Floi'a of Berivickshire. 21 



insulated trap rucks of volcanic origin, the princii)al 

 of wbicli are felspar, porphyry trap-tufa, and amygda- 

 loid. Towards Pettycurwick, a small inlet on the other 

 side of the valley, to the north, the Silurian rocks are again 

 seen. The plants growing on the two sides of the valley 

 are quite in keeping with the geological character of the 

 ground, Arenaria verna growing in great profusion among 

 the unstratified trap rocks of the head ; while on the op- 

 posite side of the valley not a plant of it is to he seen. 

 The Hypericum humifusum, again, is observed on the strati- 

 fied rocks of the other side of the valley, only a few yards 

 off, but never near the Arenaria. The banks at Colding- 

 ham Bay, about two miles farther along the coast, are 

 covered in spring with a profusion of Primula elatior, 

 Thalidrum minus, Astragalus hypo glottis, and Orchis 

 mascula — sometimes with white flowers. Near Eye- 

 mouth, at Gunsgreen, Scilla verna still flourishes ; and at 

 Ale Mill, in the Whitfield Woods, about two miles from 

 Eyemouth, Corallorhiza innata ; the coral root is plenti- 

 ful, growing in a poor, grey, clayey soil, and is a most 

 interesting plant. A mile or two farther south is the 

 picturesque fishing village of Burnmouth, with a steep ravine 

 situated immediately behind it ; here we have Arabis 

 hirsutus, Astragalus glycyphyllus, Viola hirta, Arabis 

 thalianujyi, and all along the coast splendid masses of Vicia 

 sylvatica. The Silurian rocks cease as we approach Burn- 

 mouth, and the lower Carboniferous sandstone, clay iron- 

 stone and shale are met with as we approach Berwick. 



Berwickshire may be divided into two parts — the higher 

 and the lower. Lammermoor constitutes the higher part 

 of the county, while the Merse will serve us botauically 

 as a designation for the flat or How of Berwickshire. 

 Among the hills, Lammerlaw reaches the height of 1500 

 feet ; Spartleton, wdiich is just over the boundary, is 1600; 

 Sayerslaw, 1500 • The Dirringtonlaw, 1145, and many others 

 attain a considerable altitude. The whole region has been 

 but imperfectly examined relative to its botany, and still 

 afi'ords a promising field to any scientific observer. The 

 northern slopes of Lammermoor, which are just outside the 

 boundary, contain deans of the most romantic character as 

 to scenery, and are full of good plants and ferns, such as 

 Cystopferis frarfili<i^ which growls in rare beauty, with Mclica 



