1886-87.] List of Less Comuion Plants. 79 



coal-fields of Prestongrange or the distillery of St Clement's 

 "Wells. This was in the year 1791. The castle itself is now in 

 the Prestongrange family, who have come to it through their 

 maternal ancestors, the Setons, Earls of Hyndford. 



M'Neil, inhis ' History of Tranent,' thus describes his feelings 

 as he enters these ruins, and with it I conclude : " As we enter 

 the ruins the sensation becomes even more intense : we think 

 how our feet now tread the same rough floor on which the 

 Fawsidians of old were wont to stand, and that we gaze out 

 from the same strong iron-stanchioned windows at which the 

 lords and ladies of the fortalice used to wait and watch with 

 heart and hand, ever ready to welcome a friend or oppose the 

 incursions of an enemy ; and as we musingly seek to recall the 

 loud laughter, the grim jest, or the merry song of those stern but 

 jovial retainers sitting round the wassail-bowl on a blithe Yule 

 E'en, or anon cracking their jokes while tightening their girths 

 and sharpening their swords for the bloody encounter of the 

 morrow, spectres innumerable of the departed heroes we seem 

 to see peering round every corner, or gazing out from every 

 dark nook, eagerly listening to the footfall or keenly watching 

 the scrutinising eye of the daring intruder on their ancient 

 domain. Nothing, however, is seen, save the wicked leer of 

 some limping old rat as he hies from one hiding-place to another; 

 or heard save the gentle cooing of the timid stock - dove 

 hurriedly taking its flight through the crumbling archway 

 overhead." 



XYJ.— LIST OF THE LESS COMMON PLANTS GATH- 

 ERED AT THE EXCURSLONS DURLNG 1886 

 AND 1887, WLTH LOGALLTLES. 



By Mr ANDREW MOFFAT, Secretart.i 



Thalictrum minus L. Caroline Park. 

 Ranunculus auricomus L. Eoslin. 

 Cerastium arvense L. 



This plant I was able to gather abundantly in the Queen's Park 

 on 1st June 1887. 



^ Former lists will be found in ' Transactions,' vol. i. pp. 254, 298. 



