392 Dr Charles Stuart on the Excursion of the 



the Clova party, Mr Alison and myself set off" and walked to 

 Braemar, six miles in an hour and a half, — not bad work 

 after a hard day's fag. We had just got to the entrance to 

 the village when the carriage arrived with our companions, 

 greatly pleased with the success of their excursion, and a 

 dinner at 10 p.m. terminated the labours of the day. 



Accompanied by Mr M'Hardy, the Club paid a visit to 

 the classic ground of Little Craigindal, in very fine weather, 

 on Friday, the 19th July. Although the mountain is named 

 Little Craigindal, it by no means answers to its designation, 

 for it is composed of a huge mountain mass, and in height 

 is only slightly lower than its bigger brother, Muckle Craig- 

 indal, which is separated from it by a deep valley, in the 

 bottom of which runs a stream, Alt-na-Vrotachan. Our 

 route lay across the Dee, and through the pine wood, behind 

 Mr M'Hardy's cottage, till we crossed the Sluggan water. 

 The track along which we walked to Bhein-a-Bhuird was 

 again followed till the second burn crossing the track was 

 reached, when, turning to the right, we followed the course 

 of the stream Alt-na-Vrotachan for about three miles. 

 Near some natviral wood on the left of the stream we 

 gathered Pyrola secunda and P. rotundifolia. Beaching the 

 outworks of the mountain, covered with the glowing purple 

 heather, which brightened the hillside, we again came on 

 abimdance of Betula nana. As we attained some eleva- 

 tion two large gray boulders were observed on the right 

 hand, near the summit of the hill. Mr M'Hardy names the 

 largest the Botanist's Stone. In common parlance it is 

 named "The Sheep," and constitutes a guide to the part of 

 the mountain on which the Astragalus alpinus grows. We 

 started the ascent, which made the walk easier, but the 

 distance is considerable — two hours' good tramp from Braemar. 

 On the hillside, below the situation of the stone, in the 

 turf, Astragalus alinnus grows in abundance. We found it 

 in fine flower, and its delicate pinky-lilac blossoms were 

 very beautiful. The roots are very long, and difficult to 

 dig up in an entire state. Near the ridge of tlie hill 

 the plants assumed an alpine smallness, but lower down 

 they were much larger, and covered a considerable space of 

 the hillside. The deer are fond of this Vetch and eagerly 

 feed upon it. On the ridge Dryas octopetala was abundant, 



