500 NOTES OF A BOTANICAL TOUR IN BANFFSHIRE. [April, 



Having reached the top of the ridge, we took our bearings, 

 and made for the top of Ben-na-Bynach. This mountain is 

 composed of red granite, and reaches the height of 3530 feet 

 above the sea-leveL A small stream flows between it and the 

 Cairngorm range, over a kind of clay-slate rock. On its banks 

 grow GnapJialium supinum (Dwarf Cudweed) and PohjpocUum 

 Phegopteris, the latter in small quantity. The top was soon 

 reached, and there were found two plants not met with before — 

 Silene acaidis and Azalea procumbens. S. acaulis belongs to the 

 Chickweed family. It has little or no stem, and hence its spe- 

 cific name. The flower is purple or white, upon solitary, stalks. 

 Another species grows by the seaside. S. maritima (Sea Cam- 

 pion), a large plant with white flowers, very unlike its brother 

 of the mountain. Azalea is of the Heath family, remarkable for 

 the beauty of their flowers. Some of them have poisonous and 

 narcotic qualities. Though the genus Azalea is numerous in all 

 parts of the world, in Britain there is but this species. The 

 Rhododendrons are merged in this family. 



From Ben-na-Bynach we looked down on the whole length of 

 our journey, over one wide waste of greyish Heath. It was a 

 lonely scene. In the distance we saw our bothie, and we made 

 for it, and again acted landlord for ourselves. As evening came 

 down, we reached Tomintoul, and Miss Smith did everything to 

 make us comfortable. Our drenching was soon forgotten. Next 

 day (Thursday), it rained incessantly, and our journey had to be 

 broken off". Yet, before starting for Dufftown in the afternoon, 

 we made an inroad into Craighalkie, a place described to us by 

 a man travelling on the road as " containin' a' kin's o' flowers 

 that grows o' the face o' the earth." Within the space of half 

 an hour, we had collected Gymnadenia conopsea, ^pipactis lati- 

 folia (very rare), Listera ovata, Primula veris, Pimpinella Saxi- 

 fraga, Saxifraga aizoides, Sanicula europcea, Vicia sylvatica, 

 Origanum vulgar e (Marjoram), Calamintha Clinopodium (wild 

 Basil) ; and of Grasses, Melica nutans ; and of Ferns, Asplenium 

 Ruta-muraria (Wall-rue). We now started for Duff"town. It did 

 not cease raining till we reached our destination. Next morn- 

 ing (Friday), we took train for Banff", which we reached in the 

 forenoon. We were unfortunate in the weather, but we made 

 the best of it, and the readers of the Journal have now the fruits. 



