230 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 



comparatively poor, and we have to walk on to Cam Chreag 

 before we again come to interesting plants. Here we find for 

 the first time in some profusion Dryas octopetala, that plant 

 which has been the guiding star of all botanists who have 

 written of immigration. It is a purely and typically arctic 

 plant, although it is found in Ireland and England as well as with 

 us. There is a difi'erence worthy of mention, however. In 

 Scotland it seems to grow and hold its place as well as in Norway, 

 but this cannot be said of the specimens I have seen from 

 Ireland and England. Blytt speaks of it as growing on the mica 

 and black schists in Norway. In England and Ireland it occurs 

 on the mountain limestone, while in Scotland it seems to occur 

 near to, if not on the mica schists and limestone outcrops. 



It does not occur on the phylites, and where we saw it in 

 Norway it seemed to be on clay slate, though from the appear- 

 ance of the rocks, soil, and associated plants, I would say that the 

 rocks contained a very large percentage of calcareous matter. 

 Here again, for the second and last time, we come across Gentiana 

 nivalis, and Arenaria sulcata, together with a few plants of 

 Sagina nivalis, one small patch of Cystopteris montana, and all 

 alono- the base of the detritus Kobresia caricina in some 

 abundance. In the marshy places near the summit Equisetum 

 alpestre finds its eastern limit. The large Coire of Fionn Lairige, 

 once so richly clothed with alpine forms of Hieracia, is now 

 almost barren, these having been cleaned out by a few rapacious 

 collectors. On Creag na Caillich we again meet with some of 

 the rare species. Erophila injlata is here in great plenty, two 

 very fine patches of Dryas octopetala, small plants of Sagina 

 nivalis are now and again met with, and many of the common 

 alpine plants grow to great perfection. Beinn a' Bhuic is poor, 

 Meall Dhuin Croisg has nothing to make it worth mentioning 

 unless its patch of Alsine verna. Meall Ghaordie is another of our 

 comparatively barren mountains, Loisduria procumhens, Car ex 

 rupestris, and Cystopteris montana being the only plants worth 

 noting. Meall Taurnie is interesting for its marsh plants, but 

 few rare alpine flowering plants are found upon it; Creag nam 

 Bodach has a very promising appearance, and here the Alpine 

 Willows grow in great profusion, but again we look in vain for 

 the rarer alnine flowering plants. The rocks and bogs at the 



