148 Mr G. Doit's Specimen of Holy Grass. [Sess. 



lena Bay ; and Professor Newton states that from what he saw 

 himself in Spitzbergen, he does not feel justified in treating 

 this estimate as an exaggeration. 



The present appearance of the bird in the Firth of Forth — 

 for there is undoubtedly a considerable number of them in 

 these waters — is a good opportunity for watching their move- 

 ments. Thanks to the Wild Birds Protection Act, the little 

 auk will be safe from the gun in other two days, and it is 

 just possible that some may remain in the vicinity of the Bass 

 Rock. In any case, it will be interesting to note when they 

 leave our waters, and some efforts should be made to trace 

 their movements seawards. 



I may add that to the seafaring men of Queensferry and 

 neighbourhood this bird is known as the storm petrel. 



[Of the two specimens exhibited, one was from the Firth of Forth at 

 Dalmeny Park, and the other, which was assuming the summer plumage 

 011 the breast, was from Loch Screidan, on the west coast of Mull.] 



At the meeting of March 27, 1895, papers were read by 

 Mr Hugh Fraser on " Varieties of Heather (Calluna vulgaris)," 

 and by Mr Alex. Campbell on " The Starling." 



IX.— MB G. BON'S SPECIMEN OF HOLY GRASS. 



By The SECRETAEY. 



(Read April %fy, 1895.) 



This specimen of the holy grass was found by Mr G. Don 

 in Forfarshire in the beginning of the present century. The 

 discovery of this grass in Britain caused much excitement at 

 the time among botanists, the most eminent of whom declared 

 that the plant was not indigenous to this country. The 

 locality where it was supposed that Don had got it — viz., 

 Glen Cally, in the Clova mountains — had been carefully 

 examined in 1842-43 by the most distinguished botanists, 

 but without success. The plant had been admitted into the 



