178 



HARDWICKE'S SC IENCU-GOSSIP. 



outer glumes very pointed, near three lines long, 

 and glabrous. Two lower flowering glumes attain 

 the length of the outer one, but are rough on the 

 outside with short hairs, each inclosing a three- 

 nerved palea and three stamens. Upper flowering 

 glume smaller and nearly glabrous, inclosing a still 

 smaller one-nerved palea (or glume), two stamens, 

 and the "pistil," which are "hermaphrodite," 

 which means that both stamens and pistil are 

 present and perfect at the same time. 



This is an extremely rare grass : its scent is 

 sweet, like that of our vernal grass, and it takes 

 its English familiar name from the uses to which 

 it is applied in some parts of the Prussian domi- 

 nions, where the plant is dedicated to the Virgin 

 Mary, and strewn in the aisles of churches, and 

 around the doorways on festival days. It grows in 

 abundance in Iceland, and there, as in other parts 

 of northern Europe, it is laid in bundles among 

 linen, or hung up in rooms, for its fragrance. Its 

 odour is also believed to cause sleep, and in Sweden 

 it is sold in bundles for this purpose. The Northern 

 Holy-grass grows in mountain pastures and waste 

 places, at high latitudes in northern and Arctic 

 Europe, Asia, and America, descending southwards 

 to Northern Germany, and to the mountains of 

 South-eastern Germany, reappearing in New Zea- 

 and. Its locality in Britain I have previously meu- 

 ioii^d. Its time of flowering is, according to 

 bentham, in the summer. Withering and Hay ward 

 name only May and June. If I may presume to 

 give an opinion of my own, from the character of 

 the grass, I should say Bentham was the more 

 correct as regards the time in which the Hierochloe 

 borealis flowers. 



Dec., 1S74. E. Edwakds. 



HOLIDAY RAMBLES. 

 No. VI.— The Scotch Akran. 



W H f 



'HAT shall be our route to-morrow ? " said 

 to my companion, as we were resting 

 above the falls at Inversnaid, enjoying the view of 

 Loch Lomond after a delightful day's ramble 

 amongst the finest of Scotch scenery. Botanically 

 the Trosachs are not so peculiarly interesting, but 

 we had gathered on Ben Ledi the fragrant Gymna- 

 denia conopsea, Ilabenaria chlorantha, Orchis lati- 

 folia and vicamata, some beautiful purple Viola 

 lutea, and at higher elevations the English " Edel- 

 weiss" {Aiitennaria clioica). In boggy spots the 

 Lancashire asphodel {Narthecium ossifragrum), 

 Saxifraga Aizoides, and Eriopliorum were very 

 abundant. The pretty Polygonum viviparum and 

 Gentiana campestris were not uncommon. Tha- 

 lictrum alpimim was scarce. On the low hills 

 around the juniper was very abundant. A little hut 



near Loch Vennachar was covered with the graceful 

 Corydalis claviculata ; and the banks of the Loch, 

 as in most other Scotch ones, were thickly fringed by 

 the Epi/ouium august if olium and Iris Pseud- Acorns. 

 In the Trosachs MyrrJiis odor at a and a small speci- 

 men of Hypericum Andoscemum were gathered, and 

 Vaecinum uliginosum (?) was found growing on the 

 lower heights of Ben A' an. 



The beautifully varied foliage in the Trosachs, and 

 on the borders of Loch Katrine, could not fail to 

 excite admiration. The day had been extremely 

 fine and clear, and the magic beauty of the scenery 

 made the journey across the lake most enjoyable. 

 The walk from the lake to Inversnaid. though to the 

 mere tourist rather uninteresting, will well repay 

 the botanist. The road lies through a boggy dis- 

 trict, filled in many places with the showy Comarum 

 palustre and the fragrant Myrica Gale. Pedicular is 

 paluslris and sylvatica, Triglochin palustre, and 

 Ranunculus flammula were all gathered, and the 

 Drosera and Pinguicula were very common. Great 

 tracts of Erica tetralix, here the prevailing heath, 

 rising out of beds of Sphagnum, formed an extremely 

 beautiful sight. After pleasant refreshment at 

 Inversnaid with some transatlantic cousins, a visit 

 to Rob Hoy's Cave was paid ; but this was brought 

 to a summary conclusion by the merciless midges. 

 Close by Inversnaid were growing the Meum atha- 

 manticum, and splendid specimens of the Po/ypodium 

 Oreopteris, Dryopleris, and Phegopteris, and in a 

 rocky nook a fine plant of Asplenium viride. We 

 sat and discussed the ascent of Ben Lomond, a day 

 in Glasgow, or a look at Menteith. Then we 

 thought that Bentham or Hooker said that Ajuga 

 pyramidalis grew in Arran, and something about 

 Helianthemum canum crossed our mind. We knew 

 that Anderson spoke well of the Struey cliffs, and 

 got rapturous over the geological formation of the 

 island; so at length we arranged to investigate 

 Arran. The following day was occupied in seeing 

 Loch Lomond, and in getting to Arrau via Ardros- 

 san. The sun was setting when we entered Brodick 

 Bay, and most lovely were the corries and the 

 pointed rocks of Goatfell steeped in its rays. The 

 appearance of the deep purple mountains, the green 

 bay, and opalescent coast resembled an exaggerated 

 chromolith more than a real British island. The fol- 

 lowing morning we spent in seeing Brodick grounds 

 and Glen Rosa, the habitat of Pyrus pinnatifiihu 

 The glen abounds with ferns, while the beach yields 

 Silenemaritima, Centunculus minima, Aster Tripolium t 

 and Brassica monensis. 



The ascent of Goatfell we deferred till the 

 morrow, and started over to Lamlash through a 

 district covered with Erica tetralix, chierea, and 

 vulgaris ; Geranium sylvaticum fringed the brooks ; 

 Pinguicula vulgaris and Drosera and Hydrocofyle 

 were bordering the streamlets; on the dry commons 

 Jasione montana was plentiful, and on the sandy 



