4 BOTANICAL TOUR IN THE 



tanizing, such as rarely occurs. Among these may be noticed 

 Hieracium murorum, in full flower at this early period, Chei- 

 ranthus Cheiri, and Scolopendrium vulgare, a Fern which is by 

 no means general in Scotland. ' 



After paying our respects to Roslin Chapel, a marvel of ar- 

 tistic beauty, and of almost infinite variety in detail, " sed his 

 non est locus" we wandered into the classic shades of Haw- 

 thornden, and luxuriated among Ashes, Yews, Hollies, and other 

 trees, many of them probably planted by the poet whose name 

 and sonnets have conferred a world-wide renown on this place, 

 so richly gifted 'by the hand of nature. The first plant we no- 

 ticed was Anchusa sempervirens ; but the locality is not unques- 

 tionable. This plant however retains the power of self- propagation 

 for many years, we had almost said generations. The localities 

 noticed by Ray did lately, and probably do still, produce the plant, 

 It had all the appearance of being coeval with the wood where it 

 was growing, and the wood may be coeval with Fergus, the first 

 King of Scotland, who was a contemporary of the mythic heroes 

 of Greece. Stellaria nemorum, Campanula latifolia, Vinca minor, 

 Myosotis sylvatica, with its large and handsome flowers, Polygonum 

 Bistorta, with Equisetum Telmateia and the elegant E. sylvaticum, 

 rewarded our further search in these densely shady woods. By the 

 roadside, near to Roslin Inn, several fine plants of Myrrhis odorata 

 were observed, partly growing on the bank and partly in the 

 cornfield. This plant is a common occupant of Scottish gardens 

 of the humbler classes, and hence probably the botanical demur 

 to its taking rank as a genuine native of our British soil. To 

 this however it is unquestionably entitled : not on the authority 

 of a few scattered plants in Scotland, in no part of which, so far 

 as known to us, would we venture to pronounce it wild, as wild 

 is usually understood in these our critical days ; but on the au- 

 thority of thousands of plants which fringe with their elegant 

 foliage, or large umbels of erect fruit, the borders of the moun- 

 tain streams in the West Riding of Yorkshire. In the adjoining 

 cornfield, Lithospermum arvense, Stachys arvensis, Viola arvensis, 

 var. (?), Papaver Argemone, and two at least of the annual Fu- 

 marias, with several other more common cornfield plants, were 

 growing very plentifully. 



As a finale to our first day's botanizing in Scotland, and a 

 very agreeable and successful one it was in all respects, the sta- 



