1886-87.] Dr James Gilchrist. 7 



brother, made an excursion to the botanically classic ground 

 of Clova, he was struck with the extreme rarity of many of 

 the plants, and by the fact that some of them were entirely 

 limited to that district, and that these limits were of the 

 most confined nature ; and he was led to consider whether 

 any light might be thrown on the subject by a special study 

 of the rocks of those portions of the district where sucli 

 isolated species of plant-life occurred. He confined himself 

 to this one inquiry, for which he was peculiarly fitted by 

 his thorough knowledge of geology. He was, however, too 

 sensible and intelligent to suppose that the study of any one 

 aspect of the case would be sufficient to solve the difficulty, 

 for, as he himself fi'ankly owns, " the problem is very difficult 

 of solution from its extreme complexity, involving as it does 

 not only an accurate knowledge of the plant itself, in its 

 living and dead state, its anatomy, its physiology, its 

 chemistry, but also its entire relation to whatever can 

 modify its growth — to the soil on which it grows, to the 

 air which it breathes, to the sun which gives it light, to the 

 rain, dew, or snow which afford it moisture, to the electrical 

 conditions which influence its chemico- vital affinities; in 

 short, its relations to fire, air, earth, and water." His 

 observations were necessarily limited, but included the sub- 

 jacent rocks of Oxytropis campestris, Lychnis alpina, Gentiana 

 nivalis, and in the following year at Braemar, Astragalus 

 al2nnus; and the two following conclusions were reached : — 

 " 1st, that each plant was limited in its range to a rock of 

 the same specific character ; and, 2nd, that in one case in 

 which the examination was completed, the limits of the 

 plant's distribution and those of the rock possessing such 

 character were identical," He then meets some possible 

 objections, and concludes with the judicious suggestion, that 

 geologist, mineralogist, meteorologist, and analytical chemist 

 should all be associated with the botanist in such an 

 investigation. 



At Montrose he made many friends, more especially 

 among those who were fond of natural history pursuits, as 

 he and Mr Alexander Croall were the chief supporters of the 

 Scientific Institute of that town. 



After the passing of the Lunacy Act for Scotland in ISST, 

 Dr Browne was at once chosen as one of the commissioners, 



