14: Transactions. 



short and the weather very unfavourable, I was still able to note 

 some interesting facts which may perhaps be of some use. First, 

 with regard to the botanical districts of the county, it is instruc- 

 tive to compare our flora with that of Derbyshire, which has been 

 • well worked out by Mr Baker. In Derbyshire Mr Baker found 

 the limits of Watson's zones to be as follows : — Infragrarian zone 

 ending at 450 feet, the midagrarian at 1050 feet, and the super- 

 agrarian at 1650 feet. I found, however, Rubus Chamcemorus, 

 which marks the upper limit of the superagrarian zone, constantly 

 appearing (on Pikethow, Causey Grain, MoodlawLoch, and near 

 Moffat) at a height of 1450 feet; that is to say, 200 feet lower 

 than it usually begins in Derbyshire. This is readily explained 

 by the difference in latitude. In Mr Lees' "Flora of West 

 Yorkshire " the manner in which the zone limits " dip " or 

 diminish in height as one travels north is very clearly brought 

 out. Assuming, then, 200 feet as the difference due to the lati- 

 tude, we should have 250 feet, 850 feet, and 1450 feet as the 

 limits of Watson's zones in Dumfriesshire. Were this the case, 

 the flora of the lowest region should extend up the Nith to 

 Drumlanrig, up the Annan to the junction of Wamphray water, 

 and as far as Langholm along the Esk. I think, however, that 

 these*limits will turn out rather too high. Probably infragrarian 

 plants will not extend so far north as this, though a good portion 

 of the county will still lie in this zone. The limits of the mid 

 and superagrarian zones I could not manage clearly to trace out, 

 but the largest portion of Dumfriesshire is certainly under 850 

 feet in altitude. There is, however, a very distinct arctic flora 

 which begins about the level of 1450 feet, and so far as I could 

 judge appears with regularity at that iieight, that is, when soil 

 and rock conditions are favourable. 



This arctic flora contains such plants as — Thalictrum, Coch- 

 learia officinalis, Cerastiiim afpinum, Ruhus chamaimorus, all the 

 Saxifrages except S. granulata, Sedum Rhodiola, Ejnlobium 

 alsinefolium, Saussurea aljnna, Hieracium iricum, and argen- 

 teum ; Ajuga pyramidalis, Polygonum vivij)arum, Avena alpina 

 Sm., Carex atrata and C. capillaris, Poa Bulfourii, Cystopteris 

 fragilis, &c. Whether, liowever, the superagrarian flora extends 

 into the ground of this arctic flora or not is a more difficult ques- 

 tion to answer. I have found almost all the commoner fonns of 

 this (superagrarian) flora by the sides of small streams and in 



