PROCEEDINGS OF THE PERTHSHIRE SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCE. 
81 
ance, members from various parts of Perthshire and 
Forfarshire making up an enthusiastic party. (As an 
example of what the enthusiasm of a naturalist may lead 
him to do, it may be mentioned that one member walked 
twelve miles through heavy rain to join the excursion, and, 
after working all day, walked again twelve miles home !) 
The special object of this excursion was the investigation 
of some of the lochs that lie between Blairgowrie and Dun- 
keld. Many of the Perthshire lochs, especially the High¬ 
land ones, such as Lochs Tay, Rannoch, &c., lie in rock 
basins, and are the result of “ ice-action.” That is to say, 
they have been ploughed out of the living rocks by the 
great glaciers that long ago filled the valleys in which they 
are situated. The Blairgowrie lochs are not, however, of 
this nature, as they do not occupy rock basins, but are 
merely pools in the immense mass of rock-debris or gravel 
that has resulted from the great ice-sheet that once covered 
the hills. But if not altogether so interesting to the 
geologist, they teem with interest to the botanist. The 
one most botanically celebrated is Loch Cluny, on whose 
shores, about one hundred years ago, dwelt the Rev. Mr 
M'Ritchie, minister of the parish, and a good botanist, as 
may be learnt from the interesting account of the local 
botany that he has left in the old “ Statistical Account.” 
Since then the loch has been visited by several distinguished 
botanists, but it was not till six or seven years ago that it 
acquired its great celebrity. This came about by the dis¬ 
covery in it by two local botanists—Mr Abram Sturrock, 
of Rattray, and the late Mr Robb—of a beautiful aquatic 
plant, Naias flexilis, which had before then been only 
known, as regards the British Isles, to inhabit one lake in 
Connemara, in Ireland. Since that time Mr Sturrock has 
discovered Naias in several other lochs in the district, and 
has besides made many notable discoveries amongst the 
aquatic plants of the district. Under these circumstances, 
the excursionists were very fortunate in having Mr Stur¬ 
rock as their conductor, and with his guidance the day’s 
doings were most successful. 
On arriving at Blairgowrie, the party drove to Loch 
Cluny, making one or two halts on the road to look at 
some interesting plants. Among these may be mentioned 
Reseda lutea, Carduus nutans (a very handsome thistle, 
with large drooping heads), and Geranium columbinum — 
three plants by no means common in Perthshire. 
At Loch Cluny a halt was made to gather Potamogeton 
borealis, one of Mr Sturrock’s recent discoveries. The 
Potamogetons are aquatic plants, with usually submerged 
leaves, though occasionally with floating ones also. Their 
flowers are inconspicuous and of no particular beauty, 
being small and green, but the foliage is often beautiful 
both in form and colour, the latter ranging through 
various shades of green and brown. 
At Loch Cluny, P. Zizii , and a curious form of P.pusillus, 
were also obtained. The party then drove to Loch Marlee, 
where a boat was in readiness, and here some hours were 
spent in collecting various plants. Amongst these may be 
noticed P. Perthensis, another recent discovery of Mr 
Sturrock’s, who has given this name to a plant which 
seems to have been found nowhere else, and has not yet 
been described. In addition to it, P, obtusifolius, P. 
crispus, P. perfoliatus, P. lucens, and its variety acumina- 
tus, P. natans, P. heterophyllus and P. rufescens, as well 
as Naias flexilis, Elatine hexandra, Subularia aquatica, &c., 
were found. 
Leaving Loch Marlee, the Lunan Burn was descended, 
and several other Potamogetons, including P. prce- 
longus and P. nitens, added to the list. Before reaching 
Pingask Loch, the rather local Ornithopus perpusillus 
and the commoner Hypericum humifusum were gathered. 
At Fingask Loch the party again embarked, and went in 
search of a very curious plant, —Ranunculus confersoides, 
—which, unlike any other Ranunculus, flowers and fruits 
far under the surface of the water. Here also Naias was 
again found, as well as Myriophyllum spicatum, M. alter - 
niflorum, &e. Passing on to the neighbouring White 
Loch, another new Potamogeton — P. pseudonitens —was 
added to the list, as well as magnificent specimens of the 
beautiful but evil-smelling Chara hispida. 
In addition to the plants mentioned a number of micro¬ 
scopic plants were collected, and kept for examination at 
a future time. 
Though, on the whole, the day was devoted to botanical 
investigation, the zoology of the lochs was not altogether 
ignored, a number of fresh-water mollusks being collected. 
Amongst these were the following species:— Limnoea 
limosa, Physa fontinalis, Planorbis albus, P. contortus, 
Valvata piscinalis, Cyclas cornea, and one or two species 
of Pisidium. Some insects were also observed, such as 
Nepa cinerea (the water scorpion), which is rare in Perth¬ 
shire; several species of Corixa, &e. Mention may also 
be made of the bright green Spongilla lacustris, one of the 
few British species of fresh-water sponges. 
