114 Eficursio'th of the, Scottish Alpine Botanical Club. 



Our lost guide put in an appearance at the cairn, in no very 

 agreeable frame of mind. Facing round towards the north-east 

 he led us to the skirts of an extensive snow field, 10 feet deep at 

 least, where we had some snow-balling, and descended- The margin 

 of a spring issuing from the snow consisted of oozy fringes of mess 

 and Jungermannia, amongst which we noticed Cephalozia albescens 

 and Ardhelia Jalacea, large purple patches of Scapania nliginosa 

 and Xardia corapressa, and light green, dark orange and purple beds 

 of Sphagna ; while by the banks and among the stones we saw dark 

 pat<5hes of AndroML nivalin and the lurid green and purple beds 

 of Bryam D-avfjRl. Gaining a sort of poacher's path among the huge 

 boulders scattered around, we got to the Sfoelter Stone or Clach 

 Dian, which seems to have fallen from the precipice above, and 

 rests on several large rocks : itself as big as a house, and under its 

 roof capable of sheltering 15 men, more or less. This shelter, rough 

 as it is, has been a welcome sight to many a weary traveller, over- 

 taken by the storm in this desolate region. Most visitors to Loch 

 Avon, "Wells of Dee, Ben ilacdhui and Cairngorm, spend the 

 night here. As we preferred to get home if possible, we did not do 

 so, but all entering drank to the health of our Venerable President, 

 Professor Balfour [" now gone over to the majority"], who in former 

 years spent the night here, and made tea for his companions in a 

 big kettle. BotanicaUy, this is classic ground, for most of our great 

 scientific men have been here in the pursuit of their favourite 

 science. Having descended thousands of feet to the Shelter Stone, 

 the guide pointing up the side of Ben-a-main, showed me the slack 

 on the plateau to make for. On the table-land above the loch 1800 

 feet, the ground was carpeted with the trailing mountain Azalea in 

 beautiful flower, which one only on the Cairngorm range sees in 

 perfection. We at length caught sight of Loch Ettachan, a black 

 mountain tarn, out of which issues the Derry from its southern 

 extremity. The guide now informs us that we have 10 miles hard 

 tramp to Glen Derry Lodge. I am inclined to state the miles 

 traversed at 30. Our route by Glen Lui Beg was no easy way to 

 Ben ^facdhui, and the ground was the roughest in Scotland. The 

 vegetation on the summit of the Ben was hardly worth mentioning — 

 Luzula arcaata and spicata, Carex rigida, and Salix herha^ea. Mr 

 Boyd gathered P^roZa secunda near Glen Deny, and Carex filiformis 

 in a pool in the wood near Glen Derry Lodge ; also Drosera anglica 

 var. ohocoia near base of mountain, Cera-itium trigynum was sent 

 to me by my Liverpool friend from Wells of Dee, where Cero-stium 

 latl/oUum is also got. Drya^ oiiiopttala and Saiissurea alpina are 

 also obtained on the mountain. 



Tuesday, 1th Aug^xst. — Another excursion to Corry Ceann-mohr 



