56 An Account of the Excursions (191 3). [Sess. 



miles in length leads to the castle — a large, handsome, quad- 

 rangular building. In front is the Pease Tree, a venerable 

 oak of great age and dimensions, with a hollow stem capable 

 of holding six persons. Cromwell and a party of friends are 

 said to have dined beneath its branches. Pound the castle 

 are several giant specimens of beech, plane, larch, and cedar. 

 The party were conducted through the nursery for forest 

 trees, and as they walked every one was struck with the 

 splendid variety of trees, especially conifers. They botanised 

 the fine glen leading to the gardens, which are very interesting. 

 They were conducted into another fine glen with a pretty 

 waterfall, and followed the burn till they came to the public 

 road to Lanark, which they reached in time to enjoy tea 

 before leaving for home. 



On July 2 the members visited Duddingston Loch. Under 

 the leadership of Mr Speedy the party walked through the 

 policies of Prestonfield. On the margin of the loch many 

 aquatic plants were found, and numbers of water - fowl, 

 including the pochard, were identified on the loch. 



On Saturday, July 0, the members visited Crichton Castle 

 and the Pict's House. Under the leadership of the Rev. 

 D. W. Wilson they first inspected the Pict's House at 

 Longfaugh. This is an underground building accidentally 

 discovered about forty years ago by a horse having slipped 

 into the cavity while ploughing. Its general shape is that of 

 a hunter's horn, and it is about 50 feet in length by 6 feet 

 in height, with a width varying from 5 to 9 feet. The floor 

 throughout is formed by the natural rock, and the roof is 

 covered with slabs of rough whinstone common to the district. 

 One of the members, Mr M'Beth, photographed the exterior 

 and the interior of the old house. (Plate V.) The party 

 afterwards visited the restored church of Crichton and the old 

 castle, and Mr Wilson gave an interesting descriptive account 

 of both. Among the more interesting plants gathered were 

 Mimulus Langsdortjii, Briza media, Trifolium minus, Smyr- 

 nium olusatrum, Anchusa sempervirens, Conium macidatum, 

 Arctbis hirsuta, Sambucus racemosa, and Calamintha acinos, 

 which Miss Helen W. Graham found, making a new locality 

 for this plant. 



On July 12 an excursion was made, in company with the 



