148 baker's north YORKSHIRE. 



itself, and above the stream on the north side the Main Lime- 

 stone forms a tine range of crags, with a wooded slope, which 

 extends continuously from where Whitsundale opens out to the 

 mouth of the West Stonesdale streamlet. After the two Stones- 

 dale streams join the Swale it turns due south for a couple of 

 miles, and, what is a very notable circumstance, the dale divides 

 into two branches, that on the west being the broadest and most 

 open of the two, but the other being the opening which the 

 river takes. Between the two glens a fine mass of hill called 

 Kisdon rises to a height of 1636 feet This is a hill, not only 

 of much picturesqueness, but of great geological and botanical 

 interest. The village of Keld stands at the foot of its slope 

 towards the north-west and we have here the Main Limestone 

 at an elevation above the sea-level of about 11 00 feet, and con- 

 sequently at the north end of the Kisdon mass the Millstone 

 Grit beds fully 500 feet in thickness. But towards the south 

 the Limestone ascends rapidly. The plateau of the hill is about 

 a couple of miles in length from north to south, and of its 

 southern half the Limestone forms the surface, reaching an 

 elevation of 1550 feet. 



As we pass along the Kisdon plateau from north to south the 

 difference in vegetation which is connected with the difference in 

 character of the subjacent rocks is well shewn. The gritstone 

 part of the plateau is overspread almost entirely with peat and 

 Calhma, with Eriophorum and Rubus Chamcemorus scattered 

 amongst it, but this is arrested sharply as soon as the Limestone 

 comes to the surface, and instead of it we have a thin wiry turf 

 in which I noted down the following species as prominent : 



Ranunculus acris 

 „ bulbosus 



,, repens 



Jffelianthemuvi vulgare 



Sagina nodosa 



Trifoliuni pratense 



Galium vei-iim 

 „ sy Ives Ire 



Bellis perennis 



Senecio Jacobcea 



Prhnula vulgaris 

 Plantago lanceolata 

 Ca rex pi lu I if era 

 Avena pratensls 

 Seslerla ccerulea 

 Koelerla crlstata 

 Brlza media 

 Cynosurus crlstatus 

 Festuca ovlna. 



