98 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETT OF GLASGOW. 



ing on the Dolomites and Swiss Alps during last Summer," and 

 exhibited a large number of dried plants gathered at the time. 

 He stated that his botanical work began on Mount Pilatus, near 

 Lucerne, in June. Here he found that, as in Britain, the 

 season was very late, and the spring flowers were at their best 

 in the lower altitudes, but the meadows were not so rich with 

 colour, nor were the Alpine plants so advanced, as in former 

 years. On Pilatus the snow occupied the upper third, and 

 snowstorms were almost of daily occurrence, so that the real 

 Alpine area was almost unworkable. But from 4,000 to 5,000 feet 

 up, below and alongside the mountain woods and in the exposed 

 small hill meadows, there were many things of botanical interest. 

 Specially plentiful were the strong and well-developed orchids, 

 Cephalanthera xiphophyllum, Rchb., and C, grandiflora, Bahgt., 

 Habenaria bifolia, R. Br. ; and many beautiful specimens of 

 Ophrys a/pifera, Huds., usually a very rare plant, were found on 

 the mountains and by the side of the lake. In the densest shade 

 of the wood, growing loosely amongst the masses of decaying 

 leaves, were small colonies of Neottia 7iidus-avis, Rch., standing 

 like ghosts in the gloom of the overshadowing branches. On 

 gently lifting the soft plant, the root came easily away, a mass of 

 succulent fibres knotted and interwoven like the branches in a 

 nest. In the open were many fine specimens of Pedicularis 

 foliosa, L., a handsome and striking species generally growing in 

 sloping pasture and always in local colonies. Rosa alpina, L., 

 was in full bloom, alongside of bushes of Coronella emerus, L. 

 High up on the wooded slopes Ranunculus lanuginosus, L., the 

 rather rare, hairy, yellow-flowered ranunculus ; and near it Arum 

 maculatum, L., the flowers of which were almost over. While far 

 up amongst the snow, amid a howling snowstorm, a perfect 

 garden of Narcissus poeticus, L., was discovered in full bloom, 

 and apparently all the better of the rough handling of Nature. 

 Ranunculus alpestris, L., was plentiful, and Aquilegia vulgaris, 

 L., and A. atrata, Koch, were in full bloom. The ordinary 

 Gentians were found all around — G. verna, L., bavarica, L., 

 acaulis, L. — intermixed with numbers of Primula farinosa, L. 



From Lucerne, Dr. Brown made his way to Innsbruck by the 

 Brenner Pass, and thence to Cortina in the heart of the Dolomite 

 country in the Ampezzo Valley. Cortina stands 4,000 feet above 



