West : Field Botany in Scotland, 



115 



two-roomed cottage. This gave us an extra rest of two or three 

 hours, for had we gone to Braemar we should have had to return 

 through Inverey in the morning. 



We were off early next morning, and gathered Hypnum splendens, 

 H. triquetrum, and H. loreum — all in fruit, near the Linn of Dee, 

 after which we began to ascend Glen Lui, where we gathered some 

 fine Hypnum crista-castrensis and Dicranum fuscescens, var. angusti- 

 folium at the foot of some pine-trees. We now spent some time in 

 vainly searching for Buxbaumia aphylla, in the decaying pine-logs 

 which were strewn about, bearing evidence to the terrific storms that 

 occasionally sweep along these mountain glens. A little higher up we 

 gathered Lycopodium annotinum, Juniperus nanus, Solidago cambrica, 

 Loisuleria procumbens, Vaccininm uliginosum (Uredo vacciniorum on 

 the last), Gnaphalium supinum, Hieracium nigrescens, Juncus trifidiis, 

 Salix herbacea, Aira alpina, Andresea alpina, A. petrophila, Dicranum 

 fuscescens, Tetraplodon mnioides, Anthelia julacea, Nardia emarginata, 

 N. alpina, var. laxior. Alectoria lanata in fruit, Umbilicaria polyphylla, 

 Solorina saccata, Platysma triste, P. nivale, Coleosporium rhynantha- 

 cearum, and other good plants. We dare not stop at the loch, but 

 gathered Sphaerophoron coralloides, Cetraiia islandica, Umbilicaria 

 erosa, U. cylindrica and its variety denudata, U. proboscidea. Par- 

 melia saxatilis, var. omphalodes, Jungermannia alpestris, Ptilidium 

 ciliare, Tabellaria ventricosa, Calothrix mirabilis. Sphagnum rubellum, 

 Dicranum Blyttii, D. falcatum, Webera annotina, Andre oea alpina, var. 

 com pacta, and A. petrophila, var. acuminata. Here we espied some 

 large masses of snow in the hollows of some craggy rocks to our right, 

 and as it seemed a tempting place, we threw off our baggage and had 

 a rough climb to the snow, the pureness of which induced us to 

 indulge in the peurile game of snow-balling. Large masses of Webera 

 Ludwigii, with young fruit here and there, were flourishing in all their 

 beauty in the water which ran from the melting snow ; Dicranum 

 arcticum, aud a very water-worn form of Andreaea nivalis, accom= 

 panied it : while close by was Polytrichum sexangulare and Aira 

 flexuosa, var. montana. As we rapidly neared the summit we 

 collected Carex rigida, Luzula spicata, and L. arcuata — all three of 

 which occurred also at the very summit, at an altitude of 4,296 feet. 

 We found all the species of Kaconiitrium but patens on this hill, as we 

 had on Ben Nevis and Ben Lawers. The view was grand, but not so 

 extensive as we enjoyed from the other hills, as the clouds kept 

 striking different parts of the hill ; and when we gained Cairngorm 

 the Wells of the Dee were enveloped in mist, as was also the glen 



