264 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 



garnets can be gathered in liandfuls, weathered out of the schists, 

 but still 2'etaining their crystalline form. Further up the ridge, 

 a series of banded hornblende schists were seen. These, the con- 

 ductor explained, had at one time been injected into the clastic 

 schists as sills of basic igneous material, and had subsequently 

 undergone the same deforming operations as had affected the 

 clastic rocks. 



On reaching the 2,000 feet contour line, an altogether different 

 group of schists was seen to take the place of the garnetiferous 

 schists observed in the lower ground. This apparently over- 

 lying group of schists is of the nature of a true phyllite, being 

 finely foliated, and the foliation planes themselves being often 

 folded and crossed by later divisional planes. It is upon these 

 schists that the Alpine plants have established themselves, and 

 they are found growing luxuriantly all along the outcrop of the 

 phyllites from Creag-na-Caillich eastwards towards Ben Lawers. 

 [Regarding the probable influence that these rocks have had in 

 the distribution of this Alpine flora of Scotland, see a paper 

 by Mr Macnair published in the Transactions of the Perthshire 

 Society of Natural Science.'] The return journey was made by 

 Meal Dhuin Croisg, where a somewhat extensive landslip has 

 recently taken place. The cup-and-ring markings in Glen Lochay 

 were also examined. During the day, a number of the well- 

 known Alpine plants were gathered on the summit of Creag-na- 

 Caillich. 



Cathcart Nurseries, 5th July 1901. — The Society this even- 

 ing visited the Nurseries of Messrs. Austin & M'Aslan, at Cath- 

 cart. The large collection of young coniferous trees attracted 

 attention, many species and varieties of Abies, Pinus, Cupressus, 

 Retinospora, &c, being cultivated. Not many shrubs were in 

 bloom, but Hedysarum multijugum, Maxim, with its deep 

 violet red flowers, as well as several varieties of Weigelia and 

 Spircea attracted notice. At this time of the year, many 

 thousands of Roses were being " budded," and the operation was 

 performed and explained by one of the foremen. The fruit 

 trees and glass-houses were thereafter inspected. The conductor 

 was Mr. John Cairns, Jun. 



