On the Dovrefjeld, Norway. By George Bird. 127 



many of the best and rarest plants. A parallel might 

 also be drawn between it and our Ben Lawers ; though on 

 Knudshoe there are many species which are not represented in 

 our Scottish flora at all, while others which are only sparingly 

 distributed with us, are found in profusion and luxuriance in the 

 Dovrefjeld. The botanist who may be thoroughly familiar with 

 our Highland mountains, and may have also wandered over the 

 higher Alps of Switzerland in search of rarities, could still have 

 his eyes delighted and his experience widened by a visit to the 

 Dovrefjeld. In a mountain ramble he can find Piapensia 

 lapponica, Artemisia norvegica, Cassiope hypnoides, Vahlberg- 

 ella apetala, Sagina nivalis, Gentiana nivalis, Primula farinosa, P. 

 stricta, Papaver nudieaule, Ranunculus alpinus, R. glacialis, R. 

 pygmceus, Ophrys alpina, Campanula uniflora, Antennaria alpina, 

 Astragalus oroboides, Praia alpina, Tussilago frigida, Saxifraga 

 cotyledon, and many other rare alpine forms. As showing 

 the abundant distribution of some of the alpine plants in 

 comparison with our British flora, we might mention one 

 species in particular, Lychnis alpina (Alpine catch-fly), very 

 plentiful on the roadsides and slopes. This pretty and attractive 

 flower is always a choice favourite with a Scottish botanist, as it 

 only occurs with us in the Clova mountains, and there limited 

 almost to one locality. Another plant, Saxifraga cernua, found 

 only on the summit of Ben Lawers, and in that place very 

 sparingly, seldom in flower, and always in a stunted form, occurs 

 plentifully all over the Dovrefjeld, sometimes ten inches high, 

 and always with well-developed white flowers. Besides these 

 rarer species, all of which are in abundance, the whole region is 

 rich in our best Scottish alpine plants. The following well- 

 known species need only be enumerated : — Alchemilla alpina, 

 Andromeda polifolia, Astragalus alpinus, Bartsia alpina, Cerastium 

 alpinum, Cornus suecica, Dryas octopetala, Erigeron alpinum, Mul- 

 gedium alpinum, Saxifraga aizoides, S. aizoides var. aurantiaca, S. 

 oppositifolia, S. ccespitosa, Sibbaldia procumbens, Silene acaulis, 

 Thalictrum alpinum, Saussurea alpina, Arctostaphylos alpina, and 

 Menziesia ccerulea. Along with these, even in such high 

 altitudes, are met many of our Lowland plants, including 

 Geranium sylvaticum, Parnassia palustris, Trientalis europcea, 

 Comarum palustre, Myosotis sylvatica, Paris quadrifolia, and 

 hrasia officinalis. 

 A peculiar feature possessed by the mountains of this range 



