136 Craigmillar and its Environs. 



is to be devoutly hoped that it may long continue to 

 thrive here, and not be trampled out of existence by 

 cattle, as it now bids fair to be in the near future. 

 Another somewhat rare plant, which may also suffer 

 from the same cause, is the Glaucous Stitchwort 

 {Stellaria glaitca), which affects marshy ground, and 

 has long found a home in this locality. It is men- 

 tioned by Mr Maughan, in his list of rare plants in 

 the neighbourhood of Edinburgh already referred to, 

 as growing here and at Lochend in the beginning of 

 the century. The visitor to Duddingston Loch in 

 the month of July, or thereabouts, might pass by this 

 humble Stitchwort unnoticed, but could hardly fail 

 to observe the handsome, tall, sword-shaped leaves 

 and bright yellow flowers of the Water Iris (Iris 

 Pseud-acorns), which forms quite a feature in the land- 

 scape at that time of the year. Another elegant plant, 

 which at one time was conspicuous about the same 

 season, but is now becoming very scarce here, is the 

 so-called Flowering Rush (Butomus umbellatus), a 

 rather rare plant, with its umbels of large rose- 

 coloured flowers, introduced at some former period, 



