BOTANICAL TOUR 



IN THE 



HIGHLANDS OF PERTHSHIRE. 



CHAPTER I. 



EDINBURGH. AETHTJE'S SEAT. ST. LEONAED'S CEAGS. EOSLIN CASTLE, EOSLIN 

 CHAPEL. HAWTHOENDEN. THE FOBTH. STIELING-. STIELING CASTLE. 

 KING'S PAEK. DUNBLANE. 



WE left King's Cross, the Terminus of the Great Northern Bail- 

 way, London, on the last day of June, 1856, at half-past eight 

 o'clock in the evening, and arrived at Edinburgh by eleven 

 o'clock next morning. The day began to dawn before we reached 

 York, and when near Darlington we had a view of Penyghent, 

 near Settle, the scene of former botanical explorations. About 

 Edinburgh the vegetation appeared to us remarkably scanty. 

 We hope our readers will not accuse us of drawing general con- 

 clusions from partial premises. Our visit to Edina was a short 

 one, but we made good use both of our time and eyes. We 

 strolled to the west by Bruntfield Links, the West Park, etc., 

 and saw luxuriant grass grazed by the cows which supply the 

 inhabitants with milk, and in which localities the portly and fair 

 blanchisseuses both Avash and bleach the linen of the citizens, but 

 of interesting plants we saw no trace. The shore by Portobello 

 was visited with similar success. The only plant of interest we 

 noticed was Geranium pyrenaicum. Large-flowered specimens of 

 Geum urbanum abounded, and we speculated about the probability 

 of their being G. intermedium. But if these Scottish specimens 



