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Of the scenery of the Trossachs and the approach to Loch 
Katrine, Sir Walter’s oft quoted lines admirably describe it :— 
** Boon Nature scatter’d, free and wild, 
Each plant or flower, the mountain’s child. 
Herve eglantine embalm’d the air, 
Hawthorn and hazel mingled there; 
The primrose pale, the violet flower, 
Found in each cliff a narrow bower; 
Foxglove and nightshade, side by side, 
Emblems of punishment and pride, 
Group’d their dark hues with every stain 
The weather-beaten crags retain. 
With boughs that quak’d at every breath 
Grey birch and aspen wept beneath ; 
Aloft, the ash and warrior oak 
Cast anchor in the rifted rock ; - 
And, higher yet, the pine tree hung 
His shatter’d trunk, and frequent flung, 
Where seem'd the cliffs to meet on high, 
His bow athwart the narrow’d sky. 
Highest of all, where white peaks glanced, 
Where glist’ning streamers waved and danced, 
The wanderer’s eye could barely view 
The summer heaven’s delicious blue; 
So wondrous wild, the whole might seem 
The scenery of a fairy dream.” 
For some miles the route lay through natural copse interspersed 
with plantations of mixed woods, showing everywhere how well 
adapted the district is for forestry operations on an extensive and 
well-organised scale. Larch, Scots fir, and spruce all presented 
a healthy and thriving aspect, and the hardwood trees—such as 
oak and birch, which are indigenous; ash, elm, and sycamore— 
were growing with vigour in the deeper and richer soils of the 
lower parts of the country. 
The rustic pier at the foot of Loch Katrine was reached about 
9 o’clock, and the party at once stepped on board ‘‘The Lady of 
the Lake” steamer, which was in waiting to take them to 
Stronachlachar pier, about seven miles distant on the left shore 
of the loch. The waters of the loch were clear, cool, and 
sparkling in the bright morning sunshine, as “The Lady of the 
Lake” steamed away from the pretty rustic pier, and stood out 
into the middle of the bay, affording the party a splendid view of 
the bewitching Highland scenery. Towering high on the left 
