170 Proceedingcs of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. [Seas. 



water level was abnormally high (fig. 111). Salix repens covers the higher 

 portions of the shore in some places at the west end. 



A little to the east of Harperleas is Ballo Reservoir, both being situated 

 on an upland plateau which forms the south flank of the East and West 

 Lomond Hills. These reservoirs are surrounded by moor of the grass or 

 heather type, or by a superior pasture-land which is due to cultivation. 

 Harperleas Reservoir is treeless, but Ballo has a plantation of conifers upon 

 its south-west shore (fig. 112). There are also a few plantations in the 

 neighbourhood of the reservoirs, which pleasingly relieve the sameness of 

 the moor, and add a picturesque charm to this pleasant, although small, 

 stretch of upland country. 



Ballo Reservoir has a somewhat pear-shaped outline, with the narrow 

 end towards the south-east, in both of which respects it resembles Loch 

 Leven on a small scale. It is about a mile long by h mile wide at the 

 broadest part. In general features it much resembles Harperleas Reservoir, 

 but there is less variety in the species of plants. At the north-west end 

 there is an extensive peaty-muddy flat, covered with an association of 

 Juncus efiusus. This flat area extends out into the loch for some distance, 

 and in the dry season is exposed by the falling of the water (fig. 112). It 

 is covered with Littorella lacustris, Heleocharis acicularis, and Juncus 

 fluitans, all of which assume the terrestrial habit when the water has 

 receded. At the same end of the loch, but nearer the north side, Hydrocotyle 

 vulgaris extends over a considerable area and forms a dense sward. 

 Equisetum limosum forms a zone along a portion of the north shore, as at 

 Harperleas Reservoir, behind which there is a strip of boggy ground 

 covered with Carex, etc., and at one place there is an association of Typha 

 latifolia. The shore along the north and east is flat and peaty, and a wide 

 strip of it, exposed by the falling of the water (fig. 113), was more or less 

 covered with Juncus fluitans, which was reverting towaixls the terrestrial 

 type. Time did not permit ine to make use of the boat at either of these 

 reservoirs ; but as the water was very low when I was there, probably there 

 were few plants in the water that could not be observed by other means. 



Besides those already mentioned, the following species were more or less 

 common to both lochs : — Chara f ragilis, var. delicatula, Fontinalis antipyretica, 

 Myriophyllum alterniflorum, Ranunculus aquatilis, Potamogeton natans, P. 

 polygonifolius, Heleocharis palustris. Polygonum amphibium, Callitriche 

 hamulata, C. stagnalis, Comarum palustre, Mentha aquatica, M. sativa, 

 Carex rostrata, C. Goodenovii, C. flava, Juncus supinus, J. acutiflorus, J. 

 lamprocarpus, J. eft'usus, J. bufonius, Myosotis palustris, Caltha palustris, 

 Peplis Portula, Veronica scutellata, Gnaphalium uliginosum, Ranunculus 



