188G-87.] Excursion — Scottish Alpine Botanical Club. C5 



Excursion of the Scottish Alpine Botanical Cluh to Glen 

 Spean and Fitlochrie in 1886. By William Ceaig, 

 M.D., F.RS.E., F.E.C.S.E., &c. 



The Annual Excursion of the Scottish Alpine Club in 

 1886 was to Glen Spean and Fitlochrie. 



The following members were present : — Mr W. B. Boyd, 

 Eev. G. Alison, Captain Norman, Eev. D. Paul, Dr Stuart, 

 Mr Neill Eraser, ]\Ir Evans, Mr Lindsay, and myself. The 

 Eev. W. W. Peyton of Broughty-Ferry was with the Club as 

 a visitor. 



The members left Edinburgh at six o'clock a.m. on the 

 morning of Thursday, 29th July 1886, and went by train 

 to Oban, thence by steamer to Fort William, where con- 

 veyances were waiting to drive us on to Eoy Bridge Hotel, 

 which we reached about six o'clock the same evening. 



Eoy Bridge is about 15 miles from Fort William, and 

 37 from Kingussie, and is near the junction of the Eoy 

 with the Spean. It is a convenient centre for botanising 

 the mountains in Glen Spean. The Spean river flows out 

 of Loch Laggan, and falls into Loch Lochy. The valley 

 of the Spean, especially the lower end of it, is wild 

 and grand in the extreme. The mountains on either side 

 are high, rocky, and precipitous, and the ravines of the 

 higher mountains were filled with snow. 



The highest mountains on the south side of the valley 

 are Aonach Beag, 4060 feet; Aonach Mor, 3999 feet; Stob 

 Choire Claurigh, 3858 feet; Stob Choire an Easain Mhoir, 

 3658 feet; and Stob Coire an Easain, 3545 feet. On the 

 north side of the Spean the highest mountain in this district 

 is Creag Meaghaidh, 3700 feet. The Club spent four days 

 botanising the mountains in this district, and were on the 

 summits of all the above-named mountains except Stob 

 Choire an Easain Mhoir. The weather was fine, except the 

 first day, which was very misty. The south side of the 

 Spean is chiefly deer forest, belonging" to Lord Abinger. 

 Lord Abinger, through our President, Professor Dickson, 

 kindly granted the Club full permission to examine the 

 mountains in his deer forest, and also sent his head stalker, 

 Mr Donald Cameron, to accompany us as our guide. 



TRANS. BOT. SOC. VOL. XVII. E 



