SYCAMOUES IN SCOTLAND. 157 



liavo known thiit in LSTO it would he still quite vigorous. Tlie 

 altitude of its site is about 900 feet. 



Neav J)all)eattie, in the Stewartrv of Kiikeudhri^ht, there 

 stands a s\'eainore, which is recognised as a known landmark for 

 miles around, and is calle<l tlir Hopchmd tree, it is growing- 

 alone in good dry soil, rather sandy, with a rocky suhs(jil ; and in 

 appearance is a complete nnishrooin, with a short stem, and a 

 wide-spreading Hat head, reaching to upwards of 70 feet in 

 diameter. It girths 14 feet G inches and 13 feet at 1 foot and 5 

 feet respectively. We have been unable to trace any tradition 

 regarding this solitary and peculiar tree, although most of such 

 examples have some story or legend regarding their origin. At 

 Foidis Wester, in I'erthshire, in the centre of the village, stand- 

 ing on a slight knoll about 4 feet higher than the surrounding 

 ground, is a very large and old sycamore which girths 17 feet and 

 14 feet 2 inches at 1 foot and 5 feet respectively, with a bole of 

 14 feet. On inquiring as to the existence of any legend in 

 connection with this tree or its site, we only ascertained that 

 tradition reports that " a Man of Foulis planted it on ae Sabbath 

 niclit, wi' his thoonib!" This \illage arboriculturist must have 

 literally believed in the old saying, " Aye be stickin' in a tree," 

 which accordingly ])erhaps does not owe its origin to Sir AValter 

 Scott's creative brain ! 



In other parts of Perthshire notable examples of the sycamore 

 are to be seen. For example, at Uirnam, on the banks of the 

 Tay, near to the east ferry of olden times, there is still 

 standing a majestic sycamore, and near to it a venerable oak, 

 %vhich are said to be the last remnant of the celebrated Jiirnani 

 Wood, referred to by Shakespeare in the play of Macbeth. 

 This tree measures at 1 foot from the ground 23 feet 9 inches, 

 at 3 feet it is 19 feet 9 inches, and at 5 feet it. girths 1<S feet 

 11 inches. In 180.') it measured at 3 feet high 19 feet, so that, 

 though an old tree, it is still increasing, and making new wood 

 in its trunk. A large hole which was noticed in the bole, in 

 1803, has now entirely lillcd up, and the tree still seems quite 

 vigorous. A very tine sycamore liitherto unobserved, is growing 

 on the Lou'iealmond estate of the Earl of Mansfield. It is a 

 magnificent massive specimen, girthing 11 feet 2 inches at 

 5 fi'ct from the ground, and it carries this circumference up the 

 bole for 22 feet. It grows in a light loamy soil on a gravelly 

 subsoil, and is 80 feet in height with a clear bole of 28 feet. 

 When Lord Mansfield purchased the estate about thirty years 

 ago, this tree, IMr IM'Corquodale reports to have then contained 

 309 cubic feet of timber, and, being still a healthy vigorous tree, 

 lie estimates that it has added at least 2 cubic feet to its bulk 

 per annum, and it now contains fully 340 cubic feet. It stands 

 in a row of sycamores immediately on the side of one of the 



