no other objec- 

 tion to the replacement of Valeriana officinalis by V. Mikanii, Syme, 

 the latter name is untenable on account of there being a Guatemalan 

 plant already named V. Mikanii by Lindley. G. C. DRUCE, Oxford. 



ARCTIC PLANT-BEDS IN SCOTLAND. 



By JAMES BENNIE, 

 of the Geological Survey of Scotland. 



THE following extract from the Annual Report of the 

 Director-General of the work of the Geological Survey for 

 1894 records the occurrence of another Arctic lake deposit 

 in Scotland. At page 287 it is said : 



" Much interest attaches to the careful research on which 

 Mr. Bennie has been engaged for some years among the 

 glacial deposits. Last year he was specially employed in 

 the examination of the bed of an ancient lake of the Ice Age 

 which has been laid open during the construction of a new 

 line of railway about half a mile from Auchtertool in Fife- 

 shire. The lacustrine strata there seem to lie upon boulder 

 clay for a distance of about 300 yards, and consist of the 

 following members in descending order : 



(d} Surface soil . . . I ft. 



(c] Brown earthy silt with Lepidurus (Apus) 



glacialis, Salix kerbacea, Betula nana 3 ft. 



(b) Marl with Lymnea, Pisiditun, etc. . i ft. 5 in. 



(a] Running sand or mud . . 4 to 5 ft. 



The chief interest in this section centres in the bed of brown 

 silt with its characteristic organisms. The plants preserved 



