301 



choraan we found Sinapis alba, Listera ovata, Habenaria viridis and 

 Gentiana Amarella, both blue and white. In the church-yard of Kil- 

 choman there are some curious grave-stones, and an old cross similar 

 to one in the main street of Campbelton. It is said, indeed, that the 

 latter was originally taken from Islay. At Kilchoman our party sepa- 

 rated into two divisions, one proceeding along the shore, and the other 

 going inland to examine the marshy ground in the vicinity of Loch 

 Gurim or Gurm. The shore party was, upon the whole, most success- 

 ful, having picked Mentha rubra, Gentiana Amarella, Convolvulus Sol- 

 danella, Malva sylvestris, Conium maculatum, Epilobium virgatum 

 already noticed in the Cantyre trip, and Equisetum Telmateia of 

 Ehrhart.* The latter plant is the Equisetum fluviatile of Smith, 

 Hooker and Babington. The name is derived from TEA/otaTEjoj, growing 

 in mud, but we found the plant growing in moist sand. Both fertile 

 and barren stems were gathered, the former being unbranched, and 

 having numerous large, deeply toothed sheaths, while the latter had 

 whorled branches, were nearly smooth, and presented about thirty striae 

 on the stalk. A remarkable trailing variety of Juncus lamprocarpus, 

 with regular rootings at the joints, covered the shores in profusion, 

 along with Agrostis alba, var. maritima of Babington, with a procum- 

 bent rooting stem, a creeping form of Eleocharis palustris and the sea- 

 shore variety of Catabrosa aquatica, already noticed in Cantyre. This 

 latter variety is minor of Babington and litloralis of Parnell. It is 

 abundant on the west coast of Scotland, on sandy shores within the 

 influence of the tide. In some places it covers patches of at least 

 half an acre. I have picked it in Bute in considerable quantity. It 

 differs from Catabrosa aquatica in its smaller growth, and in the glumes 

 having mostly only one floret. I may here remark, that the tendency 

 to a trailing habit was seen in many of the plants on the shore, espe- 

 cially at the points where rivulets joined the sea, and some of the 

 species on this account presented an aspect very different from that 

 which they assume in their usual localities. 



On sandy ground in the vicinity of the shore, numerous other plants 

 were seen, such as Arabis hirsuta, Gymnadenia conopsea, with its odo- 

 riferous, purple blossoms, Eryngium maritimum forming spiny tufts of 

 great extent, the beautiful Anagallis arvensis and tenella, Pyrethrum 

 maritimum, Ligusticum scoticum, Viola lutea, with all its shades of 

 purple and yellow, Thalictrum minus in a very dwarf state, Spergula 

 nodosa, Arenai'ia serpyllifolia and marina, Pimpinella Saxifraga, and 

 Erythraea Centaurium and linarifolia. One of the plants noticed at- 



* As first pointed out by Mr. Newman, Pbytol. i. 723, fertile stem figured id. 724 

 barren 721. 



