GO Dr. Ar>'ott's Botanical Excursion to the RIdnns of Galloway. 



to draw up characters which only apply to European specimens, and 

 perhaps not even to them universally. In fact, here, as in all other cases, 

 we are not first to draw up a character, and decide on what is a species ■ 

 by its accordance therewith ; but we must previously decide on what is 

 a species, and then do our best to express its limits in words. 



To the north of the castle were abundance of small species of Datieus 

 Carota, probably the same that Dr. Balfour says resembles D. maritimus. 

 The true D. maritimus, however, is a widely different plant, and is 

 certainly not a native of Scotland. Between the castle and Portpatrick 

 was abundance of a proteiform Erythrcea, sometimes resembling the common 

 state of E. centaurium, sometimes approaching E. latifoUa. On the whole, 

 however, I could not decide that there were more than one species in this 

 locality, nor am I so much inclined to rely as Greisbach and others, on 

 the proportion of the calyx to the tube of the coroUa, so as to distinguish 

 the E. latifolia from E. centarium : at first, in both, the whole bud is as 

 short as the calyx ; and when in fruit, the tube alone is considerably 

 longer than the calyx : between these two limits there are numerous 

 gradations ; besides it is extremely difficult to say what the period of com- 

 parison adopted by Greisbach is, viz., the precise time of the corolla 

 beginning to open ; and if such be the only difference between the two, it is 

 of little use, whether practically or theoretically, to attempt to distinguish 

 them. At Portpatrick, we observed abundance of Samolus Valerandi, at 

 the south end of the pier, near a large quarry; and on the pier itself, 

 Pyrdhniin maritlmum, (surely a mere variety of P. inodorum,) Coi-onoinis 

 Paidlii, and an Atrijilex, with oblong lanceolate quite entire leaves, but 

 which may be only a fonn of A. patida. Along all the west coast we met 

 with Scilla verna, or at least with its withered scapes. 



From Portpatrick we returned to Stranraer in a car. 



Galloway, or the Rhynns of Galloway, is altogether a most remarkable 

 spot, whether for its form, or for its geological appearance, or its botanical 

 productions. The name Rhynns, or Rins, is very ancient. Buchanan, 

 in his History of Scotland, notices it under the Latinified name of Rinus, 

 and says that the word means an edge or short point ; and in this sense 

 it may be traced, on the one hand, to the Greek word '?'>, and, on the 

 other, to the Gaelic word Roinn, a point or promontory. Buchanan 

 further states, that the name Galloway, or Gallovidia, is from the word 

 Gallovid, which, in the old language of the country, means a cock. If 

 this be correct, the Rhinns may be compared to its head and beak: 

 but Buchanan may have merely conjectured this from the resem- 

 blance to the Latin word GaUus, for the Gaelic for that bird is not 

 Gallovid, but Coileach : two preferable etymologies present themselves ; 

 the one, the obsolete word Cailbhe, a mouth, and hence an estuary ; the 

 other, Gailbheach, stormy, from the frequent storms to which the coast is 

 exposed. Buchanan elsewhere states, that the name was conferred on it 

 by the Irish, (when ceded to them about the year 430,) in honour of 

 their own Galwav. 



