82 
LICHENS IN THE ISLAND OF BUTE. 
The higher lichens, on the other hand, grow into the form 
of miniature trees and shrubs, or spread into various leaf-like 
forms, and are found abundantly on trees, rocks, and walls ; 
also on moss and on the ground. And it is to these (the 
higher lichens) we wish to confine attention for the present 
paper, so in order to give definiteness to our remarks we will 
endeavour to describe a real “ ramble amongst the lichens,” 
and that in one of our favourite haunts—viz., the western 
islands of Scotland. 
An hour’s ride by the fast train will take us from Glasgow 
to Wemyss Bay, where a pleasant-looking steamer is waiting 
to convey us on to Rothesay, the chief town on the Island of 
Bute. On the passage we notice the fine views of the coast 
line at the mouth of the Clyde and the Islands of Comrie and 
the sharp peaks of “ Goat Fell” and other mountains on the 
Island of Arran. 
After landing on the spacious pier at Rothesay we find a 
tram-car waiting, which takes us round the bay some two 
miles northwards to Port Bannatyne. where we stop for our 
head-quarters. The view from here is quite charming, as in 
clear weather the mountains across the Kyles of Bute appear 
in sharp outline, and the fleet of gentlemen’s yachts at 
anchor in the bay below, with the sun lighting up their 
flapping sails against the deep blue water, altogether forms a 
beautiful picture. 
Being prepared with tools to obtain and vasculum to carry 
our pretty plants, we set off for our ramble. The first part of 
our course is a walk round Kame’s Bav, where our attention 
«/ 
is at first caught by the fine scenery which surrounds us ; but 
standing on the stones just above high-water mark to get a 
vantage point of view, we at length glance down to the stone 
on which we were standing and find its sides brilliant with 
the golden yellow of a lichen, and stooping down we find it to 
be Physcia parietina, the wall lichen, one of the brightest and 
commonest of them all, as it is found everywhere—on rocks 
and trees, on tile roofs, and wood palings. We notice plenty 
of it on the stone wall we are passing, and a little further on 
we come to a variety of it on a tree, called P. pulycarpa, the 
thallus or leaf-like portion being green or greyish instead of 
yellow, while the little discs or apothecia are still of the same 
orange colour, and both kinds are white underneath. 
Leaving the bay *we enter a small “ glen,” winding up 
Kame’s Hill, evidently worn out of the hill side by the tiny 
“ burn” rippling pleasantly along our path. The glen is 
lined with trees, affording a pleasant shade from the sun and 
a shelter from the cold and stormy winds. We notice the 
