7 he Scottis/i Naturalist. 75 



A BOTANICAL RAMBLE IN GLENSHEE. 



In July last year, after having spent some time on the Forfarshire coast and 

 mountains, I passed over the Cairn-o'-Month to vStrachan, where Messrs. 

 Sim and Roy were busily and successfully engaged in investigating the 

 botany of the surrounding district. It was my intention, after having spent 

 a few days with them, to have gone down the Cowie in Kincardineshire, 

 but learning that the banks of this stream had been recently explored, and 

 that Dr. Trail was likely to take charge of a part of the Kincardineshire 

 coast which was not well known, I started alone for Glenshee, the crypto- 

 gamic botany of which had been totally neglected. As mentioned in this 

 Journal (Oct. 1873, April 1875,) I expected that Anacalypta latifolia 

 would yet be found about the Cairnwell. I was anxious to satisfy myself on the 

 point ; accordingly, having taken the first train from Banchory to Ballater 

 and the coach from Ballater to Castleton of Braemar, I started from the 

 latter place for Spittal of Glenshee, which was about 15 miles off. The day, 

 which in the morning was cold, stormy, and rainy, broke up, and became 

 as delightful as a solitary botanist amid " the silence of the glens " could 

 desire, and as I had abundance of time I took the road leisurely ; and 

 greatly blessed by the exhilarating air, came to the decided conviction that 

 most of the human species were ignorant barbarians who knew no bette^- 

 than to live in the roar and dirt of towns. Will there ever come a time 

 when our country-men will desert the old kitchen-middens of their fore- 

 fathers, move more inland, and occupy the higher regions of the island ? 



Shortly before the time of which I write, I had heard some controversy as- 

 to the geographical distribution of Raphmuis raphanistruni over the N. E. 

 of Scotland. It was maintained that it was very rare or entirely awanting 

 in some quarters, and that many localities assigned to it on examination 

 yielded only Smapis arvensis\ which it so much resembles. There is, no 

 doubt, a good deal of truth in this ; but on Deeside, from Banchory up- 

 wards, both plants occur, and can easily be distinguished at a distance. I 

 found both ascending to the highest cultivated land in Glenclunie. 



A little beyond the shooting lodge there, and on the left side of the stream,, 

 rises a low ridge of hills, the green short pasture of which, and the conforma- 

 tion of their rocks, indicates the presence of limestone ; so I resolved to give 

 them a hurried visit, hoping that Anacalypta might have honoured them 

 with its presence: but no. Still I was pleased to find about and on thera 

 such flowering plants as Ranunculus bulbosus, Pimpinella saxifraga, To- 

 fieklia, Arenaria serpyllifolia, &c. ; and such cryptogams as Oi'thotric/ium 

 anomalnm, Tortula rtiralis. Hyp. sa7-men(osiim, Hyp. scorpioides, Hyp. 



