IGG Proceedings of the Koyal Society of Edinburgh. [Sess. 



Fontinalis antipyretica on submersed stones, but chiefly at the north side 

 of the loch. There is a small association of Scirpus lacustris on the south 

 side and a few plants elsewhere, but they are all rather dwarfed, standing 

 only about 3 feet high out of the water. Phragmites communis is re- 

 presented by a few sparse and dwarfed patches at the marshes. Carex 

 aquatilis is extremely abundant and covers large areas of marsh ; when 

 growing in water it is 8 feet high, but in drier places it only attains half 

 that size (fig. 104). The following marsh plants also occur at this loch : — 

 Equisetum limosum, Hippuris vulgaris, Heleocharis palustris, Sparganium 

 ramosum, S. simplex. Iris Pseud-acorus, Alisma Plantago, Epilobium 

 hirsutum, Carex rostrata, C. Goodenovii, Comarum palustre, Menyanthes 

 trifoliata, Mj^osotis palustris, Phalaris arundinacea, Juncus acutiflorus, J 

 eftusus, J. glaucus, J. bufonius and its var. fasciculatus, Galium palustre, 

 Veronica scutellata, Pedicularis palustris, Mentha aquatica, M. sativa, M. 

 arvensis, Caltha palustris. Ranunculus Flammula, E({uisetum arvense, E. 

 palustre, Angelica sylvestris. Spiraea Ulmaria, and Deschampsia csespitosa. 

 Hepatics are scarce, but a number of mosses are common in the marshes, 

 the following being the most abundant : — Climacium clendroides, Hypnum 

 stramineum, H. cuspidatum, H. stellatum, Hylocomium squarrosum, and 

 Aulacomnium palustre. 



Town Loch, which is only a few hundreds of yards long, is about 2 

 miles north of Dunfermline, and close to the mining village of Townhill. 

 At the time of my visit the water had fallen several feet owing to dry 

 weather, and a large expanse of uninviting shore composed of sandy gravel, 

 mud, and coal-dust, was exposed. At the full water level there is a zone of 

 vegetation composed chiefly of plants of the damp meadow type, with which 

 are mixed some of those species usually associated with the shores of a loch. 

 The water is extremely foul, as the loch is used as a receptacle for sewage. 

 It is, in fact, little more than a large and dirty horse-pond. The bottom 

 at the centre is somewhat raised, and I could see from the margin that this 

 part was covered with aquatic plants. There is no boat at this loch, how- 

 ever, and I did not feel inclined for a swim in the filthy water, although, at 

 one end, a number of urchins were disporting themselves with great gusto. 

 These I approached, and by the judicious distribution of a few coppers 

 amongst them heaps of plants from different parts of the loch were quickly 

 brought to shore. There were, however, only two species, viz. Chara f ragilis, 

 the type form in a very prolific condition, and a robust form of Potamogeton 

 flabellatus. At the west end there was a large association of Polygonum 

 amphibium, and smaller ones of Equisetum limosum and Carex rostrata. 

 Some parts of the exposed shore were covered with Agrostis vulgaris, 



