356 Excursion of the Scottish Alpine Botanical Club. 



home, whilst those that remained resolved to have an easy 

 day, sailing and botanising the sides of the loch. One party, 

 headed by the President, went with the steamer as far as 

 Portinisherrich, and securing a small boat at the inn, visited 

 Eilean nam Meann, a small island on which are the ruins of a 

 fine old castle. The ruins are grand, and well worth a visit, 

 but we had not much time to examine the botany of the 

 island. We saw abundance of Chrysanthemum imrthenium, 

 Pers. ; and on the walls of the ruins very fine specimens of 

 Asplenium trichomanes, L. The castle is considered to 

 have been an early stronghold of the Campbells of Argyll. 

 On a bank at the side of the loch, just opposite the inn, 

 we saw a quantity of a large Malva in a semi-wild condition. 

 This party returned with the steamer in the afternoon. 



Another party, headed by the Vice-President, botanised 

 the woods on the shores of Loch Awe, from the hotel 

 towards the Pass of Brander. Amongst the plants col- 

 lected may be mentioned — Hypericum Anch'oscemurti, L. ; 

 Malaxis paludosa, Sw. ; several varieties of Lomaria spi- 

 cant, Desv. ; and several good plants of Nephrodium 

 Oreoptei^is, Desv., in which each pinna ended in a point or 

 horn. Mr Boyd found six or eight plants with all the 

 pinnee in this abnormal condition. This variety is called 

 by some botanists Nephrodium Oreopteris, var. truncata. 



One of the plants found on Ben Cruachan was apparently 

 a seedling of Ajuga reptans, with variegated leaves. This 

 plant is growing in the Eoy'al Botanic Garden, and the 

 species will be correctly determined when the plant 

 flowers. 



On Friday, 7th August, the members of the Club left 

 Loch Awe for their several destinations, and this virtually 

 ended a pleasant excursion, and one which was not without 

 interest to botanists. 



