BOTANICAL REMIKISCENCES. VO 



lingua, Alisma plantago, Poa aquatica, Hypericum quadrangulum., Scutellaria 

 galericulata, Veronica anagaUis, Epilohium hirsutum, Mentha piperita, hirsuta, 

 and rubra, Chrysosplenium alternifolium, Circrea lutetiana, Melampi/rum pra- 

 tense, Pyrola rotandifolia, Listera cordata and ovata. Astragalus glycyphyllus, 

 Campanula latifolia and Trachelium, (Enanthe crocata, Cicuta virosa, Silene 

 inflata, Symphytum tuberosum, Convolvulus arvensis, Potentilla reptans, Cheh- 

 doninm majus, Pimpinella saxifraga, &c. Among the fields the eye is arrested 

 by Echiiim viilgare, with its beautiful flowers, at first of a reddish purple, 

 and afterwards of a very brilliant blue. On the Abbey craig, a well-known cliff 

 near Stirling, we have gathered Geranium lucidum and sanguineum, Sedum 

 Anglicum, Lychnis viscaria, Teiicrium Scorodonia, Helianthemum vulgare, &c. 



On the Castle hill of Stirling we have found Verhascum thapsus and lychmtis, 

 Yiola odorata, Rosa rubiginosa, jEthusa Cynapium, Sfc, and on the Castle wall, 

 Antirrhinum majus, Parietaria officinalis, and CJieiranthtis incanus. In the 

 lake of Menteith, and in Locks Lubnaig and Katrine, (the romantic scenery 

 of the ^'Lady of the Lake,") we have gathered Nymph(sa alba, with its flowers 

 of silvery brightness; Nuphar lutea, and Lobelia Dortmanna. 



On Benledi, three thousand and nine feet above the level of the sea, to 



the summit of which I climbed, along with the Rev. Robert Blackwood, of 



Aberdeen, we found several beautiful Saxifrages, Silene acaulis, Oxyria reniformis, 



and many other alpine plants. Half way up the mountain, I remember we 



found the true Cranberry, {Vaccinium oxycoccos. I may here mention in 



passing that the view from the summit is magnificent, and, irrespective of the 



treasures of Flora found in the way, amply repays one for the fatigue of the 



ascent. Here you can indeed *^'hold converse with natures charms, and view 



her stores unrolled." The panorama which is there presented to the eye, is 



at once beautiful and sublime. On recurring to these excursions the mind 



is filled with the most delightful associations. As we look at the specimens 



in our Herbarium, they at once suggest the spot where they were gathered, 



and the feelings of pure delight which their discovery afforded. 



"E'en now what affections the violet awakes: 

 What loved little islands twice seen in the lakes 



Can the wild water-lily restore: 

 "Wliat landscapes I read in the primrose's looks; 

 And what pictures of pebbled and minnowy brooks 



In the vetches that tangle their shore." 



'^The study of Botany," as has been well remarked, '^recommends itself in 

 various ways. It may to some extent be engaged in by individuals of either 

 sex, and of almost every profession. The beauty of its objects, the facility 

 with which they may be procured, and the agreeable images and associations 

 which they call up to the mind, render the study peculiarly adapted for 

 females." And we rejoice to know that many of our fair countrywomen are 

 still, as in days gone by, zealous and successful botanists. There is much in 

 the study of plants to gratify the feelings, and to touch the heart. Let us 

 admire the power, wisdom, and goodness of the Author of Nature, as dis- 



