312 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 



grey willows, above what is known as the Birch-belt. It is 

 quite impossible to convey from the dried specimens any idea 

 of the elegance of this little plant as it hung in richly flowered 

 masses over the glistening grey rocks, its tiny, pale pink, waxen 

 bells resting against trailing foliage of the most delicate green. 

 What I have here shows the luxuriance of its floral character, 

 but the dense tufts of both verdure and blossom which were 

 its chief charm in life rather militate against its success as a 

 dried specimen. These examples also show it to be of rather 

 robust habit — which, in truth, it was, as far as our observation 

 went — but occasionally we found it very much liker its specific 

 name, with the most exquisitely delicate, moss-like foliage and 

 much smaller flowers. 



Diapensia lapponica, L. — The same difficulty besets one in 

 the case of the next plant — as, indeed, it does with most of 

 the Ericas. This little plant seemed to be rather local in its 

 distribution. Its flowers are large in comparison with its size, 

 and of a rich, creamy white, while its foliage is pure shining 

 green. Its preference also is for dry shaly rocks, and it is 

 only to be found in lofty situations. 



Primula scotica, Hook., is, of course, interesting to us. It 

 occurred in immense quantities in every part of the district, 

 a very different>looking plant from its Caithness-shire relative 

 — larger in size and darker in colour. 



Primula stricta, Hornem., which was almost as luxuriant, 

 has its southern limit in the Dovrefjeld, as has also my next 

 and last specimen — 



Koenigia islandica, L., an extremely tiny inhabitant of 

 marshy places, as will be at once apparent from its appearance. 

 It is a hardy and intensely arctic little plant, occupying bare 

 and quite unsheltered situations on the slopes of the loftiest 

 mountains. 



As you will have observed, I have included several species 

 which occur in alpine as well as arctic regions, also some which 

 occur in our own country. This was intended, of course, prin- 

 cipally for purposes of comparison, to afford those who might 

 be interested in the subject, and who had as yet been unable 

 to do so, the opportunity of comparing these denizens of the 

 far north with their knowledge or remembrance of the charac- 



