■2H Dr. Balfour's Botanical Excursion. 



Jura form very conspicuous objects in the distance. In some places 

 near Balloehantuy and Killian, whoro tho road winds among broken 

 detached rocks, the scenery is romantic and interesting. At Killian 

 there is a curious old church in ruins, apparently referable to the 

 Norman times, with round arches, coupled circular headed windows, 

 and peculiar doors mado with two side stones converging upwards, 

 and a flat stone on tho top, resembling, in some degree, what is seen 

 in Egyptian architecture. Part of the old church is used as a bury- 

 ing ground by the MacDonalds of Largy. In the churchyard are 

 many old inscriptions, and some curious carvings on stone. The 

 ruins are prettily situated on tho banks of a stream. There is a 

 vitrified fort in the neighbourhood. At a little distance from the shore 

 in this quarter, and parallel to it there runs a ridge of old red sand- 

 stone rocks, and the streams coming from the higher grounds, when 

 descending over these rocks, give rise to numerous picturesque water- 

 falls. The plants gathered this day were, — Thalictrum minus, Con- 

 volvulus Soldanella, Sinapis monensis, Ranunculus sceleratus and 

 Scirpus Savii in moist places, Crambe maritima, Ligusticum scoti- 

 cum, Hypericum Androssemum, Epilobium angustifolium, Vicia 

 sylvatica in great quantity on the dry stony beach, Pulicaria dys- 

 enterica, Vicia sativa on sandy shores near Taynlone, Eryngium 

 maritimum, Steenhammera maritima, or as it is often called in this 

 country, the oyster plant, from the taste of its leaves,* Apium grav- 

 eolens near Taynlone, Conium maculatum especially in churchyards, 

 as at Killian, Anagallis tenella in all moist places, Schcenus nigri- 

 cans, Atriplex erecta in fields near Barr, Fumaria capreolata, Cer- 

 astium atro-virens, Pyrethrum maritimum, and Catabrosa aquatica 

 assuming a remarkably stunted and creeping appearance on moist 

 sandy shores near Killian ; the fruit of this grass is very sweet, having 

 the taste of liquorice. Hieracium boreale was also picked near 

 Linanmore Kirk and Barr, Tanacetum vulgare near Killian, Carex 

 vulpina near Barr, Equisetum Telmateia in many places between 

 Campbelton and Taynlone. 



We reached the latter place between 5 and 6, p.m., and took up 

 our quarters in a small inn, where we had considerable difficulty in 

 getting accommodation ; some of the party sleeping, or attempting to 

 sleep, on the floor, and others on the tops of tables. In the neigh- 

 bourhood of the village we saw Potamogeton pusillus, Alisma Plan- 

 tago, Samolus Valerandi, Catabrosa aquatica and the maritime 

 variety already alluded to, Hippuris vulgaris, Bidens cernua, (Enanthe 

 Lachenalii, and Lolium temulentum or the poisonous Darnel-grass. 

 This grass seems to be common in many parts of Cantyre. All along 

 the shore, especially near Taynlone, we met with profusion of Alga), 



* In America, T ragopogou porrifolius, or salsafy, receives the same name. Its roots 

 arc used for soup, which is said to resemble oyster soup. 



