PROCEEDINGS—PERTHSHIRE SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCE. CXXV 
Murthly and Dunkeld, the greater part of these being finely wooded, 
I have the advantage of seeing many fine specimens of the various 
trees grown in our country. It is a very beautiful sight to look along 
the valley of the Tay; for the different shades of green, all blending 
together, adorn the hills on either side, and, although the trees are of 
different greens, yet each shade seems to agree with all the others. 5 ’ 
Another girl of the same age, living in Perth, begins her essay as 
follows :—“A great deal of the beauty of landscapes is due to the 
trees, in whatever season it may be, more especially in summer and 
autumn. In this respect, Perthshire can hold its own, with its woods 
and forests.” 
A girl of 11, living in Kinnoull, begins as follows:—“Few counties 
of Scotland are so beautifully wooded as Perthshire or have so many 
varieties of the trees native to Scotland. On the slope of Kinnoull 
Hill one can find almost the whole of the trees native to the County. 
At the water’s edge may be found the willow, and along the base of 
the slope the chestnuts and the lime, and in ascending you pass the 
the region of the beech, the oak, and the ash, and on to the summit, 
where grow the hardy larch, spruce, and Scots fir.” 
Another essayist begins with an historical retrospect, as follows :— 
“ Nothing is more characteristic of Scotland than the wooded nature 
of its surface. This was not always the case, however. Only round 
the houses of the country gentlemen, or the kirks, were groves of trees 
to be seen. Forests were of great extent far out of reach in inaccessible 
glens. Trees have, however, been introduced and planted, until 
now Scotland is one of the most picturesque countries in the world. 
Visitors come from all parts to see its beautifully wooded glens and 
straths. As is the case in almost all countries, some parts of Scotland 
are more beautiful than others, and the County of Perthshire takes a 
prominent place in this respect. It is richly wooded, having trees 
both useful and ornamental.” 
It will be seen from these latter quotations that the boys and girls 
of Perthshire are not lacking either in patriotism to their native 
country, or in loyalty to their own county. 
My last quotation is from the essay of a boy of 14 living at 
Birnam :—“ Sir Walter Scott, the great Scottish novelist, commences 
one of his most famous novels, namely, The Fair Maid of Perth, by 
saying and partly proving that the County of Perth is the most beauti¬ 
ful in Scotland. Without doubt it owes much of its beauty to the 
presence of woods, varying in hue and appearance. The trees grow 
in different situations, according to the places where they can grow 
best, or according to their hardiness. First, on the mountains and in 
exposed situations, we find the ‘ Evergreen Pines.’ stately in appear¬ 
ance, the dark green colour of which contrasts beautifully with the 
bright green of the larch Second, in the valleys and sheltered 
situations, deciduous trees of many kinds are to be seen, such as the 
oak, the beech, the ash, the birch, and others, affording a great 
variety of colours, both in bark and foliage. There grow along the 
river sides deciduous trees of the same kind as those in the valley, 
but there are some trees almost peculiar to such situations, such as 
the weeping ash, the weeping birch, and the willows.” 
