3 8o An A ccount of the Excursions ( 1 9 1 1 ). [Sess. 



sion did not take place till the 1st of July, when the members 

 went to Saltoun under the leadership of the Secretary. The 

 party were conducted along a bypath through the woods to 

 Humbie. The ground was well botanised, and several inter- 

 esting plants were collected, among which were Equisetum 

 maximum^ Veronica montana, Arenaria trinerms, Adoxa Mos- 

 chatellina, and Anchitsa arvensis. Before returning homewards 

 the " Children's Village " at Upper Humbie was visited. 



On the following Saturday the members visited Prestonhall 

 and Ormiston grounds, under the leadership of Mr George 

 M. Brotherston. The party left Waverley for Eskbank, and 

 motored to Prestonhall. The grounds were botanised for 

 several hours, and among the plants found were Verbascum 

 plioeniceum, Geranium nodosum, G. jpliceum, Villarsia nymphce- 

 oides, Butomus umhellahis, Alchemilla conjunda, Pulmonaria 

 officinalis, Typha latifolia, T. angustifolia, Hieracium anran- 

 tiacum, Buhns odoratus, Bosa rugosa, Ptelea trifoliata, Stajphylea 

 finnata, Populus halsamifera — a native of North America, 

 remarkable for its fine foliage in early summer and the 

 pleasant fragrance of its buds and leaves, — Sisymhrium pan- 

 nonicum, Veronica salicifolia, Galium uliginosum, Bumex viridis, 

 and several fine varieties of Acer japonicnm. By the wayside 

 between Prestonhall and Ormiston the bladder campion was 

 found at its old station in both forms — Silene cucuhalus and 

 S. puherula. The party then entered the grounds of Ormis- 

 ton and visited the celebrated yew tree, — the largest yew, and 

 one of the oldest, in Scotland. It was a tree of some size in 

 the beginning of the thirteenth century. Wishart and Knox 

 held religious services under its shade, and at present more 

 than 200 people can be seated comfortably under it.-^ In the 

 grounds were some interesting plants, — Uuphorhia Zathyris, 

 Spircea alba, Asperula taurina, Luzula nivea, and Geranium 

 lucidum. 



The last summer excursion was to Clovenfords, under the 

 leadership of the Treasurer. The members travelled to 

 Thornilee, and botanised the roadside and banks of the Tweed 

 to Clovenfords. The plants collected were Carduus nutans^ — 



^ For a very interesting account of this historic yew-tree, see 'Transactions,' 

 vol. ii. pp. 30-41, art. "Ormiston Hall: Its Yew-tree and other Antiquities," 

 by Mr J. Lindsay. 



