126 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. [Sess. 



communis (fig. 44) in some of the bays, the Httoral flora is very scanty. 

 Potamogeton polygonifolius and Juncus fluitans were the only submerged 

 Phanerogams occurring in abundance near the margin, but as there was no 

 boat available, I am unable to state what the result of dredging might have 

 been. The submersed rocks near the shores, as well as those exposed, 

 frequently exhibited a wealth of Bryophytes : Scapania undulata, Nardia 

 compressa, and N. emarginata were particularly luxuriant on many sub- 

 mersed rocks, as well as upon those dripping with water from the clifls 

 above. By their charm of colour and exuberant growth, the following 

 were very conspicuous at the western margin of the loch : — Breutelia 

 arcuata, Tricliostomum tortuosum, Rhacomitriura protensum, R. lanugi- 

 nosum, Hyocomium flagellare, Anthelia julacea, and various species of 

 Sphagnum, particularly S. cymbifolium. Lichens were also abundant on 

 the exposed rocks, especially a species of Collema. In some places sub- 

 mersed rocks were covered with a felty, mat-like growth of Algae, which, 

 upon careful examination, proved to be a mixture of three Mj^xophycea3 — 

 Scytonema mirabile, Stigonema ocellatum, and Dichothrix Nordstedtii. 



Loch Minnoch is a mile N. of Loch Dungeon. It is only I mile 

 long, and is beautifully situated amidst rugged hills. The water is very 

 clear, being, in fact, that of Loch Dungeon, which flows into it by the 

 Hawse Burn. This burn, which enters the loch on its south side, has 

 brought in a large amount of detrital matter, causing a shallow area and a 

 considerable bog on that side of the loch (fig. 45). This shallow part is 

 overgrown with Equisetum limosum, etc., whilst the bog, which is covered 

 with appropriate vegetation, merges imperceptibly into moor. The west 

 shore is peaty, and it, together with the south shore, forms a suitable habitat 

 for a considerable number of plants, such as associations of Scirpus lacustris, 

 Phragmites communis, Equisetum limosum, Carex rostrata, Heleocharis 

 palustris, Eriophorum polystachion, E. vaginatum, as well as mixed groups 

 of common but less dominant plants. The north and east shores are rocky 

 and bear a very scanty vegetation. Rhacomitrium aciculare and Blindia 

 acuta are abundant on submerged rocks ; so also is an aquatic form of 

 Catharinea undulata, which covers submerged rocks to a depth of a foot or 

 more. Dicranella squarrosa, Hypnum vernicosum, H. scorpioides, and 

 others are common on the shores. 



Loch Harrow is rather larger than the last mentioned, and about 

 ^ mile north of it. The surface is 812 feet above sea level, and the 

 maximum depth is 29 feet. The shores are more stony and there are fewer 

 associations of littoral plants, otherwise it is similar to Loch Minnoch. 

 The moor about the three last-mentioned lochs is mostly covered with 



