Excursion of the Scottish Alpine Botanical Cluh. 113 



appearance to the plant gi-owing on the mica schist at Ben Laoich. 

 The walking was most monotonous. However, the mountain views 

 are grand. Een-y-Geol, in Athole, is seen to great advantage on our 

 left, and its huge bulk must give it a great mileage circumference. It 

 is said to contain twenty-three coiTies, which are a celebrated resort 

 of the red deer. Of course, it is diligently watched so that no 

 mountain prowlers ox " herb gatherers " can ever get leave to pene- 

 trate its recesses. Xo country in Europe but Scotland, with all its 

 boasted character for freedom, shuts up its mountains from the 

 public. It will soon be as diificult to get access to our most romantic 

 regions as to reach the "Wilderness of Sinai in Palestine. It is 

 proper now to show you the tracks through that forest, where no one 

 can turn or interfere with the pedestrian, to enable you to get out of 

 it. Eoute 1st is up Glen Luig and the Derry to Spey Side and 

 Abernethy ; 2nd, a branch from Glen Lui and Glen Lui Beg, round 

 the base of Cairnaveim and into the Larig Khu to Aviemore ; 3rd, 

 up Glen Dee and over the Geldy by Carnageldy to Glen Feshie 

 and Kingussie ; 4th, a branch from this near Dee and Geldy, up 

 Glen Dee, till it joins road Xo. 2, and so leads through the Pass of 

 Larig Ehu. There is properly no road to the top of Ben ]Macdhui, 

 but no objections are ever made to persons going up by the Sappers' 

 track to the Derry and Carry Ettachan, or to their returning by the 

 Ben Macdhui Burn to the Glen Lui Beg road, provided they call 

 at ]Mar Lodge, and mention their wish to do so. And of course 

 there is no objection to their descending the west face to the Larig 

 Ehu, if they choose to risk their necks, as all the upper part of the 

 Larig is beyond the deer ground. This description of routes was 

 written by the late Duke of Leeds, when lessee of !Mar Forest, in 

 answer to a letter written to him at the time on the subject, and is 

 authentic. 



To return from this digression. AVe approached a black conical 

 mountain, which shoots itself right up into space on our left, named 

 the Devil's Point. Look how it is scarred and bared by the howl- 

 ing winter storm, to which it is exposed, and its whole appear- 

 ance is repulsive in the extreme. A little beyond and behind it is 

 Cairntoul, reaUy the hnest mountain in the Highlands. From what- 

 ever side you look at it, the fine conical peak stands out pre-eiainent. 

 The height is 4200 feet. I can well recollect when ascending Brae- 

 riach a few years ago, how much I admired this mountain ; and now 

 looking from Glen Dee or Glen Lui Beg, upon its noble form and 

 fine corries, makes one wish to be more intimately acquainted with 

 it. We are sorry to observe a wooden hut, erected this year at its 

 base to keep wanderers otf. It is the latest " detective station " in 

 Glen Dee. 



TRAXS. BOT. see. VOL. XVI. H 



