202 THE DENS OF BONHARD AND MURRAYSHALL. [July^ 



here far more common than Rosa canina. Helianthemum vulgare 

 and Thymus serpyllifolium, not yet in flower, carpeted the dry 

 mounds and barren rocks, Oxalis Acetosella was plentiful, nearly 

 out of flower. 



Leaving now the Den of Bonhard, we passed along the county 

 road a short distance ; and to the right, at the foot of the hedge, 

 observed Adoxa moschafellma, but gone out of the flower. Pass- 

 ing eastwards a little further, we observed by the side of the 

 hedge a plant of Polemonium coaruleum, the first I ever saw truly 

 wild; we let it alone, as it was a rarity (in Scotland at least) and 

 not yet in flower. Crossing over the hedge to the left, we again 

 come to the side of the small stream and the end of the Den of 

 Murrayshall, when all at once I was struck with something on 

 the sides of the burn in large patches of a snowy white colour : on 

 approaching it, I soon found it to be the object of my pursuit, the 

 Claytonia alsinoides, in the most lavish profusion and greatest 

 luxuriance, not five or six inches high, but fifteen or eighteen, and 

 so abundant as to rival the daisies of our fields and meadows. 

 It was really astonishing to see it. It was in such abundance, not 

 merely under the trees along the margin of the brook, but distri- 

 buted elsewhere in large luxuriant patches throughout the plan- 

 tation. I ascended the Den for about a quarter of a mile, as far 

 as my strength would permit, and still the lovely Claytonia was 

 my companion. It is a dainty little plant, with its starry corollas 

 and magenta-coloured (pink) anthers. I said in my own mind, 

 surely this is the " head-quarters " of the Claytonia, that of the 

 Scone wood being only a "detachment." Whatever botanists 

 may say about the nativity of this plant, I am as firmly con- 

 vinced in my own mind that Claytonia alsinoides is as much 

 indigenous to Scotland as Stellaria Ilolostea, which no one ever 

 called in question. People may cavil about this plant as they 

 do about many others, and cry out, " outcast from gardens," 

 " escape from cultivation ;" but let any unprejudiced observer 

 see this plant in the Den of Murrayshall, and I think he will 

 at once subscribe to my creed. I may mention, that prior to 

 entering this Den, by the hedge-side and elsewhere, we collected 

 Arenaria trinervia, a plant frequent about Perth. Fragaria 

 vesca and Potentilla Fragaria were abundant in Bonhard Den. 

 I neglected to mention this while enumerating its plants. 

 Having now traversed the bottom of Murrayshall Den for 



