A VISIT TO (ILKN C'LOVA AND CAIJ^ATKU. 131 



Forfar Hills may be had. A descent from this of MOO feet, in a northerly 

 direction, brin-^s one to Loch Brandy, where, on skirting the soutli side, 

 (juautities of the cloudberry liitbus Chama-monts, in flower or fruit, will 

 be met with, as also of Arhutus uvd itni, and Kmpetnim nir/rum. In the 

 north-west corner of the lake grow Suhularid aquatica, Nitellti npacti, 

 Zo-o^Vi's. Lobelia Dortmuiini and a variety of lianiinculus Flammiila which 

 flowers under water ; this lake, like Wharral, has the same high cliffs 

 on the north and east, and on the stony debris may be found Lijcopo- 

 dium a II not i nil III, and a few plants of A.s2)idiiiin Loncliitis still survive the 

 depredations of Dundee excursionists, to whom this loch is the Mecca 

 of their pilgrimage. Higher up the corrie occur Hicraciuin argcntemn, 

 H. palliduiii, 11. exiiniiiin, H. melaiwcephaliiin, and lihodiola, while in the 

 water-course some fine plants of Cerastiuiii alpimiin may be gathered. 

 On the moorland near Lijcopodiiim complaiuttuiii, recently added to 

 the British flora, was obtained. On attaining the top of the corrie, 

 the summit of the Snub is reached (about 2,o00 feet), hei-e covered 

 with Loiseh'uria procumbent. The Snub itself is partially separated 

 from the corrie by a narrow rift a few feet wide and about seventy 

 deep, of recent origin, which the yearly frosts widen perceptibly. 

 Looking north-east Lochnagar may be plainly seen, while the 

 western sky is filled up with the summit of the Bassies and the 

 Driesh, which separate Glen Clova from Glen Prosen. Northwards is 

 the fine front of Craig Mellon, uoi-th-westvvardof which is the entrance 

 to the Dole, the north-eastward road leading up to Glen Muick or 

 Bachuagairn. A short walk takes one to Ben Eeda, whence the 

 descent may be made into the glen. On one of the many ruined 

 shielings (there being ninety-four in this glen alone) Gnaphaliuin mar- 

 garitaceum occurred, and ascending up the most southward turn from 

 Loch Brandy a strange variety of Gentiana cam2)estris was gathered, 

 with Habenaria albida, Polygonum viviparuiii and Veronica Iiumifusa. 



The next day was of course spent in the Dole. I began my work at 

 Craig Maid, a high mass of rocks (about 2,250 feet) on the west side of 

 the Dole, about eight miles from the hotel, and on this historic rock, 

 magnificent in outline, a rich field for work presented itself : steep 

 rocky cliffs with grassy ledges, on whose rich micaceous soil grew at 

 some considerable height the rare Erigeron alpinus, the lovely perishable 

 flower of Drijas octopetala, the beautiful Veronica saxatilis, the rare 

 sedge Carcv rupcstris, and Gnaphalium norvegicuin. Still higher occurs 

 Mulgedium alpinum; and here too Professor Graham first found 

 Astragalus alpinus in Britain. By the stream sides grew Cerastium 

 alpestre, Jancus bigluinis, Hieracium Laicsoni, and H.calendulijioruiii; and 

 now again on the ledges, on one occasion so narrow that progress could 

 only be made crab-like (sideways) on one's knees, we gather Carex Leesii, 

 Hieracium exiinium, Uarex atrata, Salix reticulata, etc. All about the 

 Dole were splendid fronds of Aspidiuin Lonchitis varying from two inches 

 to two feet in length, \vhile Salix Lapponum, S. petrcea, S. Ander»oniana , 

 Gnaphalium supinum, G.sijlraticuiiiY&r. alpestre, Juncus tri^fidus, SLudCarex 

 atrata were again and again met with. Coming to Craig Rennet, at about 



