OF SUTHERLAND AND CAITHNESS. 
31 
Fashven (Fashbliein) (1504). The stony tops of most of these great 
mountains are granitic or quartzose, and, in the Eeay Forest, of 
upper gneiss, covered with a soft carpeting of mosses and lichens 
on the summit-plateaux. Lower down the material is similar, but 
it is clothed in heather and grasses. The bases are of very 
similar formation, except where the great outcroppings of the 
Durness and Assynt limestones appear, as at Durness, and in the 
great cliffs of Stronchrubie, Knockan, and Elphin ; or where, as 
in Ben Stack, the Hebridean gneiss occurs ; or interspersed with 
the Torridon conglomerates, as in the case of Quinaig, Canisp, 
and Suilbhein. 
The vegetation of the limestones, as might be expected, is 
singularly rich and luxuriant, producing amongst the excellent 
general sheep-pasturage some rare Scottish wild-flowers, such as 
Dryas octopetala and others.^ 
The marvellous springs of clearest and coldest water which 
^ Our thanks are due to Messrs. Lionel Hinxmau and Ben. N. Peach, of the 
Geological Survey of Scotland, for the following list of plants found by them on 
the limestone islands of Eilean Hoan, the Skerries, and Eilean Garbh, in July 
1883 
Ranunculus acris, Cochlearia oiScinalis, Viola canina, Polygala vulgaris, 
Silene maritima, Arenaria sei'pylliflora, Cerastium triviale, Linum catharticum, 
Trifolium repens, Anthyllis vulneraria, Lotus colniculatus, Potentilla anserina, 
P. tormentilla, Dryas octopetala, Sedum rhodiola, Ligusticum scoticum, Herac- 
leum sphondylium, Achillea milleflorium, Daucus carota, Galium verum, G. 
aparine, Knautia arvensis, Artemisia absinthium, Leontodon taraxacum, Anten- 
naria dioica, Bellis perennis, Onojiordium acanthium, Carduus arvensis, Hier- 
acium (spec. ?), Calluna vulgaris. Erica cinerea, Gentiana campestris, Myosotis 
arvensis, Euphrasia officinalis. Thymus serypllum, Prunella vulgaris, Armeria 
maritima, Chenopodium album, Rumex pulcher, R. aeetosella, Urtica dioica. 
Orchis maciilata, Scilla verna, Luzula campestris, Juncus acutiflorus, Plantago 
coronopus, P. maritima, P. media. Besides the above flowering plants, these 
gentlemen also found the following grasses ; and Asplenium marinum amongst 
the cryptogams : — 
Grasses. — Anthoxanthum odoratum, Phleum arenarium, Alopecurus prateusis, 
Agrostis vulgaris, IIolcus lanatus, Poa annua, P. pratensis, P. maritima, Cyno- 
surus cristatus, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca ovina, Triticum acutum, Lolium 
perenne. Of aU these plants and grasses, the following are found on Eilean 
Garbh : Cochlearia danica, Armeria maritima, Rumex (spec. ?), Atriplex hastata, 
Plantago maritima, and a thin maritime grass. 
