92 Mr. Macgillivray's Account of the Outer Hebrides. 



many parts, occurring frequently at the level of the sea, it nowhere 

 presents the characters of the common species, but always remains 

 a procumbent or prostrate shrub of diminutive size, producing ber- 

 ries nearly double the size of those of the other, more pulpy, and 

 less pungently aromatic. The willows are all very small, although, 

 in the deficiency of better materials, the people cut them for wicker- 

 work. 



CaUuna vulgaris is the predominant plant on the heaths, to which 

 it imparts its brown colour ; but Erica cinerea is also abundant in 

 ^ome places. In the grassy pastures of the small islands, the latter 

 assumes a very beautiful appearance, its flowers being increased in 

 size, and its stems greatly diminished, so that at first sight it might 

 strike one as a different species. 



Numerous Carices, Scirpus csespitosus, Eriophorum vaginatum 

 and augustifolium, MeHca caerulea, Nardus stricta, Agrostis vul- 

 garis, Aira flexuosa and caryophyllea, occur abundantly on the 

 heaths. The other more common plants observed there, are, Tor- 

 mentilla officinalis, Pinguicula lusitanica, P. vulgaris, Drosera ro- 

 tundifolia and longifolia, Pedicularis sylvatica and palustris, Me- 

 lampyrum sylvaticum. Orchis bifolia and maculata, Gnaphalium 

 dioicum. Ranunculus Flammula, Narthecium ossifragum. 



The mountains, towards their summits, present the ordinary 

 alpine vegetation of the mainland of Scotland. Among the species 

 which I have observed in such positions, are the following : Saxi- 

 fraga stellaris, nivalis, and oppositifolia, Cerastium alpinum and 

 latifolium, Oxyria reniformis, Thalictrum alpinum, Statice Arme- 

 ria, Plantago maritima, Alchemilla alpina, Silene acaulis, Apargia 

 Taraxaci, Rhodiola rosea, Lycopodium Selago. A variety of Thy- 

 mus serpyllum, of large size, remarkable for its total deficiency of 

 smell, is very common on the summits of the mountains. It is also 

 singular that Luzula maxima should occur at the height of upwards 

 of 2000 feet, which it does on the summit of Ben Capval and other 

 mountains, in great profusion, but seldom producing flowers. 



The plants which occur in or upon the banks of the lakes upon 

 the heaths are the following : Nymphsea alba in lakes with a mud- 

 dy, bottom, and not deeper than four or five feet, the most beauti- 

 ful of the Hebridean plants ; Nuphar lutea, observed in lakes in 

 North Uist, but extremely rare ; Lobelia Dortmanna, by the mar- 

 gin of lakes having a gravelly or pebbly bottom, very common ; 

 Sparganium simplex, not common ; S. natans, somewhat rare ; Poa 

 fluitans, Menyanthes trifoliata, Equisetum limosum, E. palustre, 

 Carex riparia, Potamogeton natans, P. lucens, P. heterophyllum, 

 Scirpus lacustris, S. palustris, Litorella lacustris, Subularia aqua- 

 tica. The latter plant I have only seen in one place, at the south- 

 ern extremity of Loch Langavat in Harris. 



Of the rarer plants which occur on the heaths, may be mention- 

 ed, Osmunda regalis, not unfrequent near lakes ; Valeriana rubra, 

 rare ; Poa decumbens : Utricularia intermedia, found in Glen Ul- 

 ladil ; Ajuga pyramidalis, found at Creag Bhrist in Harris. 



