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



tide and with a westerly wind, we sail out of Anstruther harbour for the 

 Isle of May. 



Lindores Loch is situated 2 miles south-east from Newburgh, amidst 

 a beautifully wooded and agricultural country, where hill and dale follow 

 one another in quick succession. The loch is about f mile long and 

 I mile broad, its surface being 222 feet above sea level. Its water, which 

 has a maximum depth of 10 feet, is not peaty, but turbid and dead-looking. 

 In many places there is deep, black, fetid mud upon which submersed aquatic 

 plants do not seem to flourish well. In several places, but particularly at 

 the north-west and south-east ends, as well as on the east side, there are 

 large associations of marsh plants. At other places there is a narrow strip 

 of stony or sandy-muddy shore merging into meadow-land. Such shores 

 are usually more or less overgrown with Juncus acutiflorus; this is 

 particularly the case on the west side. Along a considerable portion of the 

 east side runs the public road from Newburgh to Kirkcaldy. This is shut 

 off from the loch by a wall which usually enters the water, and no marsh 

 plants occur there. At other places on the east side there is a stony or 

 sandy shore similar to that of the west side, but usually with less 

 vegetation. In the middle of the loch there is an island formed by a 

 muddy flat, and densely overgrown with Phragmites communis. Many 

 submersed plants have a deposit of lime upon their leaves and stems, 

 and, as is commonly the case with lochs of this nature, filamentous Algse, 

 particularly Cladophora flavescens, abound. The striking features of the 

 vegetation of this loch are the lai'ge quantities of the following plants : — 

 Typha angustifolia, Glyceria aquatica, Scii-pus lacustris, Phragmites 

 communis, Phalaris arundinacea, Polygonum amphibium, Nymphsea lutea, 

 Ranunculus circinatus, R. peltatus, and Myriophyllum alterniflorum. 



At the south-east end Nympha^a lutea and Polygonum amphibium 

 cover the surface of the water. Nearer the land there are associations of the 

 following: — Glyceria aquatica, Typha angustifolia, Phragmites communis, 

 Iris Pseud-acorus, Heleocharis palustris, Equisetum limosum, and Carex 

 rostrata. Between these associations, and mixed with them, are the 

 following : — Littorella lacustris, Potamogeton natans, Sparganium simplex, 

 Menyanthes trifoliata, Mentha sativa, Alisma Plantago, Caltha palustris, 

 Radicula officinalis, Ranunculus Flammula, Carex disticha, Hydrocotyle 

 vulgaris, Hypnum cuspidatum, etc. Upon the west side, skirting the shore, 

 there are associations of Glyceria aquatica, Scirpus lacustris, and Polygonum 

 amphibium, besides a number of other plants in less abundance. From the 

 middle of the east shore a flat peninsula juts out into the loch. This is 

 considerably overgrown with Typha angustifolia (fig. 85), Heleocharis 



