1886-87.] the Scottish Alpine Botanical Club. 71 



at page 354 Mr J. Carroll, in reply to Mr Baker, uses these 

 words — " The Scottish specimens may belong to true ccespi- 

 tosa, which is abundant in Ireland; but Irish S. ccespitosa 

 and S. hirta are evidently only luxuriant forms of hyimoides." 

 To this Mr Baker replies in these words : — " I am informed 

 by Mr Watson that this plant was gathered by Dr Martin 

 Barry, in 1832, on Ben Avon. As I never heard that Dr 

 Barry collected it more than once, it is probable that the 

 station on the Clova mountains, which I gave at p. 281, on the 

 authority of the note copied on the sheet with the specimens 

 in the Kew Herbarium, is incorrect, and I would consider 

 that this Ben Avon station for the plant is the only one in 

 Scotland yet ascertained that rests upon a safe foundation." 

 There is abundant evidence that Beinn A'Bhuird is a station 

 for this Saxifrage, for that collected by Mr M'Nab was 

 undoubtedly the true plant ; and this mountain in Glen 

 Spean is a third station " that rests upon a safe foundation." 

 In a letter from Mr Baker he says — " I was at Edinburgh 

 last September, and Mr Lindsay showed me your Glen Spean 

 plant alive. It is clearly the true thing." The plant we 

 found is undoubtedly the true S. cmspitosa, L. ; and although 

 common in many Arctic regions, such as Iceland and the 

 Faroe Isles, it is exceedingly rare in the British Isles, being- 

 only found in a few stations in Scotland, and in no case 

 abundantly. Although by no means common in the Glen 

 Spean station, yet from the published records it evidently is 

 more luxuriant and more abundant there than on any of the 

 other recorded stations. 



I have endeavoured to find out the dates of the discovery 

 of this plant in Scotland, but in this I have not been very 

 successful. Professor Babington, in a letter to me, says — 

 " Hooker, in 1821, seems to have had specimens gathered by 

 G. Don {Scot. Fl., pt. i. 32). In 1830 Mr M'Nab gathered 

 it on Beinn A'Bhuird. In 1831 Mr M'Kenzie found it on 

 Ben Avon." 



In the herbarium of Rev. Dr Gordon, of Birnie, there is a 

 specimen labelled " Ben Avon, August 1831." The plant 

 was collected by Mr W. Stables, and the label is in Mr 

 Stables' handwriting. Mr Stables is still alive, but is too 

 old to remember anything concerning this find. It is possible 

 that he was the original discoverer of the plant on Ben Avon, 



