SECTION XIV. 



489 



head. Its leaves are of a much lighter colour than those of the last, 

 and approaching almost to a silvery tint. But it differs remarkably in 

 its cones from both the foregoing, having the appearance of being beset 

 with blunt prickles and bent backwards. The leaves are serrulated, 

 which distinguishes it from the first kind. This variety is also a good 

 tree, and is more common than the second or horizontal sort. 



4thly, Another variety, of which the leaves are curled or rather 

 twisted and much shorter. This kind seems more rare than valuable, 

 and somewhat resembling Mr Landels' Pinus hanskiana. 



It seems possible that a striking species, found by Thunberg in 

 Japan, may be the above mentioned spreading or horizontal sort. No. 2. 

 This, however, is contrary to the opinion of Strabo, who says that the 

 Fir (ikdrri) is wholly a European plant, and is never found in Upper or 

 Eastern Asia. — See Strab. Geog. lib. xi. p. 510. But that in some 

 measure depends on what w^e are to understand by the word lXar>j, the 

 term used by Strabo, which the Romans rendered by Abies, and we 

 translate Fir. Possibly something of the same confusion anciently pre- 

 vailed respecting ^r/Vus and skdrvi as between Pinus and Abies, as we 

 now botanically call them, 



Mr Don believes, and with great probability, that the noble forests 

 of Pine which once abounded in Britain, and still partially exist in the 

 Highlands, of which the trees attained a great size, consisted mostly of 

 the horizontal or spreading species, — and of the pyramidical kind 

 which stands third in the list. He collected the seeds of all these 

 varieties, particularly of the two that are most valuable, and sowed 

 them in his grounds at Forfar, with the view of raising the latter 

 extensively, and supplying planters with the produce. Thus he hoped 

 that the character of the Scotch Fir would be retrieved, and our native 

 woods gradually restored. Were a reform in the nursery business to 

 be effected by such meritorious efforts, Mr Don would be eminently 

 entitled to the thanks of the public. It is said by Nicol, in his 

 Planter's Calendar, that these seeds, with their history, were laid before 

 the Highland Society ; but what encouragement was given to this 

 ingenious inquirer we are not informed. For Mr Don's ingenious paper, 

 see Mem. Caledon. Horticul. Soc. vol. i. p. 121. 



Note XVI. Page 353. 



See Dr. Smith's Essay in the first vol. of the Prize Essays of the High- 

 land Society. — A fine frigate, of about eight hundred tons burden, was 

 built for the navy in 1798, of the Duke of Athole's Fir wood, and 

 named " The Glenmore," from the district where the trees grew. The 



