ON THE PLANT REMAINS IN THE SCOTTISH PEAT MOSSES. 



343 



fl-ood part of the district. Its exact correlation with the beds in other districts must 

 also be left until a greater area is examined in the surrounding district ; but at present 

 the sequence of beds in the upper peat would point to this sub-arctic bed of Caithness 

 beino- contemporaneous with that of Coire Bog and the Inverness-shire watershed. 



Easter Ross. 



(One-inch Ordnance Survey — sheet 93.) — The main drainage of this district is carried 

 by the River Carron on the north, the western slopes facing the Kyle of Sutherland 

 and Dornoch Firth being drained by the smaller burns of A-na-h-Eigin, Wester Fearn 

 and Easter Fearn Burn. The whole district consists of hilly country, almost entirely 

 moorland, the average elevation being between 2000-3000 feet. 



Glacial drift is widespread, and prominent moraines are well shown in many of the 

 valleys at about 1250 feet. 



The areas selected lie on the eastern slopes, along the upper course of the Abhuinn-a- 

 Coire Bhuig and Allt Coire Bhenneit, two of the main tributaries of Wester Fearn Burn. 



The peat is in a very denuded condition, forming high banks and gullies, which a 

 number of small streams are continually cutting deeper. The average depth of the 

 peat is about 8-12 feet over most of the area, and it lies in a broad basin, bounded by 

 hills rising to about 2000 feet. This area lies amongst the hills, many miles away from 

 any crofts, and has not been trenched upon for turbaries. Owing to the wasted 

 character of the peat, it is possible to gain some idea of the general characters 

 and sequence of the strata from an examination of the banks of the peat-hags. 

 A useful datum line is apparent all over this area in the form of the upper forest zone, 

 which can be seen projecting from the peat by all the stream and rill sides. Sections 

 were first made at the western or upper end of the valley, at an altitude of about 1400 

 feet, and the following strata exposed : — 



Dominant Plant. 



1. Scirpus and Sphagnum, 3 ft. 



2. Eriophorum vaginutum, L., 18 ins. 



3. Empetrum nigrum, L., 10 ins. 



4. Carex peat, very dry and hard, and readily 



separable into thin plates, 6 ins. 



5. Betula nana, L. (abundant), 6 ins. 



6. Fine grey sandy clay, slightly coloured with peat, 



2 ins. 



7. Fine greyish white sand. 

 No organic remains. 



Accompanying Plants. 



1. 



2. Traces of Calluna in the upper layers. 



3. Arctostaphylos alpina, Spreng. (seeds very abundant). 

 4. 



5. 

 6. 



Several other sections cut near by showed the same sequence 

 made half a mile farther eastward, down the valley, at about 1250 feet, 

 sequence is as follows : — 



Sections were then 

 Here the 



Dominant Plant. 



1. Recent peat, 2 ft. 



2. Pinus sylvestris, zone. 



3. Sphagnum, with traces of Calluna, 3 ft. 



4. Betula alba, zone of small size. 



Accompanying Plants. 



1. 

 2. 

 3. 

 4. 



TRANS. ROY. SOC. EDIN., VOL. XLV. PART II. (NO. 13). 



48 



