tlEPORT 0^ MEETINGS FOR 190^ 15S 



West of the road rises Dirrington Great Law, from which 

 the Bear-berry ( Arctostaphylos Uva Ursi) was reported in 1885. 

 Here Kippetlaw burn flowing Eastward bounds the lands of 

 Longformacus, through which the road passes in a North- 

 Westerly direction, and is screened on both sides by a belt 

 of Scots Pine which has a peculiar interest for the Club, 

 inasmuch as in its shelter throve Linnma borealis, as vouched 

 for by the late Dr Hardy in letters addressed to the present 

 proprietor. The wood was planted early last century, the 

 young trees having been borne on ponies from Braemar. 

 In the disastrous gale of 1881, when so much valuable 

 timber in this district was uprooted, this flourishing strip 

 also suffered, especially in its Eastern section. It was while 

 the work of extricating the fallen trees was being carried 

 out in 1884 that the discovery was made, of which Dr Hardy 

 says, "it is a great event to have discovered Linnma borealis 

 near Longformacus, however it may have come there."* 

 Several large patches of this beautiful Twin-flower were in 

 course of time noted, but in recent years scarcely a trace of 

 it can be found. This is all the more to be regretted because 

 it was not positively determined whether the specimen was 

 the native or the imported form, though the natural inference 

 would be that it was the former, seeing that in other local 

 plantations where it has been found the original seeds or 

 roots are believed to have been transported along with the 

 trees, which in every instance were brought from the North. 

 The plantations abound in Whortle-berry ( Vaccinium Myrtillus) 

 and Crow-berry (Emjjetrum nigrum), a circumstance which 

 suggests to the botanist the possibility of such a plant as 

 the Linnma having also become established there. 



Before reaching the mansion-house by an abrupt descent 

 towards the valley of the Dye, an opportunity was afforded 

 of viewing the fine clumps of Ehododendron, then in 

 bloom, which skirt the approach to this picturesquely situated 

 country-seat. Punctually at 11 o'clock the carriages drew up 

 at the front door, where their genial host and hostess, 

 Colonel A. M. Brown and Mrs Brown, along with their 

 daughter, accorded them a hearty welcome. A large number 



* Ber. Nat. Club, Vol. xiii., p. 56. 



