30 RECORDS OF EXCURSIONS IN AYRSHIRE. 



curious flowers. It grows against a 14 feet wall, which it covers 

 to the top, and measures in circumference of trunk, 1 foot 8| 

 inches at 7 inches. The exposure is south and the spread, 32 

 feet and 29 feet 9 inches on the respective sides of the trunk. 



After visiting the pond, with its black and white swans, its 

 potamogetons, etc., and inspecting some beautiful shrubs of white- 

 flowered broom, which unfortunately require to be protected from 

 the rabbits with wire netting — otherwise there seems no reason 

 why it ought not to grow as freely as the yellow-flowered one — 

 the party left the policies by the Swinton Gate and proceeded 

 to Kirkoswald to have a look at " Tarn o' Shanter's " grave, 

 passing from thence on to Crossraguel Abbey — a large part of 

 which is still in a fair state of repair. Here the great celandine 

 {Chelidoniutn majus) was found in flower. 



The day being exceedingly fine, over sixty plants were noted in 

 flower; the rarest finds being Alexanders {Smyrnium Olusatrum), 

 Vicia sylvatica in leaf, Fedia olitoria, Cerastiitm tetrandrum, and 

 the sea splenwort (Asplenium marinuvi). 



The Spring Holiday of 1893 (3rd April) was spent by forty-one 

 members of the Society in the district to the south of Ayr, 

 Cambusdoon being the first place visited. Here a beech, situated 

 about 100 yards from the gate, was found to be 12 feet 10 inches 

 at 4 feet 4 inches, and at the gate a large shrub of the sea 

 buckthorn {Hippophce rhavinoides) was examined. The flowering 

 currant {Ribes sanguineuni) and the jasmine (/asmt'num nudifloruvi) 

 were in bloom, and a fair sized specimen of the Corstorphine plane 

 was already in foliage in an adjoining park. The leopard's bane 

 (Doronia/m Pardalianches) was in flower in several parts of the 

 policies, and a number of fine shrubs and trees were noted. 



The way to the Castle of Newark was by Alloway Kirk and the 

 Auld Brig o' Doon ; the avenue leading to the castle being 

 bordered by two rows of fine silver fir trees. The remains of the 

 dule or hanging tree are still preserved as the centre-piece to a 

 rockery. Near the castle a Spanish chestnut {Castanea vulgaris) 

 was measured and found to be 17 feet 6 \ inches at 4 feet. A 

 Scots fir (Pinus sylvestris) near it was 12 feet 1 inch at 4 feet. 

 As Newark is situated some distance above the low ground, a 

 fine view to the north and north-west is obtained from it, and this 

 is considerably enhanced by ascending to the top of Newark Hill. 



