1 * 904 - 5 .] 
Flora of Scottish Lakes. 
997 
■being very abundant. Then Myrica Gale dominates a slightly 
■drier area, followed by Erica and Calluna, intermingled with the 
numerous herbaceous plants common to such associations. Beyond 
(those enumerated, the following plants occur here : — Utricularia 
vulgaris, Isoetes lacustris, Fontinalis antipyretica, Hypnum 
scorpioides, var. app. miquelonense, Apiuni inundatum (in pools 
near shore), Callitriche hamulata, Juncus fluitans, Menyanthes 
trifoliata, Glyceria fluitans, Sparganium natans, S. minimum, 
Equisetum limosum, Heleocharis palustris, Comarum palustre, 
Eriophorum polystachion, Ranunculus Flammula, R. acris, Juncus 
articulatus, J. supinus, var. uliginosus, Caltha palustris, Cardamine 
pratensis, Hydrocotyle vulgaris (fig. 36), Pedicularis palustris, 
■Senecio aquaticus, Galium palustre, Spirsea Ulmaria, Mentha 
arvensis, var. agrestis, M. sativa, var. rubra. I noticed Lobelia 
Dortmanna here growing in 5 feet of water and producing its 
flowers at the surface. From the north-west shore of the loch 
[rises a considerable hill ; this is clothed with a coniferous forest 
extending beyond the length of the loch and over the hill to the 
bank of the Caledonian Canal: the trees were planted in 1880. 
This wood affords an excellent example, in the way of thoughtless 
forestry, well exhibited on the banks of the canal. Owing to the 
scarcity of food in the spring, in a coniferous forest the squirrels 
attack the trees at from 3 to 5 feet below the apex, biting 
off the bark in rings; consequently the apex weakens and dies; 
finally it is blown off by the wind and the tree remains an 
unsightly ruin, practically worthless (fig. 37). Quite half the 
trees hereabout have been thus ringed by the squirrels. When 
oak, beech, etc., are planted with the conifers, food is assured to 
the squirrels by the fruits of these trees, and they very seldom 
attack the conifers. Mr Maclean, forester at Glen Garry, assured 
me that this matter had always been attended to on the estate 
under his care, and that he had very seldom observed damage to 
the conifers by squirrels. 
Rabbits are very destructive to Pyrus Aucuparia growing on the 
■canal bank ; almost every tree has been more or less gnawed at the 
base by these animals in times of scarcity, and thus injured or 
billed (fig. 38). 
Passing along the canal from Fort- Augustus to Loch Oich, we 
