160 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 



crossed the patch of perpetual snow. After all the- 

 lieat of the summer, it seemed about 30 yards long,. 

 6 yards wide, and 2 J yards deep; and the sensation 

 when standing on the snow, with a broiling sun 

 over-head, was peculiar, to say the least of it. Here 

 grows that peculiar moss, Polytrichum septenti'ionalef 

 which Braithwaite regards as a variety of P. alpinum. 

 I picked up a few mosses and Hepaticce around the 

 snow ; but I had, ere long, to give up collecting, aa 

 I had become so cold that I could not hold my 

 digger. The rocks were very dry at the place where 

 I descended. Hawkweeds and willows — forms of 

 Salix Lapponum and S. Arhuscula — were plentiful,, 

 but I did not observe S. Myrsinites or aS^. lanata^ 

 Among the plants occurring most abundantly were 

 Sagina saxatilis, Arahis joetrcea, Dryas octopetala, 

 Potentilla alpestiHs, Veronica saxatiHs, Carex atrata^ 

 and C. rigida ; but these were all past their best 

 flowering condition. At the foot of the rocks Phleum 

 alpinurti is so common that one is apt to conclude 

 that it is a very common grass. In the ascent of 

 the rocks, on the way homewards, I chose a wet- 

 looking place, and was much pleased to see our rarer 

 alpine plants in great profusion. Besides the speciea 

 I have already mentioned, Erigeron alpinus seemed 

 pretty common ; and near the top of the sand-scar 

 there were about 10 square yards blue with Gentiana 

 nivalis, with here and there Pt/rola rotundifolia and 

 P. secunda. In the crevices of the rocks the most 

 striking moss was (Edipodiinn Grifflthianuvi. After 

 spending four hours among the rocks in Canlochan 

 Glen, I came away impressed that it would be a fine 

 place for the study of Hawkweeds ; for, judging 

 from the nvimber to be seen there, one would think 

 that there would be no difficulty in finding all the 

 species and varieties described. These rocks are, on 

 the whole, dry, and very difficult to work. Not 

 being a geologist, I cannot describe the formation ; 

 but there appeared to be different kinds of rocks. 

 Some parts seemed schistose, some weathered trap^ 



