ALPINE FLORA IN BREADALBANE DURING JULY, 1902. 331 



It is not to be taken for granted, however, that these similar 

 conditions resulted from exactly the same cause. As regards 

 the alpine plants, my own opinion is that the general lateness 

 was not due so much to the average low temperature as to 

 the constantly recurring falls of snow. This snow was invariably 

 melted by winds the temperature of which was not much above 

 that of the snow itself, and this state of things continued even 

 up to the last week of June, when the hills appeared white 

 down to 1,000 feet above sea level. On the morning of 17th 

 July, in the Killin district, the grass fields were white with hoar 

 frost, and the pools showed a distinct covering of ice. 



The proverbial oldest inhabitant's memory was taxed to re- 

 member so backward a season. Primula vulgaris seemed at its 

 best, the hawthorn was just in flower-bud, and Pteris aquilina 

 was just showing above the ground in the last week of June 

 on the banks of Loch Tay — all at least five weeks behind their 

 usual time — and the hill slopes and summits were in much the 

 same state of backwardness. 



Everything seemed to be awaiting the heat, for when, in the 

 last week of June, a short-lived warm wave swept hurriedly over 

 us, its effect was at once apparent in the sudden quickening of 

 vegetation on every hand, so that before the first week of July 

 the wild roses were showing their buds, many of the summer 

 flowers had appeared by the roadsides, and in another week 

 both spring and summer flowers were blooming together in 

 great profusion. 



In speaking of the alpine plants found in flower during the 

 last week of July, it may be interesting, for the sake of com- 

 parison, to put on record a few details concerning their general 

 appearance and condition. The leaves, on the whole, were well 

 formed, but small, the flowering stems short, and the flowers 

 also small, giving a rather bare appearance to the rocks and 

 detritus, and even to the marshy ground. As regards their 

 state of advancement, they were, as I have already said, very 

 late. Caltha minor, for instance, usually in ripe fruit towards 

 the end of July, was mostly in flower-bud. The Cerastium 

 forms were three weeks late; Arabis petrcea, about two weeks 

 late; Br aba rupestris, three weeks late; the alpine forms of 

 Cochlearia, a. week late; Arenaria sulcata, two weeks late; 



