50 BOTANICAL SKETCHES FROM NORTH WALES. [February, 



best way of ascending the point is from the village of Llanwch- 

 lyn^ and not by the road from Bala to Dinas Mowddy. This 

 feat was not attempted by us; but my friend and companion 

 performed it solus, only a year or so back. He visited both 

 Arran Pen Llyn and Arran Fowddy, the higher of the two peaks, 

 and descended through a very difficult and steep declivity into 

 the vale of Dwffy and Llan-y-Mowddy. 



About halfway up the mountain we came to a steep, grassy 

 meadow, on which we met with abundance of Habenaria bifolia, 

 next to Orchis maculata the most common of its Order in North 

 Wales ; also fine plants of Vicia Orobus and Trollius europaus. 

 The Elder-tree was in full flower then, and it abounds in the 

 hedges, and the White-thorn blosspm was not quite gone. But 

 the loveliest ornament of the roadsides was then the exquisitely 

 beautiful Wild Kose, R. villosa or tomentosa ; the intense rich 

 colour of the flowers contrasted finely with the greyish-green hue 

 of the foliage. 



Another floral ornament of the roadside, the Mountain Violet 

 {V. lutea), appeared here, both under its yellow and blue va- 

 rieties. 



On reaching the summit of the pass, which is a vast extent or 

 table-land of heathy, moory, peaty ground, and certainly not 

 much under 1,500 feet high, we had very extensive views, viz. 

 the Berwyns on our right, when looking to the north-west ; the 

 high hill Moel Fama, near Denbigh, on which there is a very 

 lofty, conspicuous column ; before us, but further west;, appeared 

 the Carnarvon mountains Carnedd Llewellyn, Carnedd David, 

 and Glyder Fawr, which form the pass of Nant Francon. Still 

 further appeared the king of Welsh mountains, Snowdon, wldch 

 bounds the west side of the far-famed pass of Llanberis. The 

 Bivels, Arrenig, and other mountains of Merionethshire, were 

 in view, and the two lofty peaks of the Arrans were a noble fore- 

 ground to this mountain panorama. 



We were able to distinguish satisfactorily both the lofty points 

 of Snowdon, viz. Crib Coch and Widdyfa, with the remarkable 

 crater- like hollow that lies between them. 



From this point there is an excellent view of the two summits 

 of the Arrans, and of the sources of tlie DwfFy (Dovey) ; and 

 now the ro^d passes through the pass by a rapid descent. 



This pass of Bwlch-y-Groes, or the Pass of the Cross, so called 



