1899-1900.] Second Bryological Excursion to Ben Lawers. 73 
attention to one of the finest cloud scenes any one could 
witness. Here we were above the clouds, about 3700 feet 
above sea-level, and, looking south-east, the glen and Loch 
Tay for miles—in fact, as far as the eye could reach—were 
completely covered by a stratum of clouds, practically level, 
but with a broken, rolling surface, while three or four 
mountain-tops stood up through the clouds, like islands in 
a sea. If we had not known where we were, it would have 
been hard to believe that it was not a sea dotted with islands 
that we beheld. In about an hour the clouds began to dis- 
appear, when we could get glimpses of Loch Tay and the glen 
through them. 
_ Here, on the crags, there was a perfect flower-garden. I 
had never before seen the globe-flower (7'rollius ewropeus) in 
its native habitat, and did not expect to find it so high 
up and on rocky crags, yet here it was by the thousand, and 
with flowers very much resembling mandarin oranges in shape 
and size, though not in colour, as the globe-flower is a bright 
lemon. The stalks were from eighteen to twenty-four inches 
in height, with flowers in all stages, from the bud to the full 
bloom. Mixed with the globe-flower were large patches of 
the bright pink Silene acaulis, with here and there a little 
tuft of intense blue Myosotis alpestris, and numerous beds 
of Cerastium alpinum with its pure white flowers; so that 
with blue, pink, white, and yellow, the effect was very fine. 
On the crags here I gathered good pieces of Myurella julacea 
and Pylaisia polyantha: the latter is not common. Hylo- 
comium pyrenaicum is a very rare moss, only found on two 
or three of the highest Scottish mountains. Here also were 
got Ancectangium Mougeotii and A. Lapponicum, besides a very 
large variety of the former. A. Lapponicum is a pretty little 
moss when in fruit, but does not show well when mounted. 
Coming down a little after 8 a.m. we had breakfast, and at 
9.30 started for the summit of Ben Lawers. I went up the 
north-east side of the mountain this time, as I wished to visit 
the snow-wreaths on that side. On the way I got two or 
_ three good Hypnums. After reaching the first snow-wreath 
—s - 
I was rather disappointed in my finds. Owing to the drought 
and heat the wreath was much reduced, and for a width of 
several yards around it there was not a vestige of living 
