492 ti;axsactions and troceedings of the [sess. mh. 



Scottish SvcAMoitEs. — Newbattle Sycamore. — There 

 is a larger sycamore here tlian any recorded above, 

 although it is in a very ruinous condition. On 3rd 

 Xovember 1892, I measured it carefully with the assist- 

 ance of Mr. F. lihenius Coles. It has a short " bumpy " 

 stem, 34 feet in girth, where it springs, without buttresses, 

 from the ground. A little higher it is 30 feet. It then 

 suddenly narrows to 21 feet 9 inches at 4 feet, but rises 

 again to a considerable height with little or no diminution. 

 The narrowest I could get, where also most free from 

 bumps, was 2 1 feet 4 inches at 6 feet 8 inches up. This 

 is apparently the tree described by Dr. Walker in 1789 as 

 still sound, but with an aspect of great antiquity, measur- 

 ing 24 feet 4 inches at 2^ feet, and 18 feet 7 inches at 4 

 feet. 



KipPENiiOSS Sycamore. — Mr. Hutchison mentions this 

 as long reputed to be " the largest tree in Scotland," and 

 said to be 22 feet 6 inches in girth at 5 feet up in 1798. 

 It was snapped across by a gale, a few feet from the 

 ground, not many years ago. Probably it is the same tree 

 as that described by Sir E. Christison in 1880. A plate 

 on the trunk certifies its girth at the narrowest point to 

 have been 19 feet 6 inches, and he found it still to 

 measure 18 feet (i inches at 5 feet uj), notwithstanding an 

 evident loss of substance. 



Castle-Menzies Sycamoke. — Sir Itobert Menzies has 

 sent me, December 1892, the following girths of his finest 

 specimen: — At 1 foot, 28 feet 4 inches; at 3 feet, 22 feet 

 9 inches ; at 5 feet, 1 9 feet 2 inches. 



English Sycamores. — Perhaps tlie species was, formerly 

 at least, not such a favourite in England as in Scotland, as 

 Mr. Strutt seems to liave been struck with tlie beauty of 

 the Scottish specimens. His only English example, at 

 Cobham Park, was 2G feet in girth at the ground, and 94 

 feet higli. 



Pate ok (iiinii-lNcjREASE. 

 I'he mature sycamore does not lend itself well to 



