Dm, B alfour 's Botanical Excursion .' 31 



that the latter was originally takon from Islay. At Kilchoman our 

 party separated into two divisions, ono proceeding along the shore, and 

 the other goiug inland to examine the marshy ground in the vicinity 

 of Locli (Jurim or Gurm. The shore party was upon tho wholo most 

 successful, having picked Mentha rubra of Smith, Gentiana Amarella, 

 Convolvulus Soldanella, Malva sylvestris, Conium maculatum, Epilo- 

 bium virgatum already noticed in the Cantyre trip, and Equisetum 

 Telmateia of Ehrhart. Tho latter plant is the E. fluviatile of Smith, 

 Hookor, and Babington. Tho namo is derived from to^utuo;, grow- 

 ing in mud, but we found tho plant growing in moist sand. Both fer- 

 tilo and barren stems wore gathered, tho former being unbranched 

 and having numerous largo deeply toothed sheaths, while the latter 

 had whorled branches, were nearly smooth, and presented about thirty 

 stria) on tho stalk. A remarkable trailing variety of Juncus lampro- 

 carpus, with regular rootings at the joints, covered tho shores in pro- 

 fusion along with Agrostis alba, var. maritima of Babington, with a 

 procumbent rooting stem, a creeping form of Eleocharis palustris, and 

 the sea shore variety of Catabrosa aquatica, already noticed in Can- 

 tyre. This latter variety is tho minor of Babington, and littoralis of 

 Parnell. It is abundant on the west coast of Scotland on sandy shores 

 within the iufluence of the tide. In some places it covers patches of 

 at least half an acre. It is found in Bute in considerable quan- 

 tity. It differs from Catabrosa aquatica in its smaller growth, and 

 in the glumes having mostly only one floret. I may hero remark that 

 the tendency to a trailing habit was seen in many of the plants on the 

 shore, especially at tho points where rivulets joined the sea ; and somo 

 of the species on this account presented an aspect very different from 

 that which thoy assume in their usual localities. 



On sandy ground in the vicinity of the shore numerous other plants 

 were seen, such as Arabis hirsuta, Gymnadenia conopsea, with its 

 odoriferous purple blossoms, Eryngium maritimum forming spiny 

 tufts of great extent, the beautiful Anagallis arvensis and tenella, 

 Pyrethrum maritimum, Ligusticum scoticum, Viola lutea with all its 

 shades of purple and yellow, Thalictrum minus in a very dwarf state, 

 Spergula nodosa, Arenaria serpyllifolia and marina, Pimpinella Saxi- 

 fraga, and Erythram Centaurium and linariifolia. One of the plants 

 noticed attracted our attention particularly, inasmuch as in Scotland 

 it is usually seen only in alpine districts, while here it was flourishing 

 luxuriantly at tho sea level. I allude to the Draba incana or twisted- 

 podded Whitlow-grass. No doubt, in many instances, in the north of 

 Scotland, wo see alpine plants coming down to the level of the shore, 

 as at Cape Wrath in Sutherlandshire ; but the northern nature of the 

 locality accounts in a great measure for this apparent anomaly. But 

 in the case of Islay, tho occurrence of alpine species so low cannot be 

 accounted for in the same way. Mr. H. C. Watson says that Draba 

 incana belongs to the alpiue and upland regions of Scotland aud 



