Meteorology, Botany^ and Zoology. Q^5 



the road-side, in the village of New Dailiy, has a trimk, free from branches, 

 20 ft. high, the circumference at the base being above 7 ft., and at the first 

 branch above 5 ft. The head is not large in proportion, as the tree was 

 blown down and much injured about twenty years ago. 



'I he herbaceous Plants, in a district containing almost every vai'iety of soil, 

 and a surface so much varied, are necessarily of many species. The mea- 

 dows of Dumfriesshire and in the stewartry of Kirkcudbright were covered 

 with the blue flowers of Geranium pratense ; and, in some glens in Ren- 

 frewshire, the snowdrop is indigenous. Mallows are common along tlie 

 coast ,• and at Ardmillan, three miles below Girvan, the Yiicca gloriosa, 

 whicli had been cast on shore there at some former period, is growing 

 apparently in a wild state. AH these plants, and numerous others, which 

 might easily be enumerated, aiford evidence of great mildness of climate 

 near the sea and the rivers ; and this is confirmed by the number of exotic 

 shrubs which are found to live through the winter against walls in gardens, 

 with very little protection. At Kirkconnell, on the Kith ; at St. Mary's 

 Isle, on the Dee; at Cally, on the Fleet ', at Barganny, on the Girvan ; at 

 Doonholme, on the Doon ; at Auchincruive, on the Ayr; at Eglinton 

 Castle, near the Irvine ; and at a number of intervening places ; the common 

 myrtle may be seen as a wall tree in the kitchen-garden, flowering in sum- 

 mer, and only slightly protected by a mat during the most severe months 

 of winter. At Culzean Castle, on the sea-shore near Maybole, and at 

 Ardgowan on the Clyde, near Greenock, the myrtle thrives as a wall tree 

 ■without any protection. At the former place^ J'rbutus /Indrachne has 

 attained a large size as a standard; and the common olive, the Japan 

 quince, Camelh'«, green tea, Edwardsz« microphyjla, Taxus elongata, 

 Bignonia Pand6r<», Jcacia verticillata, and other New Holland shrubs, have 

 stood several years as wall trees. At Ardgowan, the Camellia has stood as 

 a common shrub ; and the green tea, A!oysi« citriodora, and Medicago 

 arborea have stood as wall trees. At Finlaystone, near Port Glasgow, the 

 fig ripens on the open garden wall every year; and in the new garden at 

 Erskine, on the Clyde, the Hamburgh, Frankendale, and other grapes have 

 been brought to such a state of perfection on the open flued wall, without 

 any covering either in spring or autumn, that they are sold in Glasgow 

 market at the same price as grapes raised under glass. We saw large 

 bunches (Aug. 31.) colouring beautifully. We do not think it at all likely 

 that the same shrubs would pass the winter equally well on the sea-coast 

 of Lancashire ; because that flat coast, notwithstanding its advantage over 

 the west coast of Scotland in point of latitude, is exposed to the Atlantic, 

 and is without natural shelter either from islands or headlands in the sea, 

 or from hills or mountains on shore. 



The natural Zoology of this Part of Scotland \s but imperfectly known, and 

 there appears reason to believe that various birds and insects will be found 

 in it, either as occasional visitants, or as indigenous, which are not now 

 considered natives. Sir William Jardine, of Jardine Hall, in Dumfries- 

 shire, a profound and enthusiastic ornithologist, and conversant with every 

 branch of natural history, has already added various species of birds to the 

 Dumfriesshire list ; and has found some plants in his neighbourhood not 

 before suspected to belong to the Scottish flora. The new edition of the 

 Statistical Account of Scotland, now preparing by the clergy of the different 

 parishes will, it is hoped, throw much light on Natural History and 

 Agriculture, as well as on statistics. 



Man, as far as we have hitherto advanced in Scotland, certainly appears 

 sufficiently different from his fellows in the central counties of England, 

 and even in Lancashire, to be considered as a distinct sub-variety ; using 

 the word variety in its scientific sense, as indicative of peculiarity of habit 

 induced by accidental circumstances. Speaking of the body, the habitof 

 both sexes, among the lower classes of the Scotch, of passing the years of in- 



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