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Notes and Observations on a Botanical Tour in the Highlands of 
Perthshire, in July, 1856. By W. P. and A. 1. 
We left King’s Cross Terminus, London, on the last day of 
June, 1856, at half-past eight o’clock in the evening, by the 
Great Northern Railway, 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 explora- 
tions. About Edinburgh the vegetation appeared to us remark- 
ably scanty. We hope our readers will not accuse us of drawing 
general conclusions 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 wash 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 Gewm urbanum abounded, and we specu- 
lated about the probability of their being G. intermedium. But 
if these Scottish specimens be this presumed species, where is 
G. urbanum to be found in Scotland? All the examples ob- 
served appeared to belong to one common type; and if so, either 
G. urbanum or G. intermedium is absent in those parts of Scot- 
land which we traversed, or perhaps, with a modest conviction 
of our own somewhat lax observations, it should be said that we 
did not see well-marked examples of the two supposed species. 
Our account of the botany of the King’s Park, inclusive of 
Arthur’s Seat, St. Leonard’s Crags, must be of the same negative 
character. As the park is distinguished by the singular absence 
of trees, so the rocks appeared to be as bare of vegetation. Seve- 
ral plants of Dianthus deltoides were collected, but all were of 
the common or usual form; the var. D. glauca was not visible. 
We cannot say that we were unsuccessful in our hunt after As- 
plenium septentrionale, for we did not look for it, prudently 
judging that we should lose our time and get wet fect “to the 
bargain.” (We visited the park twice, and the second time was 
early in the morning, when the dew lay thick on the grass.) 
N. 8. VOL. I. 3H 
