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Cuscuta epilinum twining round the stems and destroying the crop. 

 The CusciUas or dodders, of which three species are natives of Bri- 

 tain, are most troublesome weeds, which are not easily extirpated. 

 Their seeds germinate in the soil, and the plants immediately turn 

 themselves round others in their neighbourhood, becoming attached 

 to them parasitically by means of suckers, and ultimately losing their 

 connexion with the soil. They are very destructive to crops, and dif- 

 ferent species are connected with different plants. A species lately 

 imported into Britain has done much harm to the crops of clover. In 

 the lint fields Camelina sativa was also present, probably imported 

 along with the seed. 



The party walked along the shore of Machrihanish bay, passing 

 Ballochantry Kirk, Barr House (Mr. M'Alister), Glenacardock 

 Point, Linanraere Kirk, and Killian ; and reached Taynlone in the 

 evening. The rocks were chiefly micaceous and calcareous. At 

 some places, as near Barr House, the limestone is quarried, and there 

 are caves which extend to a great depth ; we entered one which ex- 

 tended about 150 feet. The road from Machrihanish bay northward, 

 runs along the shore, and enables the traveller to have a fine view of the 

 channel of Gigha, as well as of the islands of Jura and Islay. The 

 Paps of Jura form very conspicuous objects in the distance. In some 

 places near Balloshantrey and Killian, where the road winds among 

 broken, detached rocks, the scenery is romantic and interesting. At 

 Killian there is a curious old church in ruins, apparently referrible to 

 the Norman times, with round arches, coupled circular-headed win- 

 dows, and peculiar doors, made with two side stones converging up- 

 wards, and a flat stone on the top, resembling in some degree what is 

 seen in Egyptian architecture. Part of the old church is used as a 

 burying ground by the Mac Donalds of Largy. In the church-yard 

 are many old inscriptions and some curious carvings on stone. The 

 ruins are prettily situated on the banks of a stream. There is a vitri- 

 fied fort in the neighbourhood. At a little distance from the shore in 

 this quarter, and parallel to it, there runs a ridge of old red sandstone 

 rocks, and the streams coming from the higher grounds when descend- 

 ing over these rocks, give rise to numerous picturesque water-falls. 

 The plants gathered this day were, Thalictrum minus. Convolvulus 

 Soldanella, Sinapis monensis, Ranunculus sceleratus and Scirpus Savii 

 in moist places, Crambe maritima, Ligusticum Scoticum, Hypericum 

 Androsffimum, Epilobium angustifolium, Vicia sylvatica in great quan- 

 tity on the dry, stony beach, Pulicaria dysenterica, Vicia sativa on 

 sandy shores near Taynlone, Eryngium maritimum, Steenhammera 



