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Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. [Sess. 
Fontinalis antipyre tica on submersed stones, but chiefly at the north side 
of the loch. There is a small association of Scirpus lacustris on the south 
side and a few plants elsewhere, but they are all rather dwarfed, standing 
only about 3 feet high out of the water. Phragmites communis is re- 
presented by a few sparse and dwarfed patches at the marshes. Carex 
aquatilis is extremely abundant and covers large areas of marsh; when 
growing in water it is 3 feet high, but in drier places it only attains half 
that size (fig. 104). The following marsh plants also occur at this loch : — 
Equisetum limosum, Hippuris vulgaris, Heleocharis palustris, Sparganium 
ramosum, S. simplex, Iris Pseud-acorus, Alisma Plantago, Epilobium 
hirsutum, Carex rostrata, C. Goodenovii, Comarum palustre, Menyanthes 
trifoliata, Myosotis palustris, Phalaris arundinacea, Juncus acutiflorus, J 
effusus, J. glaucus, J. bufonius and its var. fasciculatus, Galium palustre, 
Veronica scutellata, Pedicularis palustris, Mentha aquatica, M. sativa, M. 
arvensis, Caltha palustris, Ranunculus Flammula, Equisetum arvense, E. 
palustre, Angelica sylvestris, Spiraea Ulmaria, and Deschampsia caespitosa. 
Hepatics are scarce, but a number of mosses are common in the marshes, 
the following being the most abundant : — Climacium dendroides, Hypnum 
stramineum, H. cuspidatum, H. stellatum, Hylocomium squarrosum, and 
Aulacomnium palustre. 
Town Loch, which is only a few hundreds of yards long, is about 2 
miles north of Dunfermline, and close to the mining village of Townhill. 
At the time of my visit the water had fallen several feet owing to dry 
weather, and a large expanse of uninviting shore composed of sandy gravel, 
mud, and coal-dust, was exposed. At the full water level there is a zone of 
vegetation composed chiefly of plants of the damp meadow type, with which 
are mixed some of those species usually associated with the shores of a loch. 
The water is extremely foul, as the loch is used as a receptacle for sewage. 
It is, in fact, little more than a large and dirty horse-pond. The bottom 
at the centre is somewhat raised, and I could see from the margin that this 
part was covered with aquatic plants. There is no boat at this loch, how- 
ever, and I did not feel inclined for a swim in the filthy water, although, at 
one end, a number of urchins were disporting themselves with great gusto. 
These I approached, and by the judicious distribution of a few coppers 
amongst them heaps of plants from different parts of the loch were quickly 
brought to shore. There were, however, only two species, viz. Chara f ragilis, 
the type form in a very prolific condition, and a robust form of Potamogeton 
flabellatus. At the west end there was a large association of Polygonum 
amphibium, and smaller ones of Equisetum limosum and Carex rostrata. 
Some parts of the exposed shore were covered with Agrostis vulgaris, 
