PLANTS OF TIREE AND COLL. 55 



&c., was erected at the weakest spot. Being so flat, there is no 

 shelter from the Atlantic storms, so that gardens are entirely absent, 

 and most of the native vegetation is dwarfed. Though the remains 

 of former trees were at one time to be found in peat mosses, there 

 are now no trees on the island. The small amount of heather is 

 prostrate, nor could I find any Rubi, and the only Roscb seen were 

 three dwarf bushes, clinging to the face of a rock, of "A', canina 

 L.," too immature to be determined. The soil is largely sand, 

 which in places, chiefly on the west side, has drifted for some 

 distance inland, and spoiled many acres formerly under culti- 

 vation. There is very little peaty soil; what there was at one 

 time has been used for fuel, and the bare rock left exposed. Some 

 peat-loving plants, as Scirpus aespitosus L., were not seen. The 

 sand dunes are mostly covered with AmmopJiila arundlnacea Host, 

 among which grow principally Agropyron junceiun Beauv., Thalic- 

 trum dtinense Dum., Centstium tetrandnun Curtis, and, locally, Silene 

 inaritima With. ; also scattered plants of Anthyllis Vulneraria, var. 

 marUima Koch, and Erynijimit. maritimum L. Further inland the 

 pasture is very short, and is mainly composed of Festiica ovina L., 

 and Lolimn perenne L., with abundance of Bellis perennislj., Galium 

 veriim L., Kceleria cristata Pers., and Trifolium repens L.,with some 

 T. pratense L. Geranium mulle L., Medicayo lupulina L., Trifolium 

 dubium Sibth., Daucus Carota L., and Antennaria dioica R. Br. are 

 locally very common ; while Salix repens L. occurs in quantity over 

 nearly the whole island, and is apparently the only member of the 

 genus present. 



There are several lochs on the island, around the edges of which 

 are to be found Alisma ranunculoidesh., common; Apium intmdatum 

 Reiclib. fil., A. nudijluruui, var. ocreatum Bab., Hippuris vuhjuris L., 

 rather common ; and occasionally CEnaiitke Lachenalii C. Gmel. 

 Batrachian rutnunculi, especially II. Baudotii Godr., are also com- 

 mon. These plants are likewise found at the outlet of streams as 

 they enter the sandy shores, where there are also large masses of 

 Xasturtium officinale E. Br., Veronica Anayallis-aqnatica L., and, 

 more rarely, Slum erectum Huds. Among the more interesting 

 plants noticed were Ranunculus marimis Fries, the first "satis- 

 factory" specimens Mr. Arthur Bennett has seen from Scotland; 

 Potentilla reptans L., growing on sand dunes remote from culti- 

 vation ; Erythraa Centaurium, var. capitata Koch, also on sand 

 dunes; Scilla verna Huds., Aiisinn Flantayo-aqualica, var. lanceo- 

 latum Afz., Potanwyeton nitens Web., P. Jili/ormis Nolte, Carex 

 disticha Huds., C. flava, var. cyperoides Marsson, the variety being 

 more common than the type. 



Coll is also low-lying, but not so level, there being in many 

 places undulating ground, which gives some shelter. There are 

 gardens at. several of the cottages, and some young conifers of 

 about 8 ft. in height are growmg well at the estate manager's 

 house. A few trees are indigenous on the island ; Betula pubescens 

 Ehrh., two erect bushes about 6 ft. high ; a few small trees of 

 Populus tremuta L. in fissures of rocks, and still fewer examples 

 of Pyrus Aucuparia Ehrh., Corylus Avellana L., and Quercus Robur 



