BY THE KEV. CANON TKISTKAM. 9 



''twa shillin'" for toll, impressed the fact upon us feelingly. 

 The whole of this district is so excellently cultivated, that the 

 only chance of finding a wild flower is by the roadside ; so per- 

 fectly in contrast is it to the moors we walked over yesterday. 

 But as we drove along someone exclaimed, ''What beautiful 

 Forget-me-nots." A halt was immediately made, and the plant 

 on examination turned out to be Anchusa sempervirens, a plant 

 by no means common in the North, though there are several 

 localities given for it in our own district. This take satisfied 

 the botanists, and was the chief floral discovery of the day. 

 Arriving at Town Yetholme through narrow roads, well fenced 

 with hedgerows, for there are no walls here to offend the eye, 

 a rest was proclaimed for the horses, as the valley beyond was 

 without Inns. The conveyances resumed, the valley was fol- 

 lowed for five miles till the Bowmont turns suddenly east. At 

 this late season the Hawthorn and Broom were still both in full 

 luxurious flower. Silver and gold side by side, and the purple 

 Foxglove along the margin of the stream contrasted with the 

 earlier flowering plants. Some of the party who ascended the 

 hills obtained a good view into the neighbouring valley. The 

 uniform greenness of the hills was refreshing to the eyes, and the 

 little sparkling Bowmont went plodding along as if on important 

 business ; but the hills here are so well covered with grass, that 

 the quantity of earthy matter brought down, even after winter 

 storms, must be comparatively small. On our way home we 

 called at Kirk Yetholme to see the Grypsy Queen. The Church 

 or Kii'k, built out of black pitchstone porphyry, may last as 

 long as the hills, but did not look comely or inviting. The 

 thatch-covered cottages would have been a treasure to a crypto- 

 matic botanist, for they were covered all over with mosses. The 

 queen lives in a neat little cottage, was of great age, and as 

 genuine a Scotchwoman as could be found between Maidenkirk 

 and John o' Groats. The wet weather on the Saturday prevented 

 our programme being fully carried out ; but several of the mem- 

 bers returned home by Branxton Moor and Wooler, the rest by 

 Berwick. 



