52 snonT notes. 



of the Loch of Cluny. This loch lies about midwfiy botwoon Blairj»o^rno 

 and Dunkcld, receiving the waters of the Li)chsof Butterstone and the 

 Lawes, and discliarging into tliat of Marlee. Its surface is 157 ft'ot 

 above the level of the sea, and about two miles in circumference. It 

 abounds in such interesting plants as Elatinc hcrandrn, Suhiilan'a 

 • aqiKifica, Lobelia Dortmnnna, Nuphar lutcum, Niimphaa alha, several 

 species of Pvtamogetoii, &c. ; and in addition Slratiotcs aloidex^ and, 1 

 believe, ButomusumbcUatus, though I have never found it. We found 

 the plant \_Naias] pretty generally distributed over that part of the 

 loch which wc examined, viz., the north-west 'side, growing on the 

 gravelly and muddy bottom, generally along with Callitriche autumn- 

 alts or a Chara, but sometimes in patches by itself. As seen from 

 the side of the boat — this loch is so clear and limpid that plants may 

 be seen and recognised through six feet of water — a patch of it looks 

 very like Callitriche, only somewhat darker and more diffuse. One 

 peculiarity of its gro^rth deserves to be noticed. A considerable depth 

 of water, five feet at least, seems to be necessary to its existence, for 

 nowheredidwefinditinthcshallow water near the edge. . . The ques- 

 tion at once occurred to us, " Is it native ? " At first we felt disposed 

 to doubt, knowing as we did that other plants had been introduced 

 into the loch. It is a well-known fact that the Hev. Mr. McRitchie, 

 who was minister of the parish of Cluny during the first thirty years 

 of the present century, was an enthusiastic botanist, and introduced at 

 least Stratiotes and Butomus in the loch, and Typha latifolia into a 

 pond near the church. Of course he would not intentionally, but it 

 has been suggested that ho may accidentally have introduced it in 

 seed along with another plant. I incline to think not. On incpiiring 

 of Mr. Duff, the intelligent and obliging gardener at Cluny Cottage, 

 we learned that Mr. McRitchie introduced these plants from Wales. 

 Now when we consider how irregularly Naias is distributed over 

 Europe — in Sweden, North Germany, and Ireland — it is just as likely 

 to be native in the Loch of Cluny as in Wales, from which it has never 

 been recorded. As far as we could learn, AFr. Mcilitchie never got 

 plants from Ireland or North America, where I believe Naina is com- 

 mon. On the whole, therefore, at present I incline to consider it one 

 of the native rarities of the Loch of Cluny. — A. Sturrock, iu " Scottish 

 Naturalist," January, 1876. 



The Htmenittm of Aoathctis camtestris. — In illustration of the 

 hymenium, or reproductive surface of tlie gills in the ITymenomycctes, 

 Prof. Sachs gives a figure of the minute structure of the common 

 Mushroom {Agaricus campestrin). But, unfortunately, the figure and 

 description alike are far from correct. Sachs says tlie basidia in this 

 species produce only two spores, wliilst in other Uymenomycctes the 

 number is usually four, and the illustration is made to accord with 

 the description. But the fact of tlie case is there are four spores 

 produced on each basidium in Ayaricus campestris,. and this fact does 

 not apply to A. campcutris alone, l)ut to every variety of it, and every 

 variety of its numerous allies, of whicli the comninn IToise Mushroom 

 A. arvcnsis) is one. Karh of the four spicules norm ally bears a spoiv, 

 ut it is a common thing iu Agarics for the four spores to be produced 



