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character as those with which this excellent botanist has occasionally 

 enriched the pages of the ' Phytologist.' The party on this occasion 

 consisted of James Backhouse, sen. and jun., and John Tathain, of 

 Settle, and was subsequently augmented by Professor Macgillivray 

 and his son. The writer states that " Almost the whole of the north- 

 ern part of Forfarshire is one great plateau of high table-land, inter- 

 sected in every direction by deep glens and narrow precipitous 

 ravines. To this district the appellation of Clova Mountains is given. 

 The lower portions of the Clova valleys often present a pleasing com- 

 bination of wood, heathery hills, and fine clear streams, offering few 

 traces of the wild scenery which lies immediately behind. For many 

 miles from their entrance the glens are broad and well cultivated; the 

 hills sloping gradually back from the central stream ; but in the upper 

 part the gentle undulations are succeeded by a perfect level, from which 

 the mountains rise abruptly. The great glens generally come to a 

 sudden termination ; no gradual ascent assists the traveller in gaining 

 the mountain tops ; the deep and often silent streams that water the 

 little farms of the peasantry soon alter their aspect, and in a few hun- 

 dred yards every trace of civilization vanishes." 



The geological character of the district is thus described : — " The 

 mountains around Loch Brandy, Loch Wharral and Loch Lee, as also 

 those to the westward of Clova, appear to be formed of crumbling mica 

 schist, while the crags of Glen Phee and Glen Dole are hard mica slate. 

 The great Cairngorm range to the northward is granitic, as is also 

 Lochnagar on the south side of the Dee. Between the mica slate and 

 granite districts, intersecting veins and strata of hornblende, compact 

 felspar, micaceous quartz, sei'pentine and porphyry are exposed. 

 These rocks are chiefly met with in Canlochen Glen, Glen Callater, 

 and on the Little Culrannoch mountain." 



The list of rare plants is peculiarly rich, but almost all (if not all) 

 of them have been previously recorded as natives of the district ; little 

 more is given than a mention of their stations till we come to the 

 Hieracia, concerning which there are some excellent observations 

 and much valuable information. Hieracium alpinum is described as 

 " strongly marked by its ohconical involucre, with lax, obtuse, suhfo- 

 liaceous, external scales; narrow, spatulaie, obtuse, entire leaves; 

 and long, white, silky pubescence. Under cultivation these charac- 

 ters are still more strongly developed." H. melanocephalum, the H. 

 alpinum, var. melanocephalum, of Fries ? was found chiefly on the 

 mica slate ; it " differs from the preceding in having a broad-based 

 involucre, linear-attenuate scales, and no subfoliaceous outer scales; 



