268 Mr.J.T.Syme on some Plants observed in Orkney. 
was very limited, as we had to beat against wind and tide, and 
so did not reach the Bow (at the foot of the hill) till the after- 
noon. ‘The ascent to the hill is at first not quite so steep as 
the slope of the debris of Salisbury Crags at Edinburgh, and 
here Galium pusillum, Saxifraga aizoides and Silene acaulis were 
abundant, even at the very foot of the hill. After ascending 
about 500 feet, the red sandstone rock rises nearly perpendicu- 
larly for about 150 feet, and here we gathered Thalictrum alpi- 
num, Saussurea alpina, Oxyria reniformis, Sedum Rhodiola, and a 
Hieracium not in flower, which appeared to be H. murorum y. Law- 
soni. Above the rocks the hill is nearly bare of vegetation, and 
covered with debris, among which Dryas octopetala was growing 
in great perfection. Sazifraga oppositifolia and Draba incana 
also occur on the hill, but we had not time to look for them, as 
I was most anxious to see the station for Ajuga pyramidalis, 
found by Mr. Robert Heddel, at the Burn of Berridale. We 
accordingly descended into the valley of Rackwick, gathering 
Lycopodium annotinum on our way, and reached the Burn of 
Berridale about six o’clock in the evening. This ravine is re- 
markable as being the only place in Orkney where the birch and 
mountain-ash are to be seen growing wild. We soon found the 
Ajuga pyramidalis, which is confined to the west side of the burn 
near its mouth, and is by no means easily noticed. The barren 
plants resemble very much young plants of Digitalis purpurea, and 
they usually flower under the shelter of bushes of Calluna vulgaris. 
The plants were small, from 1-3 inches high, but were still in 
flower, while that which I had seen in Neversdale some days 
before had its seeds nearly ripe. Melampyrum pratense B. mon- 
tanum, Scirpus fluitans and Drosera anglica also occurred here, 
and Arctostaphylos Uva-ursi in great profusion. There are also 
bushes of Corylus Avellana and Hedera Helix among the rocks. 
Rubus suberectus was found by Dr. Duguid on the north-west of 
Hoy, but we had not time to visit the station before embarking 
on our return to the Bow. 
My next trip to Hoy was on the 3rd of July, when I ex- 
amined part of the south-west coast, in company with Mr. Hed- 
del. About two miles from Melsetter, Stenhammaria maritima 
occurred, and on the hills in several places Arctostaphylos alpina 
and Vaccinium uliginosum. Mr. Heddel has found Lobelia Dort- 
manna in several of the lakes in Waas, but I did not meet with 
it myself. 
On the 17th of August I again visited Howton Head, but 
found Primula scotica out of flower. I was misled by the plants 
of it m the garden at Swanbister, which came into flower at this 
time, being probably delayed in flowering by having been trans- 
planted in the sprmg. <Anagallis tenella and Habenaria viridis 
