Report of Meetings for 1881. By Jas. Hardy. 447 



brackens, whose colour, owing- to tlie peat was of a reddish yel- . 

 low. The weather had been very severe upon the whins and 

 broom on the slopes. The bushes were nearly all dead, and 

 though this part of the prospect was not pleasing, the rich purple 

 of the fox gloves {Digitalis purpurea), whose spikes shot every now 

 and then up through the decayed branches, was decidedly so. At 

 the south entrance to the tunnel is a plantation of spruces, which, 

 like the firs in the whole course of the day's excursion, grew 

 well, and seemed healthy like. Here also, as elsewhere this 

 season, the hawthorn has blossomed very profusely, and though 

 on the lower-lying grounds inland the blossom has given place to 

 young haws, here where it is later the bloom was very fine. Be- 

 yond the north entrance to the tunnel we crossed the railway, 

 and entered the Pease dean, a delightful and romantic rugged 

 glen, beautifully wooded, and full of entrancing interest to the 

 lover of natural history. On entering the dean there was a large 

 display of Geranium sylvaticwm, while in the course of a few yards 

 we had Ajuga reptans, and Lysimachia nemorum was seen. Fur- 

 ther on two goodly-sized trees of Cedrus deodara had been planted ; 

 one had grown fairly well, but the other had been dead for some 

 time. Past the forester's lodge we struck upon a large patch of 

 Blechnum, the plants composing which were very fine ; and this 

 was succeeded further on by a large bed of broad-leaved garlic 

 (Allium ursinumj. 



The way leads by the banks of the burn, where it prattles 

 down its stony bed, at times almost concealed from view by the 

 luxuriance of the vegetation on its banks — the buckler ferns 

 {Lastrea dilatata) of themselves forming a splendid shade. Pising 

 above us is a large holly, which from one trunk sent up six or 

 seven limbs to the height of about 50 feet. These, sad to say, 

 were dying from canker. After walking along the open 

 part of the path in the sunshine, we reached a large clump of 

 spruce firs, which rise to a towering height, and were so thickly 

 grown, that it was almost darkness itself in the heart of the 

 group. The only plant growing among the ' needles ' with which 

 the ground was covered, was Oxalis acetosella. In the open we 

 had plenty of Scrophularia nodosa. The blaeberries were plenti- 

 ful on the sward up the bank, and Orohus tuberosus was frequently 

 met with. "While the stream continued to descend the path 

 caused us to ascend the bank, at the top of which we found our- 

 selves walking alongside a precipitous gully, the rugged rocks 



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