DECEMBER, 1881. 



around them, and add grandeur and richness to their 

 "giant boles." Can the presence of turpentine be an 

 objection to these growths, and protect the pines from 

 their hampering clasp ? Yet in the Mycologia Scotica 

 there is no lack of fungi growing upon pines, and we are 

 forced to seek elsewhere for a reason. These woods, in 

 all likelihood, were originally composed of our native 

 deciduous trees; and the cryptogamic flora flourishing 

 upon them must have consequently been of the class 

 more particularly belonging to these various trees. When 

 the larch, silver, and other pines were introduced some 

 century and a half ago, in a very young condition, the 

 seeds of the fungi belonging to them would not have 

 been present; or could not exist under the changed 

 conditions, until the growth of the trees prepared a 

 matrix for them. It would be interesting to know 

 whether the rule held good, that deciduous trees scattered 

 in a pine forest were comparatively free from cryptogamic 

 plants, and pines of species scattered in a deciduous 

 forest equally free on their part ? 



Well ! now, look here, Donald. How did these come 

 here? A good number of limpet shells among the moss 

 well up the rocky bank, and not showing any sign of 

 having been brought there by birds. The oyster-catcher 

 would have devoured them on the rocky shelf from 

 whence they were taken, and never sought to fetch them 

 here. No boy has been at these, so far as our judg- 

 ment goes, and we do not think the crow would tackle a 

 limpit ; although it is very hard to say what a cunning 

 grey crow, that so often frequents the beach at this 

 season, would not do for a meal. Yet we are not 

 satisfied that these look like the work of crows. What 

 do you suppose they are, or it is, that has brought these 



