74 Second Bryological Excursion to Ben Lawers.  |Sess. 
vegetation, showing that the snow was seldom off that part; 
and where mosses were present, the great heat had caused 
them to grow so tall and straggling, after their long rest under 
the snow, that they were quite unrecognisable. Between this 
and the summit I got some extra fine bits of Polytrichum 
sexangulare and Conostomum boreale, both of which I gathered 
last year, but in small bits: in fact, P. sexangulare was very 
small, but those now shown are as fine as a specimen I possess 
which was gathered in Norway. It is only found on Ben 
Nevis and Ben Lawers, and is said to fruit only on the former, 
but I now got it in fruit on Ben Lawers. 
It was 1.30 p.m. before I got to the summit of the 
mountain, where I found everything dried up by the three 
weeks’ drought. Here I got Hypnum sulcatum. Returning 
by the usual path down the east side, I gathered fine 
specimens of Hypnum trifarium, Tetraplodon bryoides, and 
Gymnocybe palustre, the last in fine fruit. Getting down 
to Lochan-a-Chait, I explored the upper portion of the 
glen, but did not get anything new. 
Next morning we started for the west glen,— Allt an tuim 
Bhric. To visit this glen was the principal reason for my 
going at this time, as 1 was informed that there are some 
very fine mosses to be found in it, and also that here 
Gentiana nivalis grows. So I was counting upon some good 
finds; but the well-known couplet— 
“The best-laid schemes o’ mice and men 
Gang aft a-gley ”— 
was verified in my case, as I have not yet explored the west 
glen. After a long tramp we reached it. I left Mr Harrison 
and Mr Russell to do some cooking, and made a start, but had 
not gone more than half a mile when a thick mist set in, and 
in a very short time a heavy rain, so that I could see nothing, 
and therefore returned, to the amazement of my friends, as I 
was to be away for five or six hours. Although still fair 
here, it soon began to rain, and as there was no shelter we 
started for Finlarig, a walk of about seven miles, in a regular 
downpour of rain. It faired just as we reached Finlarig 
wood, where we kindled a large fire and dried our clothes. 
Next morning was fine, so I started for Creag-na-Caillich, and, 
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