The Scottish Naturalist. 77 



Next day, the 19th July, the air was full of that ** clear shining after 

 rain," cool and exquisitely delicious. After sauntering about the church 

 and churchyard, I started for Glenbeg. On my way upwards I gathered 

 several very rare fungi, among which were Septoria and Dothidca geraiiii, 

 Trichohasis §;eranii, Puccinia calt/uv, P. Fergussoni, abundance of 

 yEcidiuin parnassice, and Uredo orchidis ; several Pezizce and Ascoboli. 

 Among the mosses there were Alniian snl'globosiiin, M. insigne, Hypnum 

 giganteum, a moss which has often been confounded with H. Breidleri, so 

 that Scottish botanists who think they have gathered this moss had better be 

 sure that there is no mistake about it. Further on Carex capillaris was 

 discovered, descending to about 1400 ft, a low altitude on the Grampians, 

 though I have gathered it at the seaside, on the north coast of Sutherland, 

 associated there with Dryas odopetala and Oxyiropis uralensis. Here in 

 Glenbeg, Orchis incarnata was found very sparingly. It seems usually to 

 indicate the presence of lime in the soil on which it grows. Raniincidus 

 htilbosus and Geran'uDn were traced up to about 1700 feet. On Ben 

 Lawers Dr. Stirton pointed out to me the former of these plants at a much 

 higher altitude ; whereas on the other hand in Forfarshire it is confined 

 almost exclusively to the coast. The highest limit assigned to it in th 

 *' Student's Flora " is 1500 feet. 



The flowering plants not being veiy interesting were abandoned for the 

 mosses. Tortula tortuosa again show.ed abundance of fruit. This indeed 

 is the only place known to me where it can be had in almost any quantity 

 in this condition. By and by came quantities of Meesia idiginosa^ as well 

 as a few capsules of Catascopion, ever Avelcome because of its rarity and 

 prim, tidy, brunette aspect j'and at last on limestone rocks which on the 

 previous evening I had marked out as worthy of special search, 

 Anacalypta latifolia. Along with it were Seligeria pusilla^ Torhda 

 j-ejlexa, Tortula rtiralis^ T. tmginctdata^ or some other allied species which 

 has puzzled me immensely. There were also several other interesting 

 species found near the same place, but they are too numerous to be men- 

 tioned. The only yiingermania of interest which I noticed was Frullania 

 fragUifolia. It was pointed out to me by Mr. Sim a few days previously, 

 and I found afterwards that I had gathered it at Aberdour in 1873. 



The early part of next day was devoted to pic-nicing — a most pleasant 

 thing in any place, but above all places in Glenshee, when the year is at its 

 best and the day is the finest in a century perhaps. The afternoon was devoted 

 to botanizing. Draha inflata — a trifle too much made of now a-days — was 

 found growing on a rock along with a much rarer plant which I had only 

 once gathered before, viz., Thlaspi olpestre. Only a few plants of it were 

 got. The fruit on the lower part of the spike was over ripe, but some pods 

 were got, and showed the style to be rather longer than the lobes, sometimes 

 however only as long. Alpine plants seemed to be rare, only Saxifi-aga 

 optiositifolia, Potentilla salisbwgensis, and a few others of no importance 



