420 NOTES ON A BOTANICAL TOUR 
Greece. Séellaria nemorum, Campanula latifolia, Vinea 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 im 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 adjoming 
cornfield, Lithospermum arvense, Stachys arvensis, Viola arvensis, 
var. (?), Papaver Argemone, and two at least of the annual Fuma- 
rias, 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 station-master showed us some of his botani- 
cal rarities, which were no rarities to us. We exhibited some 
of our captures from Hawthornden woods, but found that he 
knew less about them than we did previously to our leaving 
London. Our knowledge of the vegetation of Mid Lothian was 
far ahead of his, though we had botanized there only a single 
day and he had lived there all his days. There is this to be said 
in his behalf, that his days have been but few and ours have been 
many. And we are too often met by the conceited cui bono 
race of men, who sneer at our humble and amiable pursuits, not 
to feel gratified when a young man in the responsible situation 
of a station-master does not disdain to look into the collecting- 
box of an amateur. The arrival of the train which was to convey 
us back to the city, interrupted our agreeable téte-d-téte, and 
hindered our seeing the herbarium as well as getting a sly peep 
into the knowledge-box of our recently acquired and obliging 
friend. Between Edinburgh and Stirling there is a steam-boat 
which plies between these two places, twice a day in summer. 
By this means of transit the passenger enjoys the beautiful views 
