Transactions. 17 



III. A'ofes on the Flora of WigMvnshire. By Mv James 

 M'Andrew, New-Galloway. 



As an introduction to the following notes on the Flora of 

 Wigtownshire, I shall say a few words descriptive of the county 

 itself. Wigtownshire is rhomboidal in shape, of about 30 miles on 

 each side, and is deeply indented by two large openings of the sea, 

 Loch Eyan and Bay of Luce, thus aflbrding a large extent of varied 

 sea-board in proportion to the size of the county, and also render- 

 ing the climate milder and more equable than it would otherwise 

 be. For instance, fuchsias attaining the size of tall shrubs grow 

 luxuriantly in shrubberies through the winter at such places as 

 Logan House. 



The usual divisions of the county are the Machars, the Ijroad 

 peninsula ending in Burrow Head ; the Moors, the northern part 

 of the county ; and the RJims, or western narrow peninsula. 

 These three divisions are considerably different in character. 



At the head of Wigtown Bay, Bay of Luce, and Loch Ryan 

 are extensive tidal sands, and in addition, at the head of Luce 

 Bay, on the western side, are extensive wind-blown hillocks of 

 sand bound together by Ammophila arenaria, &c., and on the moor 

 of Genoch, making an excellent rabbit warren. The remainder of 

 the coast line is generally irregular, and in some parts, as near 

 Burrow Head and the IMull, it is rocky and precipitous, while in 

 other parts, as about Port-William, the coast is shingly. Sandy 

 bays occur occasionally, and in these are found the best sea shore 

 plants. No county rises so little above the level of the sea as 

 Wigtown, yet its surface is varied by many heights, which on the 

 Ayrshire border are about 1000 feet high, while those scattered 

 throughout the county are considerably under that elevation. One 

 of the striking features of the county is the great number of fresh 

 water lochs, and another is the wide stretches of marshy, mossy, 

 and boggy ground called " ffows." A great extent of the inland 

 part of the Machars, and most of the Moors, is composeil of this 

 unprofitable kind of ground, still undrained. The most fertile 

 districts are near the coast, as at Stranraer, Wigtown, Whithorn, 

 Port-William, and the lihins generally. The most prevalent rock 

 is greywacke or whinstone of the silurian system, and the soil is 

 generally thin, though barley, oats, wheat, beans, &c., are culti- 

 vated on the richer ground. 



The Flora of Wigtownshire, from a botanical, physical, and 

 territorial poiut of view, should have been included in that of 



