108 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [Sess. lxxvii. 



parts from the prevailing winds. In these woods the 

 beech is often uprooted by storms, and examination of 

 some of the root systems has revealed that the roots are 

 oftentimes superficial, spreading out all round but not 

 sending down strong anchorage into the soil. 



The trees occurring in the mixed deciduous woods are : 

 Fraxinus excelsior, Linn, (ash) ; Quercus Robur, Linn, (oak) ; 

 Ulmus montana, Stokes (elm) ; Pyrus Aucuparia, Ehrh. 

 (rowan) ; Crataegus Oxyacantha, Linn, (hawthorn) ; Sam- 

 bucus nigra, Linn, (elder) ; Corylus Avellana, Linn, (hazel) ; 

 Prunus Padus, Linn, (bird cherry) ; Primus spinosa, 

 Linn, (sloe); Salix, spp. (willows). Sycamore and horse- 

 chestnut are also met with in the plantations. 



Birch Woods. — There is some extent of birch (Betula) 

 in the districts of Fortisset, Hartwood, and Dykehead, and 

 in the estate of Murdostoun. To the north-east, in the 

 neighbourhood of Harthill, at a height of between 600 and 

 700 feet, there are three much-depleted woods of small 

 extent. The farthest out, towards the east, consists of 

 about two dozen stunted and contorted trees with some 

 scores of old stumps. To the south-west of this there is 

 another wood with many more trees and fewer stumps, 

 and still farther to the south-west are traces of an old 

 birch wood. These are probably the remains of what was 

 originally a much greater extent of birch. No conifers 

 seem to be present in any of these remnants. The trees are 

 growing in peat of some depth — one of the characteristics 

 of the birch being its adaptability to acidity of soil due to 

 humus formation. Seedlings of both the birch itself and 

 mountain ash are frequent in the birch woods generally. 

 The herbaceous undergrowth is that of the adjoining heath, 

 Calluna occupying much of the ground in the opener and 

 drier woods. 



Coniferous Woods. — The dominant tree is the Scots 

 pine (Pinus sylvestris, Linn.). The most extensive develop- 

 ment of the pine is to be found in the south-west of the 

 parish, in the district of Fortisset, Dykehead, and Hart- 

 wood, and on the estate of Murdostoun ; but such woods 

 are to be found all over the district. Some of the planta- 

 tions are old and have undergone, and are undergoing, 

 decay, while others have but recently been planted. In 



