Botany of the Craiginillar District. 125 



us hope they may long continue to thrive in the places 

 where they have for so long found a congenial home. 



The flora of Arthur's Seat and the country imme- 

 diately surrounding has long engaged the attention of 

 local botanists. The first list of plants found in these 

 localities was drawn up by Sir Robert Sibbald, one of 

 the founders of the Edinburgh Royal Botanic Garden, 

 so early as 1684, and contained 881 species and 

 varieties of flowering - plants ; while about a century 

 later Mr Yalden, assisted by a few other enthusiastic 

 field-botanists, compiled a list of 313 species of plants, 

 mostly growing on Arthur's Seat or Salisbury Crags, 

 for Dr Lightfoot, who was then amassing material for 

 his ' Flora Scotica,' the first edition of which appeared 

 in 1777. With the exception of an additional list of 

 Edinburgh plants, which was drawn up by a well- 

 known authority, Mr R. Maughan, and published 

 in the first volume of the Wernerian Society's Trans- 

 actions for 1808-10,^ no other catalogue of local plants 



^ The title of this interesting paper is, "A List of the Rarer 

 Plants observed in the Neighbourhood of Edinburgh." By Robert 

 Maughan, Esq., F.L.S. (Read 9th Dec. 1809.) 



