ON THE CRYPTOGAMIC BOTANY. 



Y. 



ON THE CRYPTOGAMIC BOTANY OF THE 

 WEST OF SCOTLAND. 



OWING to the prevailing moisture throughout the year the climate 

 of the "West of Scotland is peculiarly favourable to the growth and 

 development of cryptogamic plants, and as heat, and it may be added 

 sunshine, do not play so important a part in this respect as in phane- 

 rogams, nay rather tend towards the arrestment of such growth, these 

 favourable conditions are rather enhanced than otherwise. 



The diversity of the surface into mountain and dale, as well as the 

 encroachment of the sea in the shape of long arms, stretching often 

 far inland, together with the numerous lochs and bogs sprinkled pretty 

 thickly throughout, also afford favourable conditions that scarcely 

 find a parallel in any other part of Europe except the coast of Nor- 

 way, whose cryptogamic flora approaches closely that of the West of 

 Scotland. 



The geological formations of this part of the country do not pre- 

 sent peculiarities of sufficient importance to entitle us to arrogate to 

 them a large share in the disposition of such plants, yet the somewhat 

 greater prevalence in the West and Western Islands of the schistose 

 rocks generally, and especially of the micaceo-schistose (properly so 

 called), affords a presumption that the luxuriance and diversity of the 

 species are owing in part at least to them as a nidus of growth, and 

 this opinion is strengthened when account is taken of the cryptogamic 

 flora of Ben Lawers, to be spoken of hereafter. As the greater part 

 of the given district is Highland, embracing, besides, on its outskirts 

 Ben Lawers in the east and Ben Nevis in the north, two of the 

 highest mountains in Great Britain, and such that their geological 

 features could scarcely present greater contrasts, it will readily be 

 believed that the cryptogamic botany is diversified to a greater extent 

 than that of any other district of Great Britain. While the low 

 sandy flats of Ayrshire, and especially those in the neighbourhood of 

 Stevenston, almost complete all the known peculiarities of soil to be 

 found in these islands. 



While the field of research is extensive as well as diversified the 

 workers in this section of botany have been few, but their paucity 

 has been more than compensated by the amount of enthusiasm on 

 the part of one or two, and notably that of the late Mr. A. M'Kinlay, 

 whose untimely end all true lovers of botany must deplore. In the 

 section of Mosses he did more than any one of his time, and much as 



