A Visit to Glen Clova : Its Geology and Ferns. 23 



ploughed, the numerous boulders of granite,, with which the glen 

 and the valley of Strathmore to the south are strewn, have "been 

 used to build dykes to separate the fields. These boulders are 

 chiefly of syenitic granite and gneiss, of which latter rock the 

 hills at the top of the glen are composed, while those at the 

 lower part are mica- slate. 



We noticed on ascending the glen a strange murmur, 

 quite distinct from the rushing and splashing of the South Esk 

 in its numerous small falls and rapids, which seemed to pervade 

 the whole air, continually growing louder as we advanced, and 

 we also observed that the narrow, tortuous, silvery streaks 

 running down the sides of the hills, became more frequent, and 

 on a close approach found that these were small streamlets, 

 which in their headlong course caused this murmuring 

 sound with their miniature cascades, which made up by 

 number what they wanted in strength. A succession of 

 falls from the summits to the feet of the hills, caused them 

 to appear white in the distance, though here and there they 

 formed small still pools, which were fringed with mosses, and 

 sheltered by rocks; on their sides were growing luxuriantly the 

 delicate Oak fern, Polyjpodium dryojpteris, together with the 

 Beech fern, P. phegojpteris, and the Brittle Bladder fern, 

 Cystopteris fragilis. 



Clova Glen separates at the north-west end into two 

 narrower but wilder glens, that to the left being called Glen 

 Dole, and the one to the right Bach-na-gairn. There is a 

 bad carriage-road up the latter for four miles to a shooting-box, 

 and beyond that a bridle-road leading over the hills and down 

 Grlen Mirick to Balmoral. At the head of this glen is Loch Esk, 

 where the South Esk river has its source, and forms a fine 

 waterfall over sixty feet in height just below the loch. The 

 scenery all along is very grand, surpassing the famed Spital of 

 Glenshee. 



Near the loch, which is on the borders of an extensive 

 deer-forest covering sixty square miles of country, are a num- 

 ber of fine larch and spruce trees, planted some fourteen years 

 ago, to afford shelter to the deer. Craig Ought, the hill at the 

 commencement of this glen, which separates it from Glen 

 Dole, is extremely precipitous on this side, and at its base is 

 an immense quantity of rock, that has been thrown down in 

 the course of years by the disintegrating action of frost. 

 Many of the fractures being quite fresh, we had a good oppor- 

 tunity for inspecting the nature of the rock, which consisted 

 principally of felstone, porphyry, and syenite ; the latter vary- 

 ing very much in texture, some parts being extremely fine- 

 grained, while others contained very large crystals of horn- 

 blende. In some the quartz was almost wholly absent, and in 



