132 The Scottish Natin-alist. 



and take this opportunity of recording our having done so.) The Potamoge- 

 ions noticed in the loch were crispiis, riifescens, nutans, obhisifolhis, ptisillus, 

 and its variety tenitissimiis — the latter form being by far the most abundant, 

 and in great profusion. Possibly an examination of tlie loch from a boat 

 would add to the number. On the muddy shores Sci?-J>us ackidaj-is was far 

 from rare, and in one or two places we noticed Sparganium simplex. On a 

 gravelly shore Chenopodium riibrum occurred rather sparingly, along with a 

 patch or two of Lycopits europcBiis and a single plant of Siletie noctijlora. At 

 the same place we found a curious form of Littorella lacustris with channelled 

 and somewhat hairy leaves, very different from the usual character of the 

 plant, though not previously unobserved. — F. Buchanan White. 



Trametes pini in MoraysMre. — By a remarkable coincidence two speci- 

 mens of Trametes pini, Fr. , a fungus which I have been long looking for and 

 inquiring after, were sent to me to-day, one from the Castle Grant woods near 

 Grantown, and the other from Darnaway.— J. Keith, Forres, 22d April, 

 1879. 



Notes of the Spring of 1879. — I have from time to time noticed, since 

 1877, the dates of the flowering of plants in my "rock-garden," which faces 

 the south and south-west, and is about 170 feet above sea-level. As the past 

 winter has been so unusually severe, a record of some of these dates for the 

 year may prove interesting. Where possible, I have added the dates for the 

 two previous years, many of which are of the same individual plants. The 

 other notes will explain themselves. 



In January frost and snow had an almost undisturbed reign ; and I have no 

 notes of any interest except that, when curling one day towards the end of the 

 month, a specimen of tlie winter gnat ( Trichocera hiemalis ?) was seen flying 

 over the ice. Rabbits about this time were put to great straits to obtain food, 

 and barked the hawthorn hedges where the bark was not too rough : they 

 also attacked trees of considerable size. A Little Auk was found dead 7 or 8 

 miles west of Perth, and had, no doubt, been driven inland by the severity of 

 the weather. 



In February a thaw began, and lasted for a short time. On the 2d, several 

 rooks were noticed wading in the river Tay, and putting their heads below 

 the water in search of food, which, oerhaps, they saw the gulls obtaining in a 

 similar manner. On the 7th the Common Snowdrop was in flower, being 

 only a day or two later than in 1878 ; also Potentilla alba, which, in 1 878, 

 remained in flower all winter. Before the end of the month, Potentilla frag- 

 ariastncm came into bloom — several weeks later than the previous year. On 

 the 6th, the ground was nearly uncovered by snow, which, except for a day and 

 a half at the beginning of January, had concealed it since November — the ther- 

 mometer during the same period having seldom marked above 40°, and been 

 often for days at a time under 30°. Towards the end of the month the snow 

 returned, and there was a considerable amount of frost. When the snow 

 vanished again, many Snowdrops were seen which liad come into flower 

 below it. 



The weather in March was a mixture of frost, snow, and thaw. The fol- 

 lowing plants came into flower : — 



Bcllis perennis, 7th (1878, 2d week of February). 

 Eranthis hiemalis, 7th (1878, 1st week of February). 



