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1

Tha Glasgow Statural History Society

(formerly The Andersonian Naturalists of Glasgow)

The object of the Society is the encouragement of the study of natural
history in all its branches, by meetings for reading and discussing papers
and exhibiting specimens, and by excursions for field work. The Glasgow
Natural History Society meet at least once a month except during July
and August, in the University of Glasgow, the University of Strathclyde
or the Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum.

The present rates of subscription per annum are: for Ordinary Mem-
bers, £4; for Junior Members, £1.25; for Family Members, £1; and foi
School Members 50p. Further information regarding the Society’s activities
and membership application forms are obtainable from the General Sec-
retary:

Mrs M. E. E. McLaughlin
15 Partickhill Road
Glasgow Gil 5BL

The Glasgow Naturalist

Published by the Glasgow Natural History Society, November, 1980.
ISSN 0373-241X. Price £4.00

Edited by E. W. Curtis with the assistance of A. C. Crundwell,

R. M. Dobson, A. McG. Stirling and J. H. Dickson.

Contributions are invited, especially when they bear on the natural
history of Scotland. A note of information for contributors is available
from the Editor.

Smaller items are also welcome from members and others. These may
cover, for example, new stations for a species, rediscoveries of old records,
additions to records in the Atlas of the British Flora, unusual dates of
flowering, unusual colour forms, ringed birds recovered, weather notes,
occurrences known to be rare, interesting localities not usually visited by
naturalists. (The nomenclature of vascular plants should be as in Dandy,
List of British Vascular Plants, 1958 and its revision. 1969).

All communications on editorial matters should be sent to:

Mr E. W. CURTIS
BOTANIC GARDENS
GLASGOW, G12 OUE

A limited number of advertisements can be accepted and enquiries
should be sent to the Editor.

Back numbers available are listed on page iii of cover

Building Stones of Glasgow

JUDITH LAWSON £

47 Southbrae Drive, Glasgow

Received May 1979

Building materials need to be strong, durable and easy to work. Before
the building of the canals and railways made the transport of heavy,
bulky loads easier, an important factor in the choice of material was
its distance from the building site. A local stone (or timber or brick)
even though of inferior quality was preferred unless a prestige building
was involved. It was this local nature of materials, reflecting the enor-
mously varied geology of the British Isles which contributed so much
to the character of the towns and villages built before the late eighteenth
century.

Glasgow is predominantly a nineteenth century city and one of
its interests from a geological point of view, is that it was built of stone
at a time when better technology and transport resulted in many towns,
particularly in England, being built of uniform mass-produced brick.
Scotland is relatively poor in brick-clays and this was doubtless an
important reason for using stone which was easily available.

The building stone of Glasgow up until the 1914-18 war was
sandstone — a medium-grained sedimentary rock formed of quartz grains,
usually between 1 mm and 0.1 mm in diameter, cemented together by
various minerals, such as quartz, calcium carbonate, iron oxides and
clay minerals. As a building stone it is strong enough to form load-
bearing walls and it is relatively easy to work. The durability of a
sandstone, very important in the long term, depends on the amount
and nature of the cementing agent. A poorly cemented sandstone is
porous and therefore less frost resistant than a well cemented one. A
sandstone in which the grains are bonded together by silica is more
resistant to weathering than one with a calcareous cement which is
likely to be dissolved by rainwater. Even at a first glance it will be seen
that two distinct sandstones occur in Glasgow. One is a cream (weather-
ing black) sandstone of Carboniferous age (about 300 million years old)

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 1 (1980)

2

and the other is red, from the Permian New Red Sandstone (about 250
million years old).

The oldest buildings in Glasgow which still exist, the Cathedral
and Provand’s Lordship, are built of cream sandstone. At the time
these were built in the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth centuries,
transport was difficult and a local stone was chosen. This, fortunately,
was of good quality. Sandstones are common at many horizons in the
Carboniferous System and are the deposits of rivers and deltas. Most
are well bedded and show small-scale current bedding and rippling.
The colour is cream with darker carbonaceous layers showing up the
bedding planes. Sandstones were quarried from many different horizons
in numerous small quarries, but particularly good beds occur in one
part of the geological column known as the Upper Limestone Group
(see Fig. 1). Here the sandstones had reasonably even grains, thick
bedding and few or no joints so that they could be cut in any direction.

ORCHARD LST

moor rock! GIFFNOCK

LIVER rock] SST

LYONCROSS LST

BARRHEAD GRIT

HUNTERSHILL CST

INDEX LST

Fig. 1 Sections of the lower part of the Upper Limestone Group north and
south of the River Clyde. Sections approximately 130 m in thickness. Sand-
stones— stippled, shales — horizontal shading, limestone — boxes.

LST — Limestone; SST — sandstone; CST — cementstone.

NORTH SOUTH

ORCHARD LST T~m

LYONCROSS LST

HUNTERSHILL CST
BISHOPBRIGGS SST
INDEX LST

3

Such sandstones are known as freestones or, as at Giffnock, as Liver
Rock. The quartz sand1 grains are cemented with silica (quartz) some
clay and some calcium carbonate (the latter is common in Giffnock
sandstone). The early quarries are now obscured but the stone for the
cathedral is thought to have come from the area on which Queen
Street Station now stands. New construction works sometimes reveal
the presence of old quarries; one occurred on the land between Ren-
field and Renfrew streets on a site cleared for a new TV studio and
another on the site of the multi-storey car-park on Cowcaddens Street
(see Fig. 2).

Later, in the nineteenth century, when the centre of Glasgow was
built over, new quarries were opened in Bishopbriggs and Giffnock.
This stone was used for tenements, houses and business premises.
While these quarries were important it should be remembered that
there were numerous smaller ones at many other levels also. Little
can now be seen of these quarries as they were mostly underground.
Miners were employed to cut horizontal adits from which quarrymen
then cut blocks in galleries up to 20 m in height. ‘Pillars’ or ‘stoops’
of sandstone were left to support the roof. At the Huntershill Quarry
in Bishopbriggs the sandstone was a very uniform cream colour except
where it was weathered to yellow. In the important southern area
around Giffnock, a sandstone of a very local extent was quarried, again
underground. The best sandstone — the ‘Liver Rock’, about 10 m thick,
occurred in the Braidbar area where it underlay about 10 m of more
porous ‘Moor Rock’ which was usually left as the roof. The Liver rock
thinned out both to the north and south of this area.

Many of the sandstones are still in excellent condition and a new
trend, much to be praised, is to clean up older tenements rather than
to demolish them. Good examples of both red and cream sandstone
tenements can be seen at Maryhill at, for example, Murano Street and
Shakespeare Street.

The other main building stone is a bright red sandstone. By compar-
ison with the cream sandstone this has well rounded grains and is more
porous i.e less well cemented. The red colour is due to the red iron
oxide, haematite, which coats the sand grains. The actual amount of
iron oxide is very small, possibly 1% or less. These red sandstones are
very even grained and may show the very large scale current bedding,
typically formed by drifting sand dunes. These are desert sandstones
of the ‘New Red Sandstone’. They are found extensively in Ayrshire
around Mauchline (e.g. Ballochmyle and Barskimming Quarries) and in
Dumfriesshire (e.g. Locharbriggs, Corncockle and Gatelawbridge).

4

bishopbf(Tggs

Ke n m u r e''fi| r o w h i I i

Coltpark^P^ ^ U.M
^'■'^Huntershill

V

\

*

N

COWGLEN

CATHEDRAL —

s

Post Upper Carboni-
ferous Lst Group
Other Upper Carboni-
ferous Lst Group
Giffnoc k Sst &
Lyoncross Lst
Bishopbriggs Sst &
Index Lst

Pre Upper Carboni-
ferous Lst Group

Burnfield-^

/ V

GIFFNOCK

best quality li'
rock from eastern
part of outcrop

^ Fault
-f- Quarry

Braidbar
New Braidbar

Fig. 2 Sketch map of the Glasgow District showing the main sandstone horizons
and quarries.

5

The vast majority of dwelling houses and tenements used one or
other of these sandstones, often using a well shaped (ashlar) block on
the front and a more irregular rubblestone at the sides and back of the
building. Some buildings have red sandstone at the front and cream
sandstone at the rear, implying that the red sandstone was more fash-
ionable. Such a tenement can be seen on High Street near George Street.
Very occasionally a striped building was built for effect as can be seen
at 91 Buchanan Street, originally one of Miss Cranston’s Tearooms.
In the centre of Glasgow, many buildings, particularly those of a com-
mercial nature, have the lower part — up to ground floor level — built
of granite. The granite was mainly of Scottish origin from Aberdeen-
shire, Peterhead, Ross of Mull and Dumfriesshire, an exception being
the Clyde Trust Building at the corner of Robertson Street and Broom-
ielaw where polished slabs of Shap granite can be seen. Granite is an
extremely strong, coarse grained acid igneous rock. Many granites have
a pink or reddish colour which combines well with the red sandstone
of the upper stories. The finish was usually highly polished or left
matt. Granite is very little affected by weathering and extremely strong,
but it has the disadvantage that it is difficult and expensive to work.
Buildings with granite bases include the City Chambers (Correnie
Quarry, Aberdeenshire) and Strathclyde University (Stirlingshill Quar-
ry, Peterhead.

Stone has had many other uses in Glasgow. Flagstones (thinly bedded
fine, often micaceous sandstone) from Caithness, Arbroath (which was
less slippery on steep hills) and also from more local sources, were used
for pavements. Road setts which can still be seen in place in, for ex-
ample, Dundas Street and which lie under the surface of many streets
were of granite in main thoroughfares, and dolerite, largely from the
Kilsyth area, for side streets. Kerbstones, mainly dolerite and granite,
including a large number from Shap, can still be seen in place as they
are virtually indestructible. A variety of granites were used for statue
pedestals. George Square contains many different ones including a por-
phyritic grey granite with individual crystals (phenocrysts) several
centimetres long, probably from Cornwall. Granite was also used for
bridges; for example the King George V bridge is of Dalbeattie granite.
Another stone used in small amounts was limestone. This is common
in England where it has been used extensively as a building stone. The
startlingly white Portland Oolite Limestone of 86-90 St. Vincent Street,
contrasts sharply with its mellow cream sandstone neighbour.

After the 1914-18 war, little major building in stone occurred. The
cost of labour increased so that it became more economic to build in
concrete and confine stone to the cladding of such structures. Cladding
panels can be thin and so far less stone is needed. Glasgow today can

6

show granites and other rocks from all over the world. The Clydesdale
Bank at the comer of Buchanan Street and West George Street is clad
with both polished and flamed (rough) surfaces of granite from Argen-
tina and the Bradford and Bingley Building Society office in Gordon
Street uses a brown orbicular granite from Finland. While these rocks
from abroad are often very attractive, it is to be hoped that recent in-
terest in reopening old Scottish quarries is successful and that ‘native’
stone can again be used in Glasgow.

KHbirnie Loch, Ayrshire : an Ecological
Appraisal

P.S. MAITLAND, I.R. SMITH, A.E. BAILEY-WATTS,

K. EAST. K.H. MORRIS, A.A. LYLE and A. KIRIKA

Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, 78 Craighall Road, Edinburgh
Received July 1980

Kilbimie Loch is a shallow loch in north-east Ayrshire, lying between
Kilbimie, Glengamock and Beith. Brief descriptions of it have appeared
in general accounts of the area (e.g. Adam, 1793; McClellan, 1793; Col-
ville, 1845; Urquhart, 1845; etc.) but no comprehensive account of its
ecology has been published. The bathymetry was surveyed in 1906 by
Murray and Puller (1910). A short account of some aspects of the loch is
given by Henton and Livingstone (1974).

Originally called Garnoth Loch, then Loch Thankart, Kilbimie
Loch has been used for a variety of purposes. Adam (1793) notes that
the Earl of Crawford used it for pleasure boating; later a boat was used
to transport coal from the west side to Beith. Colville (1845) records that
in 1805 an Act of Parliament authorised the Ardrossan Canal to be con-
structed from Ardrossan to Glasgow, with Kilbimie Loch as its summit
level. This canal was never constructed (apart from a stretch from Glas-
gow to Johnstone) and eventually a railway line (from Glasgow to Ayr)
was built along the same route. The combination of this line, local coal,
limestone, and some iron ore led to the development of an iron works
near the south-west side of the loch around 1850.

These works developed over the next 100 years and are in existence
today. Over this period slag has been dumped continuously, encroaching
into the south-west comer of the loch and filling in a substantial propor-
tion of its area. Loch water has also been abstracted regularly by the
iron works for cooling purposes. Recent proposals for redevelopment of
the area have increased interest in the loch and the present survey was a
direct result of this. The main object of the survey was to assess the
present conservation interest of the loch and predict the likely impact

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 1 (1980)

8

FIGURE 1. Kilbimie Loch: bathymetry, main inflows and outflow. (Bathy-
metry after Murray & Pullar, 1910). Changes in the shoreline since 1858
are also shown.

9

of potential developments there. Though attempting to be comprehens-
ive, its main deficiency results from the study being carried out within 8
weeks (October and November, 1978) thus little seasonal information is
available. In addition to assessing its ecology and conservation status
particular attention has been paid to the nature of its silts, the effect of
infilling with slag and its potential for industry and recreation.

Physical Background

Kilbimie Loch lies 27 km south-west of Glasgow, at 31 m above
sea level. It has a surface area of 0.85 km2, a maximum depth of 9.1 m
and a mean depth of 3.4 m (Fig. 1). The loch has been reduced in size
over the last 120 years by tipped waste from the steel works at its south
end. Fig. 1 shows the changes in shore-line from 1858 to 1978. The
surface area over that period has decreased from 1.13 km2 to 0.85 km2.
The drainage area of the loch is 14.9 km2.

CATCHMENT

Geology

The solid geology in the lower catchment is carboniferous limestone.
The higher ground to the north and south is basalts with some calcifer-
ous limestone, mugearite, trachyte and rhyolite. Drift geology shows
a layer of peat on higher ground to the north, and a covering of boul-
der clay and lake alluvium over the lower catchment.

Land Use

The catchment area of the loch includes rough grazing, permanent
grass, industrial and urban types of land use. Rough grazing is confined
to the upland north of the catchment and is approximately that land
over 250 m. Farming land is mainly permanent grass for cattle with
a small area for root crops. Glengarnock steel works and associated
slag areas constitute the main industrial ground, but land on the south-
east shore sites bonded warehouses. Beith (population: 5,859 in 1971),
is the main urban area.

HYDROLOGY
Water Budget

For the purpose of water balance calculations the drainage area is
assumed to be water-tight. Maich Water is the major inflow but there
are two small streams on the east shore and some direct run-off from
slag heaps on the south-west shore. The values required to determine
the net water balance are: rainfall, evaporation, water supply and
industrial use (Linsley et al. , 1949), the outflow being estimated by
difference.

10

Rainfall over the catchment and loch was calculated by the Th les-
sen method using annual rainfall means for 1916-1950 from three local
rain stations (Meterological Office, 1966). This produced a mean annual
rainfall of 1789 mm.

Evaporation was calculated in two parts - potential transpiration
over the catchment, and evaporation from the loch surface. The potent-
ial transpiration for the county of Ayr (1950-1964) is 470 mm per
annum (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, 1967) and the
evaporation rate 564 mm.

The Lower Clyde Water Board own Maich Reservoir, which supp-
lies the treatment works near East Auchenhean. The abstraction rate
is quite low, approximately 36 m3 per day. (The Water Board are at
present reviewing a scheme to divert some of the Maich Water to feed
a reservoir in the River Calder).

The steel works, running at half capacity, extracted 82 x 103 m3
per week from the loch in 1978. (This figure will be reduced to 26.5 x
103 m3 when a section of the works closes). Water is returned to the loch
after use but evaporation losses during the process are assumed to be
as high as 50%.

These calculations give an estimated annual outflow of 18.472 x
106 m3. From the net annual water balance and the lake volume, a
theoretical retention time of 57.3 days is calculated.

Lake Dynamics

In 1973, Henton and Livingstone (1974) concluded that the domin-
ant factor in generating circulation currents was exposure to the pre-
vailing south-west winds. Recent experiments by the authors support
the view that, in the absence of wind-driven currents, a short circuiting
between inflow and outflow exists, leaving the south end of the loch un-
disturbed. This affects any calculations using retention time theory.
Thermal currents induced by the returning water from the steel works
are not thought to be significant.

The possibility of stratification was examined by comparing the
mean depth with a theoretical thermocline depth which was calculated
to be 5.8 m. As this is greater than the mean depth of 3.4 m it is
unlikely that stratification will occur, except in exceptionally calm and
warm summer conditions.

SUBSTRATES

The softer deep water and firmer shallow water substrates of Kil-
birnie Loch were examined separately during the survey, using differ-
ent methods. These were linked to the sampling of the invertebrate
benthos of deep and shallow water respectively.

11

Deep Water Sediments

The substrate in water over 0.5 m deep consists mainly of soft silty
sediments. Samples of these were taken at seven sites. At six sites two
cores each of 16 cm depth were taken using a standard Jenkin mud
corer (Jenkin & Mortimer, 1938): one of each pair of cores was used
for sediment analyses, the other for determination of the zoobenthos.
At the 7th site between the two deepest areas a different coring device
was used (Maitland, 1969) and here a single core 64 cm in depth was
obtained. This was subsequently divided horizontally into 4 vertical
sub-samples (A-D), each 16 cm in depth.

All cores used for sediment analysis were treated in the same way.
After its depth had been measured and any overlying water siphoned off,
each core was placed in a labelled jar and then thoroughly mixed.
Approximately 100 gm was then removed, dried at 100°C, and passed
for chemical analysis (see below). The remainder was then analysed for
particle size composition (Holme & McIntyre, 1971).

The surface sediments are all fine ones with a fairly high organic
fraction (mean 11.6%). The sand fraction is rather low, and there is a
high silt /clay fraction at all sites. The sand fraction at the north end
of the loch is higher than elsewhere. Water movement (and subsequent
dispersion of the finer particles) is greatest in this area due to prevailing
winds and proximity to outflow and major inflow. A triangular plot of
the percentages of sand, silt and clay indicates the similarity of the
sediment samples taken.

The depth of the sediment at most sites was substantial and at
the 7th site was over 2 m. Analyses of segments of the deep core taken
at this site indicates that there is little difference between shallow and
deep fractions, the main point of interest being the increasing clay in
the deeper sediments.

Shallow Water Substrates

The substrates round the edge of Kilbirnie Loch were mapped dur-
ing a circuit of the perimeter. The assessment of substrate type was a
subjective one, and the nature of each segment of shore examined was
recorded as the percentage composition according to the particle size
scale of Wentworth (1922). Field data were transformed in the laborat-
ory to tabular and map representations.

The predominant substrate was sand and gravel with numerous
stones. Boulders were scattered sporadically along the east shore and
on the west shore were mostly to the north of the slag. The slag heaps
themselves were an obvious feature of the south-west shore and under
water consisted of fine silt among numerous stone-sized pieces of slag.

12

Chemistry

WATER

Water was sampled at the substrate sites. Collections were made
with a polythene pipe (I.D. 2.5 cm) weighted and lowered vertically into
the water (Lund, 1949) to within ca 25 cm of the bottom. An additional
dip sample of the Maich Water was taken just upstream from the loch.
Chemical analyses were according to Allen et al (1974) except for total
organic carbon which was assessed with a Model 400P Carlo-Erba (Swin-
don, England) T.O.C. Analyser. At a central station vertical profiles of
temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity and light attenuation were
established with submersible probes and photocells.

These analyses indicate a fairly well-mixed water body. Most
physico-chemical parameters show virtually no spatial variation, whilst
even those exhibiting at least a slight variation show no unidirectional
trend. Vertical profiles indicate really very little difference with depth;
the temperature was 10.68 °C at 0 m and 10.65 °C at 6 m, dissolved
oxygen remained between 80 and 81% saturation, and conductivity
(/xS) varied only by 1 in 142. Light attenuation is the only feature ex-
hibiting a significant trend with depth.

Integrative measures of water quality — conductivity, Hazen col-
our, pH, total organic carbon — as well as the analysis for individual
ions, indicate a base and nutrient rich water body with a potential for
high organic production. The water is rich in both dissolved and par-
ticulate inorganic and organic matter. These result in a murky water
of low light transparency. At 1 m below the surface only 12% of the
surface value of even the most penetrating wavelength (red) is present.
A 20 cm diameter Secchi disc is lost from sight when lowered to depths
greater than 1.5 m.

The similarity between loch and inflow is of interest; alkalinity
and calcium and magnesium ions, sodium, potassium and nitrogen are
the few features showing a dissimilarity — higher values in the loch.
Clyde River Purification Board results from May 1978 showed a sim-
ilar relationship. The latter data also showed an increase in chloride
content around the steel works inlet; no such variation is evident for
the present survey. As far as water chemistry is concerned views on
the influence of the loch-side industries would be conjectural; levels
of alkaline earths are similar here to those of rich lochs lying in base-
rich catchments elsewhere.

The acidity of the loch water seems higher than might be expected
for a catchment that is mainly base-rich. Pollution may provide part
of the answer here for a possible source of acidity, not normally found
in comparable catchments, is air-borne pollution from the steel works
chimneys — the emission from which presumably has a high sulphur

13

content. Rain affected by aerial pollution of this type is highly acidic
and has a marked effect on the pH and ecology of fresh waters on
which it falls (Granat, 1972).

SEDIMENTS

Results of chemical analyses of the dried sediments for six par-
ameters show that the surface sediments have a rather low pH (mean :
5.0), and a high organic fraction as expressed by loss on ignition
(mean: 20%). Levels of calcium, iron, phosphorus and nitrogen ap-
pear normal for a lake of this type.

The analyses of the vertical samples of the deep core taken at a
central site indicate little difference in chemical composition with depth.
Though the highest concentrations of iron occurred in the shallowest
sediment this is not necessarily related to the steel industry near by,
for Gorham (1964) has shown that the surface sediments of Esthwaite
Water and Windermere are richer in iron than the deeper ones.

Botany

PHYTOPLANKTON

Subsamples for phytoplankton pigment (chlorophyll a) analyses and
algal cell counts were taken from water collected for chemistry. Spectro-
photometric measurements for chlorophyll were made on methanolic
extracts of material filtered on to glass-fibre pads (Tailing, 1965). Stand-
ard equations (Tailing & Driver, 1963) were used to relate concentrations
of pigment to the absorbances measured. A Water Research Centre-
modified Lund nanoplankton chamber was used for algal counts on
material fixed with Lugol’s Iodine and concentrated by sedimentation
(Youngman, 1971). Species names conform to descriptions in taxon-
omic texts cited by George (1976).

Only 16 algal species were recorded. The commonest was the small
cryptomonad flagellate Rhodomonas minuta var nanoplanctica which
existed with small green algae ( Ankistrodesmus falcatus. Scene desmus
spp., Elakatothrix gelatinosd) and diatoms {Asterionella formosa and
Melosira spp.). An over-riding feature was the comparative rarity of
algal organisms within a very dense suspension of organic detritus
and bacterial aggregates.

Total numbers of algal cells varied among the 7 stations from 430
to 1,430 per millilitre and concentrations of chlorophyll from 3.1 to
4.4 pug. I”1. From 90 to 95% of the total algal biomass on this occasion
is attributable to Rhodomonas.

The number of cells in these samples is low for a nutrient-rich and
potentially-— from physical and chemical viewpoints — highly productive
loch. Evidently the primary production here is manifested more in the
dense stands of macrophytes on the loch bed, than in algal plankton.

14

However, total amounts of organic matter in the water column
are high. This is suggested both from the visual impression of material
observed under the microscope, and by some of the chemical analyses.
For example the measured total organic carbon concentrations approx-
imates to 8 mg. I-1; by comparison the current algal crop (ca. 1,000 cells.
ml-1) would contribute approximately only 0.1 mg C.l-1 i.e. 1.25% of
the total carbon present.

Much of the suspended matter may arise as a loading from the
inflow; the total organic carbon value from the latter slightly exceeds
those measured in the loch samples. This component could, along with
certain dissolved compounds, limit phytoplankton production by ab-
sorbing light. However, this idea should be tested further because of
the presence of other photosynthetic organisms associated with the
bed of the loch.

MACROPHYTES

A macrophyte survey of the loch from the water’s edge to about
50 cm depth was carried out in mid-October 1978. Plants were noted
at 18 sampling stations. In addition, the emergent vegetation which
formed a fringing zone was noted, as were plants at the five netting
stations.

The dominant plant at the water’s edge is Phalaris arundinacea.
This occurs along the eastern half of the north shore, the outflow, the
eastern shore and the southern end of the loch. It then becomes spor-
adic and apparently disappears along the western shore. In fact, small
plants may be found here and there along this shore also, and its great
reduction is probably due to grazing pressure here. Another grass was
common here, Agrostis stolonifera , and this merged into a pasture of
other grasses and herbs above the water level. Other plants did occur
in the Phalaris zone but not in large numbers: patches of Glyceria
maxima and Iris pseudacorus. Some plants were only recorded at a
single sampling station and not seen elsewhere e.g. Alisma plantago-
aquatica.

Plants which seemed abundant and/or widespread (and probably
the most important) are the submerged Char a sp.. Ranunculus aqua-
tilis , Myriophyllum spicatum, Elodea canadensis, Potamogeton perfoli-
atus and Eleocharis acicularis and the emergent Phalaris arundinacea ,
Agrostis stolonifera and Eleocharis palustris. The nutrient status of
waters and the types of substrates in which they grow have been dis-
cussed by Haslam et al, (1975). All can be found in eutrophic waters
and 6 of the 9 in oligotrophic waters also. However Myriophyllum
spicatum, Potamogeton perfoliatus and Phalaris arundinacea are not
found in oligotrophic waters, and Phalaris and Agrostis stolonifera are
restricted to a mineral substrate. Thus the aquatic macrophytes of Kil-
bimie Loch indicate a mesotrophic to eutrophic loch with a mineral
substrate.

15

Zoology

ZOOPLANKTON

Microzooplankton were enumerated in the samples used for algal
counts. The commoner rotifers were recorded from a phytoplankton
net tow sample taken in open water. Types and numbers of Crustacea
were estimated from integrated column samples collected by a tube
sampler, capacity 7.85 litres per metre length (George & Owen 1978).

The most common zooplankton was a protozoan closely resemb-
ling Tintinnopsis — a ciliate; population estimates suggest an uneven
distribution with densest aggregations of ca 2,000 ml-1 and sparsest of
near 200 ml-1. Rotifers consisted mainly of Synchaeta, Polyarthra,
Brachionus, Conochilus, Keratella and Notholca species. This is an
assemblage typical of temperate eutrophic waters.

Although present in far fewer numbers than Tintinnopsis , various
Crustacea comprised the major proportion of zooplankton biomass.
The means from seven sites (expressed per 10 1 of water) are : calanoids
(mainly Diaptomus gracilis ), 35; cladocerans (mainly Daphnia hyalina
var. lacustris ) 7 and cyclopoids (mainly Cyclops strenuus abyssorum) 4.
At all sites Diaptomus was predominant (maximum 93.10 l-1), clado-
cerans were the next most abundant, with cyclopoids comparatively
rare.

These zooplankton are common to many temperate eutrophic
waters. Thus rather than the types present, their absolute abundances
and their ratios are probably of greater value as indicators of the nature
of the Kilbimie ecosystem. As with phytoplankton, zooplankton is
sparse. In other small, shallow, eutrophic lakes populations of tens of
Crustacea per litre might be expected. The predominance of Diaptom-
us is particularly striking. In many lakes the zooplankton tends to be
dominated by a cyclopoid and/or cladoceran with Diaptomus com-
paratively rare. As Diaptomus and other Crustacea feed on small par-
ticles including micro-algae it is possible that the low numbers result
from a seasonal algal minimum; however, there is an abundance of
other organic particles. The probable influence of fish predation on
crustacean zooplankton cannot be ignored.

ZOOBENTHOS

The zoobenthos of the soft substrates in deep water (more than
0.5 m) and of the firmer sediments in shallower water (less than 0.5 m)
were examined separately, using, because of the different nature of the
substrates, quite different methods.

Zoobenthos of Deep Water

Cores were taken at six of the substrate sites using a Jenkin Corer,
as described above. These were sieved fresh using a 20 cm diameter,
0.5 mm aperture sieve. Material retained in the sieve was preserved

16

in 70% alcohol and later sorted, all invertebrates being counted and
identified.

The zoobenthos is dominated by aquatic worms ( Tubificidae ), bi-
valves (Pisidium), and midge larvae (Procladius) — common animals of
soft sediments in lochs. Other invertebrates occurring in reasonable
numbers are Asellus aquaticus and Valvata macrostoma. Some of the
variety in the community is due to animals associated with Chara,
growing over the mud in many places, and inevitably included with
some of the cores.

Zoobenthos of Shallow Water

Samples of bottom-living invertebrates were taken at six approxi-
mately equal intervals round the loch and included all the substrate
types present. Samples were taken using a timed hand-net technique
(Macan, 1957) where the substrate was disturbed by kicking and the
debris swept into a 0.5 mm mesh hand-net. Kicking was over as wide
an area as possible and into the loch to a depth of 0.5 m for a timed
period. In addition, stones were selected randomly, and material attach-
ed to their surfaces rubbed into the hand-net. This operation was also
timed. The samples were preserved in 4% formalin and later sorted,
and any zoobenthos identified and counted.

The littoral invertebrate fauna was varied and included at least 44
taxa. Some were present in large numbers, especially those associated
with organically rich waters e.g. flat worms, worms, leeches and water
lice. There was a lack of those organisms which are susceptible to pol-
lution i.e. stonefly and mayfly nymphs (Woodiwiss, 1964). The snail
fauna was varied and individuals numerous. Most of the species found
such as Lymnaea palustris and L. peregra are associated with both hard
and soft waters and are widely distributed in Great Britain, but some are
considered to be hard water species e.g. Bithynia tentaculata common
in the south of England but rarer in Scotland (Macan, 1977). There
was a notable lack of air-breathing organisms, the exception being the
beetle Deronectes depressus. With the exception of the Orthocladiinae,
Diptera also occurred in low numbers. The two stations with the small-
est variety of organisms were both at the southern end of the loch.

It is clear from the overall diversity of the littoral fauna that this
is not a severely polluted site. The absence of certain organisms sus-
ceptible to pollution, however, indicates its existence to some extent.
There was visual evidence of oil, both on the surface of the water and
in the sediments, particularly on the west and south shores. This oil
could be a limiting factor in the success of air-breathing organisms. The
presence in large numbers of invertebrates associated with nutrient
enrichment could be the result of run-off from the farms on the west
shore or the inflow streams on the east shore which drain from the dir-

17

ection of Beith. The low diversity of the southern sites near the slag
heaps indicates some adverse effect of slag on the invertebrate popu-
lations.

FISH

Only large fish in the loch were examined during this study. Five
identical mixed-mesh gill nets, each 50 m in length, 2 m in depth with
10 mesh sizes ranging from 10-55 mm (ba) were set at three stations
on the east and two on the north-west shore. Each net was set at right
angles to the shore starting in about 2 m of water. The nets were
set at 1300 hrs on 18 October and lifted at 1100 hrs on 19 October
1978. All fish caught were identified and measured for length. Scales
were taken from the 10 largest specimens of each species and used for
ageing. Small fish were seen and taken occasionally in hand-nets round
the edge of the loch.

The few species caught were Trout ( Salmo trutta ), Pike (Esox
lucius ), Roach (Rutilus rutilus) and Perch ( Perea fluviatilis). In
addition. Minnows ( Phoxinus phoxinus) were caught round the edge.
Details of the lengths and numbers of the net-caught fish are given
in Fig. 2.

The total fish population in Kilbimie Loch appears to be large
and all four common species there grow to a large size. The fish fauna
of the loch has been known for a considerable time, for Adam (1793)
remarked that it was “well stored with Pike, Perch, Trout and Eel”.
The same comment is made by McClellan (1793), but neither author
mentions Roach or any smaller species. Both Colville (1845) and Ur-
quhart (1845) mention Trout, Pike, Roach, Perch and Eels, the latter
pointing out that the Eels were particularly abundant, while very large
Trout, Pike and Perch “have occasionally been killed”.

It seems likely that Eels {Anguilla anguilla ) disappeared from
the loch with the pollution of the Rivers Black Cart and Clyde, while
Roach invaded the loch in the early 19th Century — either naturally or
through introduction by Man. With the increasing improvement of water
quality in the River Clyde and its tributaries (Clyde River Purification
Board, 1977) it is possible that Eels could return to Kilbirnie Loch
within the next 10 years.

BIRDS

Relatively little recent information is available concerning water-
fowl at Kilbimie Loch and only a few Mallard, Tufted Duck and
Goldeneye were seen during the actual survey. Atkinson- Willes (1963)
mentions that the numbers of wildfowl there are small, “due partly to
disturbance and partly to the tipping of slag from the iron works near-
by”. For this reason it appears that this loch has never been included

5

0

5

0

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

10

5

0

ROACH

Ju.

! 1 1 T 1 1 1

10 20 30 40 50 60 70

LENGTH IN CENTIMETRES

Length-frequency histograms of Trout, Pike, Roach and Perch
gill net in Kilbimie Loch.

19

in the national wildfowl counts. However, wildfowl on the neighbouring
Barr and Castle Semple Lochs have been counted regularly for more
than 20 years and data for the common species are available.

Both these lochs provide a suitable environment for a rich variety
of over- wintering wildfowl. There is no reason to suppose that Kilbirnie
Loch, with less disturbance and oil pollution, could not harbour similar
populations. It did in the past, for McClellan (1793) noted that it was
“frequented by many aquatic birds such as ducks, geese, swans etc”.

Discussion

The descriptive information on Kilbirnie Loch, though limited from
the seasonal point of view, allows a reasonable ecological appraisal of
the loch, especially in relation to future developments there. Proposed
changes which appear likely to affect the loch are the use of the soft
sediments in reclaiming areas of slag, further infilling of parts of the
loch in order to dispose of excess slag, and the increased use of the loch
for industrial or recreational purposes.

BASELINE SURVEY

The overall results from the survey indicate that Kilbirnie Loch
is a moderately rich, mesotrophic to eutrophic loch, with a varied flora
and fauna. Originally part of a glacial trough between two sections of
the Clyde Plateau lavas, Kilbirnie, Barr and Castle Semple Lochs were
probably at one time a single elongate loch, now divided into three by
the Maich Water delta (between Kilbirnie and Barr Lochs) and the
Calder Burn delta (between Barr and Castle Semple Lochs). Though
it has been a discrete water body for only a few hundred years, Kilbirnie
Loch can be described as a mature lake in geomorphological terms —
with a regular mature shoreline and deep, organically rich, sediments
gradually filling its deeper basins.

The catchment of Kilbirnie Loch is an unusual one with the loch
lying very close to the Garnock (Ayrshire) and Cart (Renfrewshire)
watersheds, but just within the latter. The main tributary (the Maich
Water) lies close to the outflow. Thus, in some weathers at least, much
of the Maich Water passes quickly out via the Dubbs Water with little
mixing. These two circumstances have important biological implications
as far as future management is concerned. At present, because of pollut-
ion in the lower Cart and Clyde, no migratory fish enter Kilbirnie Loch.
This situation is improving, however, and it is likely that Eels at least
should be able to pass into Kilbirnie Loch in the not too distant future.

Chemical results indicate that Kilbirnie Loch is mesotrophic to
eutrophic in character and there is no evidence of serious pollution.
However, the small tributary entering the south-east comer of the loch
was polluted at the time of the survey and there was considerable oil

20

pollution of the water surface from the steel works in the south-west
corner. Oil contamination of the sediments was also evident in a number
of places. Oxygen levels of 80-81% saturation were recorded during
the present survey. Hen ton & Livingstone (1974) noted that dissolved
oxygen levels in Kilbirnie Loch (also 80% saturation) were lower than
either Barr Loch (85%) or Castle Semple Loch (87%). They also observ-
ed large vertical differences in the south-west corner of the loch beside
the steel works outfall. Here the saturation at the surface was 115%
but at a depth of 2 m was only 35%. They attributed this to a prolific
growth of Potamogeton crispus encouraged by warm water from the
outfall.

The flora and fauna of Kilbirnie Loch is relatively rich both in
variety of species and density of individuals. The impact of the steel
works (and the former chemical works) appears not to be great, though
there is evidence of a localised effect from the warm water effluent and
of an impoverished insect fauna from oil pollution. The fish population
is dense with a surprisingly good mix of four large species — Trout, Pike,
Roach and Perch. Waterfowl, on the other hand, appear to have been
significantly affected by disturbance and oil pollution and numbers are
less than might be expected in natural circumstances.

LOCH SEDIMENTS

The particle size composition of the soft sediments is similar to
that found in other lowland lochs te.g. Loch Leven, Kinross: Calvert,
1974), as is the organic content. Chemical features appear to be normal
too, even iron, which might be expected to be high due to leaching from
the enormous amounts of slag dumped beside and even into the loch
over the last 100 years.

The distribution of iron in lake muds has been discussed by Gor-
ham (1964), who gives values for the upper sediments in Esth waite
Water and Windermere of around 5.4 and 5.2% respectively. This
compares to the mean of 3.9% in Kilbirnie Loch, which is thus sur-
prisingly low.

INDUSTRY AND RECREATION

It has been noted that Man has used Kilbirnie Loch for a variety
of purposes for several hundred years. Though some changes are ap-
parent, there do not seem yet to have been any catastrophies in the
ecology of the system. If the future of the loch is to be secured and
its resources integrated in a sensible way with the redevelopment of
the surrounding area, then the impact on the loch of any new proposals
must be considered in forward planning. Though the scale is small,
there is every reason to approach this planning (as far as Kilbirnie
Loch is concerned) from the point of view of a multi-purpose river-
basin project.

21

The main threat to the loch from industry (including housing) in
its catchment is pollution — probably in the form of toxins, organic
wastes or oil. Any such discharges will be subject to control by the
Clyde River Purification Board and should therefore be reasonably
acceptable. Since, however, because of their residual effect (especially
if stratification occurred in summer) such discharges are more harmful
to standing than to running waters, it would certainly be preferable if
they were led to the River Garnock rather than to Kilbimie Loch. Im-
provement of existing sources of pollution (e.g. sewage from Beith, oil
from the steel works) would also be of considerable benefit.

The main direct use of Kilbirnie Loch by industry is likely to be
for water for cooling or other purposes. As indicated above, this has
been happening there on a small scale for many years with apparently
only a minor effect on the loch. Some abstraction also takes place in
the upper catchment and there are proposals to increase this. The most
serious damage likely to result from significant abstraction would be
if large changes in the water level of the loch resulted. These would
lead to an impoverishment of the shore flora and fauna with subse-
quent changes in other parts of the ecosystem, including the fish pop-
ulations. The barren shores of several water-supply and hydro-electric
reservoirs elsewhere in Scotland are glaring examples of what to avoid.

Noise, as such, from local industry is not likely to affect the loch
other than through disturbance to the waterfowl. Numbers of these
already appear to be substantially reduced through noise and disturb-
ance from the steel works.

The recreational potential of Kilbirnie Loch is high, and it is
already used for water skiing, angling and amenity purposes. It offers
a venue for other types of power boating, as well as canoeing and
sailing. If power boating is developed further it will lead to a reduction
in the ecological interest of the loch due to increased noise, direct dis-
turbance of fish and birds, and pollution (from oil, etc.). In some other
lowland lochs where user pressures are great some of the problems
(e.g. boating v. wildfowl) have been overcome by zoning parts of the
loch for different purposes. Linlithgow Loch in West Lothian is a good
example of this.

A small angling fishery already exists at Kilbimie Loch and sev-
eral workers from the steel mill fish there. The potential for a mixed
angling fishery is high for the loch holds good stocks of Brown Trout,
Pike, Roach and Perch, many of which are large and of specimen size.
A water of this quality would be of major angling importance in most
parts of England or Wales and could be a tourist attraction.

The potential amenity value of Kilbirnie Loch and its surround-
ings is high and there is no doubt that it and the conservation value
of the loch itself could be improved, thus making it a valuable asset

22

to the neighbourhood. Views of the loch from a number of vantage
points are good, other than those looking towards the steel works and
slag heaps, and to a lesser extent the bonded warehouses. Landscaping
(particularly the slag areas) and the imaginative use of appropriate
trees could improve these views considerably.

If oil pollution and noise and organic pollution are reduced, there
should be an increase in the variety of animals and plants in the loch.
Conditions could be further improved by directing public use of the
surroundings to the west shore, where a fenced path could prevent
stock grazing down to the loch shore. This would encourage the growth
of emergent plants there. Access to the east shore could be restricted
and the habitat between the loch and the railway line diversified by
the planting of native trees and shrubs. This would provide a reserve
area for wildfowl breeding, etc., which could be encouraged even fur-
ther by digging out a few shallow ponds.

Acknowledgments

This study was produced as a result of a contract between the
Institute of Terrestrial Ecology and Robert Matthew, Johnson-Mar-
shall and Partners (ITE Project No. 616). We are grateful to Mr C.
Carter and Miss M. McGlynn of that firm for their advice and help
during its preparation. The chemical analyses were carried out by the
Chemical Section of ITE, and our thanks are due to Mr S. E, Allen
and Mr J, Parkinson for the results concerned. Sediment particle size
analyses were performed by Mr C. Main. Mr D. H. Jones and Miss L.
May confirmed identities of Crustacea and Rotifera. Information of
wildfowl numbers was kindly provided by the Scottish Ornithologists’
Club, while the Lower Clyde Water Board and the Clyde River Puri-
fication Board were also good enough to provide background data.

Detailed data obtained at each sampling station have been omitted
from this account, but may be obtained from the Glasgow Natural
History Society or the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology. They include
the distribution and composition of the substrates, plankton, zooben-
thos and macrophytes; the annual water budget and water chemistry
are also tabulated.

References

Adam, J. 1793. Parish of Kilbimy. Stat. Acc. Scot., 7 : 149-152.

Allen, S. E., Grimshaw, H. M., Parkinson, J. A. and Quarmby, C. 1974.

Chemical analysis of ecological materials. Oxford, Blackwell.
Atkinson-Willes, G. L. 1963. Wildfowl in Great Britain. London, H.M.S.O.
Calvert, S. E. 1974. Distribution of bottom sediments in Loch Leven, Kin-
ross. Proc . R. Soc . Edinb., B., 74: 68-80.

Clyde River Purification Board. 1977. Annual Report. East Kilbride,
C.R.P.B.

23

Colville, G. 1845. Parish of Beith. New Stat. Acc. Scot., 5: 570-604.

George, D. G. and Owen, G. H. 1978. A new tube sampler for crustacean
zooplankton. Limnol. Oceanogr., 23 : 563-566.

George, E. A. 1976. A guide to algal keys (excluding seaweeds). Br. phycol.
J. 11: 49-55.

Gorham, E. V. 1964. Molybdenum, manganese and iron in lake muds. Verh.
int. Verein. theor. angew . Limnol, 15: 330-332.

Granat, L. 1972. On relation between pH and the chemical composition in
atmospheric precipitation. Tellus, 24: 550-560.

Haslam, S., Sinker, C. & Wolseley, P. 1975. British water plants. Field
Studies 4: 243-351.

Henton, M. P. & Livingstone, P. G. 1974. Kibimie, Barr and Castle Semple
Lochs. Western Naturalist, 3: 1-7.

Holme, N. A. & McIntyre, A. D. 1971. Methods for the study of marine ben-
thos. Oxford, Blackwell.

Jenkin, B. M. & Mortimer, C. H. 1938. Sampling lake deposits. Nature,
Lond., 142: 834-835.

Linsley, R. K., Kohler, M. A. & Paulhus, J. L. H. 1949. Applied hydrology,
New York, McGraw-Hill.

Lund, J. W. G. 1949. Studies on Asterionella. 1. The origin and nature of
the cells producing seasonal maxima. J. Ecol., 37: 389-419.

Macan, T. T. 1957. The Ephemeroptera of a stony stream. J. Anim. Ecol.,
26: 317-342.

Macan, T. T. 1977. A key to the British fresh and brackish water gastropods.
Sci. Publ. Freshw. Biol. Ass., 13: 1-44.

McClellan, D. 1793. Parish of Beith. Stat . Acc. Scot., 8: 314-328,

Maitland, P. S., 1969. A simple corer for sampling sand and finer sediments
in shallow water. Limnol. Oceanog., 14: 151-156.

Meteorological Office. 1966. British rainfall. London, H.M.S.O.

Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries & Food. 1967. Potential transpiration.
London, H.M.S.O.

Murray, J. & Pullar, L. 1910. Bathymetrical survey of the Scottish freshwater
lochs. Edinburgh, Challenger.

Talling, J. F. 1965. Comparative problems of phytoplankton production and
photo synthetic productivity in a tropical and a temperate lake. Memorie
1st. ital. Idrobiol., SuppL, 18: 399-424.

Talling, J. F. & Driver, D. 1963. Some problems in the estimation of chlor-
ophyll a in phytoplankton. Proceedings, Conference on Primary Product
Measurement. Hawaii, U.S. Atomic Energy Comm., TID — 7633: 142-146.

Urquhart, R. 1845. Parish of Kilbimie. New Stat. Acc. Scot., 5: 689-727.

Wentworth, C. K. 1922. A scale of grade and class terms for clastic sedi-
ments. J. Geol, 30: 377-392.

Woodiwiss, F. S. 1964. The biological system of stream classification used by
the Trent River Board. Chem. Ind. : 1964, 443-447.

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Technical Memoranda Water Research Association, 63: 1-26.

24

Naturalists in Glasgow

No. 1 : SIR WILLIAM JACKSON HOOKER (1785-1865)

An anonymous engraving dated 1813.

Appointed Regius Professor of Botany, University of Glasgow, in 1821.
Left Glasgow to become Director when the Royal Botanic Gardens,
Kew, became a public institution in 1841.

While in Glasgow, Hooker made a reputation as an outstanding
lecturer. His many publications included “Flora Scotica”, and he des-
cribed many new plants then being introduced from overseas.

His work did much to establish the Glasgow Botanic Gardens
which had been founded in 1817.

A Species of Water-flea new to Scotland
(Alona weltneri)

C. R. DOUGHTY

Clyde River Purification Board, East Kilbride
Received February 1980

The Cladocera (“water-fleas”) are among the most commonly encoun-
tered invertebrates in static or slow-flowing freshwaters. The largest
family, the Chydoridae, show great diversity of form and are predomin-
antly littoral and benthic in habit, frequenting submerged vegetation
and crawling across or through the substrate. Most are also capable of
swimming with varying degrees of efficiency. The majority of species
feed by scraping material from the substrate or from submerged plants
by means of their trunk limbs (Fryer, 1968). As in other Cladocera,
there are sexual and asexual phases in the life-cycle. When conditions
are favourable, reproduction is by parthenogenesis, and only females
are found in the population. At the onset of adverse conditions, males
appear and sexual reproduction occurs, resulting in resting eggs which
develop into parthenogenetic females when conditions improve.

One of the least known members of the Chydoridae is Alona welt-
neri Keilhack which was first described and figured by Keilhack (1905)
from what is now northern Poland. A specimen had in fact already
been found in England in 1895 by Thomas Scott, who collected it from
a small pool at Scarborough. However, Scott’s specimen was not iden-
tified as A. weltneri until the publication of Keilhack’s paper (Scour-
field, 1907). It has remained the only known British record of the
species.

The relatively little known of A. weltneri has been summarised by
Smirnov (1974) and Flossner (1972). Apart from England and Poland,
the species has been reported from Germany, Switzerland and Southern
Finland. It is apparently extremely rare. The ecology of A. weltneri
is virtually unknown. According to Flossner, it occurs in the margins
of lakes among submerged plants. A juvenile male from Northern

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 1 (1980)

26

Germany has been described by Flossner (1962), but no adult male has
yet been found.

FIG. 1. Alona weltneri, mature female. The scale line is 0.1 mm.
em= developing embryo, lk=labral keel, pa = postabdomen.

On 12 September 1979 a specimen tentatively identified as A.
weltneri was taken from the Forth and Clyde Canal near Kirkintilloch.
The identification was subsequently verified by Dr Geoffrey Fryer of
the Freshwater Biological Association, who has kindly deposited the
specimen (unfortunately damaged during initial examination) at the
British Museum (Natural History).

The specimen found was a mature female, approximately 0.55 mm
long, with two developing embryos in the brood chamber (Fig. 1). The
most useful character for identification purposes is the shape of the
postabdomen. In A. weltneri , the postabdomen tapers distally and its
dorsal margin forms a right-angle with the bases of the claws. In other
species known from Britain, the postabdomen either widens distally
(e.g. A. rectangula), or it tapers distally and is indented terminally, the
dorsal margin forming an acute angle with the bases of the claws (e.g.
A. costata).

For a detailed description of morphology, reference should be
made to Keilhack (1905), Scourfield (1907), Smirnov (1947) and Floss-
ner (1972). Certain characters, such as the shape of the labral keel, and
the number, shape and configuration of the postanal denticles, appear
to be somewhat variable. The specimen from the canal had a double

27

row of six relatively robust postanal denticles along the dorsal margin
of the postabdomen. The labral keel was more strongly triangular than
those figured in the literature.

In view of the paucity of published information on the ecology of
A. w el trier i, it may be worth-while to give some details of the chemistry
and biology of the canal, particularly at the locality where the species
was collected.

The Forth and Clyde Canal between Kelvinhead and Bowling lies
within the area of the Clyde River Purification Board. The Board has
monitored chemical conditions in this stretch of canal regularly since
1972. The canal is nutrient-rich, generally well-oxygenated (although
some stretches are prone to deoxygenation in summer), supports a
thriving coarse fish population and has an interesting and varied aqua-
tic flora.

There are no major polluting inputs. Details of some chemical
parameters at Hillhead Bridge, Kirkintilloch during 1979 are listed in
Table 1.

TABLE 1. Chemical analysis of Forth and Clyde Canal, Kirkintilloch
1979.

pH

Temperature (C)

Dissolved oxygen (mg 1_1)
Dissolved oxygen (% saturation)
Ammonia (mg N l-1)

Nitrite (mg N l-1)

Nitrate (mg N l-1)

Phosphate (mg P l"1)

Alkalinity (as CaC03, mg 1_1)
Total Hardness
(as CaCO 3 , mg l-1)

Chloride (mg 1_1)

Conductivity (p, S)

B.O.D (mg l-1)

Suspended Solids (mg l”1)

Maximum

Minimum

Mean

8.1

6.6

7.3

18

0

7.9

12.5

5.1

9.0

112

45.5

76.4

3.76

0.02

0.44

0.225

0.001

0.045

2.970

0.005

1.115

0.38

0.002

0.076

170

28

81.4

220

55

106.6

134

16

41.7

860

180

365

4.7

0.9

2.9

18

1

7

The site where A. weltneri was found is semi-rural. The substrate
is relatively firm and the aquatic flora is dominated by Elodea cana-
densis. The sample containing A. weltneri was taken by sweeping the
submerged vegetation with a hand-held phytoplankton net. At the time
of sampling, the microcrustacean fauna was dominated by Cladocera,
17 other species being present, the most numerous of which was Cerio-
daphnia pulchella G.O. Fars.

28

As elsewhere, A. weltneri appears to be very rare in the canal. Its
scarcity may be gauged by the fact that six major surveys undertaken
between August 1978 and November 1979 have yielded only one speci-
men.

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to Dr G. Fryer for his assistance with identification, and
to Mr D. Hammerton, Director, Clyde River Purification Board for
permission to publish this paper. The views expressed are those of the
author and not necessarily those of the Board.

References

Flossner, D. 1962. Zur Cladocerenfauna des Stechlinsee-Gebietes I. Uber
Morphologie und Variabilitat einiger Formen und uber Funde seltener
Arten. Limnologica. 1 : 217-229.

Flossner, D. 1972. Krebstiere,, Crustacea. Kiemen-und Bluttfusser, Branchio-
poda, Fischlause, Branchiura. Tierwelt Dtl. 60: 1-501.

Fryer, G. 1968. Evolution and adaptive radiation in the Chydoridae (Crusta-
cea: Cladocera): a study in comparative functional morphology and ecol-
ogy. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B. 254: 221-385.

Keilhack, L. 1905. Zur Cladocerenfauna des Madusees in Pommern. Arch.
Naturgesch. 71: 138-162.

Scourfield, D. J. 1907. An Alona and a Pleuroxus new to Britain (A. weltneri
Keilhack, and P. denticulatus Birge). J. Quekett microsc. Club sen 2. 10:
71-76.

Smirnov, N. N. 1974. Fauna of the U.S.S.R. Crustacea. Chydoridae, Jerusalem.

Rare Beetles in the City of Glasgow

R. A. CROWSON

Zoology Department, University of Glasgow

Received September 1980

Glaswegians are fortunate in having several good places for plant and
animal study within the city boundary. Notable among them are the
Pollok Estate, the Kelvin Walkway and Dawsholm Park, and Linn
Park with its southern extension in Netherton Braes. There is also
part of the Garscube Estate inside the boundary.

The richest of these in unusual beetles seems to be Netherton
Braes, visited by the Zoology Section on 1 June 1980. This has a con-
siderable area of mainly young mixed woodland and some very herb-
rich grassland on a flat in the bend of the River Cart. Leaf-litter in the
woods has produced the Staphylinid Quedius nigriceps, for which I
know of only one other record in the Clyde Valley, and the Clavicom
Sphaerosoma piliferum, not previously recorded from the Clyde
Valley. The herb-rich grassland has produced the rare Carabid Stomis
pumicatus; the ant-associated Staphylinid Lamprinodes saginatus, not
recorded elsewhere in the Clyde valley; the ladybird Hy per as pis
pseudopustulata (ditto); the Weevils Apion aethiops with few other
Clyde valley records, Sitona cambricus (ditto) and Gymnetron labile.
The latter, on Plantago lanceolata, has very few previous records in the
Clyde area. Decayed trees in the woods have produced a rather un-
common fungus beetle, Cis alni.

Dawsholm Park has produced the uncommon wood-boring weevil
Pentarthrum huttoni. The adjacent area of the Garscube Estate has
yielded, mainly in a suction trap catching flying insects, the Staphyli-
nids Acrolocha sulcata (striata auct), Oxytelus sculpt us, Habrocerus
capillaricornis and Cilea silphoides, all of very local occurrence in the
Clyde valley; the Clambid Clambus pubescens, the first record from
the Clyde valley; a male of the Stylopid (Strepsipteran) Elenchus
tenuicornis, not hitherto recorded from the Clyde valley; and the
Clavicorns Monotoma longicollis, Cryptophagus acutangulus, Strepto-

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 1 (1980)

30

stethus angusticollis, Cartodere (Coninomus) constricta, Dienerella
{Cartodere) elongata and D. filum, all with few other Clyde valley
records. A number of these species may be associated with the stabling
of horses in the Veterinary College at Garscube. The weevil, Rhinon-
cus perpendicularis, recorded from Garscube on 25 May 1980, is ap-
parently a new record for the Clyde area.

Collecting in the Pollok Estate has produced the rather local
Carabid Amara fulva; the Staphylinids Acidota crenata, Coryphium
angusticolle and Habrocerus capillaricornis, all locally uncommon; the
Cryptophagids Caenoscelis ferruginea and Atomaria munda; the Cery-
lonid Cerylon histeroides; the Salpingid Salpingus reyi; the Melandryid
Hallomenus binotatus; and the Scraptiid Anaspis burner alis — all of
them with few records from the Clyde valley.

Finally, I should mention the herb-rich railway cutting just south
of Dawsholm Park, in which I have found two species in flowers
of Linaria vulgaris, the Nitidulid Brachypterolus pulicarius and the
weevil Gymnetron antirrhini, neither of them hitherto recorded from
the Clyde area.

NOTE: Names follow the second edition of the Kloet and Hincks
Checklist of British Insects Part 3, revised by R. D. Pope (Royal Ento-
mological Society Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects,
Vol. 11 Part 3, 1977).

The Freshwater and Terrestrial Fauna of the
Clyde Area

IV. Freshwater Fishes of the Upper Clyde
Basin

PETER S. MAITLAND

Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, 78 Craighall Rd., Edinburgh
Received July 1980

This paper is the fourth in a series of accounts of the fauna of the Clyde
area, whose aims and objects have been discussed by Hosie and Mait-
land (1973). It is also, incidentally, one of a number prepared by the
author outlining the status of the freshwater fish fauna of different parts
of Scotland. Previous accounts have dealt with south-west Scotland
(Maitland, 1970c), Shetland (Maitland and East, 1976), the Forth area
(Maitland, 1980a) and the Outer Hebrides (Maitland, 1981).

Lying partly in the Highlands and partly in the Lowlands of Scot-
land, the Clyde area includes a variety of freshwater habitats of the
main types found in the British Isles. Its standing waters range from
small pools (which are brackish near the coast), through numerous
lochans and lochs to Loch Lomond, the largest area of fresh water in
Great Britain. Most of these waters tend to be dystrophic or oligotro-
phic and though some of those occurring in the lowland areas are eutro-
phic, these are in the minority. Marl waters are uncommon. Running
waters show a similar variety ranging from small burns in the north-
west which drain directly into the sea, through numerous streams and
small rivers which connect with larger systems, most notable among
which is the River Clyde itself. Many of these running and standing
waters are inter-connected.

In past accounts of the fauna and flora of the Clyde area, the exact
boundaries of the region dealt with have varied, some authors choos-
ing county boundaries, others watersheds or a combination of the two.
In this account, the area dealt with is that defined by Hosie and Mait-

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 1 (1980)

32

land (1973) and includes the total catchment within a watershed starting
at Skipness Point on the Mull of Kintyre (opposite the north end of
Arran) and finishing north of Largs on the east side of the estuary.

Geographically, the Clyde area includes parts of the three main
divisions of Scotland — the Highlands, the Midland Valley and the
Southern Uplands. In the Highland area, agricultural ground is limited
to the valley floors and fringes of the lochs; the human population is
sparse and tending to decrease. In the Midland Valley the presence
of the Clyde estuary, the underlying carboniferous rocks (containing
coal and iron) and the fertile agricultural soil have all combined to
make this a very densely populated district. The Southern Uplands
(consisting mainly of Silurian and Ordovician rocks) have weathered
into rounded hills, covered in most places with grass. Much of this land
is used for sheep farming, but on the lower slopes more intensive agri-
culture is carried out. Thus the materials entering the waters in the
area — including both nutrients and sewage — vary greatly in quality and
quantity from place to place.

The Waters

In considering hydrological regions within the Clyde area in relation
to the distribution of fish there, three main divisions can be recog-
nised; (1) The Clyde estuary, including its sea lochs. (2) The Highland
area, including the River Leven (Loch Lomond) catchment and all
fresh waters west of this. (3) The Clyde system proper, including the
Forth and Clyde Canal.

ESTUARY

The Clyde sea area has been considered in some detail by Mill
(1901). The major part relevant to the present account is the estuary
of the River Clyde itself, from the tidal weir at Glasgow Green down-
stream to the firth. Several other areas are important, however, especi-
ally the sea lochs (Gareloch, Loch Long, Loch Goil, Holy Loch, Loch
Striven and Loch Fyne) and the small estuaries of streams entering
them. The Clyde estuary runs west into a depression known as the
Dunoon Basin, between Gourock and Kilcreggan. Most of the estuary
is shallow and all areas between the tidal weir and a line joining
Greenock and Rosneath Point are less than 10 m in depth. The surface
area of the estuary is 70 km2 and the catchment draining into this
occupies some 3870 km2. The average salinity in the estuary is about
18 mg/1, compared to some 33 mg/1 for the Clyde sea area as a
whole. Much of the estuary from the tidal weir downstream is grossly
polluted and devoid of oxygen during the summer months. Fish living
in the less polluted areas are dependent on the high quality of fresh
water from clean tributaries like the River Leven or on clean sea water
flushed in by the tide.

33

HIGHLANDS

The running waters in the Highland area consist mainly of small
streams running directly into the sea lochs or into larger rivers (End-
rick and Leven) and lochs (Eck and Lomond). These small streams
rise in mountainous areas, often above 750 m, and have stony or rocky
beds with steep gradients down to their mouths. Waterfalls are com-
mon— an important feature where migratory species of fish are com
cerned. Most waters in this area are unpolluted. The River Endrick
(flowing eventually from Loch Lomond as the River Leven) is the
only large river in the area and has a varied character. Near its source
it is a typical Highland stream, but as it enters its main valley it broad-
ens out to form a stony river. In its lower reaches its bed is mainly
sand and the course of the river follows many slow meanders before
eventually entering Loch Lomond in the south-east corner.

Loch Lomond has a maximum length of 36 km and a total surface
area of 70 km2. Its average depth is some 37 m with a maximum of
198 m. The northern part of the loch resembles many of the sea lochs
in the Clyde area in being a long narrow trough; this reaches a maxi-
mum depth of some 189 m below sea level. South of Ross Point the
loch widens into a shallow basin with many islands. Like most of the
large lochs in Scotland (e.g. Loch Ness and Loch Morar) Loch Lomond
tends to be poor chemically. The northern basin runs through meta-
morphosed Dalradian rocks and much of the land draining into it is
exposed bare rock, its main covering in other places being blanket peat.
The southern basin lies largely over Carboniferous and Devonian
rocks; the land draining into it (mainly via the River Endrick) has an
extensive covering of drift deposits, mainly boulder clay.

Lock Eck has a maximum length of 9.7 km and a total surface
area of 4.4 km2. Its average depth is some 17.1 m and its maximum
depth about 42.3 m. Though narrower and less deep it is similar in many
ways to the northern basin of Loch Lomond; thus it consists of an
elongate glacial trough running from north to south parallel to most
sea lochs in the area. Loch Eck has two main basins, both deeper
than 16 m. Its shores are steep and there is little in the way of marginal
vegetation. The water is poor chemically and most of the surrounding
catchment is moorland, used either for rough grazing or forestry. It is of
interest to note that Loch Eck and Loch Lomond, the only large lochs
in the Clyde area, are both less than 10 m above sea level, and must
undoubtedly have been sea lochs at one time. The catchment area
draining into Loch Eck is some 104 km2; the River Cur is its main
inflow.

34

CLYDE

The River Clyde itself rises in the Leadhills area, in the extreme
south-east of the region under consideration. Many similar burns have
their sources in this area at a height of over 600 m; though not accepted
conventionally as the source of the River Clyde, the Potrail Water is
the most typical bum to consider as a source leading to the main river
(Macphee 1969). Rising in peat-covered uplands, this burn has a swift
gradient over a stony or bedrock substrate with numerous falls and
cascades for the first few kilometres. Now the Clyde proper, the river
flows in the Elvanfoot area as a medium-sized stream with a stony
substrate and alternating stretches of pool and riffle. The river contin-
ues on its course, twisting here and there, but running mainly in a
north-westerly direction towards its estuary; as it does so it takes in
its main tributaries — Duneaton, Medwin, Douglas, Mouse, Nethan,
Avon, South Calder, North Calder and Rotten Calder. The tidal weir
now interposes in the centre of the City of Glasgow.

As the Clyde nears Glasgow it becomes a major river, but with
this increase in size there is also an increase in pollution, especially
with the inflow of the Calder Waters. Nevertheless, fish still occur as
far downstream as Cambuslang and some invertebrates and recently
even fish are found just above the tidal weir where, however, the river
is very polluted. An intensive survey of the fauna of the River Clyde
from its source to the tidal weir was carried out by Macphee (1969)
and extensive surveys are now carried out by the Clyde River Purifica-
tion Board. Below the tidal weir, two major tributaries enter the Clyde
— the River Kelvin and the River Cart. Both are polluted in their lower
reaches.

The Forth and Clyde Canal runs from Grangemouth to Bowling,
where it connects with the Clyde estuary; this main section has a length
of some 56 km. In Glasgow a branch, formerly the Monkland Canal,
ran to Airdrie. The canal was opened to traffic at the end of the 18th
Century and was of major importance during a long period following
this. It gradually became used less and less, however, and was eventu-
ally closed to navigation in 1963. A few stretches have now been piped
and filled over, but little else appears to be planned for this waterway,
which is still of importance to several industries along its banks as a
source of water for cooling and other purposes. Since their closure,
many stretches have become weedy and overgrown.

Fish

There is a considerable volume of literature dealing with various
aspects of the fish fauna of the Clyde area; some valuable old general
accounts are available along with many short notes concerned only
with one or a few species. Only Scott and Brown (1901) have pre-

35

viously dealt with the fish fauna of the whole area. The Loch Lomond
district has been covered several times; by Brown (1891), Lumsden and
Brown (1895), Lamond (1931), Hunter, Slack and Hunter (1959) and
Maitland (1972b); these accounts deal mainly with the fish of the loch
itself, while Maitland (1966a) studied its major inflow — the River En-
drick. The fishes of the Clyde estuary, some of which are considered
here as freshwater species, have been discussed by Elmhirst (1926) and
more recently by Bagenal (1965). Perfect (1915) gave an account of
the freshwater fish fauna of Renfrewshire. Macphee (1969) prepared
a short account of the fishes of the River Clyde itself, while Maitland
(1970, a, b) has briefly covered the fishes of the Forth and Clyde Canal
and of streams in the Clyde area. Several individual species have been
studied in the area in recent years (e.g. Copland, 1956; MacDonald,
1959a; Maitland, 1969b) and most of such references are listed below
in the notes dealing with individual species. A number of studies deal
with the parasites of fish in the area (e.g. Ritchie, 1914, 1915; Copland,
1957; Orr, 1967; Brattey, 1979). The nomenclature follows that given
by Maitland (1972a).

PETROMYZONIDAE

Petromyzon marinus Linnaeus, 1758; Sea Lamprey. This species
has been found occasionally in the estuary and sea lochs — e.g. Loch
Fyne (Bagenal, 1965)— where it is probably commoner than supposed.
In fresh water it appears to occur regularly only in the Loch Lomond
system, where both larvae and adults have been recorded from the
River Leven (MacDonald, 1959a), Loch Lomond (Lamond, 1931; Hun-
ter, Slack and Hunter, 1959) and the River Endrick (Maitland, 1966a).
There is only one other freshwater record from the Clyde area — of an
adult seen in the River Eachaig, near Dunoon. The growth and tax-
onomy of the Sea Lamprey in the area has been studied by MacDonald
(1959a, b). There are several reports of numerous adults spawning in
the River Leven in recent years.

Lampetra fluviatilis (Linnaeus, 1758); River Lamprey. There ap-
pear to be nq records of this species from the estuary, and much of
the population may well be non-migratory. It is common in the Loch
Lomond system— the River Leven (MacDonald, 1959a), Loch Lomond
(L amond, 1931; Hunter, Slack and Hunter, 1959) and the River End-
rick (Maitland, 1966a). Both larvae and adults have been recorded
from these waters. The River Lamprey was recorded from the lower
River Gryfe by Perfect (1915) but there appear to be no recent records
from this water. In Loch Lomond, the adults are very common and
prey extensively on the population of Powan there (Robertson, 1870;
Maitland, 1968, 1980b). The growth and taxonomy of this species in
the area have been studied by MacDonald (1959a, b).

36

Lam petra planeri (Bloch, 1784); Brook Lamprey. Apart from its
absence from salt water, this is the most widespread lamprey in the
Clyde area. Like the other two species, it is common in the Loch Lom-
ond district — e.g. the River Leven (MacDonald 1959a), Loch Lomond
(Hunter, Slack and Hunter, 1959) and the River Endrick (Maitland,
1966a) and other tributaries to the loch. The Brook Lamprey however,
is also common in other waters not accessible to the migratory species
because of pollution or waterfalls, e.g. the River Avon at Stonehouse
and the River Allander at Milngavie. The growth and taxonomy of
this species in the area have been studied by MacDonald, (1959a, b).

ACIPENSERIDAE

Acipenser sturio Linnaeus, 1758; Sturgeon. Only ever found in the
estuary and sea loch areas of the Clyde, this species is recorded from
time to time by commercial fishermen (Grieve, 1896). It has been recor-
ded from Loch Fyne (Scott and Brown, 1901) and the more seaward
parts of the Firth of Clyde (Scott and Brown, 1901); Rae and Wilson,
1952; Rae and Pirie, 1968).

CLUPEIDAE

Alosa alosa (Linnaeus, 1758); Allis Shad. This species occurs only
in the estuary area but appears to be not uncommon there. It has been
recorded from Loch Fyne (Scott and Brown, 1901; Rae and Wilson,
1952, 1953), Loch Striven (Rae and Wilson, 1953) and off Inchmar-
nock, by Bute (Rae and Wilson, 1953; 1955). Two specimens were
recently caught off Ailsa Craig (Burkel, 1971a). Most of the specimens
noted have been taken accidentally by commercial fishermen.

Alosa fallax (Lacepede, 1803); Twaite Shad. Also restricted to the
estuary area, this species is less common than the Allis Shad and has
been recorded only a few times from the Clyde area in recent years
(Rae and Wilson, 1955; Bagenal, 1965). A single specimen was caught
off Ailsa Craig early in 1969 (Burkel, 1971a).

SALMONIDAE

Sal mo salar Linnaeus, 1758; Salmon. Though virtually absent from
the Clyde system proper, this species is common in parts of the estuary
and the unpolluted waters running into it, e.g. River Leven, Loch
Lomond (Wood, 1954), River Endrick (Maitland, 1966a), River Each-
aig. Loch Eck, etc. Perfect (1915) notes that the salmon was formerly
common in the River Cart and tributaries; though it disappeared
there because of pollution it is of interest to note that several have rec-
ently been recorded from the Rivers Gryfe and Kelvin. The growth and
food of the young of this species in the Loch Lomond area have been
studied by Maitland (1965).

37

Salmo trutta Linnaeus, 1758; Trout. Probably the most abundant
and widespread species in the Clyde area. Trout occur in most unpol-
luted waters where suitable spawning facilities are available but not
too many predators. Thus they are found in small highland streams
(the upper reaches of the River Clyde and the River Endrick (Mait-
land, 1966a)), larger slow-flowing rivers (the River Clyde (Waddington,
1973), and the lower reaches of the River Endrick), in many small
lochs (e.g. the Black Loch) and in large ones (e.g. Loch Lomond and
Loch Eck). The Brown Trout, Salmo trutta fario L. occurs in most
parts of the area, except the estuary, while the Sea Trout, Salmo
trutta trutta L., is common in parts of the estuary (Lamond, 1931; Bag-
enal, 1965) and Highland area but absent from the Clyde system and
other polluted or inaccessible waters. The food and growth of the
young of Salmo trutta in the River Endrick have been studied by
Maitland (1965).

Salmo gairdneri Richardson, 1836; Rainbow Trout. Though not a
native to the Clyde area, this species (originally from North America)
has been introduced to a variety of waters and is becoming increasingly
popular with anglers and fish farmers. The first stocks were released
in the Clyde area more than 50 years ago (Perfect, 19 i 5) but the species
never seems to have become established here. All recent records are
of introductions to angling waters (e.g. White Loch, Hillend Reservoir,
etc.) or escapes from such waters (Maitland, 1966b).

Salvelinus alpinus (Linnaeus, 1758); Charr. The existence of this
species in the Clyde area was formerly doubtful, but as recently as 1955
specimens of a new subspecies were caught in Loch Eck (Friend, 1956;
1959) and the author has netted further specimens there since then. This
is the only water in the area known to contain this species. The exist-
ence of a population in Loch Lomond was suggested by Bidie (1896)
but discounted by Brown (1896) and there is no proof that this exists
at present.

Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill, 1815); Brook Charr. Scott and
Brown (1901) note that this species, originally native to North Amer-
ica, was introduced to many lochs (including Loch Lomond) and rivers
in the Clyde area. Though recorded at intervals from the River Calder
(Perfect, 1915) there are no recent records, and the species does not
seem to have established itself as it has done in several lochs elsewhere
in Scotland.

COREGONIDAE

Coregonus lavaretus (Linnaeus, 1758); Powan (Whitefish). This
species was originally described from material collected in Loch Lom-
ond as Coregonus clupeoides (Lacepede, 1803) and though it is no
longer regarded as a distinct species it can probably be considered the

38

most unique fish in the Clyde area (Maitland, 1979). Powan are found
only in Loch Lomond and Loch Eck, though similar forms (treated as
different sub-species) occur in three lakes in England and one llyn in
Wales. Research on various aspects of the Powan has now been carried
out, especially in Loch Lomond, and much of its biology is now known
(e.g. Parnell, 1838; McNiven, 1863; Gervers, 1954; Slack, 1955; Slack,
Gervers and Hamilton, 1957; Gasowska, 1965; Maitland 1967, 1968,
1969b).

THYMALLIDAE

Thymallus thymallus (Linnaeus, 1758); Grayling. Though indigen-
ous to the British Isles this species did not occur naturally in the Clyde
area but was introduced into the River Clyde by Man (Maitland,
1977). It is still restricted to the Clyde system proper but is very well
established there, being found in the main river from Abington down-
stream to about Hamilton and in many of the tributaries above Glas-
gow (e.g. the Duneaton Water and River Avon). The Grayling is
common also in the River Gryfe and may well invade waters north
of the Clyde estuary from here at some future date.

OSMERIDAE

Osmerus eperlanus (Linnaeus, 1758); Smelt. This species is stated
by Scott and Brown (1901) to be not uncommon in the Clyde (estuary)
area and they note a specimen caught off Brodick. Very few specimens
have been noted recently, however, and the Smelt may well be rare
here now as is the case in the Firth of Forth. All published records have
been from the estuary or sea lochs.

ESOCIDAE

Esox lucius Linnaeus, 1758; Pike. A widespread and common
species in the Clyde area, the Pike occurs in all types of standing water
and many slow-flowing streams and rivers. Though purely a freshwater
species, and therefore absent from the estuary, it has been found in
most other regions, e.g. Loch Lomond (Robertson, 1888), River End-
rick (Maitland, 1966a), River Gryfe, the lower parts of the River Clyde
and its tributaries. Forth and Clyde Canal (Maitland, 1969b) and many
small lochs throughout the area — Ascog, Geal, Ardinning, Tannoch,
Woodend, Libo, etc. Its food and parasites in Loch Lomond have been
described by Copland (1956), and its biology has been studied there
and in the neighbouring Dubh Lochan by Shaft and Maitland (1971b).
Brattey (1979) has examined its parasites in the Forth and Clyde Canal.

CYPRINIDAE

Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, 1758; Carp. Both Scott and Brown
(1901) and Perfect (1915) record this species as having been success-

39

fully introduced to various ponds in the Clyde area. None of these is
specified. No recent specimens appear to have been captured, however,
apart from those taken from the thriving population described by
Maitland (1964). The species has been introduced to the Forth and
Clyde Canal (Burkei, 1971b).

Carassius auratus (Linnaeus, 1758); Goldfish. Scott and Brown
(1901) and Perfect (1915) recorded this species as having been intro-
duced to waste ponds near Paisley, where it was said to breed freely.
There is no recent record from these waters, however, though the spec-
ies is certainly present in ponds in Glasgow, near Dunoon, and in the
Forth and Clyde Canal. The latter population was associated with a
heated water effluent in the Clydebank area and was unusual in having
a very high proportion of coloured individuals (Maitland, 1971).

Gobio gobio (Linnaeus, 1758); Gudgeon. Previously known in
Scotland only from rivers on the east coast, this species has recently
appeared in the River Irvine (Clyde River Purification Board, 1979)
where specimens were found during a pollution fish kill. It was intro-
duced to the Endrick system (Culcreuch Loch) several years ago by
Dr D. L. Burkei (personal communication) and though it does not
appear to have established itself it is likely to move into the Clyde area
in due course.

Tinea tinea (Linnaeus, 1758); Tench. Young (1870) and Brown
(1891) both record this species from the mouth of the River Endrick
and from a small pond near Balmaha. The latter has since been filled
in, and though the author has netted the Endrick mouth area on several
occasions, no Tench have been seen. The species may well be extinct
here now. The only population known to exist at present in the Clyde
area is a well-established one occurring in a small weedy lochan near
Lesmahagow; specimens from this stock have recently been placed in
several other waters in the Clyde area (Burkei, 1971b).

Abramis brama (Linnaeus, 1758); Bream. In Scotland, this species
was known previously only from the south-west (Maitland, 1970c).
However, in recent years there have been several attempts to establish it
elsewhere and introductions have taken place to Strathclyde Loch and
to the Forth and Clyde Canal. It is not known yet whether these have
been successful or not.

Phoxinus phoxinus (Linnaeus, 1758); Minnow. This species is
widely distributed and common in the Clyde area, apart from the estu-
ary. It is found in most unpolluted running waters, from small burns
(e.g. Craigton Burn) to large rivers such as the River Endrick, the
River Clyde and its tributaries. It also thrives in many lochs which
have spawning facilities in the form of streams or wave-washed stony
shores and occurs in both Loch Lomond and Loch Eck. The food of
the Minnow in the River Endrick has been studied by Maitland (1965)

40

while Scott (1963) carried out research on the reproductive biology of
the species in lochs in the same area.

Rutilus rutilus (Linnaeus, 1758); Roach. This is common in many
standing and slow-flowing waters in the Clyde area including Loch Fad
and Loch Ascog (Bute), Loch Lomond (Lumsden and Brown, 1895),
Loch Libo, the lower reaches of the River Clyde and some of its tribu-
taries (e.g. the River Avon), the Forth and Clyde Canal (Ritchie, 1917;
Hammerton, 1972) and many small lochs in the area (e.g. Kilrnar-
dinny, Woodend, Hogganfield, etc). It appears to be absent from Loch
Eck and all other waters to the north-west of the Bute and Loch
Lomond populations. Ure (1795) noted that, though the species is
considered characteristic of slow-flowing water, the Loch Lomond
population makes an annual migration in June upstream into the
River Endrick to spawn in fast-flowing water there. Though the exis-
tence of this spawning run is doubted by Brown (1891) it has been
clearly verified by the author (Maitland, 1966a). The growth of Roach
in some waters in the Clyde area has been studied by Mills (1969), and
its parasites in the Forth and Clyde Canal by Brattey (1979).

Leucisus idus (Linnaeus, 1758); Orfe. As with the Goldfish the
golden form of the Orfe is often kept by aquarists in tanks and ponds
and many have been introduced to different parts of the Clyde area.
There are no authentic records, however, of the species establishing
itself anywhere.

COBITIDAE

N oemacheilus barbatulus (Linnaeus, 1758); Stone Loach. This
species, mostly found in running water, is fairly widespread in the
Clyde area though it is never found in the estuary. It occurs in Loch
Lomond (Hunter, Slack and Hunter, 1959) and associated waters, e.g.
the River Endrick (Maitland, 1966a) in the River Kelvin, the River
Gryfe and most parts of the River Clyde. It appears to be absent from
the Forth and Clyde Canal and, though common in a few lochs in
the area, it is absent from the majority. There are no records of
this species from the west coast of Scotland north of Loch Lomond.
The food of the Stone Loach in the River Endrick has been studied by
Maitland (1965).

ANGUILLIDAE

Anguilla anguilla (Linnaeus, 1758); Eel. A very widely distributed
and common species in the British Isles, the Eel is found in most parts
of the Clyde area. It is common in all unpolluted parts of the estuary
(Elmhirst, 1926; Bagenal, 1965); in most rivers and streams running
into it, e.g. the River Leven, Loch Lomond (Hunter, Slack and Hunter,
1959), the River Endrick (Maitland, 1966a), the River Eachaig and

41

Loch Eck; and even the higher stretches of waters affected by pollution
in their lower reaches such as the River Gryfe and parts of the Clyde
system. It is rarely abundant in the latter type of water, however. Its
biology in the Dubh Lochan has been studied by Shafi and Maitland
(1973).

GASTEROSTEIDAE

Gasterosteus aculeatus Linnaeus, 1758; Three-spined Stickleback.
This species is also very widely distributed in the Clyde area, occurring
in the estuary and sea lochs (Elmhirst, 1926) and in most other reason-
ably rich, still, or slow-flowing waters e.g. the River Eachaig, the River
Leven, Loch Lomond (Hunter, Slack and Hunter, 1959), the River
Endrick (Maitland, 1966a), the River Allander, the River Clyde and
many of its tributaries. Loch Libo, the Forth and Clyde Canal, etc. Its
food in the River Endrick has been studied by Maitland (1965).

Pungitius pungitius (Linnaeus, 1758); Ten-spined Stickleback.
Though widespread in the British Isles, this species is not common in
the Clyde area. Scott and Brown (1901) record it from Loch Lomond
and Possil Marsh, and Hunter, Slack and Hunter (1959) from Loch
Lomond and Dougalston Loch. A scattered but never dense population
undoubtedly exists in Loch Lomond and specimens have also been
collected recently from the River Leven. Two further localities with
breeding populations were found in May 1969 — both small streams,
one near Dullatur the other near Kirkintilloch. No other recent records
are available, though it is likely that the species does occur elsewhere
in the Clyde area.

SERRANIDAE

Dicentrarchus labrax (Linnaeus, 1758); Sea Bass. The present
status of this species in the Clyde area is uncertain. A marine species
which commonly comes into estuaries and the lower reaches of large
rivers, it has been recorded here only in the sea lochs and main firth,
where Rae (1964) says that it may be common at times; two specimens
were recorded from the firth in 1964 (Burkel, 1971a). Bagenal (1965)
records a single specimen from Loch Striven. There have been recent
reports from the lower reaches of the River Leven.

PERCIDAE

Perea fluviatilis Linnaeus, 1758; Perch. This species, though ab-
sent from the estuary, is widespread and common in most parts of the
Clyde area where suitable standing or slow-flowing waters occur. Thus
it has been recorded from Loch Lomond (Hunter, Slack and Hunter,
1959), the lower parts of the River Endrick (Maitland, 1966a), the
River Gryfe, the lower reaches of the River Clyde and its tributaries.

42

the Forth and Clyde Canal (Ritchie, 1917; Maitland, 1969b) and many
small lochs in the area (Dumbrock, Tannoch, Libo etc.). It appears
to be absent from many hill lochs and all waters (including Loch Eck)
to the north and west of Loch Lomond. A detailed study of the biology
of this species in Loch Lomond and the neighbouring Dubh Loch an
has been carried out by Shaft and Maitland (1971a). Its parasites in the
Forth and Clyde Canal have been studied by Rrattey (1979).

GOBIIDAE

Pomatoschistus microps (Kroyer, 1840); Common Goby. The only
member of the Gobiidae found regularly in fresh and estuarine waters
in the British Isles, the taxonomy of this species has only recently been
clarified. It appears to be common in most parts of the estuary which
are not affected by pollution (Hunter, Slack and Hunter, 1959; Bagenal,
1965) and in the sea lochs in the vicinity of river mouths.

MUGILIDAE

Crenimugil labrosus (Risso, 1826); Thick-lipped Mullet. Lumsden
and Brown (1895) and Scott and Brown (1901) record this essentiall))
marine species from the Clyde estuary and the River Leven. A single
specimen was recorded from Loch Fyne by Rae and Wilson (1961) and
Bagenal (1965) notes that in the Clyde area this species is rare but
probably commoner than it appears. Burkel and Dobson (1975) record
it at Hunterston and large numbers are now netted each year in the
mouth of the River Leven.

Chelon ramada (Risso, 1826); Thin-lipped Mullet. Scott and Brown
(1901) record a single specimen of this species from the Clyde area,
but there appear to be no recent records and its present status here is
uncertain.

COTTIDAE

Cottus gobio Linnaeus, 1758; Bullhead. Though often stated to be
absent from Scotland (e.g. Regan, 1911) the Bullhead is well establish-
ed in both the Clyde and Forth areas (Maitland, 1969a). Scott and
Brown (1901) recorded it from the upper Kelvin and tributaries and
from Dobb’s Bum near Paisley but there are no recent records from
these waters. Patton (1951), however, recorded it from the River Earn
and this population was subsequently confirmed by Gemmell (1962).
The present author has found it to be abundant in several parts of the
Earn system, and it has been recorded recently from the River White
Cart at Stamperland (Livingstone and Wright, 1974). The age and
growth of this species in parts of the River Earn has been studied by
McAleer (personal communication).

43

PLEURONECTIDAE

Platichthys flesus (Linnaeus, 1758); Flounder. This species is com-
mon in the unpolluted parts of the Clyde estuary and those fresh waters
easily accessible from it. Thus Bagenal (1965) notes that it is frequent
in the Clyde Sea area, while Hunter, Slack and Hunter (1959) state
that it occurs in parts of the estuary and Loch Lomond. Small fish are
abundant in some streams running into the River Leven and the author
has caught specimens in most parts of Loch Lomond — even in the
northern part of the loch at depths greater than 30 m (Maitland, 1969a).
Flounders also occur in the River Endrick (Maitland, 1966a), while
Perfect (1915) recorded this species from the River Clyde as far up-
stream as Crosslea. There appear to be no recent records from here
however.

Fish Communities

The major hydrological regions related to fish distribution in the
Clyde area have been described above.

The estuary has many characteristic species and it is only in this
part of the Clyde area that Sturgeon, Allis Shad, Twaite Shad, Smelt,
Sea Bass, Common Goby, Thick-lipped Mullet and Thin-lipped Mullet
occur. These are all typical marine or estuarine species found round
various parts of the Scottish coast. Another typical element of the
estuarine fish fauna is represented by migratory species (e.g. Sea Lam-
prey, Salmon, Sea Trout, Eel and Flounder) which are found here on
their migrations either to or from fresh water. A few ubiquitous species
are also found (e.g. Three-spined Stickleback) while many purely
marine species occur in various areas (e.g. Argentine; Argentina
sphyraena Linnaeus, 1758; Plaice, Pleuronectes platessa Linnaeus,
1758).

Waters in the Highland area associated directly with the estuary
are characterised by the dominance or abundance of migratory species,
notably Salmon, Sea Trout and Eels. Clearly, however, such species
are absent from waters where severe pollution (uncommon in this area)
or some physical obstacle (Stuart, 1962) prevents their migration up-
stream. Many other freshwater species occur in this area, notably
Minnow, Stone Loach, Three-spined Stickleback, Pike and Perch; the
last two species occur mainly in lochs or slow-flowing rivers. Loch Eck
is the most characteristic oligotrophic water in the area and its fish
community is dominated by salmonid fishes, notably Salmon, Trout,
Charr and Powan. As noted above, this is the only loch in the
Clyde area known to contain Charr. Powan are found elsewhere only
in Loch Lomond where, due to the dual character of the loch (Slack
1957) a wide variety of other fish species occur, notably Sea Lamprey
River Lamprey, Brook Lamprey, Salmon, Trout, Pike, Eel, Minnow,

44

Roach, Stone Loach, Perch, Three-spined Stickleback, Ten-spined
Stickleback and Flounder. This and the two largest lochs on Bute
appear to be the only sites in the Highland area where Roach occur.
Loch Lomond appears to have more fish species than any other loch
in Scotland.

The River Clyde itself is characterised by the presence of only
two species not found elsewhere in the area, the Grayling which is
quite widespread and the Bullhead which at the moment appears to
be mainly confined to the Earn system. Apart from the presence of
these species, however, the absence (or virtual absence) of migratory
species is of major importance.

A few of these (e.g. Salmon and Sea Trout) do occur occasionally
in the tributaries below the tidal weir (e.g. the River Gryfe) and the
Eel in some numbers even above Glasgow; such fish are never abun-
dant and not part of the typical communities of this area at the mom-
ent. Grayling, Minnow and Stone Loach occur in most streams and
rivers in the system, while Pike, Roach and Perch are common in the
slow-flowing parts of the river and many lochs. Brown Trout and
Three-spined Sticklebacks occur in most waters in the Clyde system.

The Forth and Clyde Canal has little in the way of characteristic
fish species its population being dominated by Pike, Roach, Perch and
Three-spined Stickleback. Its most unique feature was probably the
dense population of coloured Goldfish noted above which was associ-
ated with heated water effluent in the Clydebank area. With the closing
of this effluent the population appears to have dispersed. Perhaps one
of the most important features of the Forth and Clyde Canal is that it
forms the major direct connection for aquatic animals to pass from the
Clyde to the Forth catchment or vice versa. Thus it could be an im-
portant route of dispersion for fish species at present confined to one
side of Scotland.

Commercial Fisheries

Apart from marine fish, several freshwater species have been ex-
ploited commercially in the Clyde area. Thus Salmon and Sea Trout
were formerly netted in large numbers in Loch Lomond, the River
Leven and parts of the Clyde estuary (Lamond, 1931). This fishing has
virtually stopped, apart from fish netted each year in Loch Lomond.
For some years Powan were netted in Loch Lomond and sold in the
Glasgow market. This netting was intensified here and in Loch Eck
(Mr W. Younger, personal communication) during and just after the
1st World War and many thousands of fish were caught and sold each
year. This fishing finished about 1926 (Lamond, 1931). Eels too were
fished commercially in Loch Lomond during this period and though
this was abandoned along with the Powan fishing, attempts have been

45

made to revive this from time to time at Balmaha and in the River
Leven. The only other important commercial fishery recorded from
the Clyde area appears to have been that for Flounders at the mouth
of the White Cart (Perfect, 1915).

The main use being made at the present by Man of the freshwater
fish fauna of the Clyde area is for sport fishing. The major species
angled are Salmon, Trout, Grayling, Pike, Roach and Perch.

Discussion

As in most other parts of the British Isles, the present fish fauna
of the Clyde area is made up of an assemblage of species, mostly indig-
enous — of both marine and freshwater origin — but some of them
introduced. Many species are by no means widely distributed and the
waters in the area can be divided on the basis of their fish faunas into
the three major systems outlined above: estuary. Highlands and Clyde
proper. It is of interest to note that few of the barriers to fish in the
area can be described as natural — the transition between salt water and
fresh in the estuary being the major exception. Other major divisions
are due to obstacles created by Man and it is probable that fish popu-
lations in the area were much more homogeneous in the past with a
domination by Salmon, Trout and Eel in accessible fast-flowing waters
and oligotrophic lochs, and Pike, Roach and Perch in slow-flowing
waters and richer lochs.

The development of the canal system, the building of weirs, the
intense pollution of some waters and the introduction of certain fish
species have altered the communities to their present form. However,
with the disuse of the canals and the extremely valuable pollution pre-
vention work being carried out in the area by the Clyde River Purifi-
cation Board, there has been a reversal of the situation and a steady
change in the populations in some waters. Thus it is probable that
migratory species like Salmon, Sea Trout and Flounder will become
common in the River Gryfe, the River Kelvin and eventually the River
Clyde itself. At this time too, when the barrier imposed by gross pollu-
tion in the lower Clyde has been removed, a wider dispersal of species
at present restricted to parts of the Clyde system, notably Grayling and
Bullhead, can be expected. Many of the waters in the Loch Lomond
area are highly suitable for both these species.

The most unique features of the fish fauna of the Clyde Area are
the populations of Powan in Loch Lomond and Loch Eck (Maitland,
1970d) and of Charr in Loch Eck. Both these species are of extreme
ichthyological interest and as such their populations should be conser-
ved as carefully as possible. Fortunately both the lochs concerned are
very large (and therefore less liable to contamination) and of high
amenity value (Maitland, 1976). Nevertheless, with the increasing pres-

46

sures from a variety of quarters — particularly to Loch Lomond (Mait-
land, 1972b) — it is essential that the interests of both ecosystems,
including their fish populations, be safeguarded as much as possible.

Acknowledgments

Much of the information described in this paper was obtained dur-
ing my period of research at the University of Glasgow and I am grateful
to Sir Maurice Yonge, Professor D. R. Newth, and Dr H. D. Slack for
the facilities provided in the Department of Zoology there. Dr D. L.
Burkel has helped me with information and specimens of rare species
while Mr David N. Webster has given invaluable aid on numerous
weekend fishing trips. My wife, Kathleen, was good enough to read and
comment on the present manuscript. Many other people, too numerous
to mention individually, have been kind enough to supply me with
records of fish from the Clyde area and other places, and I am always
interested to hear of or see specimens of freshwater fish from any part
of the British Isles.

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Rae, B. B. and Wilson, E. 1961. Rare and exotic fishes recorded in Scotland
during 1956. Scott. Nat. 70: 22-33.

Regan, C. T. 1911. The freshwater fishes of the British Isles. Methuen, London.

49

Ritchie, J. 1914. Argulus foliaceus. Glasg. Nat. 6: 98-99.

Ritchie, J. 1915. A contribution to the parasitic fauna of the west of Scotland.
Glasg. Nat. 7: 33-42.

Ritchie, J. 1917. The epidemic among Roach ( Leuciscus rutilus L.) on the
Forth and Clyde Canal during the summer, 1916. Glasg. Nat. 8: 160-163.
Robertson, D. 1870. On Petromyzon fluviatilis, and its mode of preying on
Coregonus clupeoides. Proc. Nat. Hist. Soc. Glasg. 2: 61-62.

Robertson, D. 1888. The Pike, Esox Indus, Lin. Trans, nat. Hist. Soc. Glasg.
2: 212-214.

Scott, D. B. C. 1963. Reproduction in female Phoxinus. Ph.D. Thesis, Univer-
sity of Glasgow.

Scott, T. and Brown, A. 1901. The marine and freshwater fishes, (pp.173-180
in Elliot, G. F. S., Laurie, M. and Murdoch, J. B. Fauna, Flora and Geol-
ogy of the Clyde Area. Glasgow).

Shafi, M. and Maitland, P. S. 1971a. The age and growth of perch ( Perea
fluviatilis L.) in two Scottish Lochs. J. Fish. Biol. 3 : 39-57.

Shafi, M. and Maitland, P. S. 1971b. Comparative aspects of the biology of
pike, Esox lucius L., in two Scottish lochs. Proc. R. Soc. Edinb. 71 : 41-60.
Shafi, M. and Maitland, P. S. 1973. Observations on the population of Eels —
Anguilla anguilla (L) — in the Dubh Lochan, Rowardennan, Stirlingshire.
Glasg. Nat. 19: 17-20.

Slack, H. D. 1955. Factors affecting the productivity of Coregonus clupeoides
Lacepede in Loch Lomond. Verh. int. Verein theor. angew. Limnol., 12:
183-186.

Slack, H. D. 1957. The topography of the lake. Studies on Loch Lomond 1 :
4-13. Glasgow University.

Slack, H. D., Gervers, F. W. K. and Hamilton, J. D. 1957. The biology of
the Powan. Studies on Loch Lomond. 1: 113-117. Glasgow University.
Stuart, T. A. 1962. The leaping behaviour of Salmon and Trout at falls and
obstructions. Scient. Invest. Freshwat. Salm. Fish. Res. Scott. Home Dep .
28: 1-46.

Ure, D. 1795. Parish of Killearn. Statist. Acc. Scot. 16: 100-129.

W Addington, J. I. 1973. Record trout in Upper Clyde. Western Naturalist 2; 70.
Wood, I. 1954. Loch Lomond and its Salmon. Glasgow.

Young, J. 1870. Note on Tench in Loch Lomond. Proc. nat. Hist Soc. Glasg.
2: 67.

50

Glasgow Natural History Society

On 13th November 1979 the name of the Society was changed from
the Andersonian Naturalists of Glasgow to the Glasgow Natural History
Society. This was done in order to make the aims of the Society more
explicit and to show the links with similar organisations throughout
the British Isles. It also relates back to the Natural History Society of
Glasgow, the oldest constituent Society.

It is interesting to quote from the last minutes of the Natural
History Society of Glasgow of 50 years ago :

28th October 1930

“The report of the Amalgamation Committee which has been refer-
red to the Council for consideration was fully gone into. It appeared that
one of the greatest difficulties that lay in the way of an amalgamation
was the disposal of the Society’s Library. This matter was taken up by
a special Sub-Committee. As a result of their negotiations, the Mitchell
Library agreed to house the collection under the same conditions as
applied to the Society’s foreign Transactions already kept there. At the
January meeting, the Amalgamation Committee was re-appointed to
make the amalgamation effective. Meetings were held with represent-
atives from the Andersonian Naturalists’ Society and the Microscopical
Society of Glasgow and, as a result, a draft Constitution was drawn up
which has been approved by all three Societies. A joint meeting of the
Councils of the three Societies has also been held, at which it was
decided that the first meeting of the new Society, the Glasgow and
Andersonian Natural History and Microscopical Society, should be
held in January 1931, in the Royal Technical College”.

The Herbarium of the Glasgow Museum and
Art Gallery

*GWYNETH JONES

Museum and Art Gallery, Kelvingrove, Glasgow
Received January 1980

The collections of the City of Glasgow were initiated by the activities
of a local coach-builder, Archibald McLellan (1796-1854), who was
also an enthusiastic art collector. He left his collection, and the build-
ing to house them, to the City, but unfortunately he was insolvent at
the time of his death. In order to save the collection, the City had to
“buy” both collection and building.

In 1870, Glasgow Corporation purchased Kelvingrove Mansion
House, built in 1783, in what is now Kelvingrove Park. It was known
locally as the City and Industrial Museum, housing predominantly
historic and scientific material. Natural history collections were by then
rapidly accumulated, thanks to local interest, but little display space
was available.

In 1876, an extension was added for the technological items and
1888 saw the First International Exhibition, which raised funds to-
wards a new building to house all the collections.

By the 1890s construction was well underway and in 1901 the Sec-
ond International Exhibition was held in Kelvingrove Park to coincide
with the opening of the new museum. The journal “British Architect”
commented in 1892 that it “combines both picturesqueness and dig-
nity. The former quality is perhaps somewhat in excess”.

The new building allowed the formation of various departments
including natural history.

♦Present address: Council of Museums in Wales, 29 Chapel Street, Llandudno,
Gwynedd.

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 1 (1980)

52

The Herbarium

Most of the botanical collections date from the decades around
the turn of the century. Whilst the Universities of Glasgow and Strath-
clyde (formerly the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College
to 1912, then the Royal College of Science and Technology) tended to
acquire herbaria of academic botanists, the Museum has those of local
societies and dedicated enthusiasts. Most of the departmental curators
of the time were more geologically inclined, which caused a backlog
to accumulate.

Recently a programme of conservation, cataloguing and almagam-
ation has been underway, with additional help provided through the
Special Temporary Employment Programme (S.T.E.P.) scheme. The
herbarium has been rehoused in new purpose-built storage cabinets,
and is now reasonably accessible, though much work still remains to
be done. All extra-European material is treated as low priority for the
present. The only collections to be retained as entities will be Dr James
Stirton’s mosses and lichens, which include type specimens.

The Collectors

As most of the collectors were of local importance, with literature
on them correspondingly local, I include some biographical details.

Dr Walter G. Blackie (1816-1906) was pre-eminent in the busi-
ness life of Glasgow, being the founder of W. G. Blackie & Co.
(Printers) which was an adjunct to his father’s firm of Blackie & Son
(Publishers). He was also deeply interested in education and in char-
itable societies. Little is known of his botanical activities. Most of his
specimens are Scottish.

Charles Eadie flourished in 1873. He was employed in the Office
of Public Works of the Corporation.

Rev. John Fleming (1785-1857) was a Presbyterian minister,
sometime professor of Natural Philosophy, Aberdeen, and of Natural
Science, New College, Edinburgh. He published a flora of West Loth-
ian in 1814 and was also a notable mineralogist and palaeontologist —
his mineral collection is also in the museum. Most of his plant speci-
mens are from his parishes in Shetland, Fife and Clackmannan as well
as from Edinburgh. His vascular plants include our earliest specimens,
plus some collected by George Don Sn. (the Scottish alpine botanist),
and a number acquired through the exchange activities of the Botan-
ical Society of Edinburgh, many of which had been obtained from
eminent botanists of the period, for example J. H. Balfour, J. T.
Boswell-Syme, J. S. Henslow, W. J. Hooker, W. A. Leighton, W. W.
Newbould, T. B. Salter, N. B. Ward and H. C. Watson. (Some of the
material in this collection was added after Fleming’s death).

53

Fleming also included seaweeds, fungi, lichens and mosses in his
collection, and these may provide some early Scottish records.

Mrs Esther Hopkins (1815-1897) lived in Bath and died in
Chester. She seems mainly to have worked on vascular plants although
her specimens here represented are bryophytes. Her herbarium is rec-
orded as having been in the possession of D. M. Atkinson, Royal
Infirmary, Glasgow.

George Horn (1828-1912) was born in Camlachie, Glasgow. He
donated his herbarium to the museum in 1902. Apart from an appar-
ently unsuccessful foray to Australia during the Gold Rush, Horn
spent most of his life running a grocery business in Glasgow. His
collection of mosses and vascular plants is fairly comprehensive and
includes many local specimens; others have been obtained through
Scottish contemporaries in the case of mosses, and on a national scale
for flowering plants through the Botanical Society of Edinburgh ex-
change activities. A fair number of specimens are from Norway,
probably indicative of the then growing interest in plant habitat, com-
paring Scottish mountain flora with that of the European arctic ( vide
the activities of the Scottish Alpine Botany Club in the 1880s).

Rev. Robert Kerr (1857-1939) was a minister with the United
Free Church, and later the Church of Scotland. For some 47 years he
was with Kirkmuirhill Church in the parish of Lesmahagow, Lanark-
shire, and it is from this area that many of his specimens were col-
lected. Most are vascular plants including some 70 European alpines,
but mosses are also represented.

Prof. Thomas King (1834-1896) was well-known as a botanist in
Glasgow, where he spent most of his life, except from 1864-1873 when
he went to Chile. In 1889 he was made Professor of Botany at the
Anderson Medical College, and a year later, of the Veterinary College.
He was active in most of the local naturalist societies. His particular
interest was seaweeds.

David Lands borough (1779-1854) was well-known as a pioneer
of marine biology, working mostly along the Ayrshire coast. The mus-
eum holds three copies of bound seaweed fasciculi entitled “Treasures
of the Deep”, probably sold, as D. E. Allan suggested, to holiday-
makers “ ... in aid of his Kirk and its schools”. There are also letters
to Prof. J. Fleming from Landsborough.

William A. Mudd (1830-1879) came from Yorkshire, where he
was originally a gardener; he later became curator of the Botanic Gar-
dens at Cambridge. He is known to have produced exsiccatae fasciculi
of lichens, but it is uncertain whether the Glasgow collection is from
one of these as there is no trace of bound volumes.

54

George W. Ord (1871-1899) worked at the Museum and later at
the People’s Palace (branch museum). His main interest was geology.
His plants are Scottish alpines.

David Robertson (1806-1896) was a former herd-boy, who stud-
ied at night-classes, and became the owner of a successful pottery
shop in Glasgow. Partly through the interest of his second wife and
through friendship with Roger Kennedy, author of “Clydesdale Flora”,
he developed an interest in marine flora and fauna, and later geology.
It was because of the ill-health of his wife that the Robertsons moved
to Great Cumbrae, in the Firth of Clyde, and it was there that, due to
his interest in marine life, the Marine Biological Station was eventually
established just before his death. As shown in the appendix, his botan-
ical interests covered most groups, the algae being especially well
represented.

Richard Spruce (1817-1893) was a Yorkshireman, who spent
some years in South America. He also maintained a close contact with
the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. The collection of South American
mosses in the Museum was obtained via the Natural History Society
of Glasgow.

Dr James Stirton (1833-1917) was a gynaecologist holding a pro^
fessorship at the old Anderson College in Glasgow from 1889. His
lichens and mosses are the most important in the collection. Dr Stir-
ton’s spare time was devoted to botany and he collected extensively in
the Scottish Highlands. He also corresponded at home and abroad
with many leading authorities, and received specimens from them (e.g.
Alexander McKinlay, W. P. Schimper and Sir George Watt). Both
collections contain type specimens named by him, although few of his
names stand today. The original lichen collection was divided between
Glasgow and the British Museum (Natural History) by Annie L. Smith
in the early part of this century.

Stirton was active in many local societies, including the Philo-
sophical Society of Glasgow and the Glasgow Society of Field Natur-
alists, as well as the Botanical Society of Edinburgh and the Linnean
Society (Fellow). Most of his numerous papers appear in the Transac-
tions of these societies, as well as in the Scottish Naturalist, Annals of
Scottish Natural History and Grevillea.

Robert Turner (1848-1894) was Assistant Registrar of Shipping
in Glasgow, and was president of the Andersonian Naturalists’ Society
(1890-1892). His collection of vascular plants are all local.

The Philosophical Society of Glasgow came into being in
1802, receiving its Royal Charter a century later. The herbarium was
started in 1843, when the Glasgow Botanical Society amalgamated

55

with them. However, by 1882, there were only three members left in
the Botanical Section, probably due to the new interest in anatomy
and morphology, and it was agreed to donate the herbarium, which is
comprised wholly of vascular plants, to the museum. Most specimens
are either Scottish or from Continental Europe, though some from
India and North America are included.

The Natural History Society of Glasgow (1851-1930) had
close associations with the Museum. In 1881 the Society made an
agreement with the Town Council by which the Society provided a
collection of British plants and invertebrates and the Museum pro-
vided storage and materials for mounting the specimens. Accordingly
in 1883 a small collection of flowering plants and a larger collection
of mosses was presented to the museum, to be followed by some hepat-
ics in 1884. The moss collection was “the nucleus of a complete one,
as far as British species are concerned. Its value . . . depends mainly
on the number of representative species it includes . . . Many of the
specimens have been gathered by . . . men such as Dr Greville, Dr W.
Wilson, Prof. Dickie and Prof. Schimper . . . 268 specimens alone have
been gathered by McKinlay”.

The Andersonian Naturalists’ Society (1885-1931) was the
second of three societies which amalgamated in 1931, later to become
the Andersonian Naturalists of Glasgow and now the Glasgow Natural
History Society. In 1903 the Society presented to the Museum a collec-
tion of vascular plants, all obtained locally.

There are two collections whose donors remain unknown: 138
vascular plants from Kirkcudbright and Dumfries, collected 1859-1860;
and 177 vascular plants with poetry(!) from localities near Glasgow
and Aberystwyth, no date.

There are four collectors about whom I have no information: J.
Booth, Holstein mosses in exsiccata bound volume (1819); Dr J.
Foulds, S. American mosses (1896); Mrs M. Gunn, Firth of Clyde sea-
weeds (1945); G. Scott, Scottish flowering plants (1860). Any informa-
tion about these would be welcome.

References

It would be cumbersome to include biographical references, but some more
general ones on herbaria and natural history societies in Glasgow are given,
plus some on the history of botany in Scotland .

Crundwell, A. C. 1952. Bryological Collectipns in Britain: the Glasgow

Museum. Trans. Br. bryol. Soc. 2: 122

Fletcher, H. R. 1959. Exploration of the Scottish Flora. Trans. Proc. bot.

Soc. Edinb. 38: 30-47.

Lee, J. R. 1952. The History of the Society (Andersonian Naturalists of Glas-
gow). Glasg. Nat. 17/1: 4-7.

56

Lloyd, B. 1964. The herbarium of the Royal College of Science and Tech-
nology, Glasgow. Glasg. Nat. 18/7: 363-368.

Mackechnie, R. 1958. Plant recording in Clydesdale. Glasg. Nat . 18/1: 3-14.

McNair, P. 1907. On the history and development of the natural history col-
lections in the Glasgow Museums. Proc. R. phil. Soc. Glasg. 38: 81-96,

Patton, D. 1952. Glasgow’s Natural History Societies. Glasg. Nat. 17/1: 8-10.

Patton, D. 1954. The British Herbarium of the Botanical Department of
Glasgow University. Glasg. Nat. 17/3: 105-125.

Power, W. 1951. A Kelvingrove Jubilee, 1901-1951. Glasgow Art Gallery
and Museums.

A note on the Nat. Hist. Soc. Glasg. agreement with the Museum to form a
herbarium. Trans, nat. Hist. Soc. Glasg. 1880-83: 272-273.

Various notes and reports on excursions of the Scottish Alpine Botany Club
in Trans. Proc. bot. Soc. Edinb. 1870-1892.

57

APPENDIX: Approximate size of Collections.

CLASSIFICATION COLLECTOR BRITISH EUROPEAN OTHER

ALGAE

I

D. Robertson

Mrs M. Gunn

Rev. J. Fleming

Prof. T. King

D. Landsborough
Unknown

c. 900

30
c. 200
186

3 fasciculi

9

1

FUNGI

Rev. J. Fleming

60

Museum Staff

40

( freeze-

dried)

LICHENS

Rev. J. Fleming

150

W. A. Mudd

260

Dr J. Stirton

1000

1 AAA

Museum Staff

200

1000

BRYOPHYTES

J. Booth

200

Dr J. Foulds

60

Mrs E. Hopkins

220

G. Horn

700

Rev. R. Kerr

360

D. Robertson

425

R. Spruce

291

Dr J. Stirton

5500

2000

Nat. Hist. Soc. Glasg.

800

VASCULAR

Dr W. G. Blackie

445

PLANTS

C. Eadie

212

Rev. J. Fleming

2000

G. Horn

2500

Rev. R. Kerr

1800

70

G. W. Ord

28

D. Robertson

280

G. Scott

215

R. Turner

69

Unknown

315

And. Nats. Soc.

260

Nat. Hist. Soc. Glasg.

85

Phil. Soc. Glasg.

4000

500

Museum Staff

100

58

Book Review

The Butterflies of Scotland : a Natural History

GEORGE THOMPSON

Croom Helm 1980

256pp. 37 plates, 8 in colour. £19.95

The Scottish butterfly enthusiast will find in this volume the first ever
complete study of the Scottish butterflies. There is a wealth of inform-
ation brought together after considerable research and with great scholar-
ship. Much of the information was previously not readily available or
occurred in tantalisingly brief references, for example in the much con-
sulted 1901 B.A. Handbook.

Most if not all Scottish butterfly records are included, even the most
tenuous, while the substantial records are supported with discussion of
status, history, habits, forms in Scotland and distribution, with up-to-
date maps, all comprising the longest chapter - the Butterfly Fauna.

Background material from geology, climatology and vegetational
studies, contributes to an understanding of past and present distribution
of the butterflies. Distribution is a major theme, with detailed analysis
and comparison between different periods, recent changes and an opti-
mistic look forward, together with the author’s original thesis that in
Scotland human interference has had minimal effect, during the period
of recording, on the distributional ebb and flow of the butterfly popul-
ations. Tribute is given to the early students of Scottish butterflies in
the form of readable and often amusing biographies.

The colour plates include photographs taken in the field by the
author and plates of pinned specimens illustrating historical specimens
and a range of variation in the species; of both categories more would
have been welcome. The use of monochrome plates was undoubtedly
an economic expedient.

Conservation is a topic which is discussed in some detail, the
author stating his views in a thoughtful and balanced manner coming
out in favour of controlled collecting. The conservation viewpoint which
says “no collecting” is dismissed as a matter of ethics, which to the
reviewer seems a pity as much conservation thinking these days is
clearly informed by the ethical outlook.

One error noticed by this reviewer is the statement that the Purple
Hairstreak overwinters in the pupal stage when in fact this species
overwinters in the egg stage.

In summary, an admirable compilation which is required reading
for the student of Scottish and, yes, British butterflies.

Gerald Rodway

The Endemic Whitebeams of North Arran

ERIC BIGNAL

Nature Conservancy Council, S.W. Region (Scotland).
Received April 1980

In 1897 Landsborough* described the occurrence and distribution of
two kinds of cut-leaved whitebeam growing in the stream gorges of
the northern half of Arran and pointed out that they were not found
in any other part of Great Britain. A few of the small trees were des-
cribed as standing back some distance from the edges of bums but
these were generally moribund and the majority of healthy specimens
grew on rocky sites close to the water.

For many years Sorhus pseudofennica and S. arranensis were not
separated and there has been a certain amount of taxonomic confu-
sion. The fourth edition of Bryce’s “Geology of Arran” (1872) lists
Pyrus pinnatifida as occurring in Gleann Easan Biorach, while Lands-
borough (1897) mentioned a number of stations in north Arran for
Pyrus aria and its varieties. In 1901 Hedlund described Sorbus arran-
ensis, but it was not until Clapham, Tutin and Warburg’s “Flora of
the British Isles” was published in 1952 that its endemic congener
Sorbus pseudofennica E.F. Warburg ( Sorbus fennica auct. angl.) rec-
eived authoritative recognition as a distinct species.

The earliest herbarium specimen of Sorbus pseudofennica was
that collected by T.B. Bell in 1838, lodged in the herbarium at the Bot-
anical Society of Edinburgh and subsequently passed to the British
Museum. The locality given is “Glens in Arran” and the designation is
“ Pyrus pinnatifida ”. There are 14 sheets of specimens of S. pseudofennica
in the British Museum, all but Bell’s giving the locality as Glen Catacol
and most designating the plant as P. pinnatifida or P. fennica. Five

Rev. David Landsborough Jn., son of Rev. David Landsborough 1779-1854.
See Glasg. Nat. 19: 443-462. — Editor.

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 1 (1980)

60

specimens were collected in the 1870s and five in the 1920s. One sheet
carries the paratype which was collected by Warburg in 1937. The
oldest herbarium specimens of S. arranensis are those of Smith and
Sowerby but the two peaks of collecting were 1870-1890 and 1920-
1940. The localities given are either Glen Catacol or Gleann Easan
Biorach. The various designations given are Pyrus scandica, P. pin-
naiifida and P. fennica. The only reference to these Sorbus occurring
outside the Glen Catacol — Gleann Easan Biorach — Glen Diomhan
area is by Landsborough (1875) who remarked that “It is true the
ravine is beautiful (Glen Diomhan) and in it grows abundantly the
white beam tree ( Pyrus arid), called by the nurserymen the French
Rowan Tree, which in its wild state is very rare and, with the exception
of a few specimens growing on the northern slopes of North Glen
Sannox, is found nowhere else in Arran.”

The fullest and most up-to-date account of the British Sorbus is
given in Richards (1975). “Of the 20 British species of Sorbus recognis-
ed by Warburg (1962), three (S. aucuparia, S. aria and S. torminalis ) are
sexual diploids . . . The other species have not all been investigated cy-
tologically but those which have are polyploids and at least partially
apomictic; it is possible that this is true of all of them. In that case hy-
brids are likely to arise at the present time only between sexual species
or between a sexual and an apomictic species where the latter is the
male parent. The 17 presumed polyploid apomicts fall into four groups:
those similar to S. aria (8 species); those intermediate between S. aria
and S. aucuparia (5 species in S. intermedia agg.); those intermediate
between S. aria and S. torminalis (3 species in S. latifolia agg.); and S.
pseudofennica which is intermediate between S. aucuparia and S.
arranensis (in S. intermedia agg.) It is thus likely that many of the aga-
mospecies recognised today are of hybrid origin, involving the three
sexual diploids and their derivatives or ancestors”.

The genomic formula for many of the species is at present only
speculative. McAllister has established (pers. com.) that S. arranensis
is a polyploid species with 2n=51. It is therefore presumed to be an
apomictic triploid hybrid between Sorbus aucuparia (2n=34) and
S. rupicola (2n=68). The Welsh S. minima (2n=51) appears to have
the same origin, differing only in that a different clone of S. rupicola is
presumably involved. There are a number of apomicts that may have
arisen from the hybridisation of Sorbus aucuparia and S. rupicola.
These include the British triploids S. minima , S. ley ana and S. arranen-
sis. In addition S. intermedia and S. anglica may have derived from
backcrosses to S. aucuparia. Three of these are very localised endemics,
S. minima and S. ley ana being restricted to V.C. 42 (Brecon) and S.
arranensis to V.C. 100 (Clyde Isles). S. anglica is an endemic more

61

widespread in Wales and SW England, and S. intermedia is an intro-
duced plant found over much of Britain. There is no indication that
the primary hybrid has ever been discovered in Britain or abroad, but
these, together with the Scandinavian S. lancifolia , S. subpinnata and
S. neglecta, probably represent the direct apomictic progeny of primary
hybrids between tetraploid S. aria sensu lato (of which S. rupicola is
the commonest) and diploid S. aucuparia.

S. pseudofennica has 2n— 68 and, from its closer morphological
resemblance to S. aucuparia (more pinnate leaves which are not dist-
ant, shortly and broadly triangular in outline and thinly grey-green
tomentose beneath), is presumed to be the result of fertilisation of a
normal unreduced ovule of S. arranensis with n— 51 by a normal re-
duced pollen grain of S. aucuparia with n— 17. Sorbus pseudofennica
has, therefore, presumably the same origin as the Scandinavian S.
hybrida, with half of its chromosome complement from S. aucuparia
and half from S. rupicola.

It is assumed from the present distribution of the endemics that
at some stage in the post-glacial forest history of Arran they occurred
throughout the forest and scrub on suitable sites. This woodland cover
must have clothed much of North Arran to an altitude of over 1200
feet. Pollen diagrams have been produced for sites on the south of the
island, at Monamore Glen and Machrie (S. Durno, pers. comm.), as
well as from sites at Aros Moss, Kintyre and Racks Moss, Solway
(Nichols, 1967), and from Bloak and Kennock Mosses, Ayrshire (Tur-
ner, 1975). On the basis of the results from these sites, it is likely that
prior to the activity of man the forest was composed mainly of birch,
pine and rowan, with groves of oak and hazel along the coast.

Their limited distribution today can be attributed to a fragment-
ation of their original range by deforestation. The present deforested
landscape is interpreted as being due fundamentally to long-standing
and recently much intensified human interference, directly by clearance
for agriculture, indirectly through grazing animals preventing regener-
ation (Dickson, 1977). Moor fires still continue to drive woody plants
further and further back into the dampest and rockiest sites, and
grazing (sheep, deer, hares) suppresses natural regeneration and sapling
growth. In addition, gales and snow remove large specimens (a poten-
tial seed source) from their precarious positions in steep ravines and
gorges.

While there has been no comprehensive survey of the distribution
of the Arran whitebeams, several workers have surveyed various glens
at the north of Arran and there are a number of unpublished reports
relating to these1. There is no recent published work on the distribution

i NCC files 144, 144R, 144MP.

62

of the species and the original paper by Rev. D. Landsborough (1897)
is still the standard published work.

It would be misleading to suggest that the following list of sites
is comprehensive, but it seems unlikely that many more locations
occur, bearing in mind the interest that has been shown in them.

Sorbus arranensis :

Sorbus pseudofennica :

Not differentiated :

Abhainn Bheag (Uisge solus)
Glen Diomhan (and tributary)
Glen Catacol
Allt nan Caiman
Allt Dubh

Gleann Easan Biorach
Glen Iorsa (Allt-nan-Champ)
Abhainn Bheag (Uisge solus)
Glen Diomhan
Glen Catacol
Allt nan Caiman
Creag na h-Iolaire

No S. pseudofennica are recorded from Gleann Easan Biorach or
its tributaries or the headwaters of the Iorsa Water. The only definite
extinction is in north Glen Sannox where no trees occur today (cf.
Landsborough 1875 quoted above).

The abundance of Sorbus arranensis and S. pseudofennica at each
station is more difficult to establish than the overall distribution.
Again, various workers have made both qualitative and quantitative
estimates of abundance, but there is no standardisation between esti-
mates. Consequently, some estimates include “seedlings” as small as
J" in height, whilst others record only “trees”. From the information
available, an optimistic estimate of the total wild populations (exclud-
ing seedlings) may be put at approximately 236 Sorbus pseudofennica
and 283 Sorbus arranensis. Bearing in mind their scattered occur-
rence and the uneven age structure of the population, the Arran white-
beams were considered by McVean (1954) to be closer to extinction
than any other tree or shrub in Scotland with the exception of Salix
lanata.

As a result of this precarious position, their Arran stronghold,
Glen Diomhan, was declared a National Nature Reserve in 1956.
Within the reserve a central area was deer-fenced in 1962 and the
entire reserve (only 25 acres) has been free from muirburn for over 25
years. Approximately 141 S. arranensis and 145 S. pseudofennica
occur on the reserve. Within the enclosure, 57 and 124 occur re-
spectively, mainly on the west bank of the Diomhan Burn. The fen-
ced area therefore encloses 63% of the whitebeams in the reserve, that
is 41% of Sorbus arranensis and 86% of S. pseudofennica.

63

Management of the reserve in the past has been based on a “care
and maintenance” policy with no active management other than the er-
ection of the deer-fence and some trial (unsuccessful) planting of the
endemics in the 1960s. More recently it has become evident that al-
though natural regeneration of Birch (Betula pubescens var. odorata )
and Rowan ( Sorbus aucuparia) is taking place, the process is exceed-
ingly slow. The antiquity of the mature specimens in the gorge, coupled
with consistently poor seed production and winter storm damage, have
resulted in renewed concern for the endemics and proposals for more
active intervention within the enclosed section of the reserve to ensure
their survival. Collection of the seed of the endemics and of Sorbus
aucuparia and Betula pubescens has taken place over the past four
years. In 1978, 13 of the endemic Sorbus, grown from seed collected
from the reserve 2 years earlier, were planted in a sheltered section of
the enclosure. Shelter planting of birch and willow (Argyll provenance)
was also carried out in the immediate area. It is proposed, over the
next 5 years, to carry out further experimental establishment, together
with the reafforestation of the glen with scrub woodland of native
species of local (North Arran) provenance.

This active management policy will run concurrently with a det-
ailed field monitoring programme, a full enumeration survey of all the
localities for both endemics as well as controlled environment
and cytological investigations. This latter aspect will form part
of a programme to investigate the cytological and taxonomic status
of all the British Sorbus endemics. The Arran whitebeams are
unique amongst the endemic British Sorbus in that they do not occur
on base-rich or limestone soils, and occur with only one of the parents,
Sorbus aucuparia. Sorbus rupicola occurs at Holy Island (off Lamlash
Bay, South Arran) but nowhere at the northern end of the island. The
apparent absence of base enrichment may be explained in part by the
occurrence of shear zones in the granite parent rock within Glen Diom-
han (and possibly at other stations). Associated with these shear zones
is the release of epidote, a rather unstable mineral of calcium, alum-
inium and iron silicate which weathers rapidly to release its component
elements. Epidotised zones are also often rich in calcite, crystallised
lime which could be related to lime richness in a derived soil.
It is clear, then, that epidotized zones will be far more calcareous than
the surrounding granites and will undoubtedly give rise to soils with
chemical characteristics similar to those derived from limestones.
There appears also to be a correlation between the Sorbus and the
occurrence of igneous dykes of olivine, dolerite and theolite. While the
weathering of these rocks would not of themselves give rise to calcium-
rich soils, they will provide more base-rich soils than the granites since
these rocks are themselves much more basic, consisting primarily of

64

iron, magnesium, aluminium, calcium etc. silicates. Green staining of
the rocks in Glen Diomhan is assumed to indicate fluid transfer along
shear zones in the granite and along existing joints. Thus the epidote
is likely to occur as a thin skin on the joint surface, with little or none
occurring on the main body of the granite (K. Duff and A. McKirdy,
pers. comm.).

So far as the absence of Sorbus rupicola is concerned, no explana-
tion can be offered. Many possibilities have been suggested — perhaps
it never occurred and the hybrids originated elsewhere (now extinct)
and established themselves in North Arran perhaps by bird-sown seed.
Maybe S. rupicola occurred somewhere in the presumed centre of
origin of the endemics (Gleann Easan Biorach — Glen Diomhan — Glen
Catacol) and later became extinct — perhaps because of the ephemeral
soil enrichment associated with epidotization. Work is currently being
proposed to investigate the vegetation history of this area by pollen
analysis and perhaps future results will shed more light on the prob-
lem.

References

Bryce, J. 1872. Geology of Arran and other Clyde Islands. (4th Edition)
Glasgow.

Clapham, A. R., Tutin, T, G. and Warburg. E. F. 1952. Flora of the British
Isles. Cambridge.

Dickson, J. H. 1977. Western Scotland II, INQUA Congress Excursion Book-
let C13.

Hedlund, T. 1901. Monographic der gattung Sorbus. Svensk vet Akad. Handl.
35/1: 60-61.

Landsboroughs, The, Father & Son 1875. Arran, its topography, natural his-
tory and antiquities. Ardrossan.

Landsborough, D. 1897. Pyrus aria and its varieties in Arran. Trans. Proc. bot.
Soc. Edinb. 21 : 56-62.

McVean, D. 1954. Notes on the present position of the endemic Arran Sorbus.

Glen Diomhan Management Plan I. NCC 144/MP.

Nichols, H. 1967. Vegetation change, shoreline displacement and the human
factor in the late Quaternary history of S.W. Scotland. Trans. R. Soc .
Edinb . 67/6: 145-187.

Richards, A. J. 1975. Sorbus. pp. 233-238 in Hybridization and the Flora of
the British Isles, edited by C. A. Stace. Academic Press, London
Turner, J. 1975. The evidence of land-use by pre-historic farming communi-
ties: the use of three-dimensional pollen diagrams., pp. 86-95 in The effect
of Man on the Landscape: Highland zone, edited by J. G. Evans and S.
Limbrey. Council for British Archaeology.

Warburg, E. F. 1962. Sorbus in Clapham, A. R., Tutin T. G, and Warburg.
E. F. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge.

Carex elongata in Scotland

J. MITCHELL

Nature Conservancy Council, S.W. Region (Scotland)
A. McG. STIRLING
17 Austen Road, Glasgow

Received September 1980

In the Scottish Naturalist for 1885 Arthur Bennett reported the first
finding of Carex elongata L. in Scotland, commenting “this is an inter-
esting addition to the Scotch [sic] flora, its most northern station
hitherto known being in Cumberland”. This very local sedge had been
discovered in July of the same year at Kenmure Holms, beside Loch
Ken, Kirkcudbrightshire, by James McAndrew of New Galloway who
sent specimens to Bennett. Whether McAndrew knew the identity of his
find before communicating with Bennett is not clear. Apart from a
Dumfries record, to which we refer later, the Loch Ken station re-
mained the only confirmed locality for almost a century and, due to
lack of recent records, was actually considered to have become extinct
in Scotland (Jermy & Tutin 1968). However, since 1967 not only has
the Loch Ken site been refound, but an additional five Scottish sites
for C. elongata have been discovered, so that it now seems appropriate
to review the present status of the sedge in Scotland.

Kirkcudbright, v.c. 73

As already stated, C. elongata was first found in the vice-county
at Kenmure Holms in 1885, and we have traced several herbarium
sheets by various collectors from this locality bearing dates between
1885 and 1907. No evidence has been found to indicate that the sedge
was seen at this station subsequent to the latter date for almost seventy
years. Milne-Redhead (1972) apparently had not seen the species in
the vice-county as he lists the record among those requiring confirma-
tion. This was forthcoming in 1976 when one of the authors (J.M.)

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 1 (1980)

66

discovered a small colony, probably less than a dozen plants, in swam-
py wooded ground close to Kenmure Castle, near the northern end of
Loch Ken. This is almost certainly the site of Me Andrew’s original
discovery. In June of the following year Dr D. A. Ratcliffe of the
Nature Conservancy Council, while examining sites alongside the
River Cree, north of Newton Stewart, on the western border of the
county, found another colony of about thirty plants in willow-alder
carr. Later in the same month A.McG.S., following up this report,
found an additional single tussock of C. elongata in similar ground a
little further north near the Dow Lochs.

Dumfries, v.c. 72

In G. F. Scott Elliot’s Flora of Dumfriesshire (1896) a record of
Carex elongata from Auchenhessnane, Penpont, is attributed to T.
Brown. The date given is 1893. Recent repeated searches in the vicin-
ity of Auchenhessnane in an attempt to refind the sedge have proved
unsuccessful, but the possibility of its occurrence there cannot be
discounted as there is moderately suitable ground in the general area.
There is, however, some doubt as to whether C. elongata was actually
found in the locality named, for at the time Auchenhessnane was the
home of Brown, and may have been quoted in the Flora for this reason.
Two herbarium specimens have been traced to date which seem to
support the occurrence of C. elongata in Dumfriesshire, but unfortun-
ately neither is precisely localised. The first, in the British Museum
collection, is from Bennett’s herbarium and is labelled “Dumfriesshire,
per T. Brown Esq.”. It is undated. The other specimen is in the col-
lection at Dumfries Museum and is from the herbarium of J. Fingland
of Thornhill. It bears no collector’s name, locality or date. The only
other piece of documentary evidence concerning the Dumfries record
is contained among the Scott Elliot papers in the Ewart Library, Dum-
fries. This is an undated manuscript list of plants from v.c.’s 72, 73
and 74 sent by Scott Elliot to Bennett for naming, and C. elongata is
included. Bennett adds a few words of congratulation on the finding
of a new species for v.c. 72 and the comment that the only other
Scottish locality was at Loch Ken. It is worth noting that Milne-Red-
head (1972) chose not to include this species as a Dumfries plant
although he must have been aware of the published record attributed
to Brown, if not of the herbarium specimens.

Dunbarton, v.c. 99

Carex elongata was first found on Loch Lomond-side by J. H.
Penson in June 1967 and notice of this discovery has been given by
Ribbons (1973). This site, below Boturich Castle on the south-east
shore of the loch about two miles north of Balloch, is in wet alder

67

woodland, and the colony probably consists of between sixty and one
hundred plants. In June 1975 a second population of the sedge was
discovered by J. M. and Dr R. Mitchell beside the west shore of Loch
Lomond within the policies of Rossdhu House, just south of Luss.
This is a substantial colony of at least two hundred plants, growing in
and around muddy lagoons under the shade of willows, alders and
former coppiced oak.

Stirling, v.c. 86

Continued search of suitable sites around Loch Lomond was re-
warded in May 1977 by the discovery of a further population of C.
elongata numbering about one hundred and fifty plants located beside
the Mar Burn, near the mouth of the River Endrick on the east side
of the loch. The site, which was also found by J. M., lies within
the Loch Lomond National Nature Reserve and is particularly inter-
esting as the Carex grows in swampy ground under the hybrid willow
Salix X smithiana which in the past had been planted and cultivated
for commercial purposes. This activity has long since ceased and the
underlying vegetation, which was probably never unduly affected by
the willow management, differs little in character from that of the
other Scottish sites.

In May 1979 a second colony of C. elongata was located by A.
McG. S. in Gartfairn Wood about three-quarters of a mile north of
the Mar Burn site. This is a much smaller colony of about thirty
plants, growing in a wet depression among Salix cinerea and also sit-
uated within the Loch Lomond National Nature Reserve.

General Observations

Tlie very local distribution of Carex elongata in the British Isles
is almost certainly due to its quite stringent habitat requirements (David
1978). The favoured situations are those where the water table is perm-
anently high, the sites usually being submerged for prolonged periods
in winter and drying out only partially in summer. Two of the Loch
Lomond colonies (sites 3 and 4) lie within fifty metres of the shore
among Salix cinerea subsp. oleifolia and Alnus glutmosa. The sedge
frequently forms its characteristic tussocks in a semi-epiphytic fashion
on fallen trunks or emergent bases of these species. These lake-shore
sites lie within the influence of the wide annual fluctuation of water
level to which Loch Lomond is subject, and this condition is largely
responsible for the reduced competition from other plant species which
seems to be another requirement of the sedge. The Kenmure Holms
and Mar Burn sites are best described as “hinterland” sites, subject
to immersion almost annually due to high loch levels causing the river,
feeder streams and ditches to “back up” and flood the surrounding land.

68

The Dow Lochs site is very similar to that at Kenmure Holms except
that the adjacent fresh water system is a slow-flowing river, seasonally
flooding out over low-lying ground with extensive development of sedge-
swamp communities and in places assuming almost lake-like proportions-

It is interesting to speculate on the reasons why this sedge should
for so long have escaped notice in its Scottish localities. In the case of
the Loch Lomond sites we believe the answer lies in their situation
within the policies of large private estates. Until comparatively recently
public access to these areas would have been difficult due to their
exclusive nature. An additional contributory factor may be the relative
remoteness of all the Loch Lomond sites from a public road. In the
case of the two small populations in Kirkcudbrightshire their apparent
confinement to extremely restricted areas is probably the reason for
their having escaped notice.

Carex elongata may well occur in other suitable localities in Scot-
land and it should be looked for early in the season in the type of habi-
tat described. It is a medium-sized sedge of tufted habit and older plants
tend to form firm tussocks or “stools” rather like C. paniculata but on
a much reduced scale. The foliage is a distinctive yellow-green colour
which affords a useful identification character, particularly in early
spring before the inflorescence develops. The latter appears towards
the end of April, and by the end of June most of the spikes have shed
their utricles. There is evidence that regeneration from seed is satis-
factory in at least two of the Scottish populations, and there appear to
be no obvious threats to the continued survival of any of the colonies
described, a situation which contrasts very favourably with that in
England where, due to losses of suitable habitat, the sedge is either ex-
tinct or greatly reduced in numbers in many of its former stations
(David 1978). The situation in the north of Ireland has recently been
shown to be more satisfactory than had previously been supposed, and
a number of sites are now known around Lough Neagh and Lough
Erne, but the colonies are not large in terms of numbers of plants
(Harron 1974; Faris 1974).

It is evident from the foregoing that the status of Carex elongata
in Scotland gives cause for considerable satisfaction. It can be confi-
dently stated that the best of the Scottish colonies — those in the Loch
Lomond area — rank among the finest in the British Isles. The only
comparable populations, according to David (1978), are two in Staff-
ordshire and one in Yorkshire.

Vascular species most frequently associated with Carex elongata in the

six known Scottish sites

1. Kenmure Holms, Loch Ken, v.c. 73 NX 635766

2. Dow Lochs, River Cree, Newton Stewart, v.c. 73 NX 374719

69

3. Boturich Castle policies. Loch Lomond, v.c. 99 NS 383845

4. Rossdhu House policies, Luss, Loch Lomond, v.c. 99 NS 359877

5. Mar Burn, River Endrick, Loch Lomond, v.c. 86 NS 437888

6. Gartfairn Wood, Balmaha, Loch Lomond, v.c. 86 NS 434898

1

2

3

4

5

6

Alnus glutinosa

4-

4-

+

Anemone nemorosa

4-

4-

+

Athyrium filix-femina

+

4-

4-

Caltha palustris

4-

+

+

+

Cardamine amara

+

+

+

+

Carex remota

+

+

+

+

Carex vesicaria

+

+

+

+

Crepis paludosa

+

+

+

Deschampsia cespitosa

4-

4-

+

+

+

+

Filipendula ulmaria

+

4-

+

+

+

+

Galium palustre

+

+

+

+

+

+

Iris pseudacorus

+

+

+

4-

Lysimachia nummularia

4-

+

+

Phalaris arundinacea

+

+

+

+

+

4-

Rumex aquaticus

+

+

4-

Rumex sanguineus

+

+

+

Salix cinerea

subsp. oleifolia

+

+

+

+

4-

V aleriana officinal is

+

+

+

+

4-

Acknowledgments

We are indebted to the following for kind assistance in various
ways during the preparation of this account: Dr E. M. Bignal, R. W.
David, P. Harrold, Miss J. Martin, J. S. and Mrs M. Martin, R. D.
Meikle and Dr D. A. Ratcliffe.

References

Bennett, A. 1885. New Scottish Flowering Plants. Scott. Nat. 2 (New Series),
181.

Bennett, A. 1885. Carex elongata in Scotland. J. Bot . Land. 23, 253.

Bennett, A. 1886 Carex elongata at Kenmure Holms. Trans. Proc. Bot. Soc.
Edinb. 16, 316.

David, R. W. 1978. The Distribution of Carex elongata in the British Isles.
Watsonia 12, 158-160.

Faris, R. C. 1974. Carex elongata in Counties Leitrim and Cavan. Ir. Nat. J.
18, 92-93.

Harron, J. 1974. Carex elongata refound on Loch Neagh shores. Ir. Nat. J.
18, 91-92.

70

Jermy, A. C. & Tutin, T. G. 1968. British Sedges. London.

Milne- Redhead, H. 1972. A Check List of the Flowering Plants, Ferns and
Fern Allies of the Vice-Counties of Dumfries, Kirkcudbright and Wigtown.
Penson, J. H. 1967. Unpublished personal field notes.

Trans. J. Proc. Dumfries. Galloway nat. Hist. Antiq. Soc, 3rd Ser, 49, 1-19.
Ribbons, B. W. 1973. Carex elongata on Loch Lomond-side. Glasg. Nat. 19,
68-69

Scott Elliot, G. F. 1896. The Flora of Dumfriesshire, including part of the
Stewartry of Kirkcudbright. Dumfries.

Veronica peregrina in the West of Scotland

PETER MACPHERSON
15 Lubnaig Road, Glasgow

Received March 1980

Veronica peregrina, American Speedwell, is well established in North-
West Ireland, whereas most of the records from other parts of the
British Isles are of casual occurrences. Perring and Walters (1962) re-
corded it in only one 10 km square in the West of Scotland and that
was almost on the Lanark (77)— Peebles (78) boundary. It related to a
1932 record from Biggar. Bangerter (1966) stated that it had been re-
corded from 45 British vice-counties including a record each from Ayr
(75) and Dunbarton (99) and two from Lanark (77). In addition, Dick-
son (1974) reported that it had evidently persisted in Kiloran Garden,
Colonsay (102), since recorded there in 1910.

Seven plants of V. peregrina appeared in my Newlands (Glasgow)
garden, Renfrew (76) in 1972 but did not persist; however Silverside
(1976) has found it to be persistent in the Finlaystone Estate, in an-
other part of the same vice-county.

The Speedwell was recorded twice in 1978 during excursions of
the Glasgow Natural History Society (at that time the Andersonian
Naturalists of Glasgow). On 26 May plants were seen in the walled
garden of Ross Priory, Dunbarton (99) and on 31 May it was noted in
and around the walled garden of Rouken Glen Park, Renfrew (76).

In 1979 it was seen in a nursery at Barcaldine, Argyll (98) (Con-
acher, pers. comm.).

Veronica is the name of a saint, but why given to this genus is un-
known (Johns 1894). Peregrinus is Latin for stranger or immigrant,
the plant being a native of North America, but naturalised in Europe
and described by Linnaeus as “ Habitat in Europae hortis.”

Veronica peregrina has tiny pale flowers and even the plant as a
whole is rather inconspicuous. It is not illustrated in either Butcher
(1961) or Ross -Craig (1966) so it is thought appropriate to include a
detailed drawing to help with the identification as the species is obvi-
ously becoming more widespread.

Glasg . Nat. 20 part 1 (1980)

72

Acknowledgment

I am grateful to Elspeth L. S. Macpherson for the illustration,
drawn from a Newlands plant.

73

References

Bangerter, E. B. 1966. Further notes on Veronica peregrina L. Proc. bot. Soc.
Br . Isl. 6: 215-220.

Butcher, R. W. 1961. A New Illustrated British Flora. Leonard Hill. London.
Dickson, J. H. 1974. Colonsay. Glasg. Nat. 19: 140.

Perring, F. H. and Walters, S. M. 1962. Atlas of the British Flora. Thomas
Nelson & Sons, London and Edinburgh.

Ross-Craig, S. 1966. Drawings of British Plants. XX 11 ( Scrophulariaceae ).
G. Bell & Sons, London.

Silverside, A. J. 1976. Veronica peregrina. Glasg. Nat. 19: 341-342.

74

Junior Excursion Meeting to the Clyde at
Cambuslang

ELSPETH L. S. MACPHERSON

The first Junior Field Meeting of the Glasgow Natural History Society
to be held for many years took place on the evening of 19 June 1980.

Nine secondary school ipupils were transported to Cambuslang
in a school mini-bus and together with the leaders set off down to the
Clyde. Along the third of a mile stretch surveyed, habitats included
road verge, hedgerow and wasteground as well as the river bank.

All the pupils were studying biology at school, and some, photo-
graphy. A list was compiled of all the plants found that evening and
the pupils showed a keen interest in searching around for additions.
They were eager to learn about those seen and we tried to teach them
genus characteristics so that they could “family” any new find.

We also endeavoured to explain the derivations of some of the
English names of the plants being found to make them more mem-
orable. For example those related to description of leaf — Milfoil
(thousand leaf), Colt’s-foot; description of fruit — Crane’s-bill; descrip-
tion of flower — Daisy (day’s eye) and Policeman’s Helmet; description
of former use — Broom and Woundwort; other peculiarity — Jack-go-to
bed-at-noon.

To the surprise of the pupils, there were in this small area at least
121 different flowering plants. These included 12 species of grass, three
of sedge and one of rush but no ferns. 22 of the plants were new rec-
ords for the 10 km square (22/66), not having been included in the
master card for that square held at the Biological Records Centre,
Monks Wood. In addition to these records, we were all very interested
to see a young plant of Teasel. This biennial is not recorded on any of
the master cards for Lanarkshire.

The evening was considerably enjoyed by all and, thus encour-
aged, we intend to hold a further Junior Meeting next year.

75

Clyde Dock Aliens

PETER MACPHERSON and ALLAN McG. STIRLING

An alien hunt was held in the Meadowside dock area in September,
1979. Grain, mainly from North America, is unloaded from the ships
at that site.

First of all the north side of Castlebank Street was inspected and
among the cobble stones were found American Pepperwort ( Lepidium
densiflorum ), Grey Goosefoot ( Chenopodium opulifolium ), Rye Brome
Grass ( Bromus secalinus) an alien Bent Grass ( Agrostis scabra ) and
Green Bristlegrass {Set aria viridis).

The party then went into the actual dock area and saw Turnip
{Brassica rapa). Green Amaranth {Amaranthus hybridus ), Slender Fox-
tail {Alopecurus myosuroides) and an alien Meadow Grass ( Boa sp.).
A specimen of the latter was sent to the late Dr C. E. Hubbard and to
Kew Gardens. The species has not yet been determined but it is
thought that the plant has come from the southern hemisphere.

When the Meadowside Dock security officer heard that we were
looking for plants growing from imported seed he suggested that, in
view of the prevailing wind, we should try the docks further up the
Clyde. A visit to the more easterly, partly infilled. Queens Dock was
made in August 1980. One might expect such plants as noted above
to be purely casual in occurrence but at this site there was an abun-
dance of the Bent Grass {Agrostis scabra) and of Flattened Meadow
Grass {Poa compressa ) with a few plants of Tall Rocket {Sisymbrium
altissimum) all of which had previously been seen on a visit to the
docks in 1973. In addition there were many plants of the American
Pepperwort, a further plant of Grey Goosefoot, one of Eastern Rocket
{Sisymbrium orientate ) and a number of plants of Poa palustris.

The usual habitat in Britain of the above plants and the continent
of origin is given in the Table. We are grateful to Professor J. P. M.
Brenan, Mr E. J. Clement, and the late Dr C. E. Hubbard for help
with identification.

76

TABLE: The usual Habitat in British Isles, and Continent of Origin
of the plants reported in the text.

Agrostis scabra
Alopecurus myosuroides

Amaranthus hybridus
Brass ica rap a

Bromus secalinus

Chenopodium opulifolium

Lepidium densiflorum
Boa compressa

Boa pal ust ris

Boa sp.?

Setaria viridis
Sisymbrium altissimum
Sisymbrium orientale

Habitat in British Isles

Few previous reports
Arable and waste ground

Waste ground

Arable and waste ground

Arable ground
(usually in winter wheat)
Waste ground, especially
S. England
Docks

Dry banks, walls and

waste ground

Marshy and waste ground

Possibly new to Br. Isles
Waste ground and docks
Waste ground
Waste ground, especially
S. England

Continent of Origin

North America
Native in British Isles
(casual in Scotland)

North America

N. Africa, W. Asia, China

Europe

N. Africa, Asia, Europe

Africa, Central Asia,

S. Europe
North America
Native in British Isles
(rare in Scotland)

North America, Asia,
Europe

? Southern Hemisphere
Africa, Asia, Europe
W. Asia, E. Europe
N. Africa, W. Asia, S. and
S.E. Europe

The Flora of the Loch Lomond National
Nature Reserve : A Supplement

J. MITCHELL

Nature Conservancy Council, S.W. Region (Scotland)

A. McG. STIRLING
17 Austen Road, Glasgow

Received April 1980

The following supplement to the published account of the Flora of the
Loch Lomond National Nature Reserve (Idle 1978) brings up to date
the Reserve’s list of flowering plants, ferns and allies to December
1979. In addition to previously unrecorded species, the supplement
incorporates recently named segregates, together with a small number
of hybrids which are included in the list for the first time. Localities
are named for all records, but remarks on status and habitat already
given in the main paper are not repeated for additional segregate
species. Over half of the new records originate from a 404 acre (163.5 ha)
extension added to the Mainland portion of the Reserve in June 1977.
This extension, lying to the north of the River Endrick, falls within
Stirlingshire (V.C. 86), unlike the southern part of the Mainland Re-
serve which is situated in Dunbartonshire (V.C. 99). For botanical
recording purposes, therefore, it is convenient to treat these two por-
tions separately, and they are referred to in this paper as Mainland (N)
and Mainland (S) respectively. The three major habitats represented
on the Mainland Reserve extension are wet deciduous woodland, rough
grazings interspersed with overgrown drainage ditches, and a period-
ically inundated loch shore zone with both exposed and sheltered
lagoons. The extension adds three national rarities to the Reserve’s
flora — Leucojum aestivum, Juncus filiformis and Carex elongata —
together with several other species of local distribution in Scotland.
With a few exceptions the order and nomenclature followed is accord-
ing to Dandy (1958 & 1969) and Stace (1975).

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 1 (1980)

78

Equisetum palustre. One recorded station. Loch shore. Mainland (N).
Equisetum sylvaticum. One recorded station. Wet wood. Mainland (N).
Dryopteris X deweveri (D. dilatata X carthusiana ). One recorded sta-
tion. Wet heath. Mainland (S).

Poly podium vulgare agg. The following taxon has been named: Poly-
podium interjectum. Creinch.

Ranunculus trichophyllus. Locally frequent. Shallow water. Mainland
(N) and (S).

Ranunculus peltatus. Local. Shallow water. Mainland (N).

Erophila verna. One recorded station. Erratic serpentine boulder.
Mainland (N).

Rubus fruticosus agg.

[Rubus rosaceus] delete.

The following additional taxa have been named:

Rubus plicatus. Mainland (S).

Rubus latifolius. Mainland (S).

Rubus nemoralis. Mainland (N) and (S).

Rubus leptothyrsos. Mainland (S).

Rubus errabundus. Mainland (N) and (S).

Rubus scoticus. Mainland (S).

Rubus infest us. Mainland (S).

Alchemilla vulgaris agg.

The following taxon has been named: Alchemilla glabra. Main-
land (N) and (S).

Aphanes arvensis agg.

The following taxon has been named: Aphanes microcarpa.
Mainland (N).

Rosa canina agg.

The following taxa have been named:

Rosa canina. Mainland (N) and (S).

Rosa dumetorum. Mainland (N).

Rosa afzeliana. Mainland (N).

Rosa sherardii. Mainland (N).

Rosa mollis. Mainland (N).

Epilobium hirsutum. One colony. Riverbank, Mainland (S).

Callitriche obtusangula. One recorded station. Side of former course of
the Mar Burn, Mainland (N).

Callitriche hamulata. Locally abundant. Lagoons, Mainland (N) and
(S).

Callitriche hermaphraditica . Local. Deep drainge ditches, Mainland
(N).

Anthriscus sylvestris. Uncommon. Track and hedge side. Mainland
(N) and (S).

79

Polygonum aviculare agg. The following additional taxon has been
named: Polygonum aviculare. Mainland (N).

Polygonum minus. Twio colonies. Exposed mud in Crom Mhin Bay,
Mainland (N). First recorded in this general locality in 1893
(Anon. 1897).

Polygonum cuspidatum. One small colony. Streamside, Mainland (N).
Rumex X platyphyllos ( R . aquaticus X obtusifolius). Local, River and
drainage ditch sides. Mainland (N) and (S). First recorded in this
general locality in 1939 (Lousley 1941).

Rumex longifolius. No recent records, but previously reported on or
near Mainland (N) in 1939 (Lousley 1941) and 1950 (Prasher
1950).

Salix X smithiana (S. cinerea X viminalis). One large colony. Former
commercial willow plantation. Mainland (N).

Salix X multinervis ( S . aurita X cinerea ). One recorded station. Open
willow carr. Mainland (N).

[Limosella aquatica ]. Delete.

Veronica arvensis. One recorded station. Erratic serpentine boulder.
Mainland (N).

Mentha arvensis. One recorded station. Wet grassland. Mainland (S).
Mentha X verticillata (M. aquatica X arvensis). One recorded station.

Overgrown drainage ditch. Mainland (N).

Senecio X ostenfeldii ( S . aquaticus X jacobea). Uncommon. Wet grass-
land, Mainland (N) and (S).

Hieracium sparsifolium. One recorded station. Rocks by shoreline,
Torrinch.

Taraxacum officinale agg.

The following taxa have been named :

Taraxacum unguilobum. Torrinch. Creinch, Mainland (N).
Taraxacum fulvicarpum. Mainland (N).

Taraxacum landmarkii. Mainland (N).

Taraxacum eximium. Mainland (S).

Taraxacum maculosum (maculigerum). Creinch.

Taraxacum praestans. Torrinch, Creinch.

Taraxacum ostenfeldii. Creinch.

Potamogeton X salicifolius (P. lucens X perfoliatus). Has been re-
ported in Mainland (N) as P. decipiens (Stirling & Kidston 1891),
but there are no recent records. The record should be treated with
some caution as P. lucens is not known to occur in the vicinity.
Potamogeton X nitens (P. gramineus X perfoliatus). Uncommon, poss-
ibly washed in from elsewhere on the loch. Lagoons, Mainland
(N) and (S).

Potamogeton berchtoldii. Local. Lagoons, Mainland (N) and (S).

80

J uncus filiformis. Two small colonies. Shore grassland. Mainland (N).

First recorded in this locality in 1947 (Lee 1953).

Leucojum aestivum. One strong colony, with scattered individual
plants nearby (Stirling & Mitchell 1978). Wet woodland. Mainland
(N).

Epipactis heleborine. Only one plant seen. Damp \Moodland, Mainland
(N). First recorded in this general locality in 1890 (Stirling & Kid-
son 1891).

Dactylorhiza X transiens (D. fuchsii X maculata subsp. ericetorum).

Occasional. Wet heath and grassland. Mainland (S).

Dactylorhiza purpurella. Uncommon. Wet grassland. Mainland (N)
and (S).

Scirpus, lacustris. Two colonies. Sheltered lagoon. Mainland (N).

Carex demissa X hostiana. One recorded station. Wet heath. Main-
land (N).

Carex X hibernica (C. aquatilis X nigra). One recorded station. For-
mer arable field, now permanently flooded. Mainland (S).

Carex elongata. Two colonies (Stirling & Mitchell 1980). Periodically
flooded woodland. Mainland (N).

Festuca pratensis. Local. Wet grassland. Mainland (S).

Poa pratensis agg.

The following taxon has been named: Poa subcaerulea. Mainland
(N) and (S).

Pda trivialis. Local. Wet rough grassland. Mainland (N).

[Bromus erectus]. Delete.

Bromus ramosus. Uncommon. Confined to serpentine exposures, Inch-
cailloch.

Acknowledgments

In the preparation of this supplement to the Flora of the Loch
Lomond National Nature Reserve we are indebted to J. M. Cameron
(Reserve Warden), E. T. Idle, Dr A. J. Silverside and the late R. Mac-
kechnie for a number of additional new records. Our thanks also to R.
D. Meikle, Dr A. J. Richards, R. W. David and the Rev. G. G. Graham
for their assistance with the identification of Salix, Taraxacum , Carex
and Rosa spp. respectively.

References

Anon. 1897. Reports on excursions — Balmaha, 8th July 1893. Trans, nat.
Hist. Soc. Glasg. 4 (NS): 116.

Dandy, J. E. 1958. List of British Vascular Plants. London.

Dandy, J. E. 1969. Nomenclature changes in the List of British Vascular
Plants. Watsonia 7: 157-178.

Idle, E. T. 1978. The Flora of the Loch Lomond National Nature Reserve.
Glasg. Nat. 19: 403-421

81

Lee, J. R, 1953. Additions to the Flora of the Clyde Area. Glasg. Nat. 17:
65-82.

Lousley, J. E. 1941. Notes on the British Rumices II. Rep. both Soc. Exch.

Club Br. I si. (Report for 1940) 12: 547-585.

Prasher, R. 1950. Botanical Section Report for 1950. Glasg. Nat. 16: 99.
Stace, C. A. (Edit.) 1975. Hybridisation and the Flora of the British Isles.
London.

Stirling, A. McG. and Mitchell, J. 1978. Summer Snowflake. Glasg. Nat. 19:
429-430.

Stirling, A. McG. and Mitchell, J. 1980. Care: c elongata L. in Scotland.
Glasg. Nat. 20: 65-70.

Stirling, J. S. and Kidston, R. 1891. Notes on the Flora of the North-
western portion of Stirlingshire. Trans. Stirling nat. Hist, archaeol. Soc. 13:
88-102.

82

Acknowledgments

The Glasgow Natural History Society is indebted to the City of Glasgow
District Council and the University of Glasgow for generous grants
towards the cost of publishing this part of the Glasgow Naturalist .

83

Short Notes

COMPILED BY A. McG. STIRLING

Invertebrates

Orange-tip Butterfly E. A. CROWSON and R. H. DOBSON

Lanark (77): Members of the Zoological Section attending the excur-
sion to the Cart and Kittoch SSSI, which lies on the south-east boun-
dary of the City of Glasgow, close to the Linn Park, were about to
leave the area when a distinctively marked male of the Orange-tip
Butterfly ( Anthocaris cardamines ) was observed on the wing. The damp
clearing by the side of the Kittoch near its junction with the Cart has
the food-plant of the Orange-tip, the common Lady’s Smock (Car da-
mine pratensis ), as a member of the ground flora and appears to be a
typical breeding ground for the butterfly. The male was observed on
1 June 1980 and it was not possible to discover any caterpillars on
that occasion. A search of the area should be made to establish
whether the species is breeding there.

Pre-1901 records for the Orange-tip were published in the “Fauna,
Flora and Geology of the Clyde Area” published by the Local Com-
mittee for the Meeting of the British Association in Glasgow in 1901.
Even at that time it was said that there were no recent records from
the Clyde Area and there have been no subsequent published records.
The Biological Records Centre of the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology
has received a record from C. I. Rutherford of Cheshire of “males
seen while driving on M73 on the eastern outskirts of Glasgow” on
24 May 1978. B. Forrester of Prestwick has also notified the Biologi-
cal Records Centre of a record of the Orange-tip from Dalmellington
in 1978.

Outside the Clyde Area R. A. and E. A. Crowson have recorded
the Orange-tip from Glentanner in Aberdeenshire and Gledswood in
Berwickshire and have received reports of it occurring in a damp
meadow by the River Jed in Roxburghshire. It seems that the species
may be recolonising areas from which it has been absent for many
years. A close watch should be kept to determine whether it has suc-
cessfully established itself as a breeding member of the fauna. The
female is relatively obscure and can easily be mistaken for another

84

species of white butterfly but the characteristic orange wing-tips of the
male are unmistakable.

Scottish Records of Glow-worm A. McG. STIRLING

At approximately 11.30 p.m. on 12 June 1980, Mr J. P. Waltho, Hel-
ensburgh, observed a single female Glow-worm ( Lampyris noctiluca )
on a stalk of dead bracken adjacent to the south-west shore of Inch-
moan Island, Loch Lomond. The greenish glow from the abdominal
segments could be seen from a distance of about twenty yards in almost
total darkness. This observation prompted enquiry from personal con-
tacts and in the literature regarding other Scottish records of Lampyris,
from which it appears that this member of the Coleoptera is generally
distributed in the southern half of Scotland — certainly as far north as
mid-Perthshire.

The following records have come to our notice in the course of
fairly limited enquiries: Wigtown, v.c. 74 Portpatrick; Ayr, v.c. 75
Girvan, Barr; Renfrew, v.c. 76 Lochwinnoch, Kilmacolm; Selkirk, v.c.
79 Tushielaw; Stirling, v.c. 86 Balmaha; West Perth, v.c. 87 Aber-
foyle. Pass of Leny; Mid Perth, v.c. 88 Crieff; Argyll, v.c. 98 Oban;
Dunbarton, v.c. 99 Luss, Rosneath; Clyde Isles, v.c. 100 Millport.

I am indebted to Dr R. A. Crowson, Mr J. Mitchell and Mr N.
Tait for assistance in the compilation of this note.

Reptiles

Can Common Lizards Jump? WILLIAM K. STOVE

I have known for many years that Wall Lizards are very active and
can jump, but it never occurred to me that the British Common Lizard
was capable of remarkable jumping feats.

Let me recount to you an experience I had some years ago. I had
just caught two Common Lizards, one male and one female, in the
Callander area and had managed to tame them by means of a secret
process of my own. I was sitting on the shore of a loch on a large
stone with the male on my left thigh and the female on my right thigh,
basking in the sun. All of a sudden the male leapt 9 to 12 inches on
to my right thigh, landed on top of the female and proceeded to mate
with her vigorously. To save the female from damage I was forced to
separate them and put them in different containers.

To render this story more credible let me tell you of two experi-
ences I had with ordinary Wall Lizards.

I was watching a Wall Lizard in one of my cases when all of a
sudden it leapt vertically into the air, turned over in mid-flight and
landed upside-down on a piece of perforated zinc which I used as a

85

ventilator. It was obviously not the first time it had done so, but I
had not been present at the right times to observe it.

The other story refers to an incident in a pet shop where I was
examining a large male Wall Lizard before buying it. I had it in my
left hand with my thumb on its back. The moment I released my
thumb to study its coloration it leapt into the air and described a
beautiful six foot parabola. Purely by reflex action I leaned forward
and caught it six inches from the floor. The shop owner was amazed,
and so was I, for it had been purely a reflex action on my part resulting
from years of experience with lizards of all types.

Birds

Late departure of Swallows from Dairy, Ayrshire R. PR ASHER

Ayr (75) : At the beginning of October 1979 a friend drew my attention
to the fact that a brood of three young swallows, along with their par-
ents, were still on the wing about our housing scheme in Dairy, Ayr-
shire. I presumed that they had nested at the nearby farm. Usually
about mid-day (or the warmest part of the day) they appeared above
the houses, flying around, hawking for insects. Occasionally they
alighted on an electric cable, and this gave me a chance to observe
them more closely. The three young ones seemed quite strong and
healthy although they were such a late brood. On 16 October the
ground was white with frost and I saw no sign of the birds. I thought
that they had departed. However, at noon my friend told me that they
were still with us, but flying around the outbuildings of the farm.
Evidently it was warmer there, and we did not see them again above
the houses. On 17 and 18 October the wind changed to the east and
they were still at the farm. Alas! on 19 October the swallows had
disappeared and we did not see them again.

Evidence of probable breeding of Storm Petrels on Ailsa Craig

B. ZONFRILLO

Ayr (75) : Storm Petrels {Hydrobates pelagicus) formerly bred on Ailsa
Craig at least until the middle of the last century. Eggs of this species
taken on the Craig were, until some years ago, displayed in the little
museum in Girvan. Although birds were occasionally sighted during
crossings, there has been no recent evidence to suggest that Storm
Petrels still showed any interest in Ailsa Craig as a breeding site.

In summer 1979 it was established, using mist nets and tape re-
cordings of Storm Petrel calls, that birds frequented the island in good
numbers. During a short stay in summer 1980 T. P. Daniels and I,
assisted by A. Beck, M. Bradley and Assistant Lightkeeper M. Kelly,
made some significant catches of Storm Petrels using the tape lures.

86

Birds were netted, ringed and released during the short hours of dark-
ness. No Storm Petrels were seen on land or sea during daylight. The
following individuals were handled on more than one night:

Ring No. Date ringed Date retrapped

2218571 29 June 1980 30 June 1980

2 July 1980

2218577 29 June 1980 2 July 1980

2224687 27 July 1979* 29 June 1980

30 June 1980

* Ringed Sanda Island, Kintyre

In addition to the above, two Storm Petrels were netted without
recordings playing and other birds were observed over the boulder
beach after dark, prior to the recordings being switched on. Former
nest sites on Ailsa Craig were described as being under the large and
immovable rocks around the base of the cliffs. Rats abound all over
the Craig and would surely predate the eggs or young of such a small
bird as the Storm Petrel.

While catching birds I often observed Storm Petrels flying in to-
wards the nets at height, or coming round the south cliffs again at height.
It is my conjecture that, if Storm Petrels are breeding, the nest sites are
high amongst the shattered granite. The area above the South Fog Horn
seems suitable as it appears to be gull-free and perhaps also inaccess-
ible to rats. This area is near to where all the Storm Petrels have been
caught to date.

Short of finding an egg or chick, which may prove virtually im-
possible, these catches represent the best evidence so far recorded for
the probable breeding of Storm Petrels on Ailsa Craig.

Flowering Plants

Elatine hydropiper at Loch Watston, West Perth

R.J. KEYMER and J. MITCHELL

West Perth: (87): In early July 1980, a substantial colony of Elatine
hydropiper L. was found by R.J.K. at Loch Watston (NN 712004) near
Doune, the first Scottish record for this small ephemeral plant outwith
the Clyde area (see Bot. Soc. Edinb. News No. 22 pp. 7-9 for references
to these sites).

Loch Watston is a shallow, sandy bottomed, natural water body,
the Elatine being particularly abundant on its wind-exposed eastern
side where wave action has prevented the establishment of a Phrag -
mites fringe. Both elongated and compact growth forms of E. hydro-
piper were present, submerged under the water and exposed on the

87

drawn-down shore line respectively. Other weak-growing species such
as C alii trie he stagnalis and C. hermaphroditica were close by in open
association, but in contrast to most of the Clyde colonies a large pro-
portion of the Elatine at Loch Watston was partially overshadowed by
large aquatic plants including Potamogeton berchtoldii and P. pectin-
atus ( det . Mr R. Stokoe), Nymphaea alba, Nuphar lutea and Equisetum
fluviatile.

From plant records in the Flora of Perthshire (1898) it is evident
that the author, F. Buchanan White, and contributor R. Kidston were
both personally acquainted with the botanical interest of Loch Wat-
ston. As neither of these experienced field botanists recorded the
presence of E. hydro piper, it is tempting to believe that its arrival and
spread at the site are of comparatively recent origin.

Erodium moschatum in Ayrshire RICHARD PRASHER

Ayr (75): In July 1980, while gathering material at Kilwinning for the
Kelvingrove Museum wild flower table, I collected along with Com-
mon Storksbill, Erodium cicutarium agg. and Birdsfoot, Ornithopus
perpusillus L., specimens of a plant which on a subsequent visit with
the Natural History Staff of the Kelvingrove Museum was confirmed
to be Erodium moschatum (L.) L’Herit. The Musk Storksbill is more
robust and coarser than the Common Storksbill and smells of musk.
Its leaves are not so finely divided and its fruits are larger and longer.
It was growing vigorously on a landscaped area in the centre of the
town.

The Landscape Officer of Cunningham District, Mr Alistair Weir,
informed us that the sandy soil in which the plants were growing had
come from the Barassie area; however this site has now been built
over. This same soil has also been used on a similar landscaped loca-
tion at Kilwinning.

From the literature it would appear that the Musk Storksbill has
not been recorded for the West of Scotland.

[Specimens in the herbarium of the Royal Botanic Garden, Edin-
burgh indicate that Erodium moschatum probably occurs occasionally
as a casual introduction in the Edinburgh area, and also as a wool
alien in the Tweed Valley. Compiler ].

Rock Samphire in Ayrshire B. ZONFRILLO

Ayr (75): While searching the cliffs at Bennane Head, south Ayrshire,
for Fulmars on 31 August 1980, I discovered two large patches of
Rock Samphire (Crithmum maritimum L.) growing on different parts
of the cliffs above the main Girvan-Stranraer road. The clumps were

88

identified using 10 x 40 binoculars from a fairly close vantage point.

Lee’s “Flora of the Clyde Area” (1933) gave the status of this
plant as “very rare” and gave only one location, Dunure, within the
Clyde area. There is one other reputed site in Ayrshire at Portencross.
It is not known if Crithmum is still extant at these localities which,
coincidentally, are also frequented by Fulmars.

An Alien Sedge in the Glasgow area A. McG. STIRLING

Renfrew (76): Members of the genus Carex of foreign origin are of
decidedly rare occurrence in the British Isles and, when they do occur,
are unlikely to be more than mere casuals. It is therefore of consider-
able interest to record the existence of several clumps of the North
American sedge Carex vulpinoidea Michx. on waste ground near
Williamwood Station, Glasgow. These were noted by the writer on
10 July 1980 and appeared to have been growing on the site for some
considerable time. The mode of introduction is not known.

Carex vulpinoidea is one of only two alien species mentioned in
Jermy’s “British Sedges” (1968). It formerly occurred as a persistent
introduction in Surrey and Kent, and as a casual in Hampshire and
Bristol, but the present population appears to represent the only ex-
tant British record of this interesting sedge which cannot easily be
mistaken for any native species. A fuller note is being prepared for
publication elsewhere.

Adventive Plants in Paisley A. McG. STIRLING

Renfrew (76): During the summer of 1980 a number of uncommon
adventive plants have appeared on waste ground and recently disturbed
sites in central Paisley. A small plot of weed-infested ground close to
the Central Public Library in High Street produced a number of speci-
mens of Mullein ( Verbascum thapsus ), along with a few specimens of
Viper’s Bugloss ( Echium vulgare). An area of disturbed ground created
by road widening operations at Lonend yielded a surprising variety of
unusual adventives including Tall Rocket ( Sisymbrium altissimum ),
Wild Mignonette ( Reseda luted). Treacle Mustard ( Erysimum chieran-
thoides), Norwegian Cinquefoil ( Potentilla norvegicd). Common Mel-
ilot ( Melilotus officinalis) and Least Toadflax (Chaenorrhinum
minus). These plants all occurred within an area measuring approxi-
mately 20 yards long by 2 yards wide. Only one previous record of
Potentilla norvegica for Renfrew, v.c. 76, has been traced.

Plants of a refuse tip BARBARA C. M. MACPHERSON

We looked at the ordnance survey maps of Lanarkshire to locate
stretches of water where shore-line plants might be found. A large

89

reservoir south-east of East Kilbride seemed a likely situation, so we
paid a visit in early September. Braving the fierce wind and driving
rain we climbed up the steep 35 foot embankment and looked down
at our goal — a corporation rubbish tip! However, our shock and
disappointment turned to pleasure when we found (confirmed by Mr
E. J. Clement) three garden crucifers — Garden Cress ( Lepidium
sativum ), Candytuft ( Iberis umbellata ), Sweet Alison ( Lobularia
maritima ), Cultivated Flax ( Linum usitatissimum ), and three canary
seed grasses — Canary Grass ( Phalaris canariensis ), Foxtail Millet
(Setaria italica) and Common Millet ( Panicum milliaceum).

90

Proceedings 1979

The chairman, place* and approximate number present, lecturer’s name
and Institution, title of lecture and note of any exhibits are given for each
meeting.

*GMK: Glasgow Museum and Art Gallery, Kelvingrove.

GUBD: Glasgow University Botany Department.

GUZD: Glasgow University Zoology Department.

USMB: University of Strathclyde. McCance Building.

9 JANUARY. Dr J. H. Dickson, GUZD, 50.

Mr W. Anderson, Paisley Photographic Society: Nature Photographs from
the 10th Paisley International Colour Slide Exhibition.

17 JANUARY : With Botanical Society of Edinburgh, Glasgow University
Botanical Society and Strathclyde University Biology Club: Prof. W. W.
Fletcher, USMB, 30.

Dr Roy Watling, Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh : Salix Secrets Ex-
posed.

13 FEBRUARY. Dr J. H. Dickson, GUZD, 45; 49th A.G.M.

Reports on activities during 1978 were read, elections were held (see page
92) and appointments made by Council were announced. The report of
Council stated that there were 240 ordinary members, 24 family members, 8
junior members and 5 honorary members.

There were 18 excursions during the year (5 botanical, 2 geological, 2
ornithological, 3 zoological, 1 photographic, 1 botanical /geological, 1 botan-
ical/ornithological, 3 botanical /photographic).

13 MARCH. Dr P. Macpherson, USMB, 54.

Dr Judith Lawson, University of Glasgow: Building Stones of Glasgow.

10 APRIL. Dr P. Macpherson, GUBD, 61.

Members’ Photographic Night.

Guest of honour: Mr Richard Prasher MBE to whom a presentation was
made.

8 MAY. Dr P. Macpherson, USMB, 29.

Dr John Edmondson, Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh : Plant Hunting
in the Mountains of Iran.

91

15 SEPTEMBER. Dr P. Macpherson, GMK, 50
Exhibition Meeting.

The following lecture was given:

Mr F. G. Rodway, Glasgow Botanic Gardens: British Orchids.

The following exhibits were on display:

Journals from the Andersonian Library (Mrs R. H. Dobson).

Canary Island Plants (Dr J. H. Dickson).

Flandrian Marine Incursion into Loch Lomond (Dr Duncan Stewart).

A Selection of Rocks and Fossils (Mrs A. Cross).

Geological Specimens (Mr A. A. Percy).

Wild Flowers of Scotland (Mr R. Prasher).

Some Fungi of the Glasgow Area (Dr Alan Silverside).

Brambles: Differential features of some local members of the genus Rub us
(A. McG. Stirling).

Wild-life Gardening (Conservation Division, Glasgow Parks).

Slides of Wild Flowers in and around Glasgow (C. E. Palmar).

9 OCTOBER. Dr P. Macpherson, GUZD, 38.

Mr Gordon Ridley, Glasgow College of Building and Printing: Under-
water Marine Photography.

The President intimated that the following change to the Constitution had
been unanimously recommended by the Council:

Chapter 1. Name of Society, for “The Andersonian Naturalists of Glasgow”
substitute “The Glasgow Natural History Society”. This would be put to the
meeting on 13 November.

5 NOVEMBER. With Botanical Society of Edinburgh, Glasgow University
Botanical Society and Strathclyde University Biology Club: The Student
President, USMB, 35.

Prof. J. L. Harper: The Shapes and Numbers of Plants.

13 NOVEMBER. Dr P. Macpherson, GUZD, 41.

The proposed change to the Constitution, changing the name of the Society
to The Glasgow Natural History Society was proposed by Prof. B. Lloyd-Binns
and seconded by Mr D. Stewart. After discussion the motion was carried unan-
imously by the 34 members present who were eligible to vote.

The following lecture was given:

Dr J. H. Dickson and Dr J. G. MacDonald: Visit to Tenerife, April 1979.
Exhibit: Recent additions to the Library, Mrs R. H. Dobson.

11 DECEMBER. Dr P. Macpherson, GUZD, 18.

Dr K. Ingham, Hunterian Museum, University of Glasgow: A Geologist
in China.

The death was announced of Mr H. A. Gemmell, a member of the Zool-
ogy Sectional Committee and a member of the Society since 1957.

92

President :
Vice-presidents :

Councillors :

General Secretary :
Treasurer :
Librarian :
Editor :

Conveners of Sections :

Auditors :
Trustees :

Assistant Secretaries :

Editorial Board :

Officers and Council

SESSION XLIX 1979

Peter Macpherson, F.R.C.R., D.T.C.D.
F.L.S.

Mrs Lilian M. Stallard, D.C.E. (1977)
Bernard Zonfrillo (1977)

Mrs Agnes Craib M.A, (1979)

Charles E. Palmar A.R.P.S., M.B.O.U.
F.M.A. (1979)

Miss Gwyneth L. Jones, B.Sc., (1977)

Alan Silverside, B.Sc., Ph.D. (1977)

Duncan A. Stewart, B.Sc. Ph.D. (1977)

Miss Anne McCourt B.Sc (1978)

Mrs Margaret McLaughlin B.Sc., M.Sc.
(1978)

Arthur W. Babister M.A., Ph.D. (1978)
James H. Dickson B.Sc. M.A. Ph.D. (1979)
Mrs Margaret Anderson B.Sc., N.D.A.
(1979)

J. Campbell (1979)

Miss Elizabeth R. T. Conacher F.L.S.
Donald D. Clarke, B.Sc., Ph.D.

Mrs Ruth H. Dobson M.Sc
Eric W. Curtis, S.D.H.

Allan McG. Stirling (Botany)

Alfred A. Percy (Geology)

Bernard Zonfrillo (Ornithology)

Ronald M. Dobson (Zoology)

F. Gerald Rodway (Photography)

A. D. Chisholm

R. D. McBeath

Alex. R. Hill B.Sc., Ph.D.

Stephen A. Hutchinson, T.D., B.Sc., Ph.D.,
F.R.S.E.

Alfred A. Percy (Bulletin)

Allan McG. Stirling (Excursions)

Alan J. Silverside (Meetings)

Arthur W. Babister (Minutes)

Mrs Agnes Craib (Social)

Duncan A. Stewart (Publicity)

Miss Gwyneth L. Jones (Membership)

R. Watson (Library)

The Editor

Alan C. Crundwell, B.A.

Ronald M. Dobson
James H. Dickson
Allan McG. Stirling

93

Membership 1980

Honorary Members

1951 ANDERSON Sir David bsc phd Braehead East Montrose Street Helens-
burgh

1951 BERRY John ma phd frse Tayfield Newport-on-Tay DD6 8HA
1973 CURRAN Sir Samuel phd ma dsc lld frs

1936 PR ASHER Richard mbe 52 Mair Avenue Dairy Ayrshire KA25 2D
1973 WILSON Sir Charles ma lld dlitt dcl

Ordinary Junior (*) Family (f) and School ($) Members

1980 ALEXANDER Mrs Joyce E F 25 Seil Drive Glasgow G44 5DX
1962 ALLEN Mrs E S 138 Danes Drive Glasgow G14 9BH

1973 ANDERSON Mrs Margaret bsc nda 516 Shields Road Glasgow G41 2RE
1971 ANDERSON Mrs Rhoda 54 Maxwell Drive East Kilbride G74 4IJ

1976 BABISTER A W ma phd 286 Churchill Drive Glasgow Gil 7HB
1979 BAILEY Dr A B Endrickvale Fintry G63 OYH

1979 f BAILEY Mrs A B Endrickvale Fintry G63 OYH

1978 BARKER Mrs Hilary bsc msc Conservation Division Parks Department
20 Trongate Glasgow G1 5ES

1975 BARRIE Miss P 17 Lovat Avenue Bearsden G61 3LQ

1974 BEAVIS D Flat 4/4 190 Kestrel Road Glasgow G13 3PQ

1980 *BELL Stephen 11 Rowallan Gardens Glasgow Gil 7LH

1965 BERRIE Alex M M bsc phd Department of Botany University of Glasgow

G12 8QQ

1978 BESSANT Edward D 22 Wallace Avenue Bishopton PA7 5BR
1978 BEVERIDGE Malcolm bsc Department of Aquatic Pathobiology Stirling
University Stirling

1966 BIGGAR John 3 Westcliffe Street Shawlands Glasgow G41

1934 BINNS Prof B Lloyd phd mibiol fls 22 Edgemont Street Glasgow G41
3EN

1951 BLACK Miss F M 8 Millbrae Crescent Newlands Glasgow G42
1970 BLAIR Mrs A G bsc 17 Panton ville Road West Kilbride Ayrshire
1980 BLOUNT Mrs Jane White Lodge Tummel Bridge Pitlochry Perthshire
PH16 5SB

1980 BLOUNT Paul White Lodge Tummel Bridge Pitlochry Perthshire PH16
5SB

1976 BONEY Prof A D phd dsc Department of Botany University of Glasgow

G12 8QQ

1928 BRAID Prof K W obe ma bsc bsc(agric) Lochview Skene Aberdeen
AB3 6XR (President 1949-1951)

1980 BRETT Dr C T ma phd 19 Huntley Gardens Glasgow G12 9 AT

1975 BROADLEY Brian J ba 92 Hyndland Road Glasgow G12 9PZ

94

1959 BYERS Miss M E ma 18 Stuart Avenue High Burnside Rutherglen G73
4JL

1964 CALVER Miss K M bsc phd 43 Dorchester Court Glasgow G12 OBS

1979 CAMERON Miss Heather M 4 Green Street Cambridge CB2 3JU

1972 CAMERON J M 15 Castle Street Balloch Alexandria G83 8HU
1976 CAMERON Jean M 197 Westland Drive Glasgow G14 9JQ
1974 CAMPBELL Miss E M 24 Woodlands Road Glasgow G3 6UR
1974 CAMPBELL Jack Flat 182 3 Pinkston Drive Glasgow G21 1PQ
1978 CARLIN Joseph mb chb 10 Glenturret Street Glasgow G32 7SG

1980 ^CARMICHAEL Grant Flat 8/c 5 Broomhill Lane Glasgow G12 9 AT
1957 CARTER Mrs M bsc 16 Berwick Drive Burnside Rutherglen G73 3JP
1971 CHAMBERS Helen H mb chb 14 Woodburn Road Glasgow G43 2TN
1978 CHAPMAN Miss Jan B 121 Randolph Road Jordanhill Glasgow Gil

7DS

1978 CHRISTIE I C Gartlea Caldarvan By Alexandria G83 9LX
1978 f CHRISTIE Mrs Jane Gartlea Caldarvan By Alexandria G83 9LX

1976 CLARKE Dr D D Department of Botany University of Glasgow G12 8QQ

1974 CLUGSTON David 14 Rosewood Avenue Paisley PA2 9NJ

1977 COLLINS Dr Linda J 10a Kirklee Quadrant Glasgow G12

1973 COLLIS G M bsc East Lodge Cambusnethan Estate Overtoun By

Wishaw

1952 CONACHER Miss E R T fls An Fharaid Lawmarnock Bridge of Weir
PA11 3AP

1952 f CONACHER Miss N C T An Fharaid Lawmarnock Bridge of Weir
PA11 3AP

1975 COUBROUGH Ian M 43 Ormonde Avenue Glasgow G44 3QY

1975 COUBROUGH Mrs J C B 43 Ormonde Avenue Glasgow G44 3QY
1980 *COYLE John 38 Annette Street Glasgow G42 8EQ

1969 CRAIB Mrs A ma 23 Highburgh Road Glasgow G12 9YG

1976 CROMWELL Bryan 9 Lomond Drive Condorrat Cumbernauld G67 4JL

1969 CROSBY Mrs Anne 10 Winchester Road Petersfield Hants GU32 3RY
1957 CROSS Mrs A bsc 598 Tollcross Road Glasgow G32 8TE

1980 CROSS Mrs Gertha 7 Douglaston Crescent Milngavie G62 6HW
1955 tCROWSON Mrs E A 1012 Great Western Road Glasgow G12 0NR
1955 CROWSON R A dsc arcs dic Department of Zoology University of
Glasgow G12 8QQ

1950 CRUNDWELL A C ba Department of Botany University of Glasgow
G12 8QQ

1980 CULLEN Miss Elizabeth 38 Heathcot Avenue Glasgow G15 8NX

1970 GUMMING A bsc 289 Churchill Drive Glasgow Gil 7HE

1970 fCUMMING Mrs C M 289 Churchill Drive Glasgow Gil 7HE

1978 CURTIS Prof A S G ma phd Department of Cell Biology University of

Glasgow G12

1961 CURTIS E W Curator’s House Botanic Gardens Glasgow G12 0UE

1971 CUTHILL Miss M G 23 Alcaig Road Glasgow G52 1NH
1978 DALE Robert 119 Kirkwood Avenue Clydebank G81

1972 DALY Ronald 1 Hamilton Drive Glasgow G12

1978 DAND Mrs E M 79 Marlborough Avenue Glasgow Gil 7BT

1972 DANIELS T P da 5 Dungoyne Street Maryhill Park Glasgow G20 0BA

95

1980 DIAMOND R I bsc msc University Library Hillhead Street Glasgow
G12 8QE

1955 DICKSON J H bsc ma phd fls Department of Botany University of
Glasgow G12 8QQ (President 1976-1978)

1976 tDICKSON Mrs C A 113 Clober Road Milngavie G62
1979 tDICKSON Miss K 113 Clober Road Milngavie G62
1969 DOBSON Mrs R H msc 664 Clarkston Road Glasgow G44
1963 DOBSON Ronald M ma phd Department of Zoology University of
Glasgow G12 8QQ

1978 DOUGHTY C Ross 201 Croftside Avenue Glasgow G44 5NB
1963 DOYLE Charles ma 66 Brunton Street Glasgow G44 3NG

1957 DRYSDALE Miss Agnes R 7 Malcolm Court Dollar Clackmannanshire

1974 DUCHART B bsc phd Barloch Lodge Middleton Milngavie G62

1973 DUCHART Mrs P bsc Barloch Lodge Middleton Milngavie G62

1979 DUNCAN G K bsc 8 Dean’s Avenue Cambuslang Glasgow G72

1939 DUNLOP Miss Eva ma bsc 11 Grosvenor Crescent Glasgow G12 9AF
1978 ELLIOT Dr C G Department of Botany University of Glasgow G12 8QQ
1978 tELLIOT Mrs C G Department of Botany University of Glasgow G12
8QQ

1980 ELLIOT T bsc phd 15 Park Circus Place Glasgow G3

1978 ERSKINE Miss A B 1 Stevenson Street Kilmarnock KA1 2RF
1978 *FERGUSON Robert 69 Ravelston Road Bearsden G61

1960 FINDLAY Mrs A 158 Sunnyside Drive Glasgow G15 6RE
1951 FISHER Robert Ewing 366 Clarkston Road Glasgow G44 3JL

1963 FLETCHER Prof W W frse bsc phd mibiol fls Department of Biology
University of Strathclyde Glasgow G1 1XW

1975 FORRESTER Miss H 41 Crofton Avenue Glasgow G44 5HY
1978 FREEMAN H E 478 Kilmarnock Road Newlands Glasgow G43

1978 FURNESS Dr R W Department of Zoology University of Glasgow G12

1979 GALL Ms Sandra 43 Partickhill Road Hyndland Glasgow G12
1978 GALLOWAY Sara L ab ma 11 The University Glasgow G12

1941 GARDNER J Allan Craiglinn Craig Street Airdrie

1961 GARDNER N bsc 28 Hamilton Park Avenue Glasgow G12 8DT

1980 GEDDES John M 12 Lochlea Road Newlands Glasgow G43 2XZ

1951 GIBSON J A mb chb mbou fzs Foremount House Kilbarchan Renfrew-
shire

1978 GIFFARD Mrs Fiona 12 Banavie Road Glasgow Gil 5 AN

1979 t GLENNIE Susan 50/97 Kennishead Avenue Carnwadric Glasgow G46

1974 GORDON Ian 146 West Princes Street Glasgow G4 9DA
1973 GORDON Mrs J F 146 West Princes Street Glasgow G4 9DA

1979 GRAHAM E A c/o Strachan 22 Kingsborough Gardens Glasgow G12
9NJ

1976 GRANT Frederick 21 Snuff mill Road Cathcart Glasgow G44 5YA
1979 GRAY Bob 45 Bank Street Glasgow G12

1971 GRAYSTON Thomas B M bsc 3 Hillhead Road Stevenston Ayrshire
KA20 4DX

1979 GREIG Mrs M G 44 Sidlaw Road Bearsden G61 4LD

1979 GRIFFIN Kenneth Garbank Lanark Road Garrion Bridge Larkhall ML9

1978 GRIFFITH R S c/o Macpherson 1445 Paisley Road West Glasgow

96

1980 GUNNION W S 80 Ledi Drive Bearsden G61

1976 HALLIGAN Miss S 10 Carron Crescent Bishopbriggs G64

1975 HARRIS J 213 Main Street Glasgow G40 1QH

1979 HAY Miss Isobel ma med 23 Underwood Road Burnside Rutherglen G73
1972 HENDERSON A A R ma 33a Dalkeith Avenue Glasgow G41 5LH

1980 HENDRY Mrs P W 28a Sutherland Avenue Glasgow G41

1964 HENRY Miss E 12 Stamperland Drive Clarkston Glasgow G76 8HE
1951 HILL Alex R bsc phd Department of Zoology University of Glasgow

G12 8QQ

1972 HILLMAN Mrs T T 123 Ledi Drive Bearsden G61 4JR

1965 HINCHCLIFFE Mrs Doris H mrcvs Mill Cottage Drumbeg Loan

Killearn G63 9LQ

1980 HOPKINS G W R 125 Ledi Drive Bearsden G61 41 R
1980 fHOPKINS Mrs M E 125 Ledi Drive Bearsden G61 4JR

1964 HOSIE Geoffrey bsc 12 Beech Avenue Bearsden G61 3EX

1977 HOUSTON David bsc dphil Department of Zoology University of

Glasgow G12

1980 HUNT P 8 Athole Gardens Glasgow G12 9AZ
1980 fHUNT Mrs S 8 Athole Gardens Glasgow G12 9AZ
1979 HUNTER Ms I 3 Belhaven Terrace Glasgow G12 0TF

1978 HUNTER Ian 68 Campsie Drive Milngavie G62

1965 HUNTER Richard 30 Learmont Place Milngavie G62 7DT

1948 HUNTER Prof W D Russell bsc dsc mibiol fls 23 Hurd Street Cazenovia
New York 13035 USA

1951 HUTCHINSON Dr Stephen A td bsc phd frse Applecross Frome Saint
Quintin Dorchester Dorset (President 1964-1966)

1959 HUTCHISON Prof W M dsc fls fibiol frse 597 Kilmarnock Road
Newlands Glasgow G43 2TH

1965 IDLE E T bsc Woodcroft Lauder Road Stow Galashiels
1968 t IRVINE W 47 Tintillo Drive Scotstounhill Glasgow G13

1968 IRVINE Mrs F 47 Tintillo Drive Scotstounhill Glasgow G13

1978 JARVIS M C bsc phd Department of Agricultural Chemistry University

of Glasgow G12

1979 JOCELYN M J L c/o Scottish Universities Research and Reactor Centre

East Kilbride G75

1969 JONES R W bsc 19 Herries Road Glasgow G41 4DE

1980 KEMP Mrs A F ma 1 Mansion House Drive Glasgow G32
1980 KENNEDY A F D 1 Eastern Crescent Kilbimie Ayrshire

1976 KENNEDY M W bsc Department of Zoology University of Glasgow

G12

1966 KENNETH A G Stronachullin Ardrishaig Argyll

1980 KLEINBERG Stanley S ma bphil 109 Southbrae Drive Glasgow G13 ITU
1980 tKLEINBERG Mrs 109 Southbrae Drive Glasgow G13 ITU
1980 KNEPIL Mrs E 97 Shawood Crescent Glasgow G77
1980 KNOWLES D R 55 Bellshaugh Road Kirklee Glasgow G12
1980 fKNOWLES Mrs A 55 Bellshaugh Road Kirklee Glasgow G12
1979 LAIRD M G 102 Napiershall Street Woodside Glasgow G2 6HS
1957 LAIRD Miss Annie bsc 20 Windlaw Road Carmunnock Glasgow G76
9DN

97

1963 LAIRD Miss Marion K 28 North Middleton Drive Largs

1975 LENIHAN Mrs J M A 1 Kingsborough Gardens Glasgow G12 9QA
1980 fLINDSAY Bruce A 74 Kintore Road Newlands Glasgow G43 2EY
1978 LOGAN Mrs G 26 Berridale Avenue Cathcart Glasgow G44
1978 t LOG AN Dr N 26 Berridale Avenue Cathcart Glasgow G44
1965 LOGAN Mrs Helen M L bsc 21 Ashton Drive Glasgow G12 8SP
1978 LOGAN John W H 23 Cran worth Street Glasgow G12
1980 JLOWE E 100 Eastpark Avenue Newlands Glasgow C43
1958 LYTH John R S 26 Gardenside Street Uddingston Glasgow G71 7BY
1980 LYTH Miss Margaret M H 26 Gardenside Street Uddingston Glasgow
G71 7BY

1941 McCALLUM Miss A H bsc 52 Dorchester Court 5 Dorchester Place
Glasgow G12 0BS

1978 McCALLUM I C 1 Craigenbay Road Lenzie G66 5JN

1978 fMcCALLUM Mrs I C 1 Craigenbay Road Lenzie G66 5JN

1974 MCCARTHY Jim The Nature Conservancy 12 Hope Terrace Edinburgh

1979 McCOLL S N A 52 White Street Partick Glasgow Gil 5EA

1974 McCOURT Miss A H bsc 14 Hillside Avenue Bearsden G61 3QE

1979 McDADE H B mb chb mrcp 34 Garrowhill Road Carmunnock Glasgow

G76

1971 McEWAN Duncan I bsc 73 Hazelwood Road Bridge of Weir PA11 3DX

1980 JMcFETRIDGE Alan 29 Garvock Drive Eastwood Glasgow G43
1980 McGINLAY Francis 24 Nairn Street Yorkhill Glasgow G3 8SF

1975 McHUGH James bsc 16 Carrick Road Bishopbriggs G64 1EN
1970 MacINDEOR D nda sda 21 Polnoon Street Eaglesham G76 0BH

1950 McINTYRE Charles T 75 Crosslee Street Craigton Glasgow G52 1SL
1978 McKAY Mrs M E 8 Hillside Avenue Bearsden G61
1978 McKECHNIE Miss C B 59 Polwarth Street Glasgow G12 9TH
1957 MACKECHNIE Mrs E L P 9 Skirving Street Glasgow G41 3AB
1965 McKELLAR Miss M E G ma 5 Dudley Drive Glasgow G12 9SE

1977 MACKELVIE Fiona 38 Wykeham Road Glasgow G13 3YK

1976 McKENDRICK John 14 Invergordon Avenue Glasgow G43 2HP
1976 MACKENZIE Miss Kathryn bsc 33 Dalkeith Avenue Dumbreck Glas-
gow G41

1964 McKERRON John F bsc Glenruther 25 Crichton Road Rothesay Bute
1976 McLAUGHLIN Mrs M E bsc msc Institute of Genetics University of

Glasgow G12 8QQ

1944 MACLAURIN Alan M 4 Sorley’s Brae Dollar Clackmannanshire FK14
7AS

1963 t MACLAURIN Mrs I 4 Sorley’s Brae Dollar Clackmannanshire FK14
7AS

1953 McLEAN Miss Ann 20 Tilt Street Glasgow G33 2BD
1980 $McLEAN Ewan 298 Kirkintilloch Road Bishopbriggs G64 2HF
1980 f McLEAN Mrs J 298 Kirkintilloch Road Bishopbriggs G64 2HF
1980 McLEAN Norman 298 Kirkintilloch Road Bishopbriggs G64 2HF

1978 McLEOD W J 119 Bathco Avenue Paisley PA1 3DZ

1979 McMURTRIE W M Ardyne 21 Eastwood Avenue Giffnock G46 6LS
1967 MACPHERSON Mrs A C mb chb mfcm dph 15 Lubnaig Road Glasgow

G43 2RY

98

1967 *MACPHERSON Miss B C M 15 Lubnaig Road Glasgow G43 2RY
1967 MACPHERSON Miss E L S mb chb 15 Lubnaig Road Glasgow G43
2RY

1967 *MACPHERSON Miss L M D 15 Lubnaig Road Glasgow G43 2RY

1967 MACPHERSON P frcr dtcd fls 15 Lubnaig Road Glasgow G43 2RY

(President)

1945 MACRAE Miss J G ma 38 North Lodge Avenue Motherwell Lanarkshire

1963 MAITLAND P S bsc phd Nether Sunnyside Haddington East Lothian

EH41

1964 MATHISEN Miss Mary M 1048 Cathcart Road Glasgow G42 9XW
1970 MEIKLEJOHN Miss Norma 63 Lauderdale Gardens Glasgow G12 9QU

1979 MELLOR D bsc ama 19 Walker Street Paisley

1980 MICHNA Mrs 43 West Chapelton Crescent Bearsden G61

1979 MILLAR Ms Irene 8 St Stephens Avenue High Burnside Rutherglen
G73 5LS

.1972 MILLAR Mrs Jean M ma Syde Old Greenock Road Kilmacolm PA13
4TT

1934 MILLAR Miss Kathleen J bsc 23 Milner Road Glasgow G13 1QL

1959 MILLER Miss A R ma bsc 81 Viewpark Drive Rutherglen G73 3QQ
1961 MILLER Peter J bsc phd Department of Zoology The University Bristol

BS8 1TH

1965 MITCHELL John 22 Muirpark Way Drymen G63 ODX

1979 ^MONTGOMERY Miss Rhona 28 Hopeman Avenue Thornliebank
Glasgow

1975 MORGAN Miss G bsc 15 Belhaven Terrace Glasgow G12 OTG
1954 MORRISON C M ma Innis Righ Kingsmeadow Peebles EH45 9HR

1979 tMURRAY William 45 Kilmuir Road Arden Glasgow G46

1960 NAISH Bernard 7 Carron Crescent Bishopbriggs G64 1HE
1978 NAISMITH T D 56 Arisaig Drive Glasgow G52 1HP

1977 NATURAL HISTORY DEPARTMENT Art Gallery and Museum Kel-

vingrove Glasgow G3 8 AG

1968 NEILSON J R Netherhall 9 Beech Avenue Lenzie G66
1968 t NEILSON Mrs D G NetherhaU 9 Beech Road Lenzie G66

1972 NEWTH Prof D R bsc phd Department of Zoology University of Glas-
gow G12 8QQ

1953 NICOL Mrs C S 15 King’s Park Road Glasgow G44 4TT

1980 NOVE Mrs Irene 55 Hamilton Drive Glasgow G12 8DP

1965 OLDHAM S A J obe ndh 116 Beech Avenue Newton Mearns G77

1978 O’REILLY Myles 27 Newark Drive Glasgow G41 4QA

1948 PALMAR C E arps mbou fma 24 Hamilton Park Avenue Glasgow G12

8DT

1978 PATERSON D 4 Muir Street Stenhousemuir Stirlingshire

1980 PAULSEN Donald A bsc 9a Ailsa Drive Langside Glasgow G42 9UL

1980 fPAULSEN Mrs Jane bsc 9a Ailsa Drive Langside Glasgow G42 9UL

1972 PEARSON R 1 Simon’s Crescent Renfrew PA4 8TF
1959 PERCY A A 5 Buckingham Drive Carmyle Glasgow G32 8DJ

1979 RANDAL Ms Marion bsc 54 Golf Drive Old Drumchapel Glasgow G15
1964 REID David L bsc Bridge Cottage Balfron Station Stirlingshire G63

0HN

99

1950 RIBBONS B W bsc mibiol fls Department of Botany University of
Glasgow G12 8QQ (President 1961-1963)

1978 t RIDDEL P J 12 Henrietta Street Glasgow G14 OBG
1976 ROBERTS Mrs B C 14 Valeview Terrace Glasgow G42 9LA
1940 ROBERTSON Ian bl 250 Churchill Drive Glasgow Gil 7HB
1956 ROBERTSON Prof J D scd phd frse Department of Zoology Univer-
sity of Glasgow G12 8QQ

1978 ROBERTSON Mrs S bsc 59 North Grange Road Bearsden G61
1934 ROBERTSON Thomas 71 Mearns Road Clarkston Glasgow G76 7LF
1980 ROBSON Allen S S 202 Anniesland Road Glasgow G13 1XD
1953, 1972 ROOD AM Rupert 93 Keal Avenue Glasgow G15 6PA
1960 ROD WAY F G East Lodge Botanic Gardens Glasgow G12 0UE

1962 fRODWAY Mrs H East Lodge Botanic Gardens Glasgow G12 0UE

1975 JRODWAY Maxine East Lodge Botanic Gardens Glasgow G12 0UE
1965 ROLFE W D Ian bsc phd fgs Hunterian Museum University of Glasgow

G12 8QQ

1978 ROY Miss A 274 Renfrew Street Glasgow G3 6TT

1972 RUTHERFORD Miss A Rosslyn Cottage Church Road Rhu Helens-
burgh G84 8RW

1980 RUTHVEN Mrs C A bsc 46 Lubnaig Road Newlands Glasgow G43 2RX

1967 SCOTT John M 10 Hartfield Gardens Dumbarton G82 2DE

1931 SCOTT Miss Mabel G bsc ma 68 Evan Drive Giffnock Glasgow G46
6NQ

1952 SHANKLAND T E 72 Nelson Street Largs Ayrshire

1980 SHAPLEY D O 90 Liddel Road Seafar Cumbernauld G67 1JE

1963 SHARP E L ma 14 Blair Gardens Torrance G64 4HL

1964 fSHARP Mrs Jean 14 Blair Gardens Torrance G64 4HL
1972 SHARP Miss M I 468 Anniesland Road Glasgow G13 1YH

1976 SHEARER Mrs Sheila 19 Dalmeny Avenue Giffnock Glasgow G46

1979 SIBLY R M ma dphil Department of Zoology University of Glasgow

G12

1974 SILVERSIDE A J bsc mibiol phd Department of Biology College of
Technology High Street Paisley PA1 2BE
1979 SKINNER Mrs J A bsc 34 Dudley Drive Hyndland Glasgow G12
1948 SLACK A A P bsc Morvem View Kentallen Appin Argyll (President 1970-
1972)

1954 fSLACK Mrs M W Morvern View Kentallen Appin Argyll

1965 SMYTH Prof John C bsc phd Glenpark Johnstone Renfrewshire
1978 SNEDDON Mrs P 57 Moraine Avenue Glasgow G15 6HF

1978 SOUTAR Nicholas T bsc mibiol 4 Church Drive Lenzie G66 4HQ
1965 ST ALLARD G N Llwyn Derw Carno Nr Caersws Powys

1970 ST ALLARD Mrs L M Llwyn Derw Carno Nr Caersws Powys

1979 i STEWART Alan 6 Kilmuir Road Arden Glasgow G46 8BE

1974 STEWART Duncan A bsc phd 20 Ingleston Avenue Dunipace Denny
Stirlingshire

1968 STEWART Miss L J 54 Underwood Road Burnside Rutherglen G73 3TF

1977 STEWART M 969 Gartloch Road Glasgow G33 5 AH
1979 STEWART R A 7 Jedburgh Gardens Glasgow G20 6BP

100

1951 1961 STIRLING A McG 17 Austen Road Jordanhill Glasgow G13 1SJ
(President 1973-1975)

1980 STONE Mrs Irene 11 Park Gardens Kilbarchan Renfrewshire

1961 STOVE William K 37 Stamperland Avenue Clarkston Glasgow G76 8EX

1963 fSTOVE Mrs Margaret 37 Stamperland Avenue Clarkston Glasgow G76

8EX

1957 SUMMERS James L 11 Dalvait Road Balloch Alexandria G83 8LA
1980 f SUTCLIFFE Mrs A bsc Department of Botany University of Glasgow
G12

1980 SUTCLIFFE Richard bsc Natural History Department Museum and Art
Gallery Kelvingrove Glasgow G3

1976 SWIFT J Dean 65 Don Craigshill Livingston West Lothian
1973 TAIT T N Department of Botany University of Glasgow G12
1979 tTAIT Mrs P 11 Rosshall Place Renfrew PA4 0BA

1971 THURSTON June P bsc phd 47 Larkfield Road Lenzie G66 3AR
1961 TODD E C D bsc phd Microbiology Division Food and Drug Direct-
orate Turney’s Pasture Ottawa Ontario Canada

1969 WALKER Mrs A bsc msc 20 St Vincent Crescent Glasgow G3

1964 WALKINSHAW D A bsc 10 Cluny Drive Bearsden G61 2JG

1970 tWALKINSHAW M A bsc 10 Cluny Drive Bearsden G61 2JG

1970 WALSH Mrs Veronica 81 Kenmure Street Pollokshields Glasgow G41
2NT

1969 WATERMAN P G bpharm mps 4 Conic Way Drymen G63 0DT

1970 f WATERMAN Mrs M B bpharm mps 4 Conic Way Drymen G63 0DT

1977 WATSON Robert G 59 Bank Street Glasgow G12 8NF
1975 WATT E T bsc 129 Fotheringay Road Glasgow G41 4LG
1979 | WAUGH Richard 71 Capelrig Street Camwadric Glasgow G46

1957 WEIR Mrs R M Drumganach Ross Loan Gartocharn Dunbartonshire
G83

1959 WHITE John 64 Viewfield Road Coatbridge Lanarkshire

1979 J WHITE S 29 Glasserton Road Merrylee Glasgow G43

1971 WILSON Mrs J 68 Craigton Avenue Milngavie G62

1975 WOODWARD D C bsc 11 St Andrews Drive Bridge of Weir PA11 3HS

1980 WOODWARD Fred R bsc Natural History Department Art Gallery and

Museum Kelvingrove Glasgow G3 8AG

1978 WOOLHEAD A S bsc University Field Station Rowardennan G63

1972 WYPER William bsc 197 Hillpark Drive Glasgow G43
1975 YORKE J P mbe frse 1855 London Road Glasgow G32 8XE
1969 ZONFRILLO B 28 Brodie Road Glasgow G21 3SB

The Glasgow Naturalist

This publication is included in the abstracted and indexing coverage
of the Biosciences Information Service of the Biological Abstracts

The following back numbers are available for purchase at the prices

shown (plus postage).

Volume II

(1909-10)

Parts 1, 2, 3, 4

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(1910-11)

Parts 1, 2, 3, 4

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(1911-12)

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£1.50 each

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(1912-13)

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(1937-38)

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(1940-44)

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(1951-52)

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L £1.00 each

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(1952-56)

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(1958-71)

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1

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Volume XIX

(1973-79)

Parts 1, 2, 3, 4

£2.00 each

Part 5

£2.50

Part 6

£4.00

*Part 1 contains (18pp) The Flora of Easter Dunbartonshire by J. R. Lee.
fPart 2 contains (18pp) Additions to the flora of the Clyde Area by
J. R. Lee.

{Part 6 (82pp) is a list of the less common Scottish Basidiomycctes by
D. A. Reid and P. K. C. Austwick.

Of the earlier journals, the only parts available are:

Annals of the Andersonian Naturalists’ Society :

Volume IV Part 3 £1.00

Proceedings and Transactions of the Natural History Society of Glasgow :

Volume I
Volume II
Volume VI
Volume VII
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(1885-86) Part 3
(1886-88) Parts 1, 2
(1899-1901) Parts 1, 2
(1904-05) Part 3
(1905-08) Parts 1, 2

£1.50 each

Orders for any of the above and for copies of the current and future issues
should be addressed to the Librarian —

Mrs R. Dobson,

664 Clarkston Road,

Glasgow, G44 3YS.

Printed in Scotland by John Frood, Printers, Annan

Contents

Page

1 Building Stones of Glasgow. JUDITH LAWSON

7 Kilbirnie Loch, Ayrshire : an Ecological Appraisal. P. S. MAIT-
LAND et al

24 Naturalists in Glasgow No. 1 : Sir William Hooker

25 A Species of Water-flea new to Scotland ( Alona weltneri). C. R.
DOUGHTY

29 Rare Beetles in the City of Glasgow. R. A. CROWSON

31 The Freshwater and Terrestrial Fauna of the Clyde Area IV.
Freshwater Fishes of the Upper Clyde Basin. PETER S. MAIT-
LAND

50 Glasgow Natural History Society

5 1 The Herbarium of the Glasgow Museum and Art Gallery.
GWYNETH JONES

58 Book Review: The Butterflies of Scotland

59 The Endemic Whitebeams of North Arran. ERIC BIGNAL

65 Carex elongata in Scotland. J. MITCHELL and A. McG. STIR-
LING

71 Veronica peregrina in the West of Scotland. PETER MAC-
PHERSON

74 Junior Excursion Meeting to the Clyde at Cambuslang. EL-
SPETH L. S. MACPHERSON

75 Clyde Dock Aliens. PETER MACPHERSON and ALLAN
McG STIRLING

77 The Flora of the Loch Lomond National Nature Reserve: a Sup-
plement. J. MITCHELL and A. McG. STIRLING

82 Acknowledgments

83 Short Notes compiled by A. McG. STIRLING
90 Proceedings

92 Officers and Council

93 Membership 1980

Volume 20

Part 2
1981

/

The Glasgow Natural History Society
(formerly The Andersonian Naturalists of Glasgow)

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The Glasgow Naturalist

Published by the Glasgow Natural History Society, December, 1981.
ISSN 0373-241 X. Price £4.00

Edited by E. W. Curtis with the assistance of A. C. Crundwell,
R. M. Dobson, A. McG. Stirling and J. H. Dickson.

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cover, for example, new stations for a species, rediscoveries of old
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dates of flowering, unusual colour forms, ringed birds recovered,
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revision. 1969).

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ii

101

What is the Scottish Thistle?

J. H. DICKSON

Botany Department, University of Glasgow

AGNES WALKER
Department of Natural History,

Glasgow Museums and Art Galleries

Received August 1981

The thistle as an emblem of Scotland has early but spurious
associations. Achaius, an unrecognisable, if not non-existent, king
of the Piets did not found the Order of the Thistle, the early his-
tory of which is unclear (Innes 1959; Malloch 1978) and needs
further research. In the 11th century did an invading Dane step
bare-footed on a thistle and howl to the alarm of the Scots? This
is a good tale, often told from at least as early as 1829 (Denson
1832) without any stated original source. Can it be anything but
pure myth?

There are archaeological objects which might be taken to
indicate early use of thistled decorations. These are the so-called
thistle-headed pins and Norse thistle brooches of the 8th to 10th
centuries in Scotland. However, the heads of the pins are not
decorated in detail as thistles, while the brooches lodged in both
the Hunterian and Kelvingrove Museums bear only the slightest
superficial resemblance to thistle heads. Both these descriptive
terms are misleading.

The 1318 seal of Robert Bruce very probably does not show
a thistle, contrary to the claim by Barker (1979) following Birch
(1905); Stevenson and Wood (1940) make no mention of any
thistle.

The poem, written by William Dunbar, “The Thrissil and the
Rose”, in honour of the marriage of Margaret Tudor and James IV
in 1503 shows that the thistle was a Scottish emblem by the
early 16th century at the latest. Queen Margaret (of Denmark,
died 1486) possessed a bed or table covering embroidered with

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 2 (1981)

102

thistles and her husband Janies III issued thistled coins. According
to Innes (1959) the Earl of Orkney and Caithness is known to
have been a Knight of the Order of the Thistle by 1470. All this
takes the Scottish connection with thistles back with certainty at
least to the mid to late 15th century.

We cannot enlarge upon statements by Cameron (1900,
p. 52) and Dwelly (1967, p. 215) that the Melancholy Thistle may
have been the badge of James I (of Scotland). The badge of the
Royal Stewarts as officially recorded by the Lyon Court is merely
“Thistle” (Adam 1955).

Botanical Identity

What exactly is a thistle? The Oxford English Dictionary
gives “The common name of the prickly herbaceous plants of the
genus Carduus (N.O. Compositae, suborder Cynarocephalae) and
several closely allied genera ( Cnicus , Cirsium, Onopordum, etc.)
having the stems, leaves and involucres thickly armed with
prickles, the flower-heads usually globular and the flowers most

commonly purple ” This is perhaps too narrow a definition in

its restriction to the Compositae and in its strong emphasis on
prickliness. Howes (1975, p. 257) states “Name used for a range of
herbaceous plants usually with prickly leaves and stems and
flowers in heads”. This is better in its looseness; many plants not
members of the Compositae are called thistles and one of the
Compositae discussed here, Cirsium helenioides (Melancholy
Thistle), has scarcely any prickliness.

What exactly is the Scottish Thistle? There are many con-
tenders, all Compositae. This article is the latest of many to
attempt an accurate botanical recognition.

The officially recommended English name of the large
thistle Onopordum acanthium is now Cotton Thistle (Dony et al.
1974), which was the name used in the eighteenth and earlier
centuries. However, there are many reputable botanical books
published in recent decades which give the name Scottish or
Scotch Thistle (Hutchinson 1948, Johns 1949, Keble Martin
1976, McCallum Webster 1978, Perring and Walters 1962). This
is surprising in that few, if any, botanists have ever claimed that
Onopordum acanthium is indisputably indigenous in Scotland
and indeed the native status in the rest of Britain is very question-
able. Flora Europaea (vol. 4, p. 245, Tutin et al. 1976) states

103

“Europe northwards to N. France and E. Russia but local in the
extreme south; naturalised casual in the north The boun-

daries between the native, naturalised and casual occurrence are
hard to define”.

There is a record of a fruit of Onopordum acanthium from
Roman Silchester (Godwin 1975) but even that need not indicate
that Onopordum acanthium is a natural member of the English
flora. The Romans brought, deliberately or accidentally, many
plants to Britain, including central Scotland (Dickson 1979).
The Silchester Onopordum acanthium may only have been a
garden escape, or casual weed as it still can be in both England
and Scotland and it has been at least as early as the mid-eighteenth
century, (Hope’s Hortus Siccus, anonymous 1907; Lightfoot
1777).

Not a single one of the 18th century or earlier British botani-
cal works we have consulted describes any species of thistle as the
Scottish Thistle, not even works of Scottish origin.

FIGURE 1. Thistles and roses from the frontispieces of Sibbald (1684).
The plants are strongly conventionalized; qualities of both Grsium and
Onopordum are shown by the thistle heads but the involucral bracts
resemble those of Centaurea nigra (Knapweed). However, the stylisa-
tion gives little botanical confidence. The leaves might be taken to
resemble those of Onopordum but the poor quality of the rose leaves
is such that the drawings cannot be taken as naturalistic.

Though very stylised thistles appear on the frontispieces of
the earliest of all Scottish botanical treatises (Fig. 1), Sibbald
(1684) seems unaware of any particular Scottish Thistle but he
did know of an English one! On page 17 of part two he lists
(<Cirsium majus singulari capitulo magno. The English Soft or
Gentle Thistle”. To the modern botanist this is probably Cir-
sium dissectum (Meadow Thistle). If so, Sibbald probably got it
wrong; it is most unlikely that he knew of this thistle as a wild
plant in Scotland. If Sibbald meant the plant now called Cir-

104

sium helenioides (Melancholy Thistle) he may very well have
been familiar with the “English” thistle. Sibbald knew Ono-
pordum but only as a cultivated plant, called “Common Cotton-
thistle” (as Acanthium vulgare, p. 67, part two).

The earliest associations in the botanical literature of Ono-
pordum with the Scottish Thistle are those by Denson (1832,
written in 1829) and by Hooker (1834). Denson (p. 356) states
“Soon after the King’s visit to Edinburgh, Scotland, some seeds
were presented to the botanic garden at Bury St. Edmunds by a
relation of the Bishop of London, who received them as seeds of
the identical thistle, or kind of thistle, carried in the processions
that attended His Majesty in Scotland; these developed into Ono-
pordum acanthium ”. Hooker states in his description of Ono-
pordum arabicum, “In Botanic Gardens, and in those of the
curious, it is now and then met with. Probably its harsh texture
and spinous foliage and involucres have tended to expel it from
the pleasure-ground; but those very circumstances have recom-
mended it to the northern inhabitants of our island; and, for-
getting that their national emblem should be an aboriginal native
of the country, they point it out to the stranger in their cottage
gardens as the “Nemo me impune lacessit. ” ”

Clearly both these statements imply that at the times of
writing the association of Onopordum with the Scottish Thistle
was not new. How much further back can it go? George IV visited
Scotland in 1822. It is somewhat puzzling that neither Hooker
(1821) nor Greville (1824) refer to Onopordum as other than
Cotton Thistle.

Boswell Syme in the third edition of Sowerby’s English
Botany (1899) is expansive on the thistle as the emblem of Scot-
land without it being fully clear that he is restricting his remarks
to Onopordum acanthium. Though he states concerning Onopor-
dum acanthium (vol. 5, p. 3) “ rare and very doubtfully native

in Scotland ”, he evidently sees nothing odd in calling Ono-

pordum acanthium “Scotch Thistle”; nor does Grieve (1976)
who claims general acceptance for Onopordum acanthium as the
badge of the Stewarts.

When well grown, Onopordum acanthium is a most impres-
sive, stoutly prickly thistle reaching over 2m tall. This imposing
stature readily accounts for the romantic desire to call Onopor-
dum Scotch Thistle in the early 19th century.

105

There are, however, other contenders, from the serious to the
laughable, for the name Scottish Thistle, meaning that thistle
which gave rise to the emblem. Though Grigson (1975) in his
engaging and scholarly if inaptly named “The Englishman’s Flora”,
dismisses the problem of the identity of the Scottish Thistle as
recently academic and of no ancient significance, we think that
the matter is of interest to Scots in general and botanists in parti-
cular and is susceptible to reasoned argument, perhaps more so
than the problems of the Irish Shamrock, the English Rose and the
Welsh Leek or Daffodil.

As realised by Grigson (1975) and others before and after
him, such as Balfour (1854), Thomson (1864), Wood (1900) and
H alii we 11 (1978), the other most likely contenders are thistles of
the genus Cirsium, especially the species C. vulgare, often called
Spear Thistle. This is an abundant weed, common throughout
Scotland, with imposing appearance and armature, and unques-
tionably native.

Arranged in alphabetical order, the full list of contenders
that we know of is as follows; possibly there are others, but we
would find it hard to take them seriously, except perhaps other
species of Cirsium, Cirsium arvense (Creeping Thistle), Cirsium
palustre (Marsh Thistle). Nomenclature in this article follows
Flora Europaea, Vol. 4.

1. Carduus nutans, Musk Thistle. Johnston 1853. SE Scotland
and sparsely north to the Moray Firth. Rare casual elsewhere.

2. Carlina acaulis, Stemless Carline Thistle. Halliwell 1978. Not
native in Britain and never occurring as an escape. Perhaps
confused with Cirsium acaule by Halliwell?

3. Cirsium acaule, Stemless Thistle. Denson 1832. No Scottish
records. Not native north of Yorkshire.

4. Cirsium eriophorum, Woolly Thistle. Johnston 1853. Not
native north of Durham. Casual in Fife and near Edinburgh.
Edible.

5. Cirsium helenioides (C. heterophyllum), Melancholy Thistle.
Cameron 1900. Native and widespread in Scotland. Medicinal.

6. Cirsium vulgare, Spear, Boar or Scottish Thistle. Many
authors: earliest Balfour 1854? Native and common through-
out Scotland.

106

7. Cynara cardunculus, Cardoon. H alii well 1978. In Britain only
as a rarely cultivated plant (for its edible leaf stalks).

8. Echinops ritro, Globe Thistle. Halliwell 1978. Often culti-
vated as an ornamental, sometimes escapes, but not native.

9. Onopordon acanthium, Cotton or Scottish Thistle. Many
authors, earliest Denson 1832? Not native in Scotland, per-
haps not anywhere in Britain. Casual in Scotland, mainly in
east. Edible and medicinal. Cultivated as an ornamental.

10. Onopordon arabicum. Hooker 1834. Not native any where in
Britain; not even casual anywhere.

11. Silybum marianum, Holy, Milk or Our Lady’s Thistle. Bal-
four 1848. Not native in Britain, casual in eastern Scotland.
Cultivated, edible and medicinal.

12. No particular thistle. Many authors. The qualities common to
most thistles, prickliness and impressive habit, inspired the
emblem. Possibly more than one thistle species has been used
as a model.

Cirsium acaule can be dismissed as wild nonsense. Its claim
was based on its dwarf stature allowing it to be stepped on (Den-
son 1832). The trouble is that the Dane, real or imaginary, must
have had an unusually powerful voice for his yell to have carried
from Yorkshire! However, Cirsium acaule lingers in some minds,
if only inadvertently; the dust jacket of the 1975 reprint of Cham-
bers Scots Dictionary is decorated with well drawn stemless
thistles. The only basis of the claim of Cirsium eriophorum is that
a young Hebridean chieftain pointed out the species as the
Scottish Thistle (Johnston 1853). The heads of Carduus nutans
are nodding as its name implies. Because this feature is shown
nowhere in any representation from the earliest onwards, this
species can be eliminated. Similarly, none of the early representa-
tions show unlobed leaves, devoid of prickles — the usual state in
Cirsium helenioides.

Echinops as the Scottish Thistle is a modern, casual gardening
usage. Though the Carline Thistle has legendary connections with
Charlemagne, there is no good reason for linking the genus Carlina
with Scottish Thistle, certainly not the species C. acaulis. Even the
native C. vulgaris is unlike any of the early representations. Car-
doon and the closely related Globe Artichoke have been in culti-
vation for a long time (Bianchi et al. 1975) but again we know of
no special reason for a Scottish connection.

107

Silybum, a very striking thistle with white mottled leaves, is
native in the Mediterranean region. It has religious connotations
and so perhaps its claim is not altogether ridiculous if one assumes
that it was in cultivation for its edible leaves or lactific properties
in a Scotland which, in the 15th century, was firmly Catholic.
Balfour (1848, p. 419) considers it to have a stronger claim than
Onopordum. However, a recent unpublished study of plant
remains recovered from many urban medieval deposits in Aber-
deen, Elgin and Perth, has yielded thistles of the genera Carduus
and Cirsium but neither Silybum nor Onopordum (Miss Mary
Fraser, unpublished). Cirsium arvense was recovered from all three
towns and C. vulgar e from Elgin and Perth.

Hooker (1825) lists six species of Onopordum as in cultiva-
tion at Glasgow Botanic Gardens. In a later discussion of O. arabi-
cum (1834) he curiously refers to this as the Scottish emblem
without mentioning O. acanthium. However, this is an unimpor-
tant point; it is the genus which matters more than the species.

Thistles on Stewart Coins

How do representations of thistles on coins help, if at all?
The earliest numismatic thistles are found on the coinage of James
III (reigned 1460-1488), (Stewart 1955) (Fig. 2). They seem to us

(a) Silver Groat 1471 - c. 1483 (b) Silver Half Groat 1471 - c. 1483

The very tapered involucre and very protuberant flowers exclude Onopor-
dum and strongly suggest Cirsium (Fig. 3). The very large round-topped
flower mass even hints at Cirsium helenioides (Melancholy Thistle). The
six-pointed objects are not flowers but mullets, parts of spurs, found on
many Scottish coins (Stewart 1955). Diameter of groat 2 cm, of half groat
1 .5 cm. Drawn from original by Mary Gallacher by courtesy of Strathclyde
University and Glasgow Museums and Art Galleries.

108

to represent Cirsium and not Onopordum, as already claimed by a
botanist working in the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh (Vic-
toria Mathews, personal communication 1980).

The contention may seem surprising to the layman who may
with some reasonableness think that one thistle looks much like
another. Taking account of artistic licence and spatially enforced
restriction of detail, which may be botanically crucial, can thistles
on coins be identified with any botanical precision?

To the eye of a botanist the heads of Onopordum and Cir-
sium are strikingly different (Fig. 3). The ‘flowers’ of thistles and
other members of the same family Compositae are inflorescences,
specifically heads or capitula (singular capitulum) i.e. closely
massed groups of florets enclosed by an overlapping arrangement
of small leaf-like bracts (collectively the involucre). The mature
florets usually extend beyond the involucre. The final effect is
that the capitulum looks like a single large flower. The precise
nature of the involucre, the florets and the overall shape of the
capitulum are characteristic and are often crucial in making a
particular determination.

In fully flowering Onopordum acanthium the involucre has a
squat appearance i.e. broad in proportion to length, with a wide
apex, as is shown, with the strongly winged stems, in the earliest
illustration of what may be O. acanthium (Gunther 1934; Akan-
thion = O. acanthium or O. illyricum). The florets do not protrude
very far, with the outermost florets not extending laterally far
beyond the main outline of the involucre if at all (Fig. 3). In fully
flowering Cirsium the involucre has a more elongated form i.e.
long rather than broad, often with marked tapering to the apex.

FIGURE 3. Photographic silhouettes of Thistle heads.

‘A’ to ‘C* Onopordum acanthium (Cotton Thistle).

A. Small lateral capitulum in full flower; Royal Botanic Garden,
Edinburgh.

B. Large terminal capitulum with withered flowers but showing the
broad involucre well; R.B.G. Edinburgh.

C. Small lateral capitulum in full flower; Glasgow.

‘D’ and ‘E’ Cirsium vulgar e (Spear Thistle).

D. Small capitulum in full flower; Milngavie.

E. Larger capitulum in full flower; Milngavie.

F. Cirsium helenioides (Melancholy Thistle) in full flower; Kindrogan.

109

110

The florets protrude far beyond the involucre with the outermost
often extending well beyond the main outline (Figs. 3 and 4).

Allowing even for great artistic licence, we find it difficult
to accept that the thistles on James Ill’s coins could have been
drawn by an observant artist with an Onopordum acanthium
plant in front of him or in his mind’s eye. The very large mass of
far-protruding florets and the very narrow apex of the involucre
point strongly to Cirsium (Fig. 2). While stylised, these are defi-
nitely not the conventionalised caricatures of thistles, as are seen
in various 1 6th century representations.

The James III and V thistles have no leaves but those of
James VI sport large leaves (Fig. 5). Again, we are tempted to

FIGURE 5. Two merk
piece of James VI. The
trifid lobing of the leaves
suggests the leaves of Cir-
sium vulgar e much more
than those of Onopor-
dum. The mass of flowers
seems large for Onopor-
dum but the down-
wardly directed involucral
bracts suggest that genus.
Drawn from original by
Mary Gallacher by cour-
tesy of the Hunterian
Museum of Glasgow Uni-
versity.

FIGURE 4. Photographic silhouettes of heads of thistles and related plants.

G. Centaurea nigra (Knapweed). Fully flowering and unopened
capitula; Milngavie.

H. Cirsium arvense (Creeping Thistle). Fully flowering and unopened
capitula; Milngavie.

I. Carduus acanthoides (Welted Thistle). Fully flowering and un-
opened capitula; Helensburgh.

J. Cynara scolymus (Globe Artichoke). Very similar to C. carduncu-
lus. Flowers withering; R.B.G. Edinburgh.

K. Silybum marianum (Milk Thistle). Small capitulum with withered
flowers from stunted plant but the very large involucral bracts are
obvious; R.B.G. Edinburgh.

Ill

Photographs in Figures 3 and 4 by T. N. Tait.

112

believe that the leaves were drawn by an artist with Cirsium and
not Onopordum acanthium as a model. This depends on the lobing
of the leaves. Cirsium vulgare leaves are markedly more lobed than
those of Onopordum acanthium. While clearly stylised, the leaves
seem to us to be well executed; they are somewhat naturalistic
rather than grossly stylised. The outlines of the leaves are more
akin to Cirsium vulgare than Onopordum acanthium.

The coins of James VI have been discussed by Johnston
(1853) who very surprisingly thinks that the thistles (Fig. 6)

FIGURE 6. Coins of James VI reproduced from Johnson 1853. The stylisa-
tion is strong. The capitula are more like Onopordum than Cirsium but
the leaves of the 1602 coin are more like Grsium leaves than those of
Onopordum. Johnson 1853 argues that these are representations of
Silybum. The resemblance is so very slight that one wonders if he was
familiar with that thistle (Fig. 4).

support the claim of Silybum. This is unacceptable because of the
lack of any suggestion of the sparse but massively protuberant
and dentate involucral bracts (Fig. 4). We think Silybum can be
discounted as a model for the thistled coins.

Thistles in Stewart Architecture, Heraldry and Portraits.

The Book of Hours of James IV, discussed by Burnett 1978,
has Royal Arms with two kinds of thistle. The smaller are in a
collar round the rampant lion shield and are conventionalised. The
larger, round the border, show more detail with a pair of spiky
leaves and a round, spiky involucre and flowers somewhat reminis-
cent of Onopordum. This Book of Hours was painted around 1503
by two Flemish miniature painters. By contrast, the thistles in Sir
David Lyndsay’s Armorial are crudely drawn (Fig. 7), with such
poor attention to detail that there can be no confidence that the

113

FIGURE 7. Heraldic thistles, 1542. From Laing 1878. These are crude, un-
naturalistic thistles. The upper even has turnip-like qualities!

114

artist had a particular thistle in mind (drawn c. 1538-1542; Laing
1878). Small portraits of James III, IV and V in the Seton
Armorial (National Library of Scotland), drawn in the late 16th
century show all three monarchs wearing thistled chains but the
thistles are only in stylised outline. Mary Queen of Scots is shown
holding a sturdy thistle with leaves and a single capitulum, but the
almost slapdash details allow no clear identity to be established.

Another portrait of James V, to be seen at the Scottish National
Portrait Gallery, shows more clearly than that in the Seton Armo-
rial conventionalised thistle-heads, together with stylised leaves
decorating a chain worn by the monarch. This portrait was painted
in the late 16th century, but is thought to be based on a contem-
porary work. Hugo van der Goes’s Trinity Chapel Altar-piece (now
in the National Gallery of Scotland) shows in separate panels
James III and Queen Margaret, both kneeling. The wall behind the
king has a covering with repeating pattern of two kinds of very
stylised thistle-like objects; one type bears some resemblance of
Cnicus benedictus (Blessed Thistle), an old physic herb, and the
other vaguely resembles Cirsium acaule. Behind the queen a
repeating pattern is even more stylised and the putative thistles
allow no speculation. The paintings were made in Flanders in
1475-79, not in Scotland. On the basis of this very tentative iden-
tification from a foreign painting we are reluctant to add Blessed
Thistle to the list of contenders.

At Paisley Abbey (Chalmers 1895) there is a carving in stone
of the Royal Arms probably earlier than 1480. It has two thistle
heads and leaves unlike any other representation we have seen.
The leaves are given prominence by their large size and central
position and the flower masses have parallel sides. However, the
identity of the thistle is unclear.

There are many well executed thistles and roses above the
windows in the inner facade of the “new wark” (1618-70) of Lin-
lithgow Palace (Richardson and Beveridge 1948). They are con-
ventionalised thistles perhaps more akin to Cirsium than Ono-
pordum. The archway leading into the Palace is adorned with
shields depicting James V’s four Orders of Chivalry, of which one
is the Order of the Thistle. Though the shields were restored in
Victorian times it is thought that the original carvings were faith-
fully followed. The thistles are again conventionalised.

There are very few specimens of old stained glass in Scotland,
but one of the best of these is at St. Magdalene’s Chapel, Edin-

115

burgh, where there are four escutcheons; one showing the arms of
Scotland. This is encircled by a wreath of thistles with unnaturalis-
tic leaves but with heads showing some resemblance to Onopor-
dum. It is thought that the window was emplaced in 1545 (Seton
1887).

Thistles are depicted on painted ceilings at Edinburgh Castle
and Falkland Palace (Apted 1966). The ceiling in the little room at
Edinburgh Castle in which James VI is said to have been born,
shows beautifully drawn but very stylised thistles. This ceiling was
painted about 1617 at the time of his return to Edinburgh. There
are large detailed thistles, reminiscent of those at Edinburgh, and
also roses painted on the 17th century ceiling at Falkland Palace.
However, the strong stylisation and the combination of characters
in the leaves and heads indicate an imaginary thistle not a natural
one.

In summarising the last two sections we think that the
numismatic thistles are of more use than thistles represented in
other ways. The 15th century coins, more than the later coins,
carry thistles which are more likely to have been drawn from the
widespread, familiar Cirsium and not the alien Onopordum acan-
thium of central-south European origin.

But is it as simple as that? Was Onopordum , or indeed any
other thistle, cultivated in Scotland before Sibbald’s time?

The Auld Alliance and Thistle Cultivation

Possibly St. Columba on Iona had the first post-Roman
garden in Scotland. Adomnan’s “Life of Columba” lists fruit
trees and nuts (Anderson and Anderson 1961; Mrs E. Alcock
personal communication). This and the early history of garden-
ing in Scotland has been summarised by Cox (1935) who empha-
sises the importance of the gardens associated with religious
houses such as Coupar Angus Abbey where the clerics were con-
cerned not just with orchards but with herb and flower gardens.
Cox mentions the importation of both apple and pear trees, an
international trade according to Harvey (1972) in medieval times.
Cox believes that large gardens apart from ecclesiastical ones were
very rare before 1450 but during the reign of James III gardens
were “universal in Midlothian” (p. 18). However, many royal
residences, from the time of David I onwards, had gardens; par-
ticularly notable were the gardens at Falkland Palace and at
Stirling Castle where there was a garden before 1450.

116

According to Cox, James V employed a French gardener, one
Bartrand Gallotre, who had three helpers at Stirling Castle. Cox
supposes that the flower beds would have contained pansies, cow-
slips, marigolds, bachelors’ buttons, cornflowers, hollyhocks and
wallflowers (p. 23). No mention is made of thistles, Scottish or
otherwise.

The second wife of James V was Mary of Guise (or Lorraine)
who grew up at Joinville in Champagne surrounded by pleasant
gardens (Marshall 1977). Keen to impress James with all things
French, she arranged for the importation of fruit trees from her
homeland (p. 76). Could she, one wonders, have imported Ono-
pordum acanthium seeds for cultivation at Stirling or Falkland?
Familiar with the thistle as a Scottish emblem, did she recall that
her paternal grandmother, Phillipa of Gueldres, had a thistle leaf
emblem and a motto “Do not touch me or I will prick” (p. 21) —
very like the Scottish motto. Could even Onopordum have been
imported by Mary of Gueldres, aunt of Phillipa and wife of James
II, who may have been “reviver” of the Order of the Thistle
(Innes, 1959)?

More historical research needs to be done concerning the
emblems and mottoes of the Houses of Gueldres, of Guise (in-
cluding the Duchy of Lorraine) and of the Stewarts. Which came
first? We know little at this stage to amplify the statement by
Taylor (1953b) that an Order of the Thistle was founded in
honour of the Virgin in 14th century France. According to Ger-
main (1884), Louis II, Duke of Bourbon, founded this order in
1369-70. If this is correct we presume Scotland chose after Guel-
dres and/or Guise, perhaps due to the French connection. Germain
(1884) mentions the thistle as the Scottish emblem without any
details of French influence or any botanical identities. Later
(1895) he claims that Phillipa of Gueldres had a sweet chestnut
emblem, not a thistle. However, he stresses the thistle emblem

of the Dukes of Lorraine. He concludes (1884, p. 236) “ the

use of the thistle, in the Duchy of Lorraine, seems to go back to
the time of the war against Charles le Temeraire (1433-1477); it
was considered as a symbol of the heroic resistance of the nation.
Dukes Rene and Antoine, who had seen it worn by some of their
contemporaries, used it frequently. Following that, it was re-
stricted to the Coat of Arms of Nancy ”

Plausible as the importation of thistles may seem, there may
be no substantial evidence of thistle cultivation prior to the early

117

17th century. Gerard (1597) and Johnson (1633), who seem
somewhat confused about some thistles, make no mention of any
thistles in cultivation. However, Parkinson ( 1 629) expressly argues
for thistle cultivation, both in flower and kitchen gardens. The list
of plants in a cookery book, probably belonging to Thomas Fro-
mond of Surrey, about 1500, has 17 members of Compositae,
including Globe Artichoke, Cardoon (?) and Sow Thistle, but no
very spiky thistles, perhaps not surprisingly in a culinary context!

Nor does the even earlier “Feat of Gardening” c. 1400, with seven
Compositae (Harvey 1972). Nevertheless, according to Lightfoot
(1777, p. 459) the tender stalks and the receptacles of Onopor-
dum can be eaten like cardoons and artichokes; we do not know
when this habit originated. Sturtevant (1972) lists 13 species of
thistle as edible and Grieve (1976) discusses the medicinal proper-
ties of eight species and lists other species.

We know of no botanical lists drawn up from pre-17th cen-
tury illustrations of gardens. The plants may be out-of-scale or
botanically unrecognisable. Lehane (1977) has reproduced a pic-
ture of a Lombardy garden with Aquilegia (columbine), an impos-
sibly large Fragaria (strawberry), a Beilis (daisy) with branched
stems and in the foreground a puzzling, blue-flowered rosette
herb. Nevertheless, some illustrations have very well executed
plants as in the few reproductions in Thacker (1979) showing
several immediately recognisable plants such as Dianthus (carna-
tion), Aquilegia, Myosotis (forget-me-not), Rosa, Viola and Malus
(apple) and Pyrus (pear), but no thistles.

In two large volumes Crisp (1924) has collated several hun-
dred illustrations, many of which show European gardens prior to
1600. About 180 depict more-or-less clearly delimited herbaceous
plants and low shrubs; lilies and roses occur again and again, but
only two show plants which may be thistles (vol. 1, fig. 36 and
vol. 2, fig. 42).

The early monastic cultivation of Silybum is implied by its
inclusion as a naturalistic drawing in the Anglo-Saxon herbal of
Apuleius Platonicus produced at Bury St. Edmunds in the early
12th century (Blunt and Raphael 1979). We have not checked
the statement by Ransom (1954, p. 190) that Cnicus benedictus
is mentioned by the Venerable Bede and, therefore, has been
cultivated since “very early times”.

118

Conclusions

In conclusion we think that most of the claimants, needing little
or no serious consideration, can be dismissed. Only in the early
19th century was Onopordum first associated with Scotland in the
botanical literature. There remains our speculative caveat that the
French influence in Scotland, especially that of Mary of Guise,
may have led to the introduction of Onopordum acanthium to
Scottish palace gardens because of its impressive habit.

The thistles on 16th century and later Stewart coins, archi-
tecture and portraits become conventionalised. Conceivably, how-
ever, Onopordum acanthium was used as a model. Numismatic
representations rule out Silybum. The most telling point concerns
the thistles on the coins of James III. They strongly resemble
Cirsium. Perhaps the handsome C. helenioides cannot be excluded,
but the more obvious candidate, in its strong prickliness, is C.
vulgar e, the species we choose as the Scottish Thistle.

It is plausible that merely the qualities of thistles in general
inspired the Scottish emblem. Those who accept that argument
will agree with Crawford (1897, p. 98) that “Plainly all this pother
has been raised by species-mongers!”

Acknowledgments

We are indebted to the late Sir James Monteith Grant, Lord
Lyon King of Arms, and to staff of the Lyon Court, to the Direc-
tor of the Musee Historique Lorrain, members of the Royal
Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, Mr E. W. Curtis of Glasgow Botanic
Gardens, Mr C. J. Burnett and Mr R. B. K. Stevenson of the
National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland, Dr Rosalind K. Mar-
shall of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Dr N. MacDougall
of St. Andrews University, Mr B. Barker of Havant, Hants., and
Mrs N. Craib, Vice-President of the Glasgow Natural History
Society. Many colleagues in Glasgow University and Glasgow
Museums and Art Galleries have been very helpful.

119

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122

Naturalists in Glasgow

No. 2: DAVID DOUGLAS (1799-1834)

From an anonymous engraving published in the Gardener’s Magazine (“Bio-
graphical Notice of the late Mr David Douglas.” J. C. Loudon, 1836)

Born at Scone. Gardener at Glasgow Botanic Gardens 1820-23.

While in Glasgow he went on excursions to the Highlands with (Sir) Wil-
liam Hooker, who found that “his great activity, undaunted courage, singular
abstemiousness and energetic zeal, at once pointed him out as an individual
eminently calculated to do himself credit as a scientific traveller”. He was
recommended by Hooker to the (Royal) Horticultural Society as a botanical
collector in 1823, and became one of the most outstanding plant collectors,
working mostly in western North America. He died tragically in Hawaii.

123

Rossdhu Park, Dunbartonshire —
a major site for Epiphytic Lichens

O. L. GILBERT

Department of Landscape Architecture, The University,
Sheffield

J. MITCHELL

Nature Conservancy Council (S. W. Region Scotland),
The Castle, Loch Lomond Park, Balloch,

Dunbartonshire

Received March 1981

In 1978 the Nature Conservancy Council commissioned a
lichen survey of woodlands in the southern part of the Loch
Lomond basin, as they were concerned about the impact of air
pollution from a proposed petrochemical complex in Glen Fruin
(Gilbert 1978). The grounds of Rossdhu House were selected for
special attention as parkland habitats are often particularly rich in
epiphytic lichens. The site had already been visited briefly by
P. W. James and F. Rose the previous year and in addition to the
survey in June 1978 (by O. L. G.), F. Rose and J. M. revisited it
in September 1978. Rossdhu was also among a number of sites
included by the British Lichen Society on its Loch Lomondside
meet, 6-10 October 1978, led by F. H. Brightman and P. Topham,
after which B. J. Coppins sent a long species list. Only two pre-
viously published lichen records from Rossdhu Park have been
traced, both made by James Murray on an excursion of the
Natural History Society of Glasgow in August 1898 (Scott-Elliot
1901). This paper describes the history of trees and woods in the
park and their current lichen flora. Reasons for its high quality are
discussed and comparisons made with similar sites locally and
throughout the United Kingdom.

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 2(1981)

124

Site History and Description

Rossdhu is situated near the village of Luss on the west side
of the loch, the house and grounds comprising 230 hectares
(570 acres) of parkland and policy woodlands (Fig. 1). The name
is derived from Ross meaning peninsula or headland and dhu
which signifies black, referring to the peat moss that formerly
helped protect the landward side of the old “castle, tower and
fortalice of Rosedew”. Although reference to a castle or fortified
house at Rossdhu is not made in any surviving charter before
1541, it is generally believed to have been built in the previous
century by Sir John Colquhoun (1439-1478), the 11th Chief of
Luss (Fraser 1869). The original building, of which only one wall
of a keep stands today, is shown on Johan Blaeu’s map of the
province of Lennox, published in 1654 but apparently surveyed
some sixty years earlier (Anon. 1971). Blaeu’s map also shows a
surviving stand of native woodland immediately adjoining the west
side of the house. Alexander Graham (1724) describes this as “a
large oak wood” and goes on to mention the ‘Tegular planting”
that had taken place at Rossdhu, this appearing on a map for the
first time following a military survey of Scotland undertaken after
the Jacobite rebellion of 1745 (Roy 1755). A very detailed record
is to be found in a privately commissioned estate map prepared by
Charles Ross in 1777. Tree planting around the house was exten-
sive, the largest section shown being “The Big Wood”, an oak
plantation of 41 ha (102 acres) surrounding what still remained of
the undrained moss. In his Traveller's Guide published fifteen
years later, Ross adds that some of the oaks at Rossdhu were
among the largest to be found in Scotland. Ross’s map names the
remainder of the original native woodland not absorbed into the
policies as Banry (Bandry) Wood, the accompanying survey figures
listing 28 ha (68.5 acres) of oak together with a “forest of hollys”
between Bandry and Auld Chlay (Aldochlay). There can be little
doubt, however, that by this date Bandry Wood had already been
incorporated into the rotational cutting of the estate’s oak wood-
lands for their valuable bark, the principal tanning agent used in
the conversion of raw hide into leather. Although most of the
resultant coppice stems were harvested at intervals of little more
than 20 years, a small number of selected oaks were left at each
cutting to grow-on through 2-4 rotation periods to provide a con-
tinuous supply of large timber. Even so, these “standard” oaks
were rarely allowed to mature much beyond one hundred years
and by the time of publication of the First Statistical Account the
only remaining trees of exceptional size remaining in the parish

125

FIGURE!

126

were at Rossdhu (Stuart 1796). The author of the parish account
remarks on one notable specimen within the grounds, an intro-
duced sycamore 4.1m (13.4ft) in girth, which shows clearly that
the planting of ornamental trees at Rossdhu was already a long
established practice.

The present house and lay-out of the grounds dates back to
the period c. 1770-1850, the principal changes that took place
being well documented by the family historian, William Fraser
(1869), and others. The centre block of Rossdhu House was
built by Sir James Colquhoun, 25th of Luss (1732-1786), being
completed and the transfer effected from the old building in
1773. His son, Sir James Colquhoun, 26th of Luss (1786-1805), a
keen collector of landscape paintings, commissioned Thomas
White to prepare an improvement plan for the surrounds of the
new house. Presented in 1797, White’s plan proposed new
approach roads and the breaking up of the now well grown oak
plantations around the house into scattered clumps to provide
picturesque views of the loch and the hills beyond. Work on the
north avenue and lodge house began in 1798 and the grounds in
1801 (Tait 1980). On his succession in 1805, Sir James Colquhoun
27th of Luss (1805-1836) resigned from the army to devote his
time and considerable sums of money to the extension of the
house and improvement of the estate. What remained of the moss
was drained and the wettest parts top-dressed with gravelly soil.
After an initial period of arable use, permanent grass was estab-
lished and ornamental trees planted (Whyte & Macfarlan 1811).
At a later date the reclaimed land was enclosed for the keeping of
Red and Fallow Deer, each individual tree within the park being
encircled with a protective metal fence. The Ross Finlays, a farm
of good quality arable and pasture land, was cleared of its build-
ings and enclosures then added to the south side of the policies to
form the 47 ha (116 acres) Rossfinlass Park (Ross Park). Two
additional approaches to the house were laid out, the middle
avenue from Ross Lodge and the south avenue closely following
the shore of the loch. Finally, the combined parks and policy
woodlands were totally enclosed on the landward side by a stone
wall of 5.6 km (3.5 miles) in length. It was left to Sir James
Colquhoun, 28th of Luss (1836-1873) to add a finishing touch to
the remaining open areas within the enclosed grounds. Using a
method of tree planting pioneered by Sir Henry Steuart (Steuart
1828), trees of 50 to 60 years growth were transplanted using a
machine of Steuart’s design to create instant tree-studded park-
land. The extent of this successful transplanting work was revealed

127

when members of the Scottish Arboricultural Society visited
Rossdhu in August 1882 and admired the hundreds of thriving
oaks, ashes, beeches, sycamores and pines that had been set out in
the Ross Park, Deer Park and elsewhere (Anon. 1883). Despite
some felling of the older trees in the years following the last war,
a great many fine mature trees still enhance the grounds of Ross-
dhu House today.

Lichen Flora

In the four visits, only a proportion of the parkland could be
surveyed in detail but from experience of similar habitats it is large
old trees, particularly oak, elm, ash and sycamore, with well
illuminated boles, standing in slightly sheltered situations or form-
ing open woodland, which hold the most interesting communities.
Initially guided by these considerations, but later working more
widely, the most productive localities discovered were: old oaks
near the castle ruins and other sheltered trees beside the avenue
leading up to the present house, a strip of open oak woodland
beside the loch south of Finlas Water, and large sycamores in
Ross Park (Fig. 1).

The total number of epiphytic and lignicolous (on dead
wood) lichens recorded from the park is 164 (The full list is
deposited with Mapping Recorder, British Lichen Society.) A very
wide range of ecological groupings occur including the Lobarion
which is thought to be the natural forest climax community of
mature deciduous trees in Western Europe. It is now rare and
decreasing due to habitat destruction and air pollution, so its
survival on oaks in at least two areas of the park is notable. Rose
(1976) has used the richness of the Lobarion , plus a few equally
demanding species, to identify woodlands that contain remnants
of ancient forest. By entering the number of “old forest taxa”
present at a site in a simple formula, an “Index of Ecological Con-
tinuity” (RIEC) figure can be calculated and it is suggested that at
any site with an RIEC rating approaching 1 00 there has been con-
tinuity of the forest environment over a very long period. Table 1
lists the 20 species in this category found at Rossdhu which give
the park an RIEC value of 100. Confirmation that the park con-
tains ancient woodland is provided by the very high species den-
sity which, excluding lichens of eutrophicated bark, stands at 143
species in an area of only 2.3 km2.

128

Though oak is the main tree bearing the Lobarion , the small
number of ash and elm ( Ulmus glabra ) present also carried rich
stands. Lobaria amplissima and Leptogium teretiusculum were
seen only on elm, while Lobaria scrobiculata and Parmeliella
triptophylla are confined to large mossy ash trees. In addition to
the species in Table 1, the following lichen epiphytes, which
appear to show a marked preference for old forest habitats, are
also present: Bacidia absistens, Cetrelia olive torum, Collema sub-
flaccidum, Nephroma parile, Parmeliella jamesii and Sticta fuligi-
nosa. Of the two areas of ancient woodland identified in the park,
that near the old castle and present house with an RIEC value of
90 is superior to the smaller fragment by the loch (RIEC 45).

Ross Park south of Finlas Water provides a very different
habitat from the woodland relics. Here the open parkland is
studded with mature deciduous trees standing over improved
grassland which is dressed with lime and basic slag every 3-4
years. These chemicals have caused eutrophication of the tree
bark, favouring the development of rich stands of the Xanthorion
alliance. The huge sycamores south of Ross Lodge each support
25-30 species including Acrocordia gemmata, Anisomeridium
biforme, Bacidia arceutina, B. naegelii, Caloplaca ulcerosa, Can-
delaria concolor, Candelariella reflexa, Collema furfuraceum,
Lecania cyrtella, Parmelia exasperata, P. laciniatula, P. pastilli-
fera, Pertusaria coccodes, Phaeophyscia endophoenicea, Physcia
aipolia, Physciopsis adglutinata, Physconia pulverulacea and
Xanthoria Candelaria. Certain species, e.g. Candelaria concolor
and Rinodina conradii (base of an oak tree), are uncommon in
Britain and their occurrence at Rossdhu is noteworthy.

A rather eastern assemblage which occurs on the dry but
well lit sheltered side of old deciduous trees is the Calicion hyper-
elli. At Rossdhu it includes Calicium glaucellum, C. viride (abun-
ant), Chaeno theca brunneola, C. ferruginea, C. hispidula and
Coniocybe furfuracea. The normal range of species occurs on
smooth-barked and rough acid-barked trees, while alder with
Stenocybe byssacea, birch with Leptorhaphis epidermidis and
Scots Pine with Parmeliopsis aleurites, P. ambigua and P. hyper-
op ta, all carry their specialities.

Air pollution is not conspicuously reducing the diversity or
luxuriance of the epiphytic lichen flora though Lecanora coni-
zaeoides is present on twigs, lignum and the more acid-barked
trees. Exposed sites such as the Deer Park have more, and very

129

exposed ones, like the stand of pines on the summit of Inchcail-
loch 5 km (3 miles) away, carry sheets of L. conizaeoides indica-
ting that sulphur dioxide pollution from Clydeside is reaching the
area. Mycoblastus sterilis, a recently described species believed
to be spreading into slightly polluted areas, was seen on smooth
bark.

Relationship between the Lichen Flora and Site History

The concentration of rare lichens at Rossdhu, in particular
the presence of old woodland indicators, can partly be explained
by considering its well documented history. The northern section
of the parkland was created round old woodland described as “a
large oak wood” in 1724. Ross’s (1792) observation, that oaks
of exceptional size were present at Rossdhu, indicates that trees
continuous with the old high forest were then still present in the
park. Soon after this the landscape near the house was consider-
ably altered to provide a contrived picturesque setting. It is
almost certain that many of the large existing trees would have
been preserved for aesthetic reasons to provide a framework for
the new arrangements. It must remain conjectural how many
existing stands of trees are directly descended from the ancient
forest, but the lichen evidence suggests that some are. Since
ornamental planting round the house began at a very early date,
this would result in a lengthy overlap between the old and the
new, allowing time for the transference of many epiphytic lichens,
which was probably far easier in the period before the industrial
revolution. Away from the environs of the house, oak woodland
on the estate was invariably managed on a coppice system to pro-
vide bark for tanning, this form of disturbance (rotational felling)
eliminating all but the most common and invasive species.

Comparison with other Sites

Rossdhu Park with 164 epiphytic and lignicolous lichen
species, giving an RIEC value of 100, is the outstanding site for
woodland lichens in the southern Loch Lomond basin. Table 2
shows that other oak woods of NNR and proposed SSSI status are
far poorer; this is because their woodland cover has suffered much
disturbance. On Inchcailloch, for example, the lichen interest is
centred on the few trees which have been allowed to grow to
maturity because of their association with an old farm, while on
Clairinsh a huge oak at the east end is the only tree of note.

130

On a national scale, Rossdhu compares very favourably with
1 7 apparently natural oakwoods in the west of Scotland for which
data are given by Rose (1976). Outside the New Forest, which is
the richest epiphytic lichen site known in Europe, Rossdhu can
stand comparison with the top English parklands such as Arling-
ton, Boconnoc, Brampton Bryan, Eridge, Melbury, Longleat and
Moccas. In Scotland only Inverary Old Park in Glen Shira is richer
in rare species, though the total epiphytic flora (135) and RIEC
value (90) is lower. Glen Shira as a whole has 193 epiphytes and
an RIEC value of 130 in its extensive old woodlands (Rose &
James 1981). Rossdhu Park is, of course, less rich in hyperoceanic
elements than oakwoods nearer the west coast of Scotland; for
example, Lecanactis homalotropa, Pannariacece, Parmelia endoch-
lora, P. sinuosa, Pseudo cyphellaria spp, Sphaerophorus spp,
Thelotrema monosporum and T. subtile are lacking and possibly
never occurrred in this moderately low rainfall area (1600 mm/
63” per annum). However it is, with Inverary Old Park, one of the
richest ancient parks so far discovered in Scotland.

Acknowledgments

We thank Sir Ivor Colquhoun for permission to visit the
grounds of Rossdhu House; F. H. Brightman, B. J. Coppins, P. W.
James, F. Rose and P. Topham for supplying species lists; and the
Nature Conservancy Council (South West Region, Scotland) for
financial assistance. F. Rose and B. J. Coppins kindly commented
on an early draft of the manuscript.

131

TABLE 1. Epiphytic lichen species at Rossdhu Park used to
calculate the Revised Index of Ecological Continuity

Arthonia vinosa
Arthopyrenia cinereopruinosa
Catillaria atropurpurea
C. sphaeroides
Haematomma elatinum
Lobaria amplissima
L. pulmonaria
L. scrobiculata
Nephroma laevigatum
Pachyphiale cornea

Parmelia crinita
Parmeliella trip top hylla
Peltigera collina
P. horizontalis
Pertusaria pupillaris
Stenocybe septata
Sticta limbata
S. sylvatica
Thelopsis rubella
Thelotrema lepadinum

Nomenclature follows Hawksworth, James & Coppins (1980)

TABLE 2 Analysis of epiphytic lichen data for selected sites
in southern Loch Lomond basin (see text for further
details)

SITE

SPECIES DENSITY*
PER KM2 (OR LESS)

RIEC

STATUS

Rossdhu Park

143

100

PSSSI

Inchcailloch

97

45

NNR

Clairinsh

80

45

NNR

Torrinch

77

35

NNR

Boturich Castle Woods

73

20

PSSSI

Glen Luss and Auchengavin Burn

53

15

PSSSI

* Excluding members of the Xanthorion alliance

132

References

ANON. 1883. The woods of Loch Lomond and the Gareloch. Journal of
Forestry 6: 318-332.

ANON. 1971. The Mapping of Scotland. Edinburgh.

BLAEU, J. 1654. Theatrum Orbis Terr arum, sive Atlas Novus vol. 5. Amster-
dam.

FRASER, W. 1869. The Chiefs of Co Iquhoun and their Country vol. 1. Edin-
burgh.

GILBERT, O. L. 1978. Potential Impact of Atmospheric Pollution from a
proposed Petrochemical Complex in Glen Fruin (unpublished report for
Nature Conservancy Council).

GRAHAM, A. 1724. Description of Kilmarnock, Bonhill, Luss and Tarbet in
Dunbartonshire, in Macfarlane’s Geographical Collections relating to
Scotland (Ed: Sir A. Mitchell 1907) vol. 1, pp. 352-355. Edinburgh.

HAWKSWORTH, D. L., JAMES, P. W. & COPPINS, B. J. 1980. Checklist
of British lichen-forming, lichenicolous and allied fungi. Lichenologist
12: 1-115.

ROSE, F. 1976. Lichenological indicators of age and environmental conti-
nuity in woodlands. In Lichenology: Progress and Problems (ed, D. H.
Brown, D. L. Hawksworth & R. H. Bailey) 279-307 (Systematics
Association Special Volume No. 8). London, New York and San Fran-
cisco. Academic Press.

ROSE, F. & James, P. W. 1981 . The Lichen Flora and Vegetation of Lowland
Areas of the Cowal Peninsula 21-30. June 1977. (unpublished report
for Nature Conservancy Council).

ROSS, C. 1777. A Book of Maps of the Estate of Luss. Unpublished. Univer-
sity of Glasgow Library (Ms. Gen. 1006).

ROSS, C. 1792. The Traveller's Guide to Loch Lomond and its environs.
Paisley.

ROY, W. 1755. The Military Survey of Scotland 1747-55. Manuscript maps.

SCOTT-ELLIOT, G. F. 1901. Lichens, in Fauna, Flora and Geology of the
Clyde Area pp. 50-60. British Association Handbook. Glasgow.

STEUART, H. 1828. The Planters Guide etc. Edinburgh & London.

STUART, Rev. J. 1796. Parish of Luss, in The Statistical Account of Scot-
land vol. 18, pp. 238-271.

TAIT, A. A. 1980. The Landscape Garden in Scotland 1735-1835. Edinburgh.

WHYTE, A. & MACF ARLAN, D. 1811. General View of the Agriculture of
the County of Dumbarton. Glasgow.

133

Pollution and Marine Algal
Communities in the Firth of Clyde

J. J. P. CLOKIE

Sphere Environmental Consultants,

Beatrice Environmental Laboratory,

Nigg, Ross-shire

A. D. BONEY

Department of Botany, University of Glasgow
Received October 1981

The impact of pollutants in nature is a well recognised and
continuing biological problem. In the marine environment there
are on occasions quite dramatic manifestations of severe environ-
mental stress which can be either man-made or of natural origin.
Mass deaths of sea birds and fish kills are two such examples. The
former, although not perhaps of direct economic significance, is
an unequivocal demonstration of ecosystem damage which may
well be of a subtle nature. Fish kills due to ‘red tides’ or other
toxic blooms of phytoflagellates can be a result of both natural
and man-made changes. The intertidal and subtidal marine algae
are used increasingly in monitoring programmes designed to assess
man-made effects. Seaweed-dominated communities sometimes
offer difficulties of interpretation in relation to pollution studies;
stress effects arising in nature can lead to damage at both species
and community levels, and these must be recognised. The metho-
dologies of assessing seaweed-dominated communities are now
well known. What is less well known is how one interprets the
structure of these communities in relation to pollution. For some
years now we have been examining these phenomena in relation to
the marine algal communities of the Firth of Clyde with occa-
sional observations on communities in the Firth of Forth, and in
this paper we give in outline an account of the ways in which we
have attempted to interpret both the communities and individual
species in relation to environmental stress factors. Whether marine
algae are to be used as components of either factor-monitoring or
target-monitoring exercies (Holdgate 1979), these two aspects —
both the individual species and the communities — need to be

considered. G/asg. Mat. 20 part 2(1981)

134

Our observations have been confined mainly to the inner and
outer Firth regions but include some from the Clyde Estuary and
from other localities on the Ayrshire coast, and the Firth of Forth.
The main pollution problems include domestic sewage and bio-
degradable trade wastes (Clyde River Purification Board 1974),
and the prevention of unsightly depositions in intertidal areas
which can cause both smothering of marine life and induce anae-
robic conditions. Oil spills are a continuing source of concern,
and some marine algae are particularly susceptible to both smother-
ing and to the physical damage of frondage as the oil deposits
solidify. While gross pollution is not a condition of the Firth of
Clyde (Clyde River Purification Board 1974), numerous point
discharges do exist with attendant localized pollutant effects.

Environmental monitoring programmes often rely heavily on
the chemical and physical effects of a pollutant or an industrial
activity. It is also necessary to define the effects on organisms,
either as a group (community), or singly. A target organism (often
one of commercial interest) may be utilized, or a group of or-
ganisms. The latter often demonstrate a graded response along a
pollution gradient. The marine algae often show dramatic changes
along such gradients, and although they have long been regarded
as useful monitoring agents, few guides exist which suggest how
they might be used.

Field Work

It is necessary to establish the limits of individual species and
of the communities in relation to tidal heights (e.g. in relation to
Chart Datum). In addition the use of marker and revisited squares
(quadrats), and the noting of natural markers such as boulder tops,
population and zonal boundaries, will be necessary. As stated
above, one of the most useful approaches is to make observations
on a section of a community along a pollution gradient, noting
both community changes and those of individual species. Data on
the long term fate of a particular species assemblage is also a fun-
damental requirement.

The species described here are further listed with some
account of their ecology in Clokie and Boney (1979a,b). The
authorities for the specific names are given in Parke and Dixon
(1976). The species we will describe can be readily identified
with the assistance of field-orientated handbooks.

135

Environmental attributes to be examined in relation to commu-
nity assessment

1. Tidal height limits and tidal regimes. Time of day at which
low water occurs, especially of Spring tides.

2. Nature of the substratum: its formation, rock type, rugosity
(for attachment), porosity (water retention and drainage),
size if detached (boulders, stones, mud), local shapes.

3. Aspect of shore, of beach or of rock, in relation to wave
action and irradiation from the sun.

4. Slope of shore, of beach or of rock; angle of dip, angle of
strike; presence of water in adjacent pools (and of herbivores
and their predators in them), and the courses of drainage
paths.

5. Exposure to wave damage in relation to shore configurations
and offshore depth contours. Is there a similar wave exposure
effect over the whole beach or are there gradients?

6. Sedimentation: sediment size range, sediment loading of
water, nearness of source and mobility.

7. Salinity: high, low or fluctuating?

8. Nutrient loading: its degree, and whether natural or man-
made.

9. Herbivores: their potential grazing activity. Herbivore pre-
dation.

10. Climatic factors: sunshine hours, wind force and directions,
air and sea temperatures, duration and frequency of fog,
rainfall.

Although much of these data can be obtained by personal
observations other sources may be necessary. Tide tables will give
all the tidal information. Local weather centres can be the sources
of relevant climatic data. Most coastal areas in the British Isles are
adequately described geologically. Salinity determinations can be
made by titration with standard silver nitrate solutions (methods
described in Strickland and Parsons 1968). Plant nutrient measure-
ments require complex chemical analyses. For many localities
these data are often available in the annual reports of River Purifi-
cation Boards. The need to identify the herbivore interactions
with marine algae is of fundamental importance. The principal
grazers in intertidal habitats are limpets ( Patella spp.) and litto-
rinids ( Littorina spp).

136

Marine algae: the indicators of community age and structure

Our assessments of the extent to which a plant community
(or part of that community) has been subject to stress entails some
reliable means of determining community ‘age’, The first and ob-
vious need is for a precise definition of the community itself as a
recognisable entity. We also need to be able to recognise the
building-up processes — the succession of events, or serai stages —
leading to the establishment of the ‘mature’ community. Our
study of community structures should also seek to establish what
we recognise as an ‘undisturbed’ or ‘normal’ assemblage of algae
for a particular locality. To do this we look for the communities
which appear to have reached their maximum potential in terms
of both plants and animals present, in relation to the availability
of ecological niches, the overall balance of environmental features,
and the time available for community development. If we are able
to define the undisturbed community state with some degree of
precision it becomes much easier to recognise changes induced by
environmental stress.

Identification of the successional stages of marine algal
community development requires foreknowledge of the species
balance to be expected at any time. The initial stages are to be
seen on any new surfaces introduced into the intertidal region
which are suitable for algal colonization. Clean rock surfaces for
colonization studies can be artificially created. This approach is a
destructive one, and should not be practised on a large scale or in
any locality with rare species, or one of special ecological interest.
All plants and animals are removed from the experimental site,
followed by flaming the cleared rock surface by means of a blow-
torch, and finally scrubbing the rock with formalin solution. These
last treatments will destroy any remaining plant fragments which
could act as sources of vegetative propagation, and of spores and
juvenile stages too small to be removed by the initial clearance.
Although such a destructive approach is not to be encouraged on
too large a scale, applied with care it can be a valuable source of
information on community development. It can also be regarded
as a simulation of the destruction of intertidal communities by
man-made activities. The artificially cleaned intertidal surfaces
are reception areas for waterborne algal spores, plant fragments
and animal larvae. In time, mollusc herbivores invade the site from
surrounding areas.

137

From a combination of studies on newly introduced surfaces,
clearance experiments, and the occasional results of man-made
activities, we have been able to build up a picture of the various
stages in the development of marine algal communities in the Firth
of Clyde. Table 1 summarises the various features which we have
found of value in assessing the age of marine algal communities in
the Firth of Clyde.

TABLE 1

Community Age

' New

Mid-term

Mature

Old '

‘Short-term’ species

Many

Few

Absent

Absent

‘Mid-term’ species

Many

Many

Few

Absent

‘Mature’ species
Grazer-resistant

Few

Few

Many

Few

species

Few

Few

Numerous

Many

Age Structure

Uniform

Uniform

Non-uniform

Extremely

non-uniform

Intra-specific

competition

Intense

Intense

Varied

Intense

Groups of species

Few

Many

Few

Very few

Hybrids ( Fucus spp)

Abundant

Less common

Outcompeted

Absent

Zonation

Broad zones

Broad zones

Narrow zones

Not readily
defined

Sharpness of zonal

boundaries

Weak

Weak

Well defined

Variable

Grazing intensity

Low

Increasing

Very high

High

For these purposes we have identified four stages of development,
or, stages of serai succession. These are ‘new’, ‘mid-term’, ‘mature’
and ‘old’. The passage in time from initiation of the community to
its maturation and subsequent ageing can be recognised in terms
of the species balance at any time. Thus ‘short term’ species are
those which are literally present for relatively short periods in
terms of community age, and include these species which are early
colonisers of freshly cleared intertidal surfaces. Those designated
‘mid-term’ are quite likely to be represented at the early stages of
community formation but are more rarely components of the
‘mature’ stage. Similarly the dominant species of the ‘mature’
community are not usually seen in the early stages of community
development except as juvenile stages. With further ageing the
‘mature’ community species decline in number, becoming res-
tricted to those algae resistant to grazing. Grazing pressure tends
to increase with community age even though few of the short term
species are grazer-resistant.

138

On shores in the Firth of Clyde the primary colonists are
represented mainly by diatom films and filamentous green algae,
( Urospora spp., Capsosiphon fulvescens, Blidingia spp.), Entero-
morpha spp., Ulva lactuca and Porphyra spp. Fucus spp. germlings
may also be present, and these often show clear signs of hybridiza-
tion as they develop. The early stages of community formation
involve intense inter- and intra-specific competition, and there is a
tendency for the zones of these primary colonizers to be rather
wide. The dense carpet of filamentous green algae can prevent the
settlement of spores of other algae for some time. Alternatively,
the settled spores of algae not in evidence at this stage may well be
hidden below the dense carpet of filaments, and unable to develop
until the dense light-shading canopy is removed. Thence they con-
tribute to the mid-term populations. Mid-term species may well
appear along with the primary colonizers and in some instances
persist well into the mature stage of community development. The
prominent components of the mid-term communities in the Firth
of Clyde vary with tidal levels. Near high water mark Blidingia spp.
are especially prominent. Lower down the shore the respresenta-
tive species include Enteromorpha spp., Ulva lactuca , the filamen-
tous brown alga Pilayella littoralis , Fucus germlings, and the red
algae Palmaria palmata and Membranoptera alata. The mature
communities include those species recognised as characteristic of
sheltered shore habitats in north temperate seas, namely, on the
upper shore the brown algae Waerniella lucifuga and Pilayella
littoralis, Prasiola stipitata and a carpet-like growth of blue-green
algae. The well known shore fucoids, Pelvetia canaliculata, Fucus
spiralis, Ascophyllum nodosum, Fucus vesiculosus and Fucus
serratus dominate the shores. Beneath the canopy of large brown
algae many smaller species are to be found, including Cladophora
rupestris, Membranoptera alata, Gigartina stellata and Dumontia
incrassata, the branched coralline red alga Corallina officinalis,
and the encrusting coralline Lithothamnium spp. With further
ageing of the community the grazer-resistant species become
prominent. Such resistances may be a result of the ability to recu-
perate quickly from browsing damage (as with fucoid algae), or
being of a textural nature which resists severe grazing pressure
(e.g. Cladophora rupestris). The life form of an alga is also impor-
tant. Certain marine algae have a crustose basal system, and this
enables them to withstand grazing actions and produce erect
branches in due course (Table 2). Algae with creeping filamentous
basal systems are also more tolerant of grazer activity (Table 2).

139

TABLE 2

Grazer resistant marine algae

Basal crust plus erect
branches

Basal crust only Basal region of

creeping filaments

Annuals

Enteromorpha compresm
Dumontia incrassata

Ralfsia spp. Urospora spp.

Epilithon spp. Pilayella litt oralis

BUdingia minima
Perennials Gigartina stellate

Coralline officinalis

Phymatolithon spp. Spongomorpha spp.
Lithothamnium spp. Sphacelaria spp.

Polysiphonia urceolata

The Fucus hybrids become less evident with maturation of the
community. A greater susceptibility to ephiphyte loading and
subsequent frond breakage would seem to be a factor in the lack
of competitiveness of the hybrid forms.

Effects of pollutants and other environmental stress factors

Warm- water effluents

This is a variable environmental feature, mainly restricted to
part of the Hunterston shoreline where the warmed sea water used
in heat-exchange cooling systems is released. Compared with
neighbouring shores, a noticeable feature is the overall reduction
in species numbers, whilst those which remain appear to develop
shorter and tougher fronds (e.g. Ascophyllum nodosum) — some-
times on part of the plant only. In localized areas the algae are
killed, leaving a mosaic-like appearance due to different marine
algal successional stages. Many ‘mid-term’ algae appear to be
tolerant of warm-water effects, although often showing enhanced
epiphyte growths.

Oil spillages

Two types of oil spillage have been encountered — those
involving crude oil and those with refined oils.

‘Heavy’ hydrocarbons and crude oils

Solidification of oil deposits on the larger fucoid algae will
cause smothering of the plants and frond breakage. Plants may
become so overloaded with solidified oil that the wave action
which they can normally withstand becomes too excessive, and
whole plants can then be tom away from the rocky substratum.

140

With the removal of the larger algae, localized areas become the
sites for recolonization by green algae. Coating of the algal thalli
with thin films of oil cause some distortion of growth and a
marked lowering in the number of epiphytes. The effects of oil
spillages alone have to be separated from the combined effects of
dispersants used to emulsify the oil. The dramatic changes in plant
and animal populations on the shores of Cornwall following the
‘Torrey Canyon’ disaster were principally due to the toxic natures
of the detergents used as emulsifiers at the time, (Smith 1968).
These killed the limpets and Littorina spp., so removing the graz-
ing ‘pressure’. In the absence of the herbivores, many shores be-
came covered with filamentous and frondose green algae, both in
the spaces where the larger brown algae had been detached by oil
smothering and overgrowing the larger algae which had survived
the oiling. Present day dispersants although far less toxic than
those used following the Torrey Canyon’ disaster, are not entirely
free from some toxic action.

‘Light’ hydrocarbons

These effects have been observed in certain localities e.g.
Troon Harbour. In localities where the mollusc herbivores are
killed — presumably by certain water-soluble components in the
oil — the early successional stages of algal colonization are quickly
seen. Certain marine algae appear especially tolerant of oiling with
light hydrocarbons, namely, the green algae Cladophora albida,
Rhizoclonium riparium, Enteromorpha intestinalis ; the brown
algae Pilayella lit t oralis and juvenile Fucus hybrids; and the red
alga Audouinella purpurea. These species continue growing after
oiling. Some delicate red algae of rock pools and sublittoral
habitats are especially sensitive to light oiling. Thus An tit hamnion
spp. are quickly killed and the plants become orange-coloured and
strikingly fluorescent, a feature seen with other red algae when
killed by either pollutants or environmental stresses. On occasions,
spillages of ‘light’ oil produce a ‘banded’ effect on intertidal com-
munities, killing the molluscs and sensitive algae in horizontal
bands across the shore. Sometimes quite narrow bands of sensi-
tive algae are killed. Detachment of the dead thalli leaves spaces
for recolonization by the green algal primary colonizers. Those
which become established will depend on the residual oil covering
and will often include the oil-resistant species listed above. Diesel
oil spillages in 1977 at the temporary harbour of the Hunterston
Ore-Unloading Terminal construction site prevented all but the
early successional stage green algae from growing, and this dis-

141

tinctive green band persisted on the shore for several months.
Another destructive effect of ‘light’ oiling of algal thalli may be
seen in the marked fall in epiphyte populations on the oil-resis-
tant representatives.

It is to be expected that spillages of crude oil will always
be a cause for concern because of their possible magnitude. How-
ever, in the Firth of Clyde, events of this nature which do occur
appear to be on a small scale (Clyde River Purification Board
1974). Our observations for the Firth of Clyde indicate that
refined oil can also cause significant environmental effects, and
accidental spillages of this nature are likely to be more frequent
with the growth in numbers of small pleasure boats, and the
accompanying construction of marinas.

Chemical wastes

These are difficult to define, but the effects have been
observed at localities in the Firths of Clyde and Forth. Two
ecological features are noticeable. In some localities an increase
in marine algal species numbers was observed, possibly encouraged
by a decline in herbivores due to the toxic action of the effluent,
to which the algae appeared more tolerant. Once again, this num-
ber increase was due to the green algae. At certain levels of pol-
lutant action, however, a pronounced ‘die back’ is observed with
all but the more robust green algae (. Enteromorpha spp., Ulva
lactuca). These resistant algae often show marked deepening of
colour.

Eutrophication

These effects accompany any significant increase in the plant
nutrient content of the water. Sources of increased nutrient load-
ing include some factory wastes, streams draining farming areas
where slurry -type fertilisers are used, and sewage outfalls. The
most noticeable effect is at community level, and usually involves
increases in species numbers, with representative ‘mid-term’ algae
being principally observed, e.g. the green algae Enteromorpha
intestinalis , E. compressa, Monostroma fuscum, Prasiola crispa,
P. stipitata, Percursaria percursa, Blidingia spp., Ulva lactuca ; the
brown algae Pilayella littoralis and young Fucus hybrids; and the
red alga Ceramium rubrum. As nutrient loads increase the accom-
panying rise in numbers of herbivores brings a consequent fall in
algal numbers. These changes in community structure are more
clearly seen if algal numbers are mapped along a local gradient

142

from the point of discharge. Individual algae in nutrient-rich
habitats show deeper thallus colours, and increases both in size
and branching when compared with the species in habitats with
‘normal’ nutrient levels.

Sedimentation

Organic sediments

A few algal species appear tolerant of short-term engulfing
and the reducing conditions which accompany deposition of
organic sediments (e.g. domestic sewage). These include Fucus
spp., Gigartina stellata and Polyides caprinus , and the small
filamentous red algae Polysiphonia nigrescens and Audouinella
floridula. Individual plants show deepening of thallus colour, and
sometimes a distorted branching form. This last effect may well
be a result of increased herbivore grazing, since mollusc popula-
tions are often larger in the vicinities of sewage outfalls.

Inorganic sediments

Sedimentation of non-toxic inorganic material, with the
formation of persistent strata, bring dramatic changes in marine
algal communities. Few algae appear able to withstand long-term
burial in fine sediments. Those which are tolerant of such con-
ditions are the same species which grow within natural sandy
substrata. In some instances these species are capable of sand-
binding by means of the network of filaments formed, with the
branches at the surface retaining their normal colours. Sand
(and inorganic sediment) tolerant algae include the red alga
Audouinella floridula , the brown alga Sphacelaria radicans , and
the green algae Vaucheria and Enteromorpha. Often the plants
show a marked degree of proliferative growth, with the formation
of dense carpet-like felted filament masses on and in the sediments.

Sediment load and water turbidity

Suspended matter, organic and inorganic, in coastal waters
will influence light penetration and the depth of the photic zone —
the depth to which photosynthetically active radiation can pene-
trate. The distribution of subtidal marine algae will be influenced
by the depth of the photic zone. In the Firth of Clyde the num-
bers of subtidal marine algae show a sharp decline from just below
low water mark, with relatively few species extending down into
the deep water. The shell-boring filamentous Conchocelis phase of

143

the red alga Porphyra is the deepest growing alga in the Firth of
Clyde (Clokie and Boney 1980). Light attenuation over protracted
periods, due to increased sediment loading of the water, will
significantly affect the lowermost depth distributions of subtidal
algae. Conchocelis filaments will be effective indicator organisms
of long-term sediment load effects on inshore waters.

Discussion

We have used the methods outlined in the foregoing pages in
attempts to define the normal marine algal communities in the
Firth of Clyde. From this basis it is then possible to recognise
those communities which are abnormal, although it is sometimes
less easy to state the reasons for any aberrant community develop-
ment with any confidence. Many of the man-made effects on
marine algal communities described are similar to natural distur-
bances in intertidal habitats. Severe wave action may dislodge the
larger fucoid algae of ‘mature’ communities, with the resulting
recolonization sequence being much the same as with a com-
munity damaged by oil spillage or release of toxic chemicals.
Seasonal changes in abundance of marine algae have also to be
taken into account. Minor changes in communities are often
difficult to determine with precision although they may be the
initial phases of pollutant damage. The key to the interpretive
process lies in our ability to recognise the successional or serai
stage reached in community development, and to be able to draw
comparisons with other sites of similar serai stage. This is not an
easy task but should be a component of all pollution studies on
marine algae. The shores of the Firth of Clyde offer much scope
for studies along these lines, not least because many areas are so
readily accessible. A further important feature is that detailed
records of the marine algae extend well back into the last century,
(Clokie and Boney 1979a and b). Such information sources, if
known to be reliable, are an invaluable background to present day
interpretations.

Acknowledgments

Grant support for J. J. P. C. over the course of this investiga-
tion came from the Natural Environment Research Council, and
from British Steel. This support is gratefully acknowledged.

144

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of the Firth of Clyde. Scottish Field Studies , 3-13.

CLOKIE, J. J. P. & BONEY, A. D. 1979b. David Landsborough (1779-
1854): an assessment of his contribution to algal studies in the Firth
of Clyde . Glasg. Nat. 1 9 : 443-462 .

CLOKIE, J. J. P. & BONEY, A. D. 1980. Conchocelis distribution in the
Firth of Clyde: estimates of the lower limits of the photic zone. J. exp.
mar. biol. Ecol., 46: 111-125.

CLYDE RIVER PURIFICATION BOARD 1974. Pollution in the Clyde. In
N.E.R.C. Series C. Publication No. 11, The Gyde Estuary and Firth,
pp. 24-27.

HOLDGATE, M. W. 1979. A Perspective of Environmental Pollution. Cam-
bridge University Press.

PARKE, M. & DIXON, P. S. 1976. Check-list of British marine algae — third
revision./, mar. biol. Ass. U.K., 56: 527-594.

SMITH, J. E. 1968. “Toney Canyon” Pollution and Marine Life. Cambridge
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STRICKLAND, J. D. H. & PARSONS, T. R. 1968. A Manual of Seawater
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145

Phytoflagellates in Firth of
Clyde Plankton

F. J. HANNAH

University Marine Biological Station, Millport
A. D. BONEY

Department of Botany, University of Glasgow
Received July 1981

The term “phytoflagellate” may well be objected to on
etymological grounds in that it combines the Greek root phy ton
(plant) with the Latin flagella. From a descriptive point of view,
however, it is a meaningful and convenient way of categorizing
an important group of organisms which play a significant role in
the primary production of oceans and inshore waters. In size
they are of microbial proportions, currently delimited as being
less than 20 pm in dimensions. On this size basis they come
within the scale of sizes defined long ago as the nanoplankton by
Lohmann (1903), e.g. the microbial drifting life of the surface
waters. More recently the phytoflagellates have been collectively
described as nanophytoplankton (Holligan and Harbour 1977).
Taxonomically they are grouped in a number of classes of the
algae. The one common feature they all share is the possession
of the green pigment chlorophyll a in discrete cell organelles
the chloroplasts, and a photosynthetic process which uses water
as hydrogen donor. Their vegetative organisation is either in the
form of single cells, or in colonies. The different classes have dis-
tinctive pigment arrays, and often special features of their cell
metabolism and ultrastructure of cell organelles. Currently some
ten classes are recognised (Round 1973; Boney 1974). A major
problem in field studies on these organisms lies in their fragile
nature. The cells are often destroyed by the addition of preser-
vatives to sea water, and may also be sensitive to centrifugation.
Their small sizes mean that they pass through the finest nets
used to collect plankton. For these reasons their role in primary
production in the sea has not received the attention deserved.
Emphasis has more often been placed on the larger and more
robust diatoms and dinoflagellates which are more easily sampled

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 2 (1981)

146

by means of nets, and often referred to as the “net plankton” in
consequence. In North Temperate seas the diatoms are the domi-
nant organisms during the characteristic and often dramatic
population growths of spring and autumn, and dinoflagellates
more prominent in the summer months. Frequently there have
been strong hints in the scientific literature to the potential signi-
ficance of the microbial flagellates. E. J. Allen, then Director of
the Plymouth Laboratory of the Marine Biological Association,
observed in enrichment cultures with raw sea water from the
English Channel that much higher counts of phytoplankton were
obtained than from netting or centrifuging (Allen 1919). Many
algal flagellates were seen in the cultures. Gross (1937) similarly
drew attention to the potential significance of this size fraction.
Algal flagellates isolated from the sea were cultured as food
sources for oyster larvae (Bruce, Knights & Parke 1940). Atkins
(1945), basing his calculations on quantities of CC^ utilized and
phosphate uptake, concluded that the diatom populations in the
northern seas could not be solely accountable for the estimated
uptake of these essential nutrients, and stated that autotrophic
flagellates must constitute the bulk of the primary producers in
oceanic waters. More recently the importance of the nano-
phytoplankton as primary producers in the Arctic Ocean has
been confirmed (Reynolds 1973).

The classical work on Clyde Sea plankton carried out over
40 years by Drs. Marshall and Orr at the Millport Laboratory of
the Scottish Marine Biological Association gave a more complete
survey of phytoplankton periodicity and inter-relationships with
zooplankton than is available for any other region of coastal
water in the British Isles. Whilst the mainstream of their research
lay with the diatom floras as food for copepods, they frequently
drew attention to the occurrence of microbial flagellates (Mar-
shall, Nicholls & Orr 1934; Marshall & Orr 1962). Rockpools in
the vicinity of high water mark have also been fruitful sources of
microbial flagellates (Parke 1949), with some new to science and
with special features of their metabolism (Droop 1955, 1961).
Recent work has shown that microbial flagellates make signifi-
cant contributions to carbon fixation in brackish water rockpools
high on the shore (Hannah & Boney, 1980).

Over a two year period (1976-1977) the role of phyto-
flagellates in Firth of Clyde phytoplankton was assessed from a
number of viewpoints. Samples were collected from Fairlie
Channel at weekly or fortnightly intervals depending on the

147

levels of phytoplankton activity. The phytoflagellate component
was examined after fixation with Lugol’s Iodine solution and
sedimentation; by centrifugation; by filtration on membrane
filters; and by means of enrichment cultures. A combination of
these methods allowed the building up of a picture of the sea-
sonal patterns of waxing and waning of certain of the flagellates.
The organisms which most frequently appeared are illustrated in
Fig. 1. The most prominent green-coloured flagellates (class
Prasinophyceae) were Micromonas pusilla (Butcher) Manton 8u
Parke (Fig. 1A), Pyramimonas grossii Parke and Pyramimonas
obovata Carter (Fig. IB, C). Green-coloured flagellates were not
the principal forms observed. Flagellates with chloroplast colours
brown, golden-brown and red were also commonly observed. .
Cryptomonad flagellates (class Cryptophyceae) were common at
all seasons, notably the kidney-shaped red-coloured Hemiselmis
rufescens Parke (Fig. ID), and the brown-coloured Cryptomonas
reticulata Lucas and Cryptomonas acuta Butcher (Fig. IE).
Cryptomonad flagellates are often characterized by a prominent
cell in tucking — called the gullet — but this structure?,4\ not
associated with intake of solid food in autotrophic species.

Phytoflagellates with golden-brown coloured chloroplasts
were also observed in some seasons. Apedinella spinifera Thrond-
sen (Fig. IF) was especially prominent following the spring dia-
tom outburst, and was also found in the samples through summer
until early autumn. The cell bears spines and a single flagellum
emerging from an apical depression. Olisthodiscus luteus Carter
(Fig. 1G) was also of frequent occurrence. Both these represen-
tatives are members of the class Chry sophy ceae. Other golden-
brown phytoflagellates of less common occurrence included
the genus Chrysochromulina. A number of species of this genus
were observed. The most striking feature of all is the possession
of an emergent thread-like structure borne between the paired
apical flagella. This thread-like organelle, called the haptonema,
takes various forms in the different species — sometimes short,
sometimes coiled and capable of being extended to an appre-
ciable length. The precise function of this organelle remains
something of a mystery. Chyrsochromulina is a representative
of the class Haptophyceae.

Dinoflagellates of microbial size were also of common
occurrence, especially during the summer months. Many of
these were so small and fragile that it was too difficult to place
them in genera. Katodinium rotundatum (Lohm.) Loeblich III

148

(Fig. 1H) appeared to be the more robust organism and was
readily identified, particularly in the spring samples. Dinoflagel-
lates (class Dinophyceae) are clearly important components of
the nanophytoplankton as well as the “net” plankton. The same
can be said of the diatoms. Whilst the larger diatoms appear as
dominant organisms in the net plankton in some months, micro-
bial forms are abundant on occasions.

The algae described and illustrated represent a small fraction
of the total phytoflagellate population. The difficulties of pre-
servation and identification already mentioned tend to obscure
the complete picture of the microbial populations. The seasonal
occurrences of the species described are summarized in Table 1,
which draws together the data for 1976 and 1977. Whilst there are
real difficulties in observing all the members of this microbial
population, other methods of measuring the relative quantity of a
size fraction in the phytoplankton are available. One method is to
estimate biomass in terms of the chlorophyll a extracted from a
water sample. To do this a known volume of sea water is passed
thrown a glass fibre filter pad. This pad retains all the suspended
material, living and non-living, and from this residue the chloro-
plast pigments are then extracted using an organic solvent (90%
acetone). From this solution it is possible to determine the quan-
tity of chlorophyll a present with a spectrophotometer. If a similar
volume of sea water from the same sample is then first passed
through a nylon net of suitably fine mesh (e.g. 20 pun), all the
organisms of larger dimensions will be removed. If this sea water
is next passed through a glass fibre filter pad and the pigments
extracted with 90% acetone, the chlorophyll a measured will
represent that of the organisms less than 20 [xm in size — which
includes the phytoflagellates. The relative contributions of these
two size fractions to the total chlorophyll a extracted can then be
determined. Some questions must be raised regarding the use of
chlorophyll a as a means of measuring biomass. One cannot be
sure that all the chlorophyll a is extracted by the solvent. Certain
breakdown products of chlorophyll — the pheopigments — may
also be present in quantity and will also increase the measure of
chlorophyll. Some allowance has to be made for their presence,
(Strickland & Parsons 1972; Tailing 1969; Boney 1974). Despite
these real problems, the chlorophyll figures do allow some com-
parisons to be made between different phytoplankton fractions,
and between different water masses.

Phytoflagellates are photosynthetic organisms, and another

149

A Micromonas pusilla B Pyramimonas grossii C Pyramimonas obovata

(the larger diagram showing the cell in longitudinal section)

D Hemiselmis rufescens E Cryptomoms acuta F Apedinella spinifera

G Olisthodiscus luteus H Katodinium rotundatum

af

anterior flagellum

n

nucleus

c

chloropiast

P

pyrenoid

f

flagellum

pf

posterior flagellum

fr

flagellar root

sb

spherical body

g

gullet

sc

surface scales (organic)

If

longitudinal flagellum

sp

spine

m

mitochondrion

ss

starch sheath

mu

mucilage body

tf

transverse flagellum

The scale line by each drawing = 5 [i.m

150

method of assessing their contribution to primary productivity
is to measure the quantity of carbon fixed by the organisms under
field conditions. To do this the phytoplankton in a sea water
sample is supplied with radioactive carbon in the form of the
H14C03 ion. This method requires that water samples must first
be taken from the localities and depths for which measurements
are to be made. Measured quantities of 14C are then added to
aliquots of these samples, and these aliquots placed in glass
bottles, (two “light” and two “dark”), and these “light” and
“dark” bottles suspended in the sea at the depths from which the
original sea water samples were taken. They are then left for
4-6 hours. Any photosynthetic activity by the phytoplankton
enclosed in the “light” bottles will be triggered by the light which
filters down through the sea. At the end of the incubation period
the contents of the bottles are filtered on membrane filters and
the quantities of 14C fixed in the samples then measured. The
measurement allows the total carbon fixed in the sea water sample
to be determined. The “dark” bottles are provided to measure any
“dark” fixation — a control feature which has to be allowed for in
the calculations. Whilst it must be accepted that the enclosure of
phytoplankton in glass bottles is hardly a natural environment,
and that there are genuine uncertainties regarding which cell
activity is really being measured (Tailing 1969; Boney 1974), it is
possible to assess the contributions of the different size fractions
of the phytoplankton. If a duplicate set of “light” and “dark”
bottles is suspended at the same time, and then the contents of
each passed through a 20 p.m mesh nylon net at the end of the
incubation period, the total carbon fixed by organisms less than
20 [jim in size can than be measured. In the same way as with the
chlorophyll determinations, the relative contributions of the “net”
plankton and the nanophytoplankton (mainly phytoflagellates) to
carbon fixation can be compared. On a seasonal basis the informa-
tion obtained can indicate the part played by the microbial flagel-
lates in primary production. The results of such an investigation
over 1976 and 1977 are summarized in Fig. 2. Fig. 2A shows the
relative quantities of chlorophyll a in the two fractions, measured
at depths of 1 and 5 metres. The results show clearly that the
nanophytoplankton fraction constitutes a significant component
of the plankton throughout the year, with the larger “net” plank-
ton dominating in spring (diatoms), summer (mainly dinoflagel-
lates) and autumn (diatoms). The waxing and waning of the larger
organisms continues throughout the seasons against a “back-
ground” of microbial algae. During the winter months the
markedly reduced biomass and rates of carbon fixation (Fig. 2B)
are confined mainly to the nanophytoplankton.

mg C m h mg chlorophyll

151

A

B

the nanophytoplankton fraction (black)

Upper: 1 metre Lower: 5 metres depth

Carbon fixed (mg Carbon per m3 per hour)

Total phytoplankton white; nanophytoplankton black.

152

Our results for the Firth of Clyde have underlined some of
the observations and comments already mentioned in this paper.
We can visualize the seasonal fluctuations of the larger diatoms
and dinoflagellates proceeding against a constant background of
microbial algae, which also wax and wane in a similar manner. As
also already mentioned, phytoflagellates are fragile organisms,
especially sensitive to toxic substances. Overloading the inshore
waters with certain pollutants could selectively destroy certain of
these organisms, and completely upset the “balance” of the
phytoplankton population. Toxic “blooms” of algae often result
from localized population explosions of dinoflagellates of micro-
bial size. Man-made effects in our inshore waters may favour the
mass proliferation of these toxin-producing phytoflagellates at
the expense of others. Such population explosions, the so-called
“red tides”, can have serious implications for fish farming. Hence
the study of phytoflagellates is of more than purely academic
interest.

References

ALLEN, E J. 1919. A contribution to the quantitative study of plankton.
J. mar. biol. 4ss. U.K. 12: 1-8.

ATKINS, W. R. G. 1945. Autotrophic flagellates as the major constituent of
oceanic phytoplankton. Nature, Lond. 156: 446-447.

BONEY, A. D. 197 4. Phytoplankton. London: Edward Arnold. 1 16 pp.

BRUCE, J. R., KNIGHTS, M. & PARKE, M., 1940. The rearing of oyster
larvae on an algal diet./, mar. biol. Ass. U. K. 24: 337-374.

DROOP, M. R. 1955. Some new supra-littoral protista. /. mar. biol. Ass.
U. K. 34: 253-245.

DROOP, M. R. 1961. Vitamin B12 and marine ecology: the response of
Monochrysis lutheri. J. mar. biol. Ass. U.K. 41: 69-76.

GROSS, F. 1937. Notes on the culture of some marine planktonic organisms.
J. mar. biol. Ass. U.K. 21: 753-768.

HANNAH, F. J. & BONEY, A. D. 1980. Standing crop and carbon fixation of
rockpool phytoflagellates. Marine Biol. Letters 1: 149-159.

HOLLIGAN, P. M. & HARBOUR, D. S. 1977. The vertical distribution and
succession of phytoplankton in the western English Channel in 1975
and 1976./. mar. biol. 4ss. U. K. 57: 1075-1093.

LOHMANN, H. 1903. Neue Untersuchungen uber die Reichtum des Meeres
an Plankton und fiber die Branchbarkeit der verscheidenen Fange-
methoden. Helgolander wiss. Meeresunters 7: 1-86.

153

MARSHALL, S. M., NICHOLLS, A. G. & ORR, A. P. 1934. On the biology
of Calanus finmarchicus V. Seasonal distribution, size, weight and
chemical composition in Loch Striven, 1933 and their relation to the
phytoplankton./, mar. biol. U. K. 19: 793-827.

MARSHALL, S. M. & ORR, A. P. 1962. Carbohydrate as a measure of
phytoplankton./, mar. biol. Ass. U.K. 42: 511-519.

PARKE, M. 1949. Studies on marine flagellates. /. mar. biol ,4ss. U. K. 28:
255-285.

REYNOLDS, N. 1973. The estimation of the abundance of ultraplankton.
Br.phycol.J. 8: 135-146.

ROUND, F. R. 1973. Biology of the Algae. London: Edward Arnold. 278 pp.
STRICKLAND, J. D. H., PARSONS, T. R. 1972. A Manual of Sea Water
Analysis. Fish. Res. Bd., Canada.

FALLING, J. F. 1969. In Manual on Methods for Measuring Primary Pro-
duction in Aquatic Habitats (Ed. R. A. Vollenweider) 22-25, Oxford:
Blackwells.

TABLE 1

Seasonal occurrences of certain phytoflagellates in the Firth of Clyde
+++ very common ++ common + occasional

Micromonas pusilla

Spring

+++

Summer

+++

Autumn

+++

Winter

++

Pyramimonas spp.

+++

++

+++

++

Hemiselmis spp.

+++

++

++

+

Cryptomonas sp.

+++

+++

+++

+

Apedinella spinifera

+++

++

++

+

Olisthodiscus luteus

++

++

++

+

Katodinium rotundatum

+++

+

++

+

microbial dino flagellates

++

+++

+++

++

154

Butterflies in Galloway

GERALD RODWAY

The western coast of the Rhinns of Galloway provides fine scenery with
steep cliffs and attractive and secluded rocky inlets and a well known and
interesting flora. The butterfly fauna of this coast is perhaps less well known.
Over several years, frequent visits have been made between mid-June and early
July to one small area along the coast. One small bay, where extensive and
ancient rock falls have formed small sheltered suntrap valleys, has provided
many hours of butterfly study and photography.

A large colony of Northern Brown Argus, Aricia artaxerxes (F.), exists
here, where Rockrose, the larval food plant, is abundant. One day this year
over a hundred individuals were counted and of the many closely examined
all showed typical characters, apart from the strong white dot on the upper-
side of the forward wing; the underside white spots were free from black
pupils. In other seasons specimens have been photographed which exhibited
the underside spots with very small black pupils. On two occasions specimens
have been noted with sub-marginal lunules of a primrose yellow instead of the
usual orange and of a more pronounced shape and size than seems usual. This
approaches the aberration illustrated in Colour Identification Guide to
British Butterflies (T. G. Howarth 1973) of the Brown Argus, Aricia agestis
pallidior Oberthur. One specimen exhibited gynandromorph features with
unequal wing size and shape, and orange lunules on the left-hand wing only.
Nectar visits by this butterfly ranged over a variety of plants but Sedum
anglicum and Geranium sanguineum, both very frequent, were most often
visited. The same area supports an extensive colony of the Large Skipper,
Ochlodes venata (Bremer & Grey), and nectar visits of this butterfly were
observed mainly on Geranium sanguineum which clothes large areas of rock
ledge, scree and upper storm beach shingle with its splendid flowers, and
the bright orange-brown of the Skipper on the red flowers was a most attrac-
tive sight. Careful counting this season produced 150 individuals over 300
metres. The Common Blue, Polyommatus icarus (Rottemburg), is also very
abundant on this site and is on the wing at the same time.

The three whites, Pieris rapae (L.), P. napi (L.) and P. brassicae (L.),
have all been noted along with Small Copper, Lycaena phlaeas (L.), (not
frequent), Small Heath Coenonympha pamphilus (L.), and the Wall Brown,
Lasiommata megera (L.), (all very worn first brood).

The occurence together in Scotland of the Northern Brown Argus,
Large Skipper, Common Blue and Wall Brown appears to be restricted to the
Solway coast in pockets dominated by basic rock outcrops. This demon-
strates the importance of coastal sites for butterflies in Scotland where the
undisturbed nature of the ground allows good strong colonies to exist.

155

On the Possible Function of Beetles other than
Scolytidae as Vectors of Dutch Elm Disease
in Scotland

R. A. CROWSON

Zoology Department, University of Glasgow
Received August 1981

The recent spread of Dutch Elm Disease ( Ceratocystis ulmi)
in southern and eastern Scotland raises the question, whether such
spread is always due to the activity of Scolytine beetles. Three
elm-frequenting species of this group have been found in Scotland,
the well known Scolytus scolytus (F.); the rare Acrantus vittatus
(F.) (an old record from the Solway area); and what seems to be a
recent immigrant to Britain, Scolytus laevis Chap., found by me at
Floors Castle, Kelso on 16 July 1976. S. scolytus was recorded as
not occurring in Scotland by Munro (1926) and Joy (1932). The
first Scottish records of it I have traced are my own, from Old
Melrose in the Tweed valley and Dalkeith Old Oak Wood in 1958
and 1959 respectively (Crowson 1962), and from the Abbey
Craig, Stirling in 1972. More recently, the species has been found
at many sites in Tweedside, the Lothians, Fife and Tayside, as well
in the Clyde valley around Hamilton, at Balloch Park in Dunbar-
tonshire, and I have been told of at least one site in Ayrshire. The
major Scottish spread of the species (and Dutch Elm Disease)
seems to have been during the exceptional summer of 1976,
which favoured flight activity of the adults. There seems to be no
reason to doubt that insofar as S. scolytus proves able to maintain
and disperse itself in Scotland, it will serve as the main vector for
Dutch Elm Disease here as it does in England. However, in a
number of areas in the Clyde valley I have examined dead or dying
elm trees, in some of which elm disease had been officially diag-
nosed, with no trace of Scolytus beetles in them or their vicinity.
Notable instances have been in Glasgow parks, where no Scolytus
have been found as yet.

In such trees, I have almost always found beetles of other
groups, the most common of them being two species of Salpingi-
dae, Rhino simus planirostris (F.) and R. ruficollis (L.). Rather less
often the Cryptophagid Cryptophagus dentatus (Herbst), the
Cerylonid Cerylon ferrugineum Steph. and the Rhizophagid

Glasg.Nat . 20 part 2 (1981)

156

Rhizophagus dispar (Payk.) have also been found. All of these
have their larval stages living in or under the bark of dead or
part-dead trees. My study of gut-contents indicates that all of
them are mainly fungivorous in adult and larval stages, despite
attributions of predaceous habits to them in some of the older
literature (e.g. Palm 1952, 1959). The question is — could any of
them transmit the Dutch Elm Disease fungus?

There are several reasons for particular suspicion of the
Rhinosimus species. For all species of the family Salpingidae on
which I have been able to find any indications of particular fungal
associations, these have been with Ascomycetes (or their “imper-
fect” forms) of the Sphaerialean type to which Ceratocystis
belongs. Secondly, both the species mentioned fly regularly in
Scotland, as shown by captures in flight traps in the Clyde valley
even during the poor summers of 1979 and 1980; they seem to be
good colonists, as shown by their occurrence in relatively small
and recent planted woods at some distance from any older estab-
lished woodland sites. Thirdly, species of Ceratocystis (or their
“fungi imperfecti” equivalents) have been reared from wild caught
adults of both species. Fourthly, R. ruficollis has large and specia-
lised pit-like punctures on the underside of its unusually long
rostrum, these pits having associated small openings (probably
glandular) and in wild-caught adults sometimes containing what
appear to be spores embedded in a secretion. This secretion much
resembles some of the structures described as “mycangia” in cer-
tain Scolytinae, which are taken to be adapted for the trans-
mission of ecto-symbiotic fungi. Fifthly, there are reports from
Russia (Nikitskii 1980) of adults of this species with their ros-
trums deeply inserted into the bark of trees which were at the
time being colonised by Scolytinae. In the same work, R. rufi-
collis is reported also as an associate of Scolytus ratzeburgi Jan-
son in birches, an association which I have also observed in the
Scottish Highlands. Finally, both one or both of the Rhinosimus
has been found in almost every Scoly ^-attacked elm which I
have examined, and Beaver (1967) recorded them both as regu-
larly occurring in “trap” elm logs in Wytham Woods (Oxford) with
or without Scolytus species.

In R. planirostris the rostrum is shorter and has no such
specialised pits on its lower surface; the general body surface (as in
R. ruficollis) is smooth and shining, unlikely to be an effective
carrier of spores, so that fungal transport by this species is most
likely to be via the alimentary canal and the faeces. Viable fungal
spores have been found in faeces of a number of types of ligni-

157

colous Coleoptera. The habits of R. planirostris clearly differ from
those of ruficollis. Adults of the former can regularly be collected
by beating foliage of living healthy trees in the summer months,
whereas I have only two records of an adult ruficollis collected in
this way. My own observations, and those of Larsson (1945) and
Nikitskii (1980) indicate a main breeding season in spring for
ruficollis but in autumn for planirostris. Furthermore, pupation of
ruficollis seems normally to occur in or under the bark of the host
tree, whereas, as noted by Nikitskii (1980), planirostris pupation
seems usually to be in the ground. I have frequently found teneral
adults of planirostris in forest leaf-litter samples, but never of
ruficollis. From my records of collecting adults and larvae under
bark, the two species would appear to be about equally common
in this area, but my flight records are about ten times as many for
planirostris as for ruficollis. This may reflect the extra flight
activity of the former species in getting to and from tree foliage in
the summer. Examination of gut-contents of adult planirostris
beaten from tree foliage in the summer has shown little or no
evident fungal material, but considerable amounts of what appear
to be cellular plant tissue, probably from bark of twigs or small
branches; also at times fragments of small insects.

It seems likely that the first flights of young adult planiro-
stris would usually take them straight from the ground to the
summer foliage habitat. If this is so, they would be unlikely to be
carrying spores or conidia of lignicolous fungi, which they would
be equally unlikely to pick up while feeding on the living trees, so
that in their late summer or early autumn flight from the foliage
to the bark habitats for breeding and overwintering they are still
unlikely to carry spores of Ceratocystis. However, if, as my field
collecting records suggest, a significant proportion of them survive
the winter to return to the foliage habitat in a second summer,
these might serve to infect healthy trees with potentially lethal
fungi.

I see little reason to doubt that R. ruficollis is capable of
carrying spores of Ceratocystis ulmi and similar fungi to new
hosts, but from available information this seems unlikely to
happen to completely healthy living trees, there being hardly any
evidence that these beetles are attracted to them. Their flights are
much more likely to take them to already damaged or moribund
trees, where fungi are likely to be already present. Ceratocystis
species are known in laboratory cultures to be rather slow growing
and ill-adapted to compete with other lignicolous fungi. The
recent observations of Webber (1981) have shown that a Phomop-

158

sis occurring in dead elms has a marked “anti-mycotic” effect on
Ceratocystis ulmi — and a Phomopsis has been reared here from a
Rhinosimus planirostris from a dead elm in the Clyde valley;
Trichoderma viride , a species commonly reared here from Rhino-
simus adults, is well known as an antagonist of many other ligni-
colous fungi in cultures.

Both Cerylon ferrugineum and Cryptophagus dentatus have
what may be external adaptations for the transport of fungal
spores. In the Cerylon , these take the form of large somewhat
eccentric punctures on the lower side of the head and pro thorax,
with associated possibly glandular openings. As in Rhinosimus
ruficollis , at least one adult of C. ferrugineum caught in a suction
trap proved to have what seemed to be fungal spores in some of
these pits. The late H. E. Hinton (personal communication)
reported finding larvae of Cerylon in crevices of the bark of quite
fresh and sometimes still living trees. These larvae have specialised
piercing-sucking mouth-parts and probably feed mainly by sucking
the contents of fungal hyphae, but the adults have fungal spores as
major components in their gut-contents. As in the cases of the
Rhinosimus species, C. ferrugineum has little apparent preference
for elm over other tree species, and is probably not very specia-
lised in respect of its fungal foods. Fungi reared from wild-caught
adults of this species have included Ceratocystis sp. It too has
been caught (though only in small numbers) in flight traps in the
Clyde area, and is widely distributed, in relatively young planta-
tions as well as in old-established woodlands.

Cryptophagus dentatus is a rather more frequent accompanist
of Scolytus and the Rhinosimus species in dead elms than is the
Cerylon , and has been caught more frequently than it in our flight
traps. It differs from the other species in having a closely pubes-
cent body surface, in which spores could easily be entangled. Its
possible fungus-carrying pits are differently located. There is a
pair on the pronotum, just before its base; a pair in the antero-
median angles of the mes-episterna; and a pair on the metaster-
num, just behind the middle coxal cavities. None of them have
evident associated glandular openings. As in Rhinosimus , the larval
gut-contents consist largely of hyphal fragments, whereas adult
guts usually contain spores in quantity. Unlike the previously
mentioned species, this one (or specimens I have been unable to
distinguish from it) regularly occurs also in both adult and larval
stages in fruit-bodies of the Basidiomycete Polyporaceae.

Rhizophagus dispar resembles Rhinosimus planirostris in
having a shiny almost glabrous body surface and in lacking evident

159

adaptations for spore transport. Its adult and larval gut-contents
much resemble those of the last species. It has been caught, rather
rarely in flight in the Clyde area, and its distribution, like those of
the previous species, indicates good colonising powers. I have no
records of collecting this species by beating foliage of living trees,
and like the other species here considered, it shows no evident pre-
ference for elms over other species of trees.

The conclusion I would draw is that Rhinosimus ruficollis,
R. planirostris, Cerylon ferrugineum and Cryptophagus dentatus
are the most likely vectors of Ceratocystis ulmi in Scotland in the
absence of Scolytus scolytus , but that, singly or together, they are
unlikely to be agents of mass killing of elms here, for several
reasons. Firstly, they are in no way specific to elms, and are likely
to carry Ceratocystis ulmi from diseased elms to other species of
adjacent trees. Secondly, with the possible exception of Rhino-
simus planirostris , I know of no evidence that any of them would
be likely to carry the Ceratocystis to completely healthy un-
damaged trees. Thirdly, they are likely to carry other species of
fungi, some of which, like Trichoderma viride or Phomopsis sp.,
would tend to compete with and suppress the Ceratocystis .

Another possibility which may merit consideration is that
Ceratocystis ulmi may be capable of developing in trees other than
elms. The fungus was identified by mycologists of the Common-
wealth Mycological Institute, Kew, in a culture obtained from
the bark beetle Dryocoetinus villosus (F.), collected from the bark
of a dead oak in Mugdock Wood, near Milngavie in 1978. The
beetle in question is an oak specialist, never to my knowledge
recorded from elms, which in any case are very scarce in Mugdock
Wood. If this fungus can survive and develop in oak, the possibility
of its effective spread by the Rhinosimus , Cerylon and Crypto-
phagus species we have discussed will be considerably increased.

References

BEAVER, R. A. 1967. Notes on the fauna associated with elm bark beetles in
Wytham Wood, Berks. Entomologist’s mon. Mag. 102: 163-172.
CROWSON, R. A. 1962. Observations on Coleoptera in Scottish Oak Woods.
Glasg. Nat. 18: 177-195.

JOY, N. H. 1932. A Practical Handbook of British Beetles. London.

(reprinted 1978 E. W. Classey).

LARSSON, S. G. 1945. Danmarks Fauna Bd. 50: Biller 12, Heteromerer
Larverne. Copenhagen.

MUNRO, J. W. 1926. British Bark Beetles. Forestry Commission Bulletin 8.

160

NIKITSKII, N. B. Insect Predators of Bark Beetles and their Ecology (in
Russian). “Nauka” publishers Moscow 1980.

PALM, T. 1952. Die Holz-und Rinden-Kafer der nordschwedischen Laub-
bmme.Medd. Skogsforskn-Inst., 40(2).

PALM, T. 1959. Die Holz-und Rinden-Kafer der sud- und mittelschwedischen
Laubbaume. Opusc. ent . suppl. 16: 1-374.

WEBBER, J. 1981. A natural biological control of Dutch elm disease. Nature,
Lond. 292: 449-451.

161

Chenopodium probstii —

a rare alien Goosefoot

PETER MACPHERSON

15 Lubnaig Road, Glasgow.

Received September 1981

Chenopodium probstii Aellen was seen in two sites in Lanark-
shire (VC 77) in 1980.

A single plant grew on waste ground at the old Queen’s Dock
in Glasgow and three together in the Cathkin Rubbish tip.

The plant is usually tall, the younger leaves are mealy with a
reddish flush but fairly soon get a characteristic reddish border.
The lower ones are nearly three-lobed and densely dentate. Pressed
specimens have thick leaves which are rather leather-like (Jorgen-
sen 1973). In Europe, many of the first finds were connected with
wool imports which may be why the species was regarded as
Australian by Aellen (1930). However, Jorgensen (1973) con-
sidered that the plant was almost certainly of American origin, all
the Norwegian records from 1960 onwards being at grain mills,
poultry farms or as weeds in manured fields. Localities in Fin-
land have been mill, harbour and dumps (Uotila and Suominen
1976). The seed probably arrives with imported grain, though it
may be a constituent also of bird seed. The Glasgow localities of
dock and rubbish tip are comparable.

As the plant does not normally flower until the autumn, in
Central Europe it seldom flowers and even more infrequently sets
seeds (Uotila and Suominen 1976). It never sets seeds in Norway,
in fact, only one specimen (collected in October) is known with
inflorescences (Jorgensen 1973). Being an annual, its presence,
therefore, is dependent on importation. It is also unusual for
plants to flower in this country, however flowering occurred in
October in both stations and seeds were produced at Cathkin. No
plants have been found at either station in 1981 .

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 2 (1981)

162

This alien Goosefoot must be more frequent than reports
suggest, probably being passed over as a lush specimen of Fat Hen
(C. album). It is hoped that publication of a drawing will facilitate
more frequent recognition.

In preparing the illustration many flowers of a pressed speci-
men from Cathkin were examined with the aid of a dissecting
microscope but no anthers were seen. However, from a few ovules
seeds were obtained! One in six of the Queen’s Dock flowers
examined had anthers. Most flowers had two stigmas, though at
Cathkin 1/4 had three as had 1/20 at Queen’s Dock.

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to Professor J. P. M. Brenan for identifying the
specimens and for suggesting suitable references and to Dr Elspeth
L. S. Lindsay for the illustration.

References

AELLEN, P. 1930. Die wolladventiven Chenopodien Europas. Verb. Natur-
forsch. Ges. Basel 41 : 77-104.

JORGENSEN, M. 1973. The genus Chenopodium in Norway. Norw. J. Bot.
20:303-319.

UOTILA, P. and SUOMINEN, J. 1976. The Chenopodium species in Finland,
their occurrence and means of immigration. Ann. Bot. Fennici 13: 1-25.

163

164

Junior Excursion to the Wilderness

ELSPETH L. S. LINDSAY

Encouraged by the success of last year’s Junior Excursion
( Glasg . Nat . 20: 74), we held a second meeting on the 18th
June, 1981 , with an attendance of 14.

As the theme of the 1981 Glasgow Natural History Society
Exhibition Meeting was “Woodland”, it was thought appropriate
to explore such a habitat.

It was decided that we should visit the Wilderness Plantation,
Bishopbriggs as it is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The
significance of an SSSI, and the history of the plantation was
explained before we ventured into the wood. It had originally
been an area with beech, oak and birch, but selective felling and
copicing had been carried out twice, most recently in about 1957.
The site had not been surveyed for many years, so once in the
wood the party was split into two groups, and the youngsters
enthusiastically noted the plants identified.

In all, 80 species were recorded. Unfortunately, many were
not in flower so instruction was given on identification from
foliage alone, and the importance of the basal leaves in this respect
was stressed. The group was interested to see that in the deeper
parts of the wood, the leaves of many plants were larger and lusher
than in the more open areas.

We noted the trees in particular, although there were only
seven different species.

We were surprised to see a specimen of Com Spurrey in
shady ground and were curious as to its origin. However, pre-
sently, we came to a clearing in which an animal feeding trough
was surrounded by species associated with arable and trampled
sites, such as the Com Spurrey, Redshank and Greater Plantain.

Although rather damp by the end of the evening, everyone
seemed to have been genuinely interested in all they had seen,
and we hope to repeat the exercise next year.

165

Comparison of the Flora of two
Refuse Tips

PETER MACPHERSON
BARBARA C. M. MACPHERSON

15 Lubnaig Road, Glasgow

Received September 1981

At the Cathkin refuse tip, the waste material is deposited in
the crude state while at the Wilderness tip near Bishopbriggs (both
Lanarkshire VC 77) the refuse is subjected to high density bailing
before deposition. In view of these different methods of disposal,
we thought it might be interesting to compare the flora in the two
sites.

The Cathkin tip is in an old quarry. Tipping began in 1971
and approximately 60,000 tons per year are deposited. It serves
mainly the East Kilbride District, though it is used occasionally by
Cambuslang and Rutherglen. In addition, refuse from those parts
of Glasgow which are north of the river, goes to Dawsholm where
it is incinerated and the ashes used as a covering for Cathkin.

The Wilderness tip has mostly arable surroundings but at one
part is limited by a pond. Tipping began there in 1978 and
approximately 100,000 tons are deposited annually. It serves
South Glasgow. The material is first taken to Polmadie for com-
paction. Bales of one cubic metre and weighing 1% tons are pro-
duced by subjecting the refuse to a pressure of > 3,000 Ib./sq. in.

A visit was made to each tip in mid -September, 1980
known plants were listed and specimens of others were taken for
subsequent identification.

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 2 (1981)

166

Results

The overall results are given in Table 1. Of the total of 135
plant species, 108 (80%) were present at Cathkin and 84 (62.2%)
at Wilderness. Fifty-seven species (42.2%) were common to both,
while 51 (37.8%) were found at Cathkin alone and 27 (20%) at
Wilderness alone.

The species have been sub-divided according to their usual
habitat. In the context of a refuse tip, the group comprising plants
which one normally associates with garden or household rubbish is
the most interesting. Examples of ‘‘kitchen garden” plants are
Mint and Garden Pea, while the “household refuse” plants are
Tomato, Potato, Garden Cress, Canary Grass and a rare Goosefoot,
Chenopodium probstii (see previous paper, page 161) - the
latter two presumably originating from canary seed. Tomato
was actually the most common plant at Cathkin, many specimens
in flower but none in fruit. “Garden” plants are listed in Table 2.

Comparison of relative density of vegetation was difficult to
estimate, but because of deposition, new surfaces are always being
created and in both sites there were many bare areas.

DISCUSSION

Refuse

Less material is deposited at Cathkin but it supports a greater
variety of “refuse” and other plants. This could be related to the
surrounding environment or the fact that the waste matter is
deposited without being compressed, as it is not considered that
the areas served have affected the resultant flora.

The walls of the old quarry in which the Cathkin tip is
situated are, for the most part, higher than the surrounding
countryside, while at Wilderness the tip is level with the adjacent
land. Although it might be argued that access to Cathkin for wind
blown seeds would be more difficult than at Wilderness, once in
the quarry, the seeds would be trapped! Plants presumed to have
seeded into the tips include those normally inhabiting waste
ground and meadow. At Cathkin there were, in fact, more than
one and a half times the number of such species found at Wilder-
ness.

The quarry wall supported only one rock plant — Biting
Stonecrop.

167

TABLE 1 The number of plants recorded at the tips with
division into their usual habitat.

Cathkin alone

Waste Ground 1 5

Garden/Household 1 1
Meadow 10

Arable 5

Grasses 7

Shrubs/Trees 2

Rushes 0

Wet 0

Fern 0

Wall 1

Wilderness alone Both sites Total

8

6

1

4

3

0

2

2

1

0

23 46

9 26

10 21

7 16

5 15

2 4

0 2

0 2

1 2

0 1

(%)

(34.1)
(19.3)
(15.5)
(11.8)

(11.1)
( 3.0)
( 1-5)
( 1-5)
( 1.5)
( 0.7)

51 27 57 135

(37.8%) (20%) (42.2%) (100%)

TABLE 2 The list of “garden” plants recorded.

Cathkin alone
Aquilegia vulgaris
(Columbine)

Borago officinalis
(Borage)

Wilderness alone
Carthamus tinctorius
(Safflower)

Helianthus annuus
(Sunflower)

Chrysanthemum maximum Lysimachia punctata
(Shasta Daisy) (Dotted

Iris cultivar Loosestrife)

Lobularia maritima
(Sweet Alison)

Lupinus cultivar
(Lupin)

Paeonia cultivar
(Peony)

Sidalcea cultivar

Symphoricarpos rivularis
(Snowberry)

Both Sites
Aster cultivar

(Michaelmas Daisy)

Calendula officinalis
(Pot Marigold)

Crocosmia x crocosmiflora
(Montbretia)

Iberis umbellata
(Candytuft)

Tropaeolum majus
(Nasturtium)

168

The Wilderness tip is surrounded by arable land and one
might therefore have expected more plants associated with such a
habitat. The number of “arable” plants was, however, almost
equal at 1 1 and 1 2 .

Wet ground habitat is the only category in which Wilderness
had a greater number of species than Cathkin. In the damper
ground near the pond at Wilderness were found the two plants
(Angelica, Greater Birdsfoot Trefoil) and the two rushes (Slender
and Soft), as in Table 1 , and three wet ground grasses (Marsh Fox-
tail, Reed Canary -grass, Reed Sweet-grass).

Conclusion

The greater volume of material deposited at Wilderness might
have been expected to produce a greater number of plant species.
The fact that this was not so and also that appreciably more
species have seeded naturally into Cathkin suggests that the treat-
ment of the refuse deposited at Wilderness results either in a
poorer medium for plant germination or has a smothering effect.

Acknowledgment

We are grateful to Mr E. J. Clement for help with the identifi-
cation of “Garden” plants.

169

Plant Records from Bute, 1981

J. H. DICKSON

Carduus acanthoides L. (Welted Thistle)

As the map in Perring and Walters (1976) shows, Welted
Thistle is common in Scotland only in the southeast while in
west-central and southwest Scotland it is sparse and largely coast-
al. There may be no previous records for vice-county 1 00 (Clyde
Isles). Perhaps it has decreased in recent decades, but I would not
describe its occurrence in the Clyde area as “frequent” as stated
by Lee (1933) who lists it from Ailsa Craig.

On 9 July, 1981 Welted Thistle was found in the vicinity of
St. Blane’s Chapel (26/095534) mostly just outside the gate in the
northside wall. Though only in small numbers it was conspicuous
by its vividly dark purple capitula, just coming into flower. It was
growing close to all three of the much commoner Cirsium spp.,
C. palustre (L.) Scop. (Marsh Thistle), C. vulgare (Savi) Ten.
(Scottish Thistle) and C. arvense (L.) Scop. (Creeping Thistle).

Cynoglossum officinale L. (Hound Vtongue)

Hound’s-tongue occurs profusely at Glencallum Bay (26/
112527). This occurrence, reported to the Biological Records
Centre by Mr B. Simpson in 1978, has been known to Miss Doro-
thy Marshall and other members of the Buteshire Natural History
Society for many years. Further details will appear in the Trans-
actions of the Buteshire Natural History Society in due course.
However, this being the only west of Scotland locality (Perring
and Walters 1976), publication is justified now.

Veronica peregrina L. (American Speedwell)

American Speedwell has been recorded in Scotland since
1860 but only in very recent years, however, has it been com-
monly found in the west of Scotland. Peter Macpherson (1980)
has listed five discoveries made by members of the Glasgow
Natural History Society; these are all additional to the localities
plotted by Bangerter (1966).

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 2 (1981)

170

American Speedwell seems to be most at home in walled
gardens and nurseries. Knowing this it came as no surprise when I
found the plant in considerable abundance in the walled garden
at Karnes Castle (26/062676) on 8 July, 1981. The gardener, Mr
A. Simpson, told me that it seems to have increased in the last few
years and he thought that it may be resistant to weedkiller. More
observations and experimentation are needed to confirm this
opinion. However, the occurrences in walled gardens and nurseries
in Scotland (and elsewhere) are now so numerous as to merit
comment additional to that by Bangerter (1964). Perhaps it can
only compete well in the enriched and persistently open soil of
well-tended gardens.

Bangerter (1966) considers that it cannot be regarded as fully
naturalised. Nevertheless, the persistence of the American Speed-
well in the walled garden at Kiloran, Colonsay, for more than 60
years (Dickson 1974) and the many localities listed by both
Bangerter and Macpherson mean that it is a well established mem-
ber of the British weed flora.

References

DICKSON, J. H. 1974. Colonsay. Glasg. Nat. 19: 140.

BANGERTER, E. B. 1964. Veronica peregrina L. in the British Isles. Proc.
bot. Soc. Br. Isl. 5: 303-313.

BANGERTER, E. B. 1966. Further Notes on Veronica peregrina L. Proc.
bot Soc. Br. Isl. 6: 215-220.

LEE, J. R. 1933. The Flora of the Gy de Area. Glasgow: John Smith and Son.

MACPHERSON, P. 1980. Veronica peregrina in the West of Scotland. Glasg.
Nat 20: 71-73.

PERRING, F. H. and WALTERS, S. M. (1976). Atlas of the British Flora.
Wakefield: EP Publishing Ltd.

171

On the occurrence of abnormally
coloured Moles in Ayrshire

FRED R. WOODWARD

Department of Natural History,

Glasgow Museums and Art Galleries

Received September 1981

In April 1980, Mr D. Lindsay Currie, of Taybum, Waterside
in Ayrshire, presented the Natural History Department, Kelvin-
grove Museum and Art Gallery, with two fine examples of the
common Mole, Talpa talpa (Linnaeus).

Both individuals proved to be males and are remarkable in
being uniform off-white on the dorsal surface instead of the
normal dark colouration. The ventral surface is similar except for a
golden tinge extending along the median line as far as throat and
nasal area.

The details of these individuals are :

Specimen A Caught 7 April 1980. Sex: male.

Dimensions:

weight 1 0 1 .6 gm. ; overall length 1 84 mm . ;

head and body 156 mm.; tail 28 mm.;

right hind foot 17 mm.

Museum Registration number NH.Z. 1980-62 B.

Specimen B Caught 9 April 1980. Sex: male.

Dimensions:

weight 99.3 gm.; overall length 175 mm.;

head and body 154 mm.; tail 21 mm.;

right hind foot 12.5 mm.

Museum Registration number NH.Z. 1980-62 A.

Both individuals were trapped in the same corner of the same
field on 7 and 9 April by Mr Currie by means of a standard Barrel
Mole Trap. They have subsequently been made into cabinet skins
by Mr D. Ferguson, senior Taxidermist to the Department, and
placed in the permanent Collections.

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 2 (1981)

172

In June 1981 a third abnormally coloured mole was pre-
sented to the Natural History Department.

The animal which is in moult was caught on the banks of the
River Ayr near Ayr and is of the Apricot or Golden variety.

Caught 28 May 1981. Sex: male.

Dimensions:

weight 1 10.0 gm.; overall length 172.5 mm.;

head and body 142 mm.; tail 30.5 mm.;

right hind foot 20 mm.

Museum Registration number NH.Z. 1981-91

The specimen was made into a cabinet skin by David Raines,
Taxidermist to the Department.

Records of these so-called albino moles over the past hundred
years indicate that this abnormality is more frequent in moles than
other British mammals.

Indeed G.B. Corbet (1963) p 330, states “Partial and total
albinism is of frequent occurrence in the mole, and seven partial
albinos with considerable amounts of white ventrally and on the
snout all had the tail white at the tip but dark at the base.’’ The
British Museum collection also contains 22 total albino (or cream)
individuals, and 8 of a uniform pale grey or brown colour, i.e. 37
of grossly abnormal pelage out of 99 British specimens. Whilst it is
impossible to judge from museum material the actual frequency of
these striking colour varieties in natural populations, it seems safe
to conclude that gross albinism is genuinely of more frequent
occurrence in moles than in any other species of British mammal.

It should be remembered however, that the mole, unlike
other small British mammals, has been actively trapped in con-
siderable numbers every year by farmers etc. with the result that
the apparently large numbers of albinos recorded may be simply
due to higher sampling techniques for this species. In addition, by
its nature, the mole is an active burro wer, spending the major por-
tion of its life below ground in an environment in which the
colour of its skin will present no obvious handicap for survival
thus affording a greater opportunity for albinos to survive in Talpa
compared with other mammalian species.

A limited search through the literature indicates that white
moles appear to be more frequent in parts of East Anglia, North
Wales, Leicestershire and Merseyside, decreasing northwards.

173

Scottish records are from a) Dildawn, near Castle Douglas
and also the neighbourhood of Thornhill by R. Service (1891)

b) Gigha, off the Kintyre coast by W. Hannan Watson (1888)

c) Langa, near Campbeltown, in 1868 — Gibson & Colville (1975).

References

CORBET G. B. 1963. The frequency of albinism of the tail tip in British
Mammals. Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 140: 327-30.

GIBSON, J. A. & COLVILLE, D. 1975. The Mammals of Kintyre. Western

Naturalist 4: 1-28.

SERVICE, R. 1891. Variety of the White Mole. Scottish Naturalist 5 (NS):
191.

WATSON, W. HANNAN 1888. White Variety of the Mole. Zoologist 3:387.

174

Type specimen of the Sponge

Geodia gibberosa

FRED. R. WOODWARD
Department of Natural History,

Glasgow Museums and Art Galleries

A fragment of sponge in Kelvingrove Museum is considered to be of
holotypic status belonging to the species described by Lamarck in 1819 under
the name Geodia gibberosa Lamarck.

This important find resulted from the discovery of the following letter
from James Scott Bowerbank F.R.S., F.L.S., F.G.S. (1797-1877) amongst
some miscellaneous papers associated with the herbarium of the Reverend Dr.
John Fleming (1785-1857) in the Natural History Department’s collection.

“My Dear Sir

Since I had the pleasure of writing to you I have received portions of
the two specimens of Lamarcks Geodia gibberosa from the Paris Museum and
have carefully examined them. They both belong to the same species, and
what will not surprise you a little, they are identical both generically and
specifically with your specimen from Dominica, which in truth, is neither
more nor less, than the best known specimen of Geodia gibberosa Lamarck.

The form, proportions, mode of arrangement of the spicula and every

other organic character are in perfect accordance in all the three specimens,
and these characters differ so much from those of any other known species
as not to allow of a doubt of their identity. This is to me an unexpected
result and that you may be the better enabled to satisfy yourself I send you
a portion of the specimen from Martinique, the type of Lamarcks Geodia
and you will find portions of both the exterior and interior surfaces.

I hope the box containing your treasures has reached you safely. I
conveyed it to the Gt. Northern Railway myself to ensure its safe delivery
to that extent.

I remain, My Dear Sir,

Yours respectfully,

J. S. Bowerbank. Reed Prof. Fleming D.D.S.”

Bowerbank’s letter affords an interesting insight into the attitude of
Victorian scientists. He considered the original type material to be of
immense value in determining the true nature of a particular species and yet,
at the same time, gave little regard for its future preservation. His readiness
to remove fragments of authentic material for Professor Fleming shows
scientific zeal for accuracy but total disregard for the importance of type
specimens.

Subsequently the importance of Bowerbank’s letter has been enhanced
by the discovery of a small pill box containing a sponge fragment in Fleming’s
collection and inscribed in blue ink “ Geodia gibberosa Lamarck” in Bower-
bank’s characteristic hand. An examination of this fragment confirms its
identification and with this associated documentary evidence it must there-
fore be considered as being primary type material.

175

Dick Prasher M.B.E.

Field Botanist Extraordinary

Richard Prasher was bom at Dairy, Ayrshire, on 7 August
1899 and died on 16 December 1980. His mother died when he
was only ten, and his father eight years later. His early life was
hard, as the middle one of a large family of seven — four brothers
and two sisters. He married at Dairy on 5 June 1931 .

He started work as a post boy at 13. He subsequently worked
at Blair No. 9 pit, and at the Glengarnock steelworks. His 19th
birthday was his first day in the Army. He was sent to Ireland in
the Royal Scots and after service returned to the steelworks. He
joined the railway in 1920 and achieved the outdoor job for which
he had always yearned. He was Dairy branch secretary of the
National Union of Railwaymen for 23 years until 1967, and served
as Sectional Councillor to the National Executive for 1 6 years. He
became a ganger in 1947 and retired in 1964.

Beside his love of flowers and nature generally, Dick had an
incredible assortment of other interests and activities. He was an
avid Burns scholar, but considered both Ramsay and Ferguson
better in some respects. He became commandant of the Dairy
British Rail group of the St. Andrew’s Ambulance Association of
which he was a member for no less than 50 years! He joined Kil-
marnock Glenfield Ramblers in 1938 and became a Vice President.
Additionally — as with the Andersonian Naturalists, Glasgow Art
Galleries and Museums Association and the Paisley Naturalists —
he eventually became an Honorary Member.

It was when he retired in 1964 that his close association with
Kelvingrove Museum commenced. There, the wild plant table,
originally set up just after the war by another “Andersonian”,
William Rennie, was ever-growing in popularity. Dick’s offer to do
much of the collecting and — equally important, the identifica-
tions — was gratefully siezed upon by the staff. Thus started an
incredibly profitable, pleasurable and often humorous association
with the Natural History Department which lasted until just a
week or so before Dick’s death. He was active, inquisitive and
helpful right to the end; he would not have wanted it otherwise.

One of his greatest disappointments was in failing to bring
Smith’s “Botany of Ayrshire” up-to-date — a task he had almost
finished in 1967 when a disastrous fire burned down his house
and he lost all his notes. He was never able to replace them.

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 2 (1981)

176

While enormously sociable (the entire staff at Kelvingrove
grew to love him) Dick was nevertheless an individual to the nth
degree. He had the distinction of being the only member of the
museum staff (honorary or otherwise) to be issued with an official
pair of carpet slippers! Each week, from May until late September
for sixteen years he would collect, bring to the Museum, identify
and put out up to 150 species of common plants (never rare ones),
yet he refused to take even a halfpenny more than his actually-
incurred expenses.

He was awarded the M.B.E. in the New Year’s Honours List
for 1979 for “services to the environment”. It was well known
that Trevor Walden was a great admirer of Dick and his work, and
rumour persists that he had something to do with the behind-the-
scenes events beforehand. It was a justly proud Dick who received
his medal from the Queen at Buckingham Palace on 20 March of
that year. On 10 April a special dinner was given in his honour by
the Society and he was presented with some Caithness glass to
mark the occasion.

Dick’s life was a striking example of determination and guts,
given his meagre education and finances. Despite these barriers he
was determined to learn, and learn he did; and having learned he
spared no pains to pass it on to others. He was blessed with five
children, to whom we give our sympathies at the passing of their
father — botanist extraordinary, M.B.E. c. E. Palmar

With the death of Richard (Dick) Prasher the Society has lost
one of its most prominent and respected members. Elected to
membership of the then Glasgow and Andersonian Natural History
and Microscopical Society in 1936, it was only a short time before
Dick was elected a member of Council in 1939, and in the follow-
ing year his enthusiasm and talents for the study of botany were
recognised by his nomination and election to the office of Con-
vener of the Botanical Section, a position he occupied with out-
standing success until 1 97 1 when he stood down for reasons of
failing health.

Dick was one of the “old school” of botanists whose plant
lore was learned in the field rather than from the text book. His
occupation as a railwayman, whose duties took him almost daily
along the permanent way of the north Ayrshire lines, provided
unique opportunities to observe and study the plants and vege-

177

Dick Prasher M.B.E.

Photograph by courtesy of “Scots Magazine”

178

tation of this particular habitat. It was in his knowledge of his
local plants that Dick Prasher’s talents as a field botanist were
most evident. Scarcely a summer passed without his conducting
a party of members on an excursion in the vicinity of his home
town of Dairy, or perhaps at nearby Kilwinning or Stevenston,
proudly showing the assembled company some local botanical
speciality, perhaps Viper’s Bugloss on pit spoil heaps at Dairy,
or Teesdalia nudicaulis on the sandy waste ground at Bogside.

Dick was a frequent contributor to the Glasgow Naturalist.
During the years immediately following World War II, when it was
customary to publish full accounts of the summer excursions,
his reports were models of their kind. Although his contributions
were usually in the “Short Notes” category, he occasionally
penned a longer article, for example the report of the Society’s
Botanical Section (jointly with J. R. Lee) on “The Natural History
Features of the West of Scotland in Relation to Regional Planning”
{Glasg. Nat. 15: 43-46). He addressed the Society on a number of
occasions; perhaps the most noteworthy talk was in 1955, on
“The flora of a railway embankment”, his observations on plants
during his long railway service. On at least two occasions he was
the first to draw attention to interesting alien plants established
in Ayrshire. A note on his discovery of an introduced hawkweed
( Hieracium praealtum) at Hurlford appears in Glasg. Nat. 18: 382,
and David McClintock records the finding, by Dick, of the alien
ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya at Seafield, Ayr {Glasg. Nat. 18:
452).

Membership of our Society brought Dick into contact with
other prominent local botanists, and his botanical horizons were
no doubt considerably widened under the influence of men like
John Lee and Robert Mackechnie. John Lee gave him special
encouragment and Lee’s “Flora of the Clyde Area” would cer-
tainly have been enhanced in terms of Ayrshire records had Dick
Prasher appeared on the scene ten years earlier.

After the fire of 1967, Dick appears not to have kept written
botanical notes, nor did he ever accumulate a herbarium collec-
tion, consequently there is no full and permanent record of his
activities over the years. Nevertheless, his contribution to our
knowledge of the distribution of local plants has been consider-
able. Some of the books he was able to gather together after the
fire have been gifted by his family to the Society’s library as a
permanent memento. A. McG. Stirling

179

Short Notes

COMPILED BY A. McG. STIRLING

Invertebrates

Additional Records of Freshwater Leeches SHEENA M. FRASER

Maitland (1973) in his paper on the Freshwater Leeches ( Hiru -
dined) of the Clyde Sea Area ( Glasg . Nat. 19: 39-43) reported that
of the 14 species of leech recorded from Scotland Piscicola geo-
metra (L.), Hirudo medicinalis (L.) and Trocheta bykowskii Ged-
royc had not been found in the Clyde Area in recent years. In the
course of routine biological surveys conducted by the Clyde River
Purification Board, specimens of P. geometra were collected from
the Forth and Clyde Canal near Auchendavie Viaduct (NS 6757-
48) in August and September 1980. In February 1981 a single
T. bykowskii was taken from the White Cart Water at Linn Park,
Glasgow (NS 581592). I am grateful to Dr Maitland for confirm-
ing the latter record.

Cuckoo Bees near Loch Lomond I. C. CHRISTIE

Stirling (86), Dunbarton (99): A drone of the cuckoo bee Psithy-
rus campestris (Panzer) was found on a flower head of Ragwort,
Senecio jacobaea, behind Balmaha village (v.c. 86) on 6 Septem-
ber, 1981, and two drones were found on Devil’s-bit Scabious,
Succisa pratensis, in the Aber portion of the Loch Lomond
National Nature Reserve (v.c. 99) on 13 September, 1981. All
three specimens are of the subspecies campestris , the most north-
westerly records for that subspecies, and are the only records
of the species for these vice-counties.

Psithyrus campestris is represented by the subspecies swynner-
toni Richards on the west Scottish coast from Arran to Ardna-
murchan, and by the typical subspecies elsewhere in the British
Isles. It is the social parasite on the brown bumblebee Bombus
pascuorum (Scopoli).

The list of Bombus species for the south-east comer of Loch
Lomond with corresponding Psithyrus species now includes:

Bombus lucorum (L.) — Psithyrus bohemicus (Seidl)

Bombus lucorum magnus Vogt
Bombus terrestris (L.)

Bombus jonellus (Kirby)

180

* Bombus monticola Smith

Bombus prato rum (L.) — Psithyrus sylvestris Lepeletier

Bombus hortorum (L.) — Psithyrus barbutellus (Kirby)

Bombus pascuorum (Scop.) — Psithyrus campestris (Panzer)

* Formerly misidentified as B. lapponicus (F.) in Britain

Unusual Beetles in Provand’s Lordship R. A. CROWSON

Provand’s Lordship, reputedly the oldest surviving building in
Glasgow after the Cathedral, dates from 1471 and contains many
very old hand-cut oak beams probably from that date. In the
course of a survey of the woodwork in the building, carried out by
a team from the Forest Products Research Laboratory in company
with the present writer, among a great deal of damage to the
ancient timbers by the Common Woodworm, Anobium punctatum
(Degeer), in one or two places parts of roof timbers had been
reduced to powder by the Powder Post Beetle Lyctus brunneus
(Stephens) and several of the oak beams contained larger old holes
probably attributable to the Oak Longhorn Beetle Phymatodes
testaceus (L.).

It is noteworthy that neither the Lyctus nor the Phymatodes have
been recorded in modem times from any outdoor sites in the
Clyde area, but that both were found by me breeding in fallen oak
branches in Dalkeith Old Oak Wood in 1959 (Crowson, R. A.
1962 “Observations on Coleoptera in Scottish Oak Woods”.
Glasg. Nat. 18: 177-195), these being the only records for either
species outdoors in Scotland this century.

It seems unlikely that the original timbers for Provand’s Lordship
would have been brought by road from very far away — although
I suppose they could have been brought in by boat to the city. It
seems most likely that they came from oakwoods in the Clyde
valley not very far from the city. The Phymatodes is not known to
breed in timbers in buildings; it was probably in the timbers when
the building was erected. This provides evidence that the species
was once present in the Clyde valley, and has probably been exter-
minated in most of its original Scottish range by destruction of
oakwoods in the 17th and 18th centuries. It will be interesting to
see whether its burrows are found in similarly ancient oak timbers
in other parts of our area. The Lyctus could have a similar history,
although unlike Phymatodes it is capable of breeding indoors and
might have been introduced at some later date in furniture. How-
ever in that case it is a little surprising that we should have found
its traces only in the roof timbers.

The recent occurrence of both species in the Dalkeith wood
emphasizes the special interest of that locality, and makes it all

181

the more regrettable that it has no more protection today than
that provided by being scheduled as a Site of Special Scientific
Interest by the Nature Conservancy Council.

The Wasp Parasite Beetle in Scotland R. A. CROWSON

The rather conspicuous Rhipiphorid beetle Metoecus paradoxus
(L.), whose larvae feed on grubs of social wasps in their nests, has
been rarely reported from Scotland. Fowler, in The Coleoptera of
the British Islands: Vol. V quotes “Scotland, very rare, Clyde and
Forth areas”, and there is an old record by D. Sharp from Both-
well Castle, Lanarkshire.

A number of dead adults were found in a house in Helensburgh,
Dunbartonshire, in September 1977, associated with an old nest
of a vespid species. In September 1981, Mr M. A. Taylor of the
Perth Museum and Art Gallery told me of the “recent” capture of
a specimen in Perth, and two specimens, found in the bathroom of
a house in Newton Mearns, Renfrewshire, were brought to my
attention by Mr G. Hosie. No wasp nest was recorded in the latter
case, though there may well have been one in the roof of the
house concerned. The adult females of Metoecus are said to lay
eggs on dead wood, where their agile newly -hatched larvae attach
themselves to the bodies of wasps collecting wood fibres for nest
construction.

Clouded Yellow Butterfly on Loch Lomond-side J. MITCHELL
Dunbarton (99) and Stirling (86): On 31 August 1980 three
Clouded Yellows (Co lias croceus Geoffr.) were present on the
Ring Point, part of the Loch Lomond National Nature Reserve.
Three days later, a further specimen of this infrequent migrant
butterfly was observed flying past Dry men Square (Per J. B.
Mason).

Further Sightings of Orange-tip Butterfly in
the Glasgow Area F. G. RODWAY

Additional evidence of the apparent recolonisation of lost ground
by the Orange-tip butterfly (Anthocharis cardamines (L.)) in the
Glasgow area has come to hand. The following sightings during
1980 and 1981 can now be recorded:

Garden, Clober Road, Milngavie,

Braehead Moss, Lanarkshire,
Garden, South Glasgow,

Airdrie,

June 1980, Dr J. H. Dickson

13 May 1981,

June 1981,

June 1981,

J. Mitchell

P. Scholes
O. Shapely

182

Reptiles

Luth or Leathery Turtle in the Clyde Sea Area R. SUTCLIFFE

At 10.45 a.m. on 1 September 1981, just off Toward Point,
Argyll, two canoeists, Mr I. Watt and Dr Bailey, sighted a turtle
swimming seawards. They paddled right up to the turtle and
stayed with it for several minutes. It was five to six feet long with
prominent ridges on its back — a description which fits only the
Leathery Turtle ( Dermochelys coriacea L.). The sighting was later
reported to the Art Gallery and Museum, Kelvingrove, Glasgow.

Leathery Turtles are normally found in tropical seas and are only
occasionally seen around the Scottish coast.

A cast of a Leathery Turtle, found stranded at Stairhaven, Luce
Bay, Wigtownshire, in September 1975, is on permanent display in
the Kelvingrove Museum.

[The capture of a Leathery Turtle in Kilbrannan Sound, between
Kin tyre and Arran on 11 August 1959, is reported by Dr J. A.
Gibson in the Western Naturalist 5: 57 (1976), and a detailed re-
port on the specimen appeared in the Scottish Naturalist 70:
45-46 (1961). Dr Gibson draws attention to two other reported
sightings of turtles in the Clyde sea area, in 1875 and 1961, which
almost certainly refer to the Leathery Turtle. Compiler ]

Birds

Eider Duck’s Eggs in Herring Gull’s nest RUTH H. DOBSON

North Ebudes (104): While counting Herring Gulls’ nests on
the coast of the Isle of Muck in May 1981 I also found Eider
Ducks’ nests, often close to those of the gulls. At the base of one
large rock an Eider Duck was seen to leave her nest which con-
tained four eggs. In a Herring Gull’s nest about four feet away
were two gull’s eggs and also three Eider Duck eggs. While one egg
may be laid in the wrong nest by mistake three mistakes is quite
unusual and one wonders how such a mixed brood would fare.

[Mr B. Zonfrillo comments “Eiders when hatched are precocious
and move immediately to the sea with the parent. During this
short trip many are taken by gulls and those hatched by gulls
would surely be eaten, either by the foster parents or their near
neighbours”.]

183

Robins singing in winter G. M. McCREADDIE

At 2.30 a.m. on 3 November 1981 two robins were heard singing
regularly to each other for about 25 minutes in Holyrood Cres-
cent, Kelvinbridge, Glasgow. One of the birds was perched in an
ash tree which was brilliantly lit by a sodium street lamp. Is it
possible that the orange-red illumination from the lamp could
have triggered off aggression in the birds?

[Mr C. E. Palmar comments: “Unlikely. I have observed this
behaviour previously, in the south of England in the 1930s
before there were sodium lamps, and also several times in Glas-
gow since the war. Robins of both sexes hold winter territories
which, like breeding territories in spring-time, are defended by,
inter alia , song.”]

A Coot from Finland B. ZONFRILLO

On 21 January 1981 a decapitated Coot ( Fulica atra L.) was
removed from the Gadloch, Lanarkshire, v.c. 77. The bird bore
a foreign ring which was duly reported to the British Trust for
Ornithology’s Ringing and Migration Office. Surprisingly, the bird
had been ringed as a chick at Pori, Finland, in 1979. This is the
first Finnish-ringed Coot found in Britain; there is one previous
record of a bird ringed in Britain recovered in Finland — a return-
ing migrant perhaps.

The Gadloch bird had probably been killed by a Peregrine ( Falco
peregrinus Tunstall) which had been hunting in the area during
January. The great circle distance of 1613 km from the place of
ringing seems remarkable for a species one seldom sees in flight.
This record perhaps indicates that the winter increase in Coot
numbers, at lochs and ponds around the Glasgow area, is of a
Scandinavian or European origin. Only 3 or 4 pairs of Coots
manage to breed at Gadloch, but in winter numbers can some-
times reach over 200 birds.

Mammals

Water Shrew at Rossdhu, Loch Lomondside

A. J. KERR & J. MITCHELL

Dunbarton (99): Although one might reasonably expect to find
the Water Shrew ( Neomys fodiens (Pennant)) wherever the habitat
is suitable, its presence can readily escape detection. Until recently

184

all the confirmed records of this small mammal for Loch Lomond-
side were confined to the south-east comer of the area (A Natural
History of Loch Lomond 1974), but on 5 May 1981 a dead speci-
men was found in the grounds of Rossdhu House on the west
side of the loch. The site, a wet loch-side wood just south of
the Finlas Water, is one of the few localities on the west bank
to have been systematically investigated for small mammals.
( Glasg . Nat. 17: 272-78), but no Water Shrews were ever taken in
the Longworth traps.

Flowering Plants

Hypochoeris glabra in Wigtownshire A. McG. STIRLING

The Smooth Cat’s Ear (. Hypochoeris glabra) is a rare plant in
Scotland and, until it was reported by Rodway (Glasg. Nat . 19:
138) from Prestwick, Ayrshire, in 1971, all the previous recorded
occurrences were on the east coast between Fife and Naim.

A second west of Scotland site can now be reported. On 29 June
1980, while botanising at the east end of Torrs Warren, Luce Bay,
Wigtownshire, I found H. glabra in some quantity on the seaward
side of a fixed dune, growing in an open community which in-
cluded Teesdalia nudicaulis, Viola tricolor subsp. curtisii and
Filago minima. This record is the first for Wigtown, v.c. 74.

Carex vulpinoidea A. McG. STIRLING

Regrettably, it is necessary to report that the site at Williamwood
Station, Glasgow, for the alien sedge Carex vulpinoidea (see Glasg.
Nat. 20: 88. 1980), when visited in June 1981, was found to have
been developed for a housing scheme, thereby completely destroy-
ing the habitat of the sedge which must now be regarded as extinct
in this locality. Specimens collected in 1980 have been deposited
in the herbaria of the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, the
British Museum (Nat. Hist.), the Botany Department of Glasgow
University, and the Glasgow Art Galleries and Museum, Kelvin-
grove.

Euphorbia x pseudovirgata

P. & L. M. D. MACPHERSON

Lanark (77): Previously (Glasg. Nat. 19: 203. 1975) we reported
the occurrence at Carmyle of a Twiggy Spurge which had been

185

identified as Euphorbia uralensis. Subsequently it came to our
attention that, although it was the plant described in various
floras under that name (Clapham, Tutin Sc Warburg, Ed. 2, 1962;
W. Keble Martin, 1965), this is a Russian species not so far re-
ported from the British Isles.

A specimen of the Carmyle plant was sent to Dr. A. Radcliffe-
Smith at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, who kindly reports
that it is of hybrid origin and that the correct name is E. x pseu-
dovirgata (Schur) Soo. E. virgata is one of the parents, with
possibly E. esula as the other.

When first seen the plants formed a patch 3 Vi feet by IVi feet.
Despite local redevelopment the spurge has not only survived but
has spread along the roadside fence to occupy an area 18 feet by
3% feet.

Early specimen of an Arran Whitebeam (Sorbus pseudofennica)

A. McG. STIRLING

In an account of the endemic Whitebeams of north Arran ( Glasg .
Nat. 20: 59-64) the earliest herbarium specimen of Sorbus pseu-
dofennica is cited as that collected by T. B. Bell in 1838, and now
in the collection at the British Museum. This specimen is however
antedated by an example in the herbarium of the Royal Botanic
Garden, Edinburgh. The sheet label has the following details:
“ Sorbus hybrida. Bastard Service Tree. In the mountains, north
end of Isle of Arran. 1797”. The collector’s name is not stated
however.

Elatine hydropiper at Kilmannan Reservoir J. MITCHELL

Dunbarton (99): On 16 August 1981 a small colony of this
small ephemeral plant along with E. hexandra was found on
exposed mud at the south-west end of Kilmannan Reservoir
(NS 493782) in the Kilpatrick Hills.

Kilmannan Reservoir, formerly known as the Baker Loch,
straddles the vice-county boundary between Dunbarton and Stir-
ling (86). This late 18th century reservoir was originally built to
provide compensation water for the River Kelvin, some of its own
water being diverted to the newly opened Forth and Clyde Canal.
However, it was apparently little used. Ownership has recently
passed from the British Waterways Board to the Water Department
of Strathclyde Regional Council, and in the summers of 1980 and
1981 the water level was drawn down to allow inspection and re-
construction work on the old dam. At first sight the condition of

186

the exposed mud appeared too oligotrophic for the colonisation of
many aquatic plants, but on closer examination the peaty bed of
the reservoir proved to be overlain with alluvial silt around the
mouths of several feeder streams. Other aquatics growing in close
proximity to the Elatine included Ranunculus flammula, Calli-
triche spp. and Polygonum minus. Kilmannan Reservoir is the
fourth locality in the Clyde area where E. hydropiper has been
found since 1 968 — the others being the south-east comer of Loch
Lomond (Wat sonia 8: 45-46), Antermony Loch (Trans. Bot. Soc.
Edin. 42: 353-54) and Barr Loch (Bot. Soc. Edin. News 22: 7-9).
All of these waters are regularly frequented by wildfowl, so the
possibility that the seemingly recent spread of the plant may have
been bird assisted cannot be discounted. In The Natural History of
Plants (1902), Kemer von Marilaun comments that he often found
the seeds of E. hydropiper in mud adhering to the feet and fea-
thers of water-side birds.

A second visit to the reservoir was made on 27 August in company
with A. McG. Stirling and J. B. Mason. On this occasion the rare
moss Bryum cyclophyllum was found growing on drying-out mud
in both the Dunbarton and Stirling portions of the site.

Salix myrsinites in Dunbartonshire A. McG. STIRLING

Dunbarton (99): The Myrtle-leaved Willow (Salix myrsinites)
is a rather rare and local low-growing shrub of mountain rock
ledges in the central Scottish Highlands, and of limestone rocks at
somewhat lower levels in north-west Scotland. There are also two
old records from the Dumfriesshire hills which lack recent con-
firmation. Until recently the species had not been recorded for
Dunbarton, the nearest known localities being on Beinn Laoigh
near Tyndrum, and on Beinn Chabhair, Glen Falloch, 18 miles and
13 miles respectively from the more northerly of the two Dun-
barton sites described in this note.

In late August 1977 the writer found one small plant of Salix
myrsinites on a ledge of calcareous schist rocks at about 2000
feet altitude on Creag an Leinibh, Glen Luss (26/312920), and in
June 1980 Mr J. Mitchell discovered several good-sized bushes,
also on calcareous schist ledges, at approximately 1 600 feet on the
west side of Doune Hill, south of Glen Douglas (26/294976).

These records are of particular interest since they not only consti-
tute the first for vice-county 99, but they also extend the known
range of S. myrsinites in the British Isles, if one excepts the old
and recently unconfirmed Dumfries records.

187

Book Reviews

Estuary Birds of Britain and Ireland

A. J. PRATER Illustrations by JOHN BUSBY

T. & A. D. Poyser 1981 440 pp„ £14.00

At last, a definitive work on the birds of our estuaries and
indeed, the estuaries themselves. The author has put together the
results of the thorough and exhaustive “Birds of Estuaries En-
quiry” to produce a fascinating account of the birds and their
habitat. All bird species utilising estuaries are concisely described,
with many maps showing monthly fluctuations. Peak counts are
given together with their percentage of the British population. All
British estuaries are similarly described and the species of national
importance listed. Other chapters deal with threats to estuaries,
migrations of estuary birds, methods of counting and some broad-
er aspects of estuarine ecology and the feeding patterns of shore-
birds.

One expects to pay £14.00 or so for a good book nowadays;
this book is excellent. The author’s lucid text is further enhanced
by the superb drawings of John Busby. A book worth having; in
future years it will become a standard reference work for all with
an interest in shorebirds. g ZONFRILLO

Sketches of Bird Life

C. F. TUNNICLIFFE

Victor Gollancz Ltd. London 1981, 122 Plates £10.95

A coffee table book to be slowly enjoyed. Illustrations by this
important British bird artist range from the merest pencil or ink
sketch to almost finished water colours. The text, by Robert
Gillmor, is minimal, relevant and informative — easy reading.
The late artist demonstrates his superb academic technique with
paintings like those of ‘Nightjar’ and ‘Young Shelducks’. His
ability to capture both the atmosphere and definition of a species
is ably shown with ‘Curlews on a windy day’ and ‘Pintail in the
morning sun’. Tunnicliffe’s flying owl sketches illustrate best his
ability to capture quickly and accurately on paper how a bird
behaves. Best of all is his Wood Sandpiper study. A book for those
who admire birds and their artistic representation.

B. ZONFRILLO

188

Proceedings 1980

The chairman, place*, and number present, lecturer’s name and institution,
title of lecture and note of any exhibits are given for each meeting.

*GMK: Glasgow Museum and Art Gallery, Kelvingrove.

UGBD: University of Glasgow Botany Department.

UGCD: University of Glasgow Chemistry Department.

UGZD: University of Glasgow Zoology Department.

USMB: University of Strathclyde, McCance Building.

CTG: College of Technology, Glasgow.

8 JANUARY. Dr P. Macpherson, UGZD, 60.

Mr W. Anderson, Paisley Colour Photographic Club: Nature photo-
graphs from the 11th Paisley International Colour Slide Exhibition.

16 JANUARY. With Botanical Society of Edinburgh, University of Strath-
clyde Biology Club and Glasgow University Botanical Society: UGCD.
Dr D. H. Lewis, University of Sheffield: Boron, lignification and the
origin of vascular plants; a unified hypothesis.

12 FEBRUARY. Dr. P. Macpherson, UGZD, 35; 50th A.G.M.

Reports on activities during 1979 were read, elections were held (see
page 190) and appointments made by the Council were announced.
The report of the Council stated that there were 226 ordinary members,
22 family members, 3 junior members, 12 school members and 5 hono-
rary members.

There were 20 excursions during 1979 (10 botanical, 2 geological,
3 ornithological, 4 zoological and 1 photographic).

Three films were shown: The Life History of the Marsh Fritillary;
Insect Collecting and Breeding; Dragonflies.

11 MARCH. Dr. P. Macpherson, UGZD, 42.

Dr. R. M. Sibly: The Behavioural Ecology of the Herring Gull.

8 APRIL. Dr P. Macpherson, UGZD, 37.

Talks by three members of the Society.

Dr. Duncan Stewart: When Loch Lomond was part of the Sea.

Mr F. G. Rodway: An Enthusiasm for Butterflies.

Mr T. N. Tait: Freeze it with Flash.

Exhibits: Two Australian flowers for idenfification and three specimens
of lavender from Teneriffe (Mr J. R. S. Lythe).

An Earth Star Fungus (Mr A. McG. Stirling).

Photographic prints and books on Butterflies (Mr F. G. Rodway).

13 MAY. Mrs Agnes Craib, UGZD, 41.

Dr Alastair Sommerville, Scottish Wild Life Trust: the What, Why,
When and Where of Biological Recording.

Exhibits: Hoverflies (Mr J. Hosie).

The Caterpillar of the Lilac Moth (Mr J. Christie).

10 JUNE. Natural History Social Evening at Kelburn County Centre, 46.

189

13 SEPTEMBER. Dr P. Macpherson, GMK, 88.

Exhibition Meeting. Theme — The Scottish Sea-shore:

Various Sea Shells and Cigarette cards depicting Sea-shore life . . . (Mrs A. Cross)

Sea-shore plants from the Isle of Arran (Mr J. Lyth)

Coloured photographic prints of Plants of the Sea-shore (Mr C. E. Palmar)

Marine Snails and Bivalves (Kelvingrove Museum)

Some Common Shore Shells (Dr & Mrs Dobson)

Coloured photographic prints of wild life of the Scottish Sea-shore (Mr T. N. Tait)
Display illustrating the sea in Loch Lomond between 6,900 and 5,500 years ago. .

(Dr D. Stewart)

Photographs and diagrams of raised beaches.

Clyde bed clay — Cardross and Clyde bed fossils — Rhu

(Mrs Agnes Walker and Mr Alastair Gunn)

Shore Plants (Dr & Mrs Dobson)

Drawings from life of Sea Birds and Others (Alan F. Johnston)

Model of Scottish Tundra (Mrs Agnes Walker)

Display of Journals from the Society’s Library (Mrs Dobson)

Extensive display of wild plants (Mr R. Prasher)

Following the Exhibition three lectures to which members of Glasgow
Art Gallery and Museums Association and the general public were
invited :

Mr Eric Watt: The Shaping and Making of the Coast.

Mr F. Woodward: Rock Pools.

Mr B. Zonfrillo: Birds of the Tide-line.

14 OCTOBER. Dr Dobson, 46.

Mr J. Doughty: The Effects of Duckweed Growth on the Biology of
the Forth and Clyde Canal.

Mr J. Christie: Migrant Lepidoptera in 1980.

Mrs R. Dobson: Some early views on the biology of the Isle of Muck.

15 OCTOBER. With Botanical Society of Edinburgh, University of

Strathclyde Biology Club and Glasgow University Botanical Society,
President of the University of Strathclyde Biology Club, 25.

Professor C. H. Gimingham, University of Aberdeen: Ecology of
Heathlands.

28 OCTOBER. Dr P. Macpherson, UGZD, 96.

Mr Tom Weir: Scotland — Its Wild Life and Scenery.

Exhibit: Collection of Fossils (Mrs McLaughlin).

1 NOVEMBER. With Botanical Society of the British Isles, Botanical

Society of Edinburgh, Dr P. Macpherson, CTG, 79.

Exhibition Meeting and Lecture.

Dr O. L. Gilbert: Plant Ecology of Some Remote Scottish Islands.

11 NOVEMBER. Dr. P. Macpherson, UGZD, 51.

Members Photographic Night.

2 DECEMBER. Dr P. Macpherson. University of Glasgow College Club,

Annual Dinner of the Society. 30.

Guest of Honour: Mr A. A. Percy.

9 DECEMBER. With Glasgow Art Gallery and Museums Association.

Mr Anthony S. E. Browning, GAMK, 147.

Mr Alasdair Auld: Every Day Speaks a New Scene.

190

Officers and Council

SESSION XLX 1980

Presiden t:

Peter Macpherson, F.R.C.R., D.T.C.D.,
F.L.S.

Vice-presiden ts:

Mrs Agnes Craib M. A. (1979)

Charles E. Palmar A.R.P.S., M.B.O.U.,
F.M.A. (1979)

Mrs Ruth H. Dobson M.Sc. (1980)

Councillors:

Miss Anne McCourt B.Sc. (1978)

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iii Printed in Scotland by Meigle Printers, Market Street, Galashiels

Contents

Page

101 What is the Scottish Thistle? J. H. DICKSON and AGNE
WALKER

122 Naturalists in Glasgow No. 2: David Douglas

123 Rossdhu Park, Dunbartonshire — a major site for Epiphyt
Lichens. O. L. GILBERT and J. MITCHELL

-■

133 Pollution and Marine Algal Communities in the Firth <
Clyde. J. J. P. CLOKIE and A. D. BONEY

145 Phytoflagellates in Firth of Clyde Plankton. F. J. HANNA
and A. D. BONEY

154 Butterflies in Galloway. GERALD RODWAY

155 On the Possible Function of Beetles other than Scolytidae ;
Vectors of Dutch Elm Disease in Scotland. R. A. CROWSO

161 Chenopodium probstii — a rare alien Goosefoot. PETE
MACPHERSON

164 Junior Excursion to the Wilderness. ELSPETH L. S. LINI
SAY

165 Comparison of the Flora of two Refuse Tips. PETER MA<
PHERSON and BARBARA C. M. MACPHERSON

169 Plant Records from Bute, 1981. J. H. DICKSON

171 On the occurrence of abnormally coloured Moles in Ayrshir
FRED. R. WOODWARD

174 Type specimen of the Sponge Geodia gibberosa. FRED. ]
WOODWARD

175 Dick Prasher — Field Botanist Extraordinary. C. E. PALMA
and A. McG. STIRLING

1 79 Short Notes compiled by A. McG. STIRLING

187 Book Reviews: “Estuary Birds of Britain and Irelanc
and “Sketches of Bird Life”.

1 88 Proceedings

190 Officers and Council

Volume 20

Part 3
1982

The Glasgow Natural History Society
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The Glasgow Naturalist

Published by the Glasgow Natural History Society, December, 1982.
ISSN 0373-241X. Price £4.00

Edited by E. W. Curtis with the assistance of A. C. Crundwell,

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n

191

b0

The Doctrine of Signat^es

PETER MACPHERSON

Ben Alder, 15 Lubnaig Road, Glasgow G43 2RY

Modified Version of Presidential Address
delivered on 10 November, 1981

My original intention was to combine my hobby and my profes-
sion and to talk about “plants in medicine — fact and fiction”.
However, in doing research for the paper I became more and more
fascinated by the Doctrine of Signatures. The theory relating to
this was that the Creator, in providing plants for the service of
mankind, had, in many instances, stamped them with an indica-
tion of their special remedial values.

Although not formulated as a doctrine until the Renaissance
period, it may have been a medical concept of the ancient Chinese.
Certainly they used Ginseng root ( Panax quinque folium), which
has a humanoid shape, for debility or as a remedy for impotence.
Similarly, the Greeks and Hebrews gave Mandrake ( Mandragora
spp.) root, which is sometimes forked in a way that suggests arms
and legs, in the treatment of sterility (Fig. 1). “Reuben went in
the days of the wheat harvest and found Mandrakes in the field

and brought them unto his mother Leah and God

hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the
fifth son” (Genesis, 30). However, it is probable that these were
isolated references and there is no convincing evidence as to the
antiquity of the general dogma.

Hippocrates (born 460 BC) the great medical teacher stated
that diseases were sometimes cured by the use of “like” remedies.
In the first century AD the Romans were using lungs, liver and
stomach of lower animals to treat diseases of these organs. This
usage came to be known as Signa Naturae — signals of nature —
and Similia Similibus Curantur — like cures like.

Hippocrates had also taught that diseases were not a punish-
ment for sin but a natural phenomenon due to disordered pro-

Glasg. Nat . 20 part 3 (1982)

Mandrake. The side rootlets suggested
upper limbs and the forked main root
the lower limbs.

Fig. 2

Birthwort. The funnel shaped flower
with proximal dilatation suggested
the womb and birth passage.

193

cesses in the body itself. However, early Christian leaders like the
Bishop of Caesarea in the 4th century believed that disease was a
manifestation of divine purpose and that the only acceptable
treatment was prayer. St. Augustine in the 5th century considered
diseases to be the work of devils and that they should be com-
bated by prayer, exposure to Holy Relics and the laying on of
hands.

However, medicine, religion and magic have been associated
since earliest time as working together for alleviation of human
suffering and it is likely that a belief grew up slowly, with the old
vague notion of sympathetic magic — a yellow plant for yellow
disease, power of like to affect like — being formulated into a pre-
cise entity called the Doctrine of Signatures. It was held that a
beneficent deity had signed plants with an indication of their
faculties.

There were two chief components: not only did signs and
symbols on the plant indicate the disease for which the plant was
a remedy, but nature also provided in every region, plants to cure
the diseases that occurred locally.

The Doctrine had found wide acceptance in the 16th cen-
tury, but waned after the 17th.

To exemplify the Doctrine I have provided examples of the
different categories of similarity or relationship between the
disease and the plant thought to be remedial for that condition.

Part of a Plant Resembling Part of the Body
Flowers and Buds

Nettle-leaved Bellflower ( Campanula trachelium ) (Gr. trachelos — neck)

In addition to the long throat, the flower secretes yellow
latex, suggestive of an inflammatory discharge on the tonsils. It
was also called Throatwort or Uvulawort and used for tonsillitis.

Birthwort ( Aristolochia clematitis) (Gr. aristos — best; lochia — childbirth)

The greenish yellow flower is contracted into a tube which
opens to a glandular swelling at the base (Fig. 2). This suggested
the womb and birth passage, and the plant has been used in child-
birth.

194

Chamomile ( Anthemis nobilis )

The bright white flowers were likened to an eye and used to
strengthen sight.

Cuckoo Pint ( Arum maculatum)

The spadix suggested the pintle (penis) of the lecherous
cuckoo which it was believed at that time went around cuckolding
other species. It was therefore used as an aphrodisiac.

Eyeb right ( Euphrasia officinalis)

The bright little white flowers were a signature for the eye
and the purple and yellowish spots and stripes resembled diseases
in which the eye was bloodshot or inflamed. “Oculists in England
and beyond the sea use the herb in broths, bread and table beer
and apply it outwardly in fomentations for the eyes” (Pechey
1694). The plant was also called Ocularis (L. ocularius — eye).

Heartsease ( Viola tricolor)

One can imagine the flower as a ‘Valentine’ heart and it was
used as a cardiac stimulant (Fig. 3).

Milkwort ( Polygala spp.) (Gr. polys — many, much; gala - milk)

The individual flowers suggested udders and it was given to
nursing mothers to stimulate lactation.

Nipplewort ( Lapsana communis)

So named because the buds are nipple-shaped and therefore
used to heal breast ulcers. It was also called Papillaris.

Self-heal ( Prunella vulgaris)

The large middle tooth of the calyx gave this plant the names
of Sicklewort and Hookheal and thus the reputation for healing
wounds. In addition, the throat was responsible for it being given
another name, Brunella (German Braune — quinsy) later Prunella,
and a belief that it would cure tonsillitis.

Toothwort {Lathraea squamaria)

The flowers bear a resemblance to a row of teeth in a jaw, an
obvious sign that they were intended to relieve toothache.

Fruit

Cleavers ( Galium aparine)

The didymous fruit looks like a pair of kidneys and was used
for renal complaints, especially by Canadian and American pio-
neers, according to Hocking (1977).

195

Fig. 3
Heartsease.

The overlapping upper
petals assume a heart
shaped form.

5

Fig. 4 a)

Henbane.

Leaf and side shoot
with the fruits was
reminiscent of a man-
dible with teeth.

Fig. 4 b)

Mandible with Teeth

196

Henbane ( Hyoscyamus niger)

In this case, it is the fruits, not the flowers, which look like a
row of teeth (Fig. 4). The plant was used against toothache by
Tudor physicians. In Normandy it was called Herbe Ste. Appoline,
after the saint invoked for toothache. “The husk wherein the seed
is contained is like a jaw tooth, therefore the whole plant, or the
juice by itself, or a decoction of the root in vinegar, being gargled
warm in the mouth, is very effectual in easing pains of the teeth”
(Coles 1657).

Lemon ( Citrus limon )

A vague resemblance to a heart suggested that it would
strengthen that organ.

Poppy ( Papaver spp.)

To the signaturists, the seed head resembled the human head
and indicated that it should be used to soothe the brain.

Quince ( Cydonia oblonga)

Because of the downy hairs, this fruit was considered to be a
cure for baldness.

Walnut ( Juglans regia )

A walnut has the perfect signature of the head. The outer
green husk represented the scalp, and salt of the husks was used
for wounds on the head. The inner woody shell had the signature
of the skull bone and the little yellow skin that covers the kernel,
that of the membranes (meninges) which line the brain, suggesting
treatment for meningitis. The kernel itself was considered to have
the very figure of the brain and would therefore nourish, streng-
then and comfort it (Fig. 5).

With a conventional X-ray of the head one images only the
bone of the skull. In the last decade, with the help of electronics
and a computer (Computed Tomography) one has been able to ob-
tain an image of the actual brain. We who work in the Institute of
Neurological Sciences, Glasgow, and certain others throughout
the world, independently christened the appearance where the
grey matter has shrunk and the space filled up with fluid because
of an ageing process or other cause of diminished intellect — the
“walnut brain”.

197

Fig 5a)

Fig 6

5b)

Fig 5 a) Walnut in Shell . . . Suggested brain in skull,
b) Brain.

cj Computed Tomogram. Showing athrophic brain within
the skull.

Fig 6 Lungwort. The leaf is of similar shape to a section through
the lung and the dots indicated a use in pulmonary tubercu-
losis. (“spot in the lung”)-

198

Leaves

Asarabacca ( Asarum europaeum)

The ear-shaped leaves indicated that the plant would improve
hearing.

Bladderwort ( Utricularia spp.)

The little air-sacs on the leaves suggested bladders and that it
would be a suitable remedy for cleansing the bladder.

Fig {Ficus caricd)

Being palmate, the leaf was used to treat conditions of the
hand.

Liver Leaf {Hepatica spp.) (Gr. hepar — liver)

The shape and the brownish colour gave a double signature
for the liver and pointed to its usefulness in hepatitis.

Lungwort {Pulmonaria officinalis) (L. pulmonarius — lung)

As each leaf resembles a section through the lung, the spots
showed that it should be used for pulmonary tuberculosis
euphemistically called “a spot on the lung”. (Fig. 6)

Plantain {Plant ago spp.)

The prominent veins/nerves in this genus indicated a useful-
ness in vein and nerve conditions.

Milk Thistle {Silybum marianum)

The white veins suggested that it would help the flow of milk
and that it was a suitable diet for wet nurses.

Heart Trefoil {Medicago arabica formerly Trifolium cordatum){L. cor — heart)
“This plant defendeth the heart against the noisome vapour
of the spleen. Not only because each leaf is triangular and dented
at the end like the heart of man but because each leaf centre is the
perfect icon of a heart and is the proper flesh colour” (Culpepper
1669).

Root

Orchid {Orchis spp.) (Gr. orchis — testicle)

Early Purple Orchid, O. mascula, for example, has two
tubers. One is firm, filling up with next year’s growth while the
other is slack emptying to supply the present needs. Thessalian

199

women gave the tubers in goats milk, the full one for exciting
desire and the slack for restraining. It was also believed that if men
ate the larger, a male child would be produced and if women the
smaller, a female child. Through the centuries, such Orchids were
used as aphrodisiacs or carried as love talismans and appeared in
art and literature.

Part of a Plant Resembling Pathology, Directly or Indirectly
Fruit

Bramble ( Rubus fruticosus )

The craggy red or black fruit indicated a usefulness in piles.

Rupturewort ( Hemiaria spp.) (L. hernia — rupture)

Surprisingly the tiny round fruits suggested rupture to the
signaturists. “It is reported that very many that have been bursten,
were restored to health by the use of this herbe” (Gerard 1633).

Spurges {Euphorbia spp.)

In this case, it is easy to understand why the craggy fruits
were applied to warts. E. peplus and E. helioscopia were called
Wartwurt or Wart wort.

Leaves

Iris {Iris pseudacorus )

The sword-like leaves were obviously intended to heal stab
wounds.

St. JohnYwort {Hypericum spp.)

The apparent leaf perforations present in most of the genus
reinforced the signature of red juice indicating that they should be
applied to puncture wounds.

Saw-wort {Serratula tinctoria) (L. serra — saw)

“The leaves are somewhat snipt about the edges like a saw
and wonderfully commended to be most singular for wounds”
(Gerard 1597).

Saracen’s Woundwort {Senecio fluviatilis)

Again, its toothed leaves suggested the treatment of wounds.

200

Stem

Scabious (. Knautia arvemis )

The herb for scabies, the scab, the mange, the itch; the use
indicated by the roughness of the stem.

Roots

White Bryony (. Bryonia dioica )

The large roots resemble a foetus and were used to help
childbirth. If they did not look too childlike, they were frequently
trimmed!

Celandine, Lesser ( Ranunculus ficaria) (L. ficus — piles)

The lobed tubers bear a superficial resemblance to piles and
the juice, the oil, the ointment and plaster of Pilewort were each
reported to take the pain of haemorrhoids quite away. They were
also reminiscent of the kernels by the ears and neck, called the
King's Evil (Scrophula). One authority wrote, “Let good people
make use of it. With it I cured my daughter of the King’s Evil —
broke the sore and drew out a quarter of a pint of corruption and
so cured it without a scar in one week’s time” (Culpepper 1669).

More pleasantly, tubers suggested teats of cows and the
yellow petals butter. The plant was therefore hung in byres.

Figwort ( Scrophularia nodosa)

The protuberances on the root suggested therapeutic uses as
for Lesser Celandine. In England, sufferers from scrophula (tuber-
culosis of neck lymph nodes) were touched by the Monarch from
the time of Edward the Confessor to that of Queen Anne. James I
and VI was sceptical but was persuaded that for political reasons it
was advisable to continue the practice. Charles II touched more
than 90,000 in nineteen years. At least the practice may have
saved Figwort from extermination!

Orpine ( Sedum telephium)

This has a tuberous root and was used occasionally for scro-
phula.

Meadow Saxifrage ( Saxifraga granulata) (L. granulum — grain)

The craggy little bulbils were boiled in wine and used to
cleanse the kidneys of stone.

Solomons Seal (Polygonatum multiflorum) (Gr. polys — many;

gony — joint)

The root was considered to be useful on two counts. Firstly,

201

because of the slightly depressed scars which occasionally bear a
likeness to the Star of David, it was believed that Solomon had set
his approbation upon the plant. Secondly, because the root is
white and thick with the appearance of knots and joints it
resembles a bone (Fig. 7).

“The root was, therefore, excellent good for to seal up
wounds, being stamped and laid thereon, or for healing up broken
bones if taken internally with ale, or applied outwardly as a poul-
tice. Further, the application taketh away in one night, or two at
most, any bruise gotten by falls, or womens’ wistfulness in stumb-
ling upon their husbands’ fists” (Gerard 1597).

General Appearances

Cleavers {Galium aparine)

Chickweed {Stellaria media )

The slender stems suggested that the ingestion of either of
these plants would slim down the individual. “Women do usually
make pottage of Cleavers with a little mutton and otemeal, to
cause lanknesse and keep them from fatnesse” (Gerard 1633).

Cowslip {Primula veris)

The trembling nodding flower indicated a cure for partial
paralysis and therefore its other name Palsy wort.

Dodder {Cuscuta epithymum)

The winding stems were an obvious signature of the intes-
tines and the plant was used as a purgative.

Fennel {Foeniculum vulgare)

Like the first two in this group, this slender-stemmed umbel-
lifer was taken as a cure for obesity.

Herb -Paris {Paris quadri folia) (L. par — equal; quatuor — four;

folium — leaf)

A plant of four styles, four inner and four outer segments to
the perianth, four leaves and twice four stamens; its symmetrical
form engendered a special mystique. If a patient was half out of
his senses, the berries would put him right. However, because this
plant has but one berry, these had to be used in unequal numbers!

Lily of the Valley {Corn allaria majalis)

The individual flowers hang like drops and suggested that
they should be used for apoplexy or other drop attacks.

202

203

Lady’s Slipper Orchid ( Cypripedium calceolus)

It is strange that this much sought after plant of great
elegance should have suggested the female face in hysteria with
hair flying and jaw drooping (Fig. 8).

Self-heal ( Prunella vulgaris )

Each leaf is three in one and on looking down from above
one sees the sign of the cross in the middle. Because of these
sacred signs it was regarded as a panacea or “cure all”. (See also
Flower section above)

Melancholy Thistle ( Cirsium heterophyllum )

The hanging head suggested melancholia. “The decoction of
the thistle in wine, being drunk, expels superfluous melancholy
out of the body and makes a man merry as a cricket. ’Tis the best
remedy against all melancholy diseases that grows” (Culpepper
1669).

Willow (Salix spp.)

Because many species have supple branches they were used in
the hope of improving stiff joints.

Colour

Flower

Agrimony (Agrimonia spp.)

“A yellow flower for yellow disease” — like Saffron and
Yellowwort which are listed later in this group, Agrimony was
used to treat jaundice.

Great Burnett ( Sanguisorba officinalis) (L. sanguis — blood;

Salad Burnett ( Poterium sanguisorba) sorb ere - to soak up)

The red colour suggested that the plants would stop bleed-
ing, and they were used as styptics.

Centaury ( Centaurium spp., also Blackstonia perfoliata)

“In diseases of the blood (anaemia) use the Red Centaury if
the cholor use the yellow” (Culpepper 1669).

Chicory ( Gchorium intybus)

Water distilled from the round blue flowers which open in
the sun and shut when it disappears was used against inflammation
of the eye and diseases of sight.

204

Cranesbill ( Geranium spp.)

Plants of this genus were considered useful in haemorrhage
and other vascular diseases. The colour association is obvious in
the case of Bloody Cranesbill, G. sanguineum , but I am not sure
whether I would have prescribed the bluish Wood Cranesbill, G.
sylvaticum , for the aristocracy or for varicose veins!

Blue-Eyed Grass ( Sisyrinchium spp.)

Blue species were used to strengthen sight.

Corn Marigold ( Chrysanthemum segetum)

Being a Golden-herb of the Sun and under Leo the Lion, it
would act as a strong tonic. “Make a plaister of the dried leaves
and apply over the breast to succour the heart in fevers” (Cul-
pepper 1669).

Rose (Rosa spp.)

Red varieties were used in anaemia.

Saffron (Colchicum autumnale)

See Agrimony above.

Toadflax (Linaria vulgaris)

The orange dots suggested concentrated urine. The Apothe-
cary’s name for it was Urinalis and it had a reputation as a diuretic.

Yellow-wort (Blackstonia perfoliata)

See Agrimony above.

Fruits, Stems and Roots

Apple (Malus spp.)

Rose-red fruits were thought to improve the complexion.
As a side-line: (L. pomum — apple) the Australians call the English
“pommies”, because, instead of being tanned, they tend to have
pink and white complexions.

Barberry (Berberis vulgaris)

Barberry is yellow under the bark and, for good measure,
doctors in Ireland improved matters by adding yellow sulphur
and administering it in stout to jaundiced patients.

Bloodroot ( Sanguinaria canadensis) (L. sanguinaria - pertaining

to blood)

If one slices through the root one can easily understand the
belief that the plant was signed as a cure for anaemia.

205

Black Bryony {Tamus communis )

“The black berries quickly waste away and consume black
and blue marks that come from bruises” (Gerard 1597). In France
it was “herbe aux femmes battues” — herb for battered wives.

Dock ( Rumex spp.)

Erysipelas (Gr. erythros — red, pella — skin) is an infection in
which the skin becomes a distinctive brown red. The colour of
some dock fruits suggested a use in this condition.

Herb Robert ( Geranium robertianum)

As the stems are often red, this plant was given to cattle
suffering from haematuria (blood in the urine).

Tormentil ( Potentilla erect a)

The roots gave a red dye and this plant also was called Blood-
root. In this case it was used to cure bloody diarrhoea or as it was
termed, the bloody flux.

Tutsan (. Hypericum androsaemum)

Because of the red stains, it was applied to grazed legs and
wounds. In Normandy it is Toute Same — all wholesome; in
Buckinghamshire, Touch-and-Heal, and in Wales, Touchen Leaf.

Juice

Nettle-leaved Bellflower {Campanula trachelium )

The yellow latex is mentioned above.

Nettle {Urtica dioica )

Because of the stinging fluid from the hairs, the plant was
used to relieve colic. It was also considered to be a remedy against
herbs that stupify and, being rubbed on the forehead or temple
would stimulate the lethargic.

Sow Thistle ( Sonchus oleraceus ) (L. oleum — oil)

A plant with milky juice obviously increased the flow of
milk, so it was given to nursing mothers. It was thought that sows
knew its virtue by instinct — hence Sow Thistle.

206

Special Property

Daisy {Beilis perennis )

Plantain {Plantago spp.)

Silverweed {Potentilla anserina)

Plants which can flourish on trodden paths should be useful
for treating bruises, “you tread on them, you crush them and they
go on living” (Grigson 1975). Potentilla, the little powerful one,
was placed in shoes under the feet to prevent soreness in them.

Sundew {Drosera spp.)

“As the herb doth keep and hold fast the moisture and dew
so fast that the extreme heat of the sun cannot consume and waste
away the same — so likewise that herewith the natural and lively
heat in man’s body is preserved and cherished. Especially the
distilled water thereof” (Gerard 1597).

Thistles ( Carduus and Cirsium spp.)

The sharp prickles suggested that plants of this kind would
relieve a stitch in the side.

Part of a Plant Resembling Something in Nature

Adder’s Tongue ( Ophioglossum spp.)

The spike is suggestive of an adder’s tongue and indicated a
use in snakebite.

Birdsfoot {Lotus and Omithopus spp.)

Each pod ends in a claw which resembles, if one uses great
imagination, the angled tail of a scorpion and therefore suggested
a cure for the bite of that creature.

Bistort {Polygonum bistorta) (L. bis - twice; tortus — twisted)

The contracted rhizome suggested a coiled snake and, indeed,
the plant was also called Adderwort or Snake wort.

Columbine {Aquilegia vulgaris ) (L. columba — dove; aquilla — eagle)

The individual flowers bear a similarity to birds facing each
other (Fig. 9). Those who were reminded of eagles called the plant
Aquilegia and those who thought of doves named it Columbine.
There is an obvious association between an eagle and the belief
that the plant would give strength or courage. However, a con-
nection between these properties and the mild sounding Colum-
bine has been made. It was believed that if one rubbed Columbine

207

Fig. 10 a)
b)

Opium Poppy. The fruit was suggestive of a head with
projecting stigma lobes like a little crown.

Eastern Prince with Crown.

208

on one’s hands, one would develop the courage of a lion. The
reason may have been that doves were sacred to Astarte who was
associated with lions.

Forget-me-not ( Myosotis spp.)

Because the cymes are more-or-less bent over, plants of this
genus were actually called Scorpion Grass and used for Scorpion
bite long before the name Forget-me-not came into common use.

Habitat

Bogbean ( Menyanthes trifoliata )

Because rheumatism and ague were especially common in
damp districts, a striking plant like Bogbean with its feather-like
flowers, a plant which actually thrived in water, suggested a
suitable remedy.

Meadow Sweet ( Filipendula ulmaria)

A distinctive plant of swamps and wet meadows, it was also
used for ague, a term applied to anything from a feverish chill to
malaria.

Parsley Piert ( Aphanes spp.) (Fr. percer — to pierce; pierre — stone)

A strange name, but derived from its ability to grow on
stoney ground. It was therefore used to break up stones in the
body.

Pellitory of the Wall ( Parietaria judaica)

Samphire ( Crithmum maritimum)

Saxifrage ( Saxifraga spp.) (L. saxum — stone ; frangere — to break)

Growing in crevices, these plants were thought capable of
breaking rocks and accorded the medicinal property of breaking
up stones in the bladder. As previously described, an alternative
suggestion, that of curing like with like, applied to Meadow
Saxifrage.

Willow (Salix spp.)

Since Willow grew in wet country, it was considered that it
would be good for treating the common diseases of such districts.
Bitter infusions of bark were drunk against the ague and plague.

209

Conclusion

In an age of magic, the Doctrine of Signatures was at least
intelligible, but had it any substance?

a) Signs and symbols on the plant:

i) Poppy ( Papaver spp.). Under the doctrine, the seed
head was considered to be appropriate for brain disorders. A
writer in the 14th century wrote of Common Poppy, P. rhoeas :
“If a man hath a pain about his eyes or if a man hath mygreyn,
take this herb and stamp it and anoynt therewith the forehead and
it will destroy the discomfort”. It does not have such an effect.
However, the fruit of the Opium Poppy, P. somniferum , is even
more suggestive of a head, if one likens the frill of the projecting
stigma lobes to a little crown; and this plant is efficacious (Fig. 10).
A latex containing opium is obtained by making incisions into the
immature capsules, and the most important alkaloids of the crude
drug are morphia and codeine. However, the therapeutic property
as a narcotic analgesic has been known from neolithic times and
therefore the reputation is much more ancient than the inference
from the doctrine.

ii) Birth wort (. Aristolochia clematitis). As described in the
appropriate section, the flower of this plant has been likened to a
womb and birth passage. The plant does, in fact, have a labour
enhancing effect, but as it has been used in childbirth since remote
antiquity one can only speculate as to which came first, the dis-
covery of the property or the recognition of the signature.

iii) Willow (Salix spp.). Because the shoots are pliant,
willow-bark tea was once recommended for rheumatism and stiff
joints. Today, aspirin (see on) is the most widely used pain killer
and has been proved to have anti-arthritic properties.

b) Habitat

“For what climate soever is subject to a disease a remedy will
be found therein” (Turner 1664). Notions of this type have been
widespread and still survive:

i) Docks ( Rumex spp.) always grown near Stinging Nettles
( Urtica dioica) in order to provide a cure in situ!

ii) Willow (Salix spp.). The belief that the cause and the
cure for a disease were in juxtaposition was firmly held by the
Reverend Edward Stone. He was sure that the treatment for ague
must be found in the damp swampy areas since such regions
appeared to give rise to the complaint. Willows grow in swampy
ground and Mr Stone found that powdered willow bark did
relieve ague. Willow bark contains salicylates (L. salix — willow).

210

Following on from this a Pharmacological Company synthesised
acetylsalicylic acid and hence aspirin. This drug has definite
analgesic and antipyretic properties.

Despite these examples, the vast majority of the plants
described do not have the properties attributed to them under
the Doctrine of Signatures. However, mankind has been pro-
vided with many efficacious vegetable remedies, the plant king-
dom being still responsible for 25% of medicinal requirement
and it is certain that there are therapeutic values of plants yet to
be discovered. Such properties are, of course, now evaluated
rather more scientifically!

Acknowledgment

I am grateful to Elspeth L. S. Lindsay for the drawings.

Bibliography

BOWMAN, W. C. 1979. Drugs ancient and modern. Scot . Med. J. 24: 131-140.
CAMERARIUS, J. 1588. Hortus Medicus et Philo sophicus.

COLES, W. 1657. Adam in Eden .

CULPEPPER, N. 1669. The English Physitian Enlarged .

DIOSCORIDES 1830. De Materia Medica (Ed. Kuhn, C. G.) Leipzig.
EVELYN, J. 1699. Acetaria, A Discourse of Sallets.

GERARD, J. 1597. The Herball or Generali Historie of Plantes.

GERARD, J. 1633. The Herball . . . (enlarged and amended by Johnson, T.)
London: Norton and Whitakers.

GRIGSON, G. 1975. The Englishman’s Flora. St. Albans: Paladin.

HOCKING, G. M. 1977. The Doctrine of Signatures. Quart. J. Crude Drug
Res. 15: 198-200.

HOLY BIBLE 1611 . Authorised King James Version.

OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY 1971. Oxford University Press.

PECHEY, J. 1694. The Compleat Herbal of Physical Plants .

PORTA, G. 1588. Phytognomonica.

SMITH, S. 1953. Magic, Medicine & Religion. Brit. Med. J. i:847-85 1 .
TURNER, R. 1664. Botonologia: The British Physician.

TURNER, W. 1551 .A New Herball

UNDERWOOD, E. A. 1953. Medicine and the Crown, Brit. Med . /. i:l 185-

1191.

WOOTON, A. C. 1910. Dogmas and Delusions. Chronicles of Pharmacy.
1:183-190.

211

The Freshwater and Terrestrial Fauna
of the Clyde Sea Area

V. Reptiles and Amphibians of the
Clyde Faunal Area

J. A. GIBSON

Foremount House, Kilbarchan,

Renfrewshire, PA 10 2EZ

Revised to 31 December 1981
Received June 1982

This paper on Clyde reptiles and amphibians is the fifth in a con-
tinuing series being prepared by various authors to fill the need for
up-to-date accounts of the fauna of the Clyde area, and, as with
the previous paper on the mammals, covers the entire Clyde
Faunal Area, as authoritatively defined in the British Association
Handbook of 1901, with the now generally accepted addition of
the western strip of South Argyll (see Glasg. Nat. 19: 260).

Although the current series of papers is defined as covering
‘freshwater and terrestrial’ fauna, for the sake of completeness it is
clearly desirable also to include the turtles, at least one Clyde
record of which, in any case, has been from fresh water.

Scattered information on Clyde reptiles and amphibians first
began to appear in the late 18th century, in the pages of the Old
Statistical Account (67), and some of the pioneer authors, such as
Bell (7), also gave some general notes on distribution. The New
Statistical Account of the mid-1840s gave reptile and amphibian
notes, some quite detailed, from many Clyde parishes, and was
certainly the first source of really significant local information to
appear, but another important source, easily overlooked, was that
of Thompson (83) in 1856 who, although writing primarily on
Ireland, gave many interesting notes on distribution in the West of

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 3 (1982)

212

Scotland. During the second half of the 19th century occasional
notes then began to appear in local and national natural history
journals. Unfortunately nearly all of these early sources of infor-
mation were to remain relatively untapped for a century (3,4).

The first attempt to put some Clyde notes together (mainly
the Glasgow district) was apparently by J. MacN aught Campbell,
who published his simple list in the Handbook prepared for the
visit of the British Association to Glasgow in 1876, but there is
some justification for regarding the check-list by Alfred Brown,
similarly prepared for the 1901 British Association (Glasgow)
Handbook, as the first significant attempt at a survey of the rep-
tiles and amphibians of the Clyde area.

Brown’s check-list, a good one for its day, was very brief,
a necessity imposed by the format of the 1901 B.A. Handbook ,
but was in many ways a pioneer effort and should be respected
as such. He gave local distribution notes on twelve species, but two
comments must be made. Firstly, he did not include any turtles,
although at least two records had previously been published.
Secondly, he made no reference at all to the Clyde islands.

The Clyde area abounds in islands, large and small, on which
the distribution of all vertebrates is exceedingly interesting but has
only relatively recently been investigated in any great detail, and I
suspect that the entire omission of the islands from Alfred
Brown’s distribution list was for the very good reason that he had
virtually no detailed information. Some information on reptile and
amphibian distribution on the Clyde islands, however, did exist at
that time. As well as the Old and New Statistical Accounts , the
early authors such as Pennant (69,70), Headrick (46), Blain (9),
Paterson (68), Wilson (84) and Landsborough (49) gave useful
information on Arran and Bute, and Leighton in his two books
(51,52) clearly had access to notes on some of the smaller Clyde
islands, so the complete failure to include the island information
then available was an unfortunate omission from Brown’s paper.

Nearly half a century after Brown, Taylor (3) compiled his
important survey on the distribution of reptiles and amphibians
throughout the entire British Isles. This was a largely biblio-
graphical survey, based on previously published work, and rep-
resented a significant advance in the collecting together of our
knowledge, although as far as Clyde was concerned it did overlook
some published items of considerable local interest.

213

Until as recently as the early 1960s the Clyde islands
remained far and away the biggest gap in our published knowledge
of reptile and amphibian distribution, but this deficiency has
gradually been filled, and within the past twenty years detailed
accounts have appeared on the reptiles and amphibians of Ailsa
Craig (25), Arran (24), Bute (27), the Cumbraes (33,38), the
Sanda Island group (28), many of the smaller Clyde islands (33),
and the Loch Lomond islands (21,23), as well as detailed accounts
of Renfrewshire (26,30), Cowal (37,39), Kintyre (41,42), and
some individual species. The way was then clear for my own com-
prehensive paper (4), which appeared in 1976 and as far as I am
aware did manage to collect together all existing information.
Since then considerable additional information has come to light,
and recently the Clyde Regional Check-List (5), giving the distri-
bution under each of the fifteen minor faunal areas of Clyde, and
supplementary to the 1976 written account, has also appeared.

This present paper deals with the distribution of reptiles and
amphibians throughout the Clyde Faunal Area, but it must be
obvious that a Clyde paper cannot deal with the detailed distribu-
tion within each county or district; that is the job of the individual
county naturalist. My purpose here is to present an up-to-date
picture of the distribution of reptiles and amphibians within the
Clyde area as a whole, based on current field work, and to draw
attention to any unusual situations or any areas where knowledge
seems to be lacking. The distribution notes are therefore given in
somewhat summary form, with references, where relevant, to what
has already been published in detail; I hope the end bibliography
will be found to include all significant previously published
material.

Any distribution-study of an animal group within the Clyde
area is made particularly interesting by the division of the entire
area into north and south parts by the river Clyde itself, with the
islands to some extent intermediate. These parts show marked
differences in distribution, particularly noticeable with the mam-
mals and the birds, but with the exception of the Adder and the
Palmate Newt, each of which is much commoner in highland
Clyde and on the islands than in lowland Clyde, these differences
are not nearly so clear cut amongst the reptiles and amphibians.

In the following systematic list arrangement and nomencla-
ture largely follow Smith (75) and Brongersma (11).

214

REPTILES
Order SQUAMATA

SLOW WORM Anguis fragilis Linnaeus

Fairly common throughout the Clyde area (1,2). Widely
distributed throughout the lowland counties (4), around Loch
Lomond including several of the islands (23), and in all districts
of South Argyll (35,73). Also well-known on Arran (24), Bute
(27), Great Cumbrae (38), Ailsa Craig (12,25,45,50,61,76), Sanda,
Sheep Island (28), Davaar (21), Inchmamock, Holy Island and
Little Cumbrae (33). I have not yet found the Slow Worm on
Lady Isle, Horse Island, Pladda, the Burnt Islands, or any of the
Loch Fyne islands (33), but some may occur and I shall be glad to
receive additional information.

During the past quarter-century Slow Worms have substanti-
ally decreased in numbers throughout lowland Clyde (4) and it has
been suggested that in some areas this is because of the tidying-up
of semi-derelict sites as urban growth spreads. They have, however,
also now significantly decreased on Ailsa Craig and some other
small islands (33). On the large islands and throughout South
Argyll, numbers appear to be unchanged.

SAND LIZARD Lacerta agilis Linnaeus

[In some country districts of Clyde ‘sand lizard’ is still a local
name for the Common Lizard, but I know of no authentic record
of the Sand Lizard from Clyde (4). An apparent record from Kin-
tyre in 1903 (10,82) was later withdrawn.]

LIZARD Lacerta vivipara Jacquin

The Common (or Viviparous) Lizard is common all over the
Clyde mainland (4); throughout the lowland counties, around
Loch Lomond including several of the islands (23), and through-
out South Argyll (35,41,45).

It is also common on Arran (24), Bute (27) and Great Cum-
brae, and is the most widely distributed reptile on the small Clyde
islands (33). Lizards are fairly common on Ailsa Craig (25,52),
Sanda, Sheep Island (28), Davaar (41), Holy Island, Inchmarnock,
and Little Cumbrae (38). There are also a few records from Pladda
(21), the Burnt Islands (37), and the Minard islands. So far,

215

despite repeated searching, I have not found any on the other
Loch Fyne islands, or on Lady Isle or Horse Island off the Ayr-
shire coast (33), although some may occur and I shall be grateful
for any additional information.

GRASS SNAKE Natrix matrix (Linnaeus)

There is no real evidence that the Grass (or Ringed) Snake
has ever been native to Clyde. Grass Snakes are so often kept as
pets that nearly all of the many occurrences can be traced to
escapes (2,4). Grass Snakes are still sold in pet shops, and in some
areas appear to be quite popular, so it is likely that these escapes
will continue. It must be admitted, however, that Grass Snakes
have been found in some very remote parts of Clyde where escapes
would seem to be unlikely.

Many casual references to ‘grass snakes5 in the popular press
obviously refer to Slow Worms, but genuine Grass Snakes have
been found in Ayrshire, Renfrewshire (30,81), Lanarkshire (2,17),
East Stirling (17), Kintyre (55) and on Arran (24,31) and Bute
(27). There are also a very few records of Grass Snakes apparently
breeding in Clyde (34), but I have no evidence of a continuing
population in the absence of escapes.

In September 1932 Dr Norman Morrison introduced three
Grass Snakes to Kintyre to see whether they would survive the
winter (41); one was recaptured in August 1933 and a second was
killed in August 1934 (65).

SMOOTH SNAKE Coronella austriaca Laurenti

[I know of no authentic record of the Smooth Snake from
Clyde. Old casual references to ‘smooth snakes5 from various parts
of the Clyde area (66) presumably referred to Slow Worms.
Smooth Snake also used to be an alternative name for the Grass
Snake (2).]

ADDER Vipera berus (Linnaeus)

The Adder occurs all over the Clyde mainland ( 1 ,2,4). In the
lowland counties of Ayrshire, Renfrewshire (30,44) and Lanark-
shire (17) it is thinly distributed, but it is much more common in

216

the highland area, i.e. around Loch Lomond (53) and throughout
South Argyll (35,39,51,56). It is particularly common in Kintyre
(42) where Dr Norman Morrison, the well-known authority, did
most of his work on the species (62).

The Adder is absent from all the Clyde islands (33) except
Arran and Holy Island, where it has always been known to be very
common (24,29,54,60) but recently appears to be decreasing. Des-
pite occasional casual reports to the contrary it is certainly absent
from Ailsa Craig (25). Old references to Adders on Bute in the
early 19th century by Blain (9) almost certainly arose from con-
fusion with the Slow Worm. Adders have, in fact, been taken
across to Bute from the neighbouring Cowal mainland, more or
less as a schoolboy prank, but there is no evidence that any sur-
vived. At Loch Lomond Adders have been found on Inchlonaig,
Inchconnachan, Inchtavannach, Inchmoan and Inchcruin (23), and
there are old, somewhat dramatic, accounts of their density on
Inchlonaig and Inchconnachan (8). Adders swim well and have
been seen swimming in Loch Lomond (23,53), so it is likely that
they have occurred on most of the Loch Lomond islands. I am
informed, however, that within recent years there has been a sig-
nificant decrease here, apparently because of continued woodland
development on some islands.

Adders have also been found swimming across streams and
lochs in several other parts of Clyde (41,57), and in Kintyre Mr
Duncan Colville when fishing a Kintyre hill-loch once hooked one.
It was not foul-hooked and the assumption was that it took the fly
in the normal way (63). Records of Adders in salt water are rare,
but one was seen swimming across West Loch Tarbert in 1901 , and
Morrison lists even more remarkable records of Adders having
been caught swimming across the Kilbrannan Sound between
Arran and Kintyre. It was presumed that these Adders had been
picked up by gulls and later dropped into the sea (64).

Throughout the Clyde area Adders usually emerge towards
the beginning of April and begin to hibernate towards the middle
of September (4), but the dates can vary greatly and there are
many records of Adders having been found active in winter,
usually following a spell of warm weather; these, however, would
almost certainly die.

217

The size of Adders in the Clyde area occasionally gives rise to
controversy in local newspapers (58), but in general the largest
come from South Argyll, whereas those in lowland Clyde, and
now on Arran, are usually much smaller. Most Clyde Adders
measure 18 inches or less and any specimens of two feet or more
are distinctly uncommon (4,56). There is one record from Kintyre
of an Adder measuring 26% inches (41).

Order TESTUDINATA

COMMON LOGGERHEAD TURTLE

Caretta caretta (Linnaeus)

Three specimens of the Common (or Atlantic) Loggerhead
Turtle have been recorded from the Clyde area.

On 22 August 1861 one was found alive on the shore near
Rowardennan Lodge, Loch Lomond (74). The weather had been
very bad, and the Loch was said to be eight feet above its usual
level. Two other specimens of the Loggerhead Turtle had turned
up on the east coast of Scotland three weeks earlier (15,16),
these being the first specimens ever recorded for Scotland (72,
80).

One was found alive on the beach at Girvan, Ayrshire on
4 December 1951 (77), and a second Ayrshire specimen was
found on the beach near Dunure on 4 December 1961 (79).

KEMP’S LOGGERHEAD TURTLE
Lepidocheiys kempi (Garman)

A small turtle was washed ashore alive at Troon on 26
December 1949, after a severe gale (20). It subsequently died and
was identified as a Kemp’s Loggerhead (Kemp’s Ridley) Turtle
at the Royal Scottish Museum (14,77).

LEATHERY TURTLE Dermochelys conacea (Linnaeus)

A Leathery Turtle (or Luth) was caught alive in Kilbrannan
Sound, between Arran and Kintyre, on 11 August 1959. It was
taken to Calderpark Zoo, Glasgow, where it died, and the
specimen was then taken to Kelvingrove Museum (22,78).

218

This 1959 specimen was apparently the first fully authenti-
cated record of a Leathery Turtle to be reported from Scottish
waters, but an 1875 record of a Leathery Turtle, also taken in
Kilbrannan Sound, is now generally accepted as authentic (20,
41).

There are two other sight records of Leathery Turtles which
seem acceptable. One was seen in the lower reaches of the Clyde
sea area, off Portpatrick and later between Ayr and Pladda, on
28 and 30 August 1961 (79), and another was seen in the Firth of
Clyde, between Toward Point and Gourock, on 1 September
1981 (40).

It is also worth noting that a Leathery Turtle was found dead
on the Island of Jura in September 1978 (36).

TURTLE Species indeterminate

Over the years many other records of unspecified turtles have
appeared. These are almost certainly authentic, for although it is
nearly impossible to make an accurate identification of a turtle
seen at sea, there is seldom any doubt that the creature was indeed
a turtle.

In August 1 947 the crew of a Campbeltown fishing boat saw
a turtle swimming in the sea about five miles off Sanda Island. It
was a large specimen estimated to be about four feet long (6).

On 8 September 1958 Mrs K. R. J. Long, while fishing in
Loch Long near Portincaple, sa w a creature within an oar’s length
of the boat (78). It “appeared to have a shell on its back and a
beak. It sank again immediately and no further particulars were
obtained.”

On 28 August 1968 the crew of an Ayrshire fishing boat saw
a large turtle estimated to be “over a yard long” in the sea
between Loch Ryan and Ailsa Craig. It was first seen about fifty
yards away but when the boat came within some thirty feet it
dived and did not reappear (4). All who saw it had no doubt that
it was a turtle.

From time to time other vague reports of turtles have
appeared, but the above are the only instances I think worth
recording. I shall be grateful to hear of any other authentic records.

219

AMPHIBIANS
Order CAUDATA

CRESTED NEWT Triturus cristatus (Laurenti)

This was always the rarest Clyde newt and Brown (1901)
said it was “very scarce and local” (2). Knowledge of its present
distribution is still very sketchy (4).

In lowland Clyde there are some very old records (1,43,71,
85). It was found in several areas of Renfrewshire between 1932
and 1952 (26,32) but has not been seen recently. There is no
recent evidence from Ayrshire or Lanarkshire.

In South Argyll, there are old records from Carradale in Kin-
tyre (41) and several specimens were found there in 1949.
Repeated searching has, however, produced no further record
(42). On the Clyde islands the only evidence is from Arran where
several specimens were found near Lochranza in the early 1950s
(24); this site was later drained and I know of no further records.

At one time the Crested Newt appears to have been not un-
common just north of the Clyde (1,2,17), and in the Loch
Lomond area during the 1950s it was reported from beside the
Endrick water and from near Helensburgh (48). Recent reports
indicate small numbers are still present.

I shall be grateful to receive any additional information on
the occurrence of this species in the Clyde area.

SMOOTH NEWT Triturus vulgaris (Linnaeus)

This species if fairly common throughout the counties of
lowland Clyde but is rather uncommon elsewhere.

It occurs in small numbers in Dunbartonshire and West
Stirling around the south part of Loch Lomond area (48). Pre-
viously I knew of no record from the Loch Lomond islands (23),
but I am now informed that there is a hitherto unpublished N.C.C.
record from Inchcailloch, in the lowland part of the loch, from the
early 1960s. In South Argyll there are a few records from Cowal
(35, 39) and Kin tyre (42), where it is very local and thinly distri-
buted.

It occurs in small numbers on Arran (31) and Bute (27), but I
have no records from Great Cumbrae or from the small Clyde
islands (33).

220

Although Smooth Newts are still reasonably well distributed
throughout Ayrshire, Renfrewshire and Lanarkshire, even there
they have substantially decreased in numbers during the past
thirty years (4), presumably because of the steady drainage of
suitable habitat. They certainly no longer “abound everywhere”
(2).

PALMATE NEWT Triturus helveticus (Razoumoski)

Although primarily a montane species, the Palmate Newt
occurs fairly widely all over the Clyde mainland (19), and in some
parts of the lowland counties of Renfrewshire (26), Ayrshire and
Lanarkshire (19) is nearly as common as the Smooth Newt (4).
North of the Clyde it is well known around Loch Lomond (48)
where it also occurs on several islands (23), and it is common and
widely distributed throughout South Argyll (19,35,41).

It is the commonest newt on Arran (24) and on Bute (27)
and appears to be the only species on Great Cumbrae (33) and on
the small Clyde islands, where it occurs on Sanda (18,28), Ailsa
Craig (25), Holy Island, Inchmarnock (27) and Little Cumbrae.
There seem to be no newts on any other Clyde island (19,33).

Order SALIENTIA

TOAD Bufo bufo (Linnaeus)

Toads are fairly common and well distributed throughout the
Clyde area (1,2,4). They are well known throughout the lowland
counties, around Loch Lomond including several of the large
islands, and throughout South Argyll.

Toads are common on Arran (31) and on Bute (27) but are
apparently absent from Great Cumbrae (33). They have also been
found on Sanda, Davaar, and Holy Island, but appear to be absent
from Ailsa Craig, Pladda, Inchmarnock, Little Cumbrae, and the
other small Clyde islands (25,28,33).

In my experience, throughout the Clyde area the Toad is
not nearly so common as the Frog, although apparently the
reverse was true in Kin tyre around the turn of the century (13,41).

221

NATTERJACK TOAD Bufo calamita Laurenti

[Old oft-repeated references to the Natterjack Toad from
Renfrewshire (2) and the Island of Arran (24) have recently
been fully investigated and shown to be without foundation
(24,30). There are apparently no authentic records of Natter-
jack Toads from anywhere in the Clyde area.]

FROG Rana temporaria Linnaeus

The Frog is common and widely distributed over most of the
Clyde area, including the lowland counties, around Loch Lomond
with most of its islands, and throughout South Argyll (1,2,4).

The island distribution is interesting. On the large Clyde
islands the Frog is common on Arran (24) and Bute (27) but is
traditionally absent from Great Cumbrae (33). In the past,
attempts have been made to introduce Frogs to Great Cumbrae
by placing frog-spawn in suitable areas, but all these efforts seem
to have failed (33). On the small Clyde islands, Frogs are well
known on Sanda (28), Davaar (41), and Holy Island (24), and have
been found on the Burnt Islands in the Kyles of Bute (27). They
used to occur on Inchmarnock (27) but now appear to have died
out (37). Frogs are apparently absent from Sheep Island, Pladda,
Little Cumbrae, Lady Isle, Horse Island and the small Loch Fyne
islands (33). There are no Frogs on Ailsa Craig and although some
spawn taken there in 1948 hatched successfully, the population
was not maintained (25). Frog-spawn is often transported by
schoolboys and it is not unlikely that other attempts at introduc-
tions have been made to various places.

In some years after the spawn has hatched small Frogs
occasionally appear in 'plague5 form, and literally carpet the
ground. Such 'plagues’ have been reported from Renfrewshire (30),
Sanda Island off Kintyre (28) and on Inchmoan in Loch Lomond
(23).

In common with many parts of the country, Frogs have
markedly decreased in numbers throughout lowland Clyde during
the past quarter century (4), presumbably owing to drainage of
suitable habitats, but there is relatively little change in numbers in
South Argyll or on the Clyde islands.

222

EDIBLE FROG Rana esculenta Linnaeus

Attempts were apparently made to introduce the Edible
Frog to Renfrewshire in the 1860s (30) and possibly later, but
there is no evidence that any population got genuinely established.
There are some old references to ‘edible frogs’ from various parts
of Clyde which are difficult to explain, e.g. Arran in the 1840s
(24,60), but it is exceedingly unlikely that these were meant to
refer to esculenta.

Other Species

The Clyde area contains several thriving sea-ports, and over
the years many exotic lizards, and even snakes, have been acciden-
tally imported. These usually achieve some local publicity at the
time, are eventually deposited in a neighbouring zoo or museum,
and do not really concern us here.

It is worth noting, however, that a good many specimens of
the GECKO have turned up from time to time, and have been
exhibited at local natural history societies (47,49). Most of these
lizards have apparently been identified as the species Tarentola
delalandii and have arrived in banana crates from the Canary
Islands. In 1950 there were complaints that a ‘colony’ of Geckos
had got established, and were breeding, in a Glasgow dock ware-
house, and eventually one of the city rat-catchers was called in
to clear them out. As far as I know, however, there was no actual
proof that any breeding took place.

Bibliography

I believe the following bibliography to include all previously published
items of significance on Clyde reptiles and amphibians. It is grouped into two
sections: (a) Previous attempts at comprehensive accounts of Clyde, and (b)
Miscellaneous notes and papers, the most useful of which are the detailed
accounts of counties, islands, or equivalent areas throughout Clyde. These
usually also contain bibliographies listing some notes, mostly from local
newspapers and not repeated here, giving information on very localised distri-
bution.

If I have overlooked any important record published in a local or
national journal I apologise in advance and shall be grateful to have any such
omission drawn to my attention.

223

(a) CLYDE

1. CAMPBELL, J. M. 1876. Reptilia and Amphibia. In List of the Fauna

and Flora of Clydesdale and the West of Scotland. British Associa-
tion Handbook, Glasgow. 1876: 11.

A short list with very brief distribution notes, mostly from the
'Glasgow' district.

2. BROWN, A. 1901. Reptilia and Amphibia. In Fauna , Flora and Geo-

logy of the Clyde area. British Association Handbook, Glasgow.
1901: 171-172.

Probably the first-ever serious attempt at a detailed list. Good for
its time, it gives local distribution notes on twelve species but over-
looks the turtle records (as did Campbell) and, more seriously, gives
no information at all about distribution on the Clyde islands.

3. TAYLOR, R. H. R. 1948 and 1963. The distribution of reptiles and

amphibians in the British Isles. Brit. J. Herpet. 1: 1-38. Revised
survey .Brit. J. Herpet . 3: 95-115.

An important account, being an attempt to give the distribution,
in bibliographical form, of all reptiles and amphibians throughout
the British Isles. Largely based on previously published work but
overlooks some published items of considerable relevance to the
Clyde area.

4. GIBSON, J. A. 1976. The reptiles and amphibians of the Clyde area.

Western Nat. 5: 53-66.

The first comprehensive account. Makes full reference to all
previously published work, and as well as lowland Clyde, for the first
time gives detailed distribution notes for south Argyll and the Clyde
islands, much of which is based on completely new work.

5. GIBSON, I. A. 1980. A Regional Check-List of Gy de Reptiles and

Amphibians . Glasgow.

One of the series of Regional Check-Lists published by the Clyde
Area Branch of the Scottish Wildlife Trust to cover all the vertebrate
classes in Clyde. Gives detailed distribution lists under each of the
minor faunal areas of Clyde. Supplementary to the 1976 written
account.

(b) MISCELLANEOUS:

6 . ANON. 1 947 . Turtle in the Clyde . Fishing News 23 August : 8.

7. BELL, T. 1849. A History of British Reptiles. 2nd edition. London.

8. BIDIE, Surgeon-general. 1902. Notes on the Scottish Adder. Ann. Scot.

nat. Hist. : 217-220.

9. BLAIN, J. c 1820. History of Bute. Not published until 1880; edited by

W. Ross, Rothesay 1880.

10. BOULENGER, G. A. 1903. Vipers swallowing their young. Field 18

July: 138.

11. BRONGERSMA, L. D. 1967. Guide for the Identification of Stranded

Turtles on British Coasts. British Museum (Nat. Hist.), London.

224

12. CAMPBELL, J. M. 1892. Supposed cannibalism in the Slow-Worm

(Anguis fragilis, L).Ann. Scot. nat. Hist. : 271.

13. COLVILLE, D. 1954. Notes on the Natural History of the Parish of

Campbeltown. Campbeltown.

14. DAVIDSON, W. 1950. Turtle washed ashore at Troon. Trans. Paisley

Nat. Soc. 5: 80.

15. DYCE, R. 1861. Description of a reptile, the Chelonia caretta, or

Loggerhead Turtle, new to the British fauna. Ann. Mag . nat. Hist.,
Ser. 3,8: 351.

16. EDWARD, T. 1861. Occurrence of the HawkVbill Turtle ( Testudo

imbricata ) at Banff. Zoologist: 7713-7715.

17. EVANS, W. 1894. The reptiles and batrachians of the Edinburgh

district. Proc. R. phys. Soc. Ed. 12: 490-526.

18. EVANS, W. 1921. The Palmated Newt in Argyllshire. Scott. Nat.:

21.

19. GIBSON, J. A. 1946. The Palmate Newt in the West of Scotland.

Trans. Paisley Nat. Soc. 5: 63-64.

20. GIBSON, J. A. 1950. Records of Turtles in Clyde waters and other

parts of the West of Scotland. Trans. Paisley Nat. Soc: 5: 84-85.

21. GIBSON, J. A. 1950. Reptiles on the Clyde and Loch Lomond islands.

Trans. Paisley Nat. Soc. 5: 95-96.

22. GIBSON, J. A. 1960. Further records of Clyde Turtles. Trans. Paisley

Nat. Soc. 6: 53-54.

23. GIBSON, J. A. 1960. Reptiles and amphibians on the Loch Lomond

islands. Trans. Paisley Nat. Soc . 6: 72-75.

24. GIBSON, J. A. 1969. The reptiles and amphibians of the Island of

Arran. Trans. Butesh. nat. Hist. Soc. 17: 69-72.

25. GIBSON, J. A. 1969. The mammals, reptiles and amphibians of Ailsa

Craig. Trans. Butesh. nat Hist. Soc. 17: 73-76.

26. GIBSON, J. A. 1910. Atlas of Renfrewshire Vertebrates. Paisley.

27. GIBSON, J. A. 1970. The reptiles and amphibians of the Island of Bute.

Trans. Butesh. nat . Hist. Soc. 18: 31-32.

28. GIBSON, J. A. 1970. The reptiles and amphibians of Sanda, Sheep

Island and Glunimore. Trans. Butesh. nat. Hist. Soc. 18: 33-34.

29. GIBSON, J. A. 1972. Increase of Adders on Holy Island, Arran.

Western Nat. 1: 115-116.

30 GIBSON, J. A. 1973. The reptiles and amphibians of Renfrewshire.
Western Nat. 2: 4-14.

31. GIBSON, J. A. 1975. Atlas of Arran Vertebrates. Brodick.

32. GIBSON, J. A. 1975. Summary notes on the vertebrate fauna of Loch

Libo and neighbourhood . Western Nat. 4: 65-70.

33. GIBSON, J. A. 1976. The reptiles and amphibians of the Cumbraes and

some other Clyde islands. Trans. Butesh. nat. Hist. Soc. 20: 68-70.

225

34. GIBSON, J. A. 1976. Grass Snake breeding in the Clyde area. Western

Nat. 5: 113-114.

35. GIBSON, J. A. 1977. Notes on the lower vertebrates of Cowal, Argyll.

Western Nat. 6: 35-43.

36. GIBSON, J. A. 1978. Leathery Turtle on Jura. WestemNat. 7: 101.

37. GIBSON, J. A. 1980. Recent notes on the lower vertebrates of the

Island of Bute. Trans. Butesh. nat. Hist. Soc. 21: 97-98.

38. GIBSON, J. A. 1980. Atlas of Bute and Cumbrae Vertebrates. Rothesay.

39. GIBSON, J. A. \9%0. Atlas of Cowal Vertebrates. Glasgow.

40. GIBSON, J. A. 1981. Leathery Turtle in Firth of Clyde. Western Nat.

10: 34.

41. GIBSON, J. A. and COLVILLE, D. 1972. The reptiles and amphibians

of Kintyre. Western Nat. 1 : 36-41 .

42. GIBSON, J. A. and COLVILLE, D. 1975 . Atlas of Kintyre Vertebrates.

Campbeltown.

43. HALL, C. A. 1915. Renfrewshire amphibians. Trans. Paisley Nat. Soc.

2: 66-67.

44. HALL, C. A. 1915. Renfrewshire reptiles. Trans. Paisley Nat. Soc. 2:

68.

45. HARVIE-BROWN, J. A. and BUCKLEY, T. E. 1892. A Vertebrate

Fauna of Argyll and the Inner Hebrides. Edinburgh.

46. HEADRICK, J. 1807. View of the Mineralogy, Agriculture, Manu-

factures and Fisheries of the Island of Arran. Edinburgh.

47. HENDERSON, T. B. 1910. Exhibit of two specimens of the Gecko.

Glasg. Nat. 1: 131.

48. HUNTER, W. R., SLACK, H. D. and HUNTER, M. R. 1959. The lower

vertebrates of the Loch Lomond district. Glasg. Nat. 18: 84-90.

49. LANDSBOROUGH, D. 1851. Excursions to Arran, Ailsa Craig and the

two Cumbraes. Edinburgh.

50. LAWSON, R. 1895. Ailsa Craig, its History and Natural History. 2nd

edition. Paisley.

51. LEIGHTON, G. R. 1901. The Life-History of British Serpents, and

their local Distribution in the British Isles. Edinburgh.

52. LEIGHTON, G. R. 1903. The Life-History of British Lizards and their

local Distribution in the British Isles. Edinburgh.

53. LUMSDEN, J. and BROWN, A. 1895. A Guide to the Natural History

of Loch Lomond and Neighbourhood. Glasgow.

54. MACBRIDE, A. 1845. Parish of Kilmore. New Statist. Acc. Scot.

5(Bute): 40-68.

55. MACDONALD, D. 1845. United parish of Killean and Kilchenzie.

New Statist. Acc. Scot. 5(Argyle): 376-394.

56. MACINTYRE, D. 1924. The Adder in Argyllshire. Chambers' Journal

August: 516-519.

226

57. MACINTYRE, D. 1936. Wild Life in the Highlands. London.

58. MACINTYRE, D. N.D. c. 1950. Memories of a Highland Gamekeeper.

London.

59. McKIM, J. 1950. Geckos in Glasgow. Trans. Paisley Nat. Soc. 5: 90.

60. McNAUGHTON, A. 1845. Parish of Kilbride. New Statist. Acc. Scot.

5(Bute): 1-39.

61. McWILLIAM, J. M. 1925. Slow-Worm on Ailsa Craig. Scott. Nat.: 159.

62. MORRISON, N. 1924. The Life Story of the Adder. London.

63. MORRISON, N. 1928. An angler’s unexpected catch. Field 27 Septem-

ber.

64. MORRISON, N. 1929. Sea-swimming Adders. Scotsman 1 December.

65. MORRISON, N. 1932. Grass Snakes in Kin tyre: interesting experiment.

Campbeltown Courier 24 September and 8 October.

66. NEW STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF SCOTLAND 1845. Vols. 1-15.

Edinburgh.

67. (OLD) STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF SCOTLAND 1791-97. Vols.

1-21. Edinburgh.

68. PATERSON, J. 1837. Account of the Island of Arran. Prize Essays and

Trans. High. Agric. Soc. Scot. 5 (NS): 125-154.

69. PENNANT, T. 1768-70. British Zoology. London.

70. PENNANT, T. 1774. A Tour of Scotland and Voyage to the Hebrides,

1 772. Chester.

7 1 . PRIDE , D. 1910. History o f the Parish ofNeilston. Paisley.

72. RITCHIE, J. 1924. The Loggerhead Turtle in Scotland. Scott. Nat. :

99-103.

73. SCOTT, M. E. 1955. Nestling Blackbirds eating Slow-Worms. Scott.

Nat.: 116.

74. SMEE, A. D. 1861. On the occurrence of the Loggerhead Turtle in

Scotland. A nn. Mag. nat. Hist., Ser. 3,8: 351-352.

75. SMITH, M. 1964. The British Amphibians and Reptiles. 3rd edition.

London: Collins.

76. SMITH, J., PATERSON, J. and WATT, H. B. 1900. The natural history

of Ailsa Craig. Ann. Anders. Nat. Soc. 2: 135-154.

77. STEPHEN, A. C. 1953. Scottish Turtle records previous to 1953. Scott.

Nat.: 108-114.

78. STEPHEN, A. C. 1961. Scottish Turtle records 1954-1960. Scott.

Nat.: 43-47.

79. STEPHEN, A. C., RAE, B. B. and LAMONT, J. M. 1963. Scottish

Turtle records 1960-61. Scott. Nat.: 37-38.

80. SUTHERLAND, W. 1861. Occurrence of Chelonia caretta in Britain.

Zoologist: 7795.

81. TAYLOR, J. M. B. 1900. Common or Ringed Snake in Renfrewshire.

Ann. Scot. nat. Hist.: 185.

227

82. TEGETMEIER, W. B. 1903. Vipers swallowing their young. Field

11 July: 86.

83. THOMPSON, W. 1856. The Natural History of Ireland. Vol. 4. London.

84. WILSON, J. 1842. A Voyage round the Coasts of Scotland and the Isles.

Edinburgh.

85. YOUNG, A. R. 1845. Botany and Zoology of parish of Paisley. New

Statist. Ace. Scot. 7(Renfrew): 160-164.

Acknowledgments

During the past forty-odd years, when gathering information
on the distribution of Clyde reptiles and amphibians, I have been
enormously assisted by a great many people. These include: the
officials and members of every major natural history society in
the Clyde area, the local officers of the Nature Conservancy
Council, the Royal Scottish Museum and several regional museums
in the West of Scotland, the Forestry Commission, and a whole
host of private individuals — farmers, gamekeepers, poachers,
foresters, fishermen, lighthouse-keepers, and many others. Without
their generous help the information in this paper would be sig-
nificantly less complete. I am exceedingly grateful to them all.

Future Work

In conjunction with the Biological Records Centre at Monks
Wood, the British Herpetological Society, and most major natural
history societies within Clyde, the Clyde Area Branch of the
Scottish Wildlife Trust is endeavouring to keep the records of
reptile and amphibian distribution constantly updated, with a view
to the ultimate publication of the complete Atlas of Clyde Verte-
brates, covering the 170 10 km squares comprising the entire
Clyde Faunal Area.

I act as Recorder for this scheme, and if any other naturalists
are interested in doing work on the distribution of reptiles and
amphibians within a particular area of Clyde, I shall be very glad
to supply them with detailed copies of the relevant 10 kmI 2
cards in the hope that they may be able to add to the information

already on record.

Naturalists in Glasgow

No. 3: THOMAS HOPKIRK (1785-1841)

Drawn by Aileen McPhie from an oil painting by an unknown artist.

Thomas Hopkirk the Younger of Dalbeth was the grandson of a tobacco
merchant, also Thomas. He was instrumental in founding Glasgow Botanic
Gardens in 1817 and he donated his collection of plants to form the nucleus
of the collection of the new Gardens.

Hopkirk was author of Flora Glottiana (1813) the first flora of the Clyde
area, and of Flora Anomala (1817) probably the first work to be devoted to
anomalies in the plant kingdom. A skilled lithographer, he illustrated his own
books.

229

The Food of Arctic Charr
in the Presence and Absence
of Brown Trout

RONALD N. B. CAMPBELL

Department of Zoology ,

University College, Cork
Republic of Ireland

Received August 1982

Within the British Isles, the Arctic Charr (Salvelinus alpinus
(L.) ) almost always co-exists in lochs with other salmonids. All
previous research has therefore been concerned with Charr in
competition with other, closely related species. In 1974, however,
Charr alone were found in Loch Meallt on the eastern side of the
Trottemish peninsula of Skye, and in 1975 the food of this
allopatric (separately occurring) population was compared, by
stomach analysis, with that of a Charr population in Loch Fada on
North Uist. The Charr there are in the more usual British position
of being sympatric (co-existent) with Brown Trout.* Since 1974
some other lochs have been found that contain Charr alone.
(Maitland et al 1982).

There has been very little interest in British charr, and most
has been concerned with their taxonomy (Friend 1956, 1959).
First scientific analysis of their diet gave “minute entomostracea”
and “aquatic insects” as their food (Jardine 1834, Baird 1857) and
subsequent investigations largely confirmed this (Maitland 1884,
Frost 1951) with an exception for the Charr of Loch Borralie in
Sutherland which ate Sticklebacks ( Gasterosteus aculeatus L.),
corixids and insect larvae (results quoted in Darling and Boyd
1969).

* This work was presented as a thesis for the honours degree in Zoology of the
University of Aberdeen in 1976.

Glas. Nat. 20 part 3 (1982)

230

The Lochs

Loch Meallt, Skye

This is eutrophic 8.2 ha (20.3 acres) in area and its deepest
known point is 3m. It is located on top of an exposed sea cliff, in
a rock basin 51m above sea level, within a complex of Jurassic and
Tertiary dolerite sills. It has three small inflow streams and is
drained by a single outflow that runs for only 15m before falling
over the sea cliff. It is not therefore accessible to migratory
salmonids.

Loch Fada, North Uist.

This is a typical oligotrophic moorland loch 10m above sea
level, 44.25 ha (109.3 acres) in area with a maximum depth of
30m, lying on a platform of Lewisian gneiss. The inflows and out-
flows are small and have not yet been accurately mapped, though
it is said to be accessible to migratory salmonids.

Methods

Since the two lochs are of different types, benthos samples
(taken with a hand-net from the shores of the lochs) and zoo-
plankton samples (taken with a tow-net from a boat) were
obtained in addition to fish samples, so that differences in the
feeding available to the fish populations could be assessed. All
three types of sample were taken from both lochs in spring and
autumn. The same broad categories of food were found to be
available in both lochs.

Netting of Fish

Monofilament nylon nets of the “Tundhovn” type were used.
These were “bottom set” (i.e. leadline of net bottom lay on the
substrate) at the entrances to bays and left overnight. Loch Meallt
was netted on the 1 and 4 May 1975 (6 Charr) and on 26 August
1975 (11 Charr). It was also netted on 21 May 1975 by staff of
the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland Fresh-
water Fisheries Laboratory, Pitlochry, who caught 98 Charr of
which 77 were given to the author for this study. Loch Fada was
netted on 2 and 3 April 1975 (17 Charr, 19 Brown Trout) and on
28 August 1975 (8 Charr, 22 Brown Trout).

231

Analysis of Fish Stomachs

Jones and Hynes (1955) discussed the many methods used to
record and demonstrate the contents of fish stomachs concluding
that, for fish of generalized diet, and with a sufficient sample size,
all methods gave much the same results. A problem arises however
when, as in this study, some fish have eaten small and numerous
food items, such as zooplankton, and others have fed on fewer and
much larger items. To accommodate both these diets in the one
analysis the “Percentage Occurrence Method” has been used here.

This involves:

(a) Finding the number of stomachs in which each prey
category occurs.

(b) Adding together the totals for each category to give a
grand total for the sample.

(c) Expressing the number of stomachs found for each
category as a percentage of the grand total.

When more than one category was found in a stomach, a
full occurrence point was noted for all of the categories so found.
Since the purpose of this study was to compare the basic ecology
of the two Charr populations, broad categories of prey items were
used that were of very different ecological significance. These
categories were:

A. Benthos.

Larvae of Chironomidae, Coleoptera, Ephemeroptera, Megaloptera,
Plecoptera and Trichoptera. Adults of Gammarus, Mollusca and
Oligochaeta.

B. Mid-water and Surface Dwellers,

Adult Insects (aquatic and terrestrial), pupal Chironomidae,
Hydracarina and Sticklebacks (Three-spined, Gasterosteus acu-
le at us, in Loch Meallt and Ten-spined, Pungitius pungitius (L.), in
Loch Fada).

C. Zooplankton.

These categories are approximately those of Frost and
Brown (1967). They were drawn up from the Benthos and Zoo-
plankton samples as well as from the fish samples. Not all the
types in a category were found in stomachs.

232

100 %

Spring

Autumn

Allopatric

Charr

-

Sympatric

Charr

o

•

Sympatric

Trout

□

■

Figure 1 . Percentage occurrences of the three categories of prey items in the
allopatric Charr of Loch Meallt and in the sympatric Charr and Trout of Loch
Fada in spring and autumn.

233

Results

Stomach analysis of each sample (spring and autumn) of each
of the three populations under investigation (Loch Meallt Charr,
Loch Fada Charr, Loch Fada Trout) gave a percentage occurrence
figure for each of the three broad dietary categories used. These
figures could therefore be used to plot the position of their sample
on a three-axis diagram. This has been done in Figure 1, which
shows:

A) The very strong dependence on zooplankton of the sympatric
Charr of Loch Fada, in both seasons.

B) The equally strong concentration of both the sympatric
Trout of Loch Fada and the allopatric Charr of Loch Meallt
on bottom feeding in spring.

C) The shift of both these spring bottom feeding populations to
more surface and mid-water feeding in autumn. This is pro-
bably connected with the reduction in amount of bottom
fauna available to fish in late summer after the hatching of
insect larvae through the season. This shift is less marked in
Loch Meallt, a richer loch, where there is a large supply of
permanent bottom fauna ( Gammarus , Molluscs, etc.).

Discussion

These results show that Charr co-existing with Trout are zoo-
plankton feeders, but that Charr in a loch by themselves are
mainly bottom feeders, as are Trout. Trout and Charr together in a
loch therefore would be in competition, apparently severe enough
to displace the Charr into another niche altogether; that of zoo-
plankton feeding.

The results presented here for the sympatric Charr are in
agreement with the modern studies of such Charr elsewhere (in
Windermere, Frost 1951, 1977). The allopatric Charr results have
no British comparison as yet, but such comparisons are available in
Scandinavian, work.

Nilsson, in a series of papers (1955, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964,
1965, 1969), examined the relationship of Brown Trout and
Arctic Charr in lochs. He found that allopatric Charr were bottom
feeders — only in one monthly sample were zooplankton found to
be their main food, and in the same sampling he also found zoo-
plankton to occasionally dominate the food of Trout — but that

234

sympatric Charr only bottom-fed in spring, becoming increasingly
dependent on zooplankton through the year.

In his 1960 paper, Nilsson explained these findings by
showing that in spring in Scandinavia there is a superabundance of
bottom food in lakes, accumulated under the winter ice and by
the reduced feeding of fish at low temperatures, and on this
abundance Charr and Trout feed freely. As this bottom food
abundance declines, however, the Trout become increasingly
aggressive and territorial, splitting up the littoral areas amongst
themselves. The less-aggressive and non-territorial Charr are
therefore gradually excluded from these bottom-food producing
areas and must take to pelagic zooplankton feeding in the deeper
waters.

There is an obvious climatic difference between Scandinavia
and the Hebrides, in that lochs in the latter seldom, if ever, freeze.
A spring abundance of bottom food accumulated under winter ice
cannot therefore occur, nor does fish feeding stop in winter in
Scotland (Campbell 1954). It is probable therefore that in Loch
Fada (and other Scottish Charr lochs) the Charr are restricted to
zooplankton all the year round. This would explain why sympatric
Charr in Scotland are such small and valueless fish whereas in
Scandinavia they are of size large enough to be of sporting and
commercial value. Steinbock (1950) found that Charr fed solely
on zooplankton had their growth stunted. The one Scottish
exception to such a rule may be Loch Borralie where the Charr
have a varied, non-zooplankton diet despite the presence of Trout.
Campbell (1961) noted that spawning for Trout in this loch was
very poor, and that consequently the Trout population was sparse.
Such a restriction of Trout numbers would allow the Charr to stay
on the littoral zones and bottom feed.

Acknowledgments

I should like to acknowledge with gratitude the permission
given to me to net the lochs in this study; to the Rt. Hon. The
Earl Granville for Loch Fada, and to the Department of Agricul-
ture and Fisheries for Scotland for Loch Meallt.

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Windermere./. Fisk. Biol 11: 531-547.

FROST, W. E. & BROWN, M. E. 1967. The Trout. London: Collins.

JAR DINE, W. 1 834. ; Observations on the Salmonidae which were met with
during an excursion to the Northwest of Sutherlandshire in June 1834.
Report of the Fourth Meeting of the British Association , Edinburgh.
JONES, J. W. & HYNES, H. B. N. 1955. The Food of Freshwater Stickle-
backs./. Anim. Ecol 19: 59-73.

MAITLAND, J. 1884. On the Culture of Salmonidae and the Acclimatization
of Fish. Fisheries Exhibition Literature VI: 3: 33-68.

MAITLAND, P. S., GREER, R. B., CAMPBELL, R. N. and FRIEND, G. F.
The Status and Biology of Arctic Charr, Salvelinus alpinus (L.), in Scot-
land. Proc . Intemat. Symp. on Arctic Charr Univ. Manitoba, Winnipeg.
(In press)

NILSSON, N. A. 1 955. Studies on the Feeding Habits of Trout and Charr in
North Swedish Lakes. Rep. Inst. Freshwat. Res. Drottningholm 36:

163-225.

NILSSON, N. A. 1960. Seasonal Fluctuations in the Food Segregation of
Trout, Charr and Whitefish in Fourteen North Swedish Lakes .Ibid 41:
183-205.

NILSSON, N. A. 1961 . The Effect of Water-level Fluctuations on the Feeding
Habits of Trout and Charr in Lakes Blasjon and Jormsjen, North
Sweden. Ibid 42: 238-261.

NILSSON, N. A. 1962. Interaction between Trout and Charr in Scandinavia.
Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 92:3: 276-285.

NILSSON, N. A. 1 964. Effects of Impoundment on the Feeding Habits of
Brown Trout and Charr in L. Ransaren (Swedish Lapland). Intemat.
Hss. Limnol XV: 444-452.

NILSSON, N. A. 1965. Food segregation between Salmonid Species in North
Sweden. Rep. Inst. Freshwat. Res. Drottningholm. 46: 58-78.

NILSSON, N.A. 1969. Distribution of Trout and Charr within a small Swe-
dish Highland Lake. Ibid 49: 63-75.

STEINBOCK, O. 1950 Probleme de Ernahrungund des Wachstums Bei
Salmoniden. Schweiz. Fischztg. 3/4.

236

Book Reviews

Bird Habitats in Britain
R. FULLER

T. & A. D. Poyser, Calton, Staffs. 1982; £13.

This book is an essential reference book for the dedicated ornithologist and all those
involved in conservation work.

As you would expect in a publication which incorporates much of the material
from “The Register of Ornithological Sites” (which was produced by the British Trust
for Ornithology sponsored by the Nature Conservancy Council) the amount of informa-
tion is enormous. In fact almost a third of the book is composed of appendices and
tables.

This is a scientific approach to bird conservation. Mr Fuller has underlined the
need for conservation. With the population of the British Isles at greater than fifty
million the pressure on vulnerable habitats is becoming critical.

He breaks down habitats into: Coastlands, Woodlands, Lowland Grasslands and
Heaths, Open Waters, Lowland Peatlands and Uplands. When dealing with Open Waters
he deals with oligotrophic and eutrophic conditions, and examines the effects that
water chemistry, depth, nutrients and other factors which inter-relate with the vegeta-
tion and animal organisms, have on determining bird populations.

The text is adequately illustrated by black and white diagrams, maps and photo-
graphs, and incorporates 53 delightful drawings by Donald Watson.

In conclusion, an interesting publication for the student ornithologist, but for the
wild life conservationist — a must! T A XT

IAN McCALLUM

Life of the Meadow Brown
W. H. DOWDESWELL

Heinemann Educational Books Ltd, Tadworth 1981 : £5.95

For those wishing to carry out ecological research on butterflies, the Meadow Brown
has obvious advantages: the species occurs in discrete colonies throughout lowland
Britain and most of continental Europe, it inhabits rough grassland where it is readily
noticed and pursued, it flies low and sufficiently slowly to be easily caught, it shows
considerable individual variation in wing marking, and its wings are large enough for
the markings to be quickly recognised and recorded. It was for reasons such as these
that Professor Dowdeswell and his colleagues turned to the Meadow Brown after un-
satisfactory research into other more difficult species. This book gives a detailed pic-
ture of their work over the past forty years.

Following a most informative chapter on the natural history of the butterfly,
the author discusses the field methods used in population studies, and then passes to
his main subject: an analysis of the variation in spot pattern on the underside of the
hind wing. This has been pursued relentlessly in various parts of Britain, particularly
across the South of England, and latterly through the Continent to West Asia and North
Africa. Since spot numbers lend themselves to mathematical methods of analysis, a vast
amount of information has been gathered and evaluated, with the result that the
Meadow Brown’s range can be divided into areas within which spot patterns are rela-
tively stable. The difficulty comes in attempting to fathom the significance of these
stabilizations, and the advantage to an individual in possessing any given spot pattern,
there being little to be gained from studying such a phenomenon if it has no evolution-
ary significance. It is here that the account is weak; the advantages suggested are not
particularly convincing, and indeed one of them is dismissed in one short sentence in a
subsequent chapter. Despite its simple title and attractive cover, this book cannot be
recommended to the amateur naturalist; it is for the student of ecology. It is written in a
relatively straightforward manner, free from technical jargon, but in places the text is so
packed with minor facts that it becomes difficult to see the wood for the trees.

I. C. CHRISTIE

237

Living in Mucilage:

The Saccoderm Desmid Mesotaenium

A. D. BONEY

Department of Botany, University of Glasgow.

Received July 1982

Plant mucilages can be described as complex glutinous carbo-
hydrate substances with marked water absorbing properties. They
swell in contact with water, and harden when dry. In the algae
they are of widespread distribution both within those with multi-
cellular thalli and also forming external enveloping layers in uni-
cellular, colonial and multicellular forms. Algal mucilages are
associated with a wide range of functions, viz. forming external
envelopes; acting as internal intercellular buffering structures;
serving as mechanisms of spore and gamete expulsion, and func-
tioning in spore dispersal and adhesion (Boney 1981). The desmids
are unicellular green algae, entirely restricted to freshwater habi-
tats. They are commonly found as planktonic algae in lochs. The
term desmid is derived from “desmos”, or, “paired cells”. This is
because the best known desmids are constructed of two semi-cells,
or have bipartite cell walls. These are also known as the “placo-
derm desmids”. Desmids with cell walls of one piece are described
as “saccoderm desmids”. Both placoderm and saccoderm desmids
produce abundant mucilage, forming spherical sheaths with
planktonic representatives of the former group, and sizeable exter-
nal mucilaginous matrices in the latter. Certain saccoderm desmids,
of which Mesotaenium is a good example, produce such copious
quantities of mucilage that they become visible as shining strata in
damp habitats where there is either an accumulation of water, or a
continuous downward seepage. Old quarry walls and railway
cutting walls are likely habitats, but desmid associations have also
been described as “green gelatinous masses” in damp woodland
habitats. Outstanding monographs on the British Desmidiaceae
were published by W. & G. S. West ( 1904-1 9 12A). This father and
son combination made many significant contributions to the study
of British freshwater algae, including the first seasonal study of the

Glasg. Nat . 20 part 3 (1982)

238

phytoplankton of Loch Lomond based on monthly collections
just north-west of Luss (West & West 1912B). G. S. West (1916)
also made some perceptive comments on the biology of the muci-
lage-envelope producing saccoderm desmids, describing the cells
within the mucilaginous mass and in the presence of trickling
water as “ .... . constantly submerged but with maximum aera-
tion”. Ten species of Mesotaenium have been described for the
British desmid flora (West & West 1904), seven of which are
capable of producing these copious mucilaginous strata. One
species, Mesotaenium chlamydosporum De Bary, has been found
clothing the walls of a disused quarry in Stirlingshire (Boney
1980) overgrowing the moss Amphidium mougeotii (B. & S.)
Schp. and the liverwort Pellia epiphylla (L.) Corda nearer ground
level. Throughout most of the year the constant trickle of water
down the quarry face ensures that the mucilaginous desmid strata
remain turgid. During the summer months the mass dries to a thin
yellow crust in which the desmid cells survive in a “suspended
animation” state until early autumn when the movement of water
down the quarry face starts again. Whilst these wet situations will
frequently show mucilaginous algal strata, excessive rain at a time
when growing conditions are especially favourable will also
encourage growths of these mucilaginous masses in other situa-
tions. The wet summer of 1980 resulted in transparent excres-
cences appearing on some suburban lawns near Glasgow and these
were found to be gelatinous growths of a Mesotaenium sp. . When
present in large quantities these gelatinous masses can be hazar-
dous underfoot. Given dry conditions, the crust-like form which
results will be rapidly dispersed by routine grass cutting operations,
but the ability to colonise any habitat where there is sufficient
water — even if only of a temporary nature — indicates the oppor-
tunist behaviour of the plant.

Mesotaenium species differ from one another principally in
terms of cell size dimensions and shapes. In nature the cells of
M. chlamydosporum are cylindrical with rounded ends, and with
a plate-like axial chloroplast which rotates within the cell when
subjected to bright illumination (Fig 1 A, B, C). Cells are 14.5 —
45 iim in length and 10.5 — 12 jim in diameter. The copious
mucilage creates a suitable environmental milieu for both the
growth and division of Mesotaenium and living space for numerous
other microbial organisms — bacteria, fungi, protozoa, rotifers,
nematode worms, other desmids, diatoms and unicellular and
filamentous green and blue-green algae (Fig. 2).

239

Figure 1

A. Cell of Mesotaenium chlamydosporum

c = chloroplast: p = pyrenoid (starch storage)

B.

C.

Cell division process

Cells in section A
showing the two
positions of the
axile chloroplast
in relation to
incident radiation!

Figure 2

The organisms associated with Mesotaenium in the gel habitat
m Mesotaenium

g

di

f

b

cb

dead Meso-
taenium cells
hyphal threads,
with some
invading dead
cells

coccoid green algae
diatom cells
placoderm desmid
Cosmarium
saccoderm desmid
Roya

filamentous green
alga Mougeotia
filamentous blue-
green alga
colonial blue
green alga
amoeboid protozoan

240

We can visualize the inter-relationships between plants and
animals within the mucilage as a complex interlinked food web
with a baseline of algal primary producers. These include Meso-
taenium, other desmid cells, diatoms, unicellular green algae and
filamentous green and blue-green algae. Of these Mesotaenium is
of prime importance since part of its photosynthetic activity is
channelled into the production of copious quantities of mucilage
in which the other organisms, plant and animal, live. Certain of the
other algal species are themselves producers of mucilage sheaths
but not in the quantities shown by Mesotaenium , which is right-
fully to be regarded as the key component of the foundation layer
of the food web. The algal cells grow and multiply in the mucilage
investment, supplied with dissolved gases (C02 and 02) and nut-
rients from the trickling water and from recycling processes within
the mucilaginous micro-community. The primary driving force
behind the whole inter-relationship is the input of solar energy
utilized by the algal cells present. The algal cells release dissolved
organic matter in the form of extracellular products, and these will
be utilized by the enclosed bacterial flora. Dead algal cells are
decomposed both by the fungal hyphae and by bacteria, and the
by-products of this decomposer activity are recycled to the algal
cells as dissolved inorganic compounds and carbon dioxide. The
protozoan population feed on particulate organic matter and
bacteria; amoeboid organisms have been observed to engulf whole
diatom cells and digest their contents on occasions. The rotifers
and nematode worms feed on the particulate organic matter and
bacteria, and in turn release excretory products for recycling. We
can visualise the several components of this micro-habitat forming
an interdependent network of primary producers, decomposers,
and heterotrophic organisms. The interlinked nature of this
microbial community is shown in Figure 3. For all the compo-
nents of this micro-habitat, however, their efficent functioning
depends on the mucilage layer remaining fully turgid. Under
drought conditions, the mucilage dries rapidly (Figure 4A) and the
associated organisms (as with Mesotaenium) must live through the
drought period in some form of resting phase or in suspended
animation if they are to survive. It is also true, however, that the
component organisms of the mucilage habitat are not exclusively
limited to it, and replacement algae, rotifers and nematodes will
invade the mucilage via the trickling water. Given the fully turgid
condition of the mucilage, the glistening strata function as effi-
cient radiant energy traps for absorption of solar energy — the
principal driving force behind the overall economy of this micro-
community (Figure 4B).

241

Figure 3 — Food web in the gel community. The size of
each ‘box5 is not proportional to the contribution made.

A

Figure 4

A. Water loss of Mesotaenium gel.

B. Absorption of radiant energy
by the Mesotaenium gel.

242

West (1915) established cultures of a gelatinous species of
Mesotaenium by using sterilized sandstone immersed in sterilized
river water. We have successfully cultured M. chlamydosporum by
means of the simple apparatus shown in Figure 5 using a suitable
culture medium (Bold’s Basal Medium — Stein 1978), as the
nutrient source. This simple culture apparatus maintains the
gelatinous micro-community over long periods. In a recent com-
prehensive review of desmid biology, Brook (1981) pointed out
that these very attractive green algae, whilst never upsetting the
angler or causing offence to the public, are nevertheless delicate
indicators of environmental change. These remarks were princi-
pally addressed to the planktonic placoderm desmids of lakes
and freshwater lochs. In their own way one may make similar
claims for the gelatinous saccoderm desmids. Whilst not of rare
occurrence, these strata are obviously sensitive to excessively
long drying periods and the gelatinous growths are quickly des-
troyed if natural drainage paths of freshwater streams are changed
or blocked. As already shown, these gelatinous strata offer scope
for the study of the inter-relationships of the components of
micro-ecosystems. The structure of these ecosystems can vary with
gelatinous strata from different sources. Mesotaenium cells grown
in their gelatinous matrices also offer much scope for biometrical
studies. The cylindrical shape of the cells with their rounded edges
enable the cell surface areas and cell volumes to be calculated. The
growth of Mesotaenium cells is essentially linear with very little
change in cell diameter so that the growth rates can be measured
in terms of cell surface area changes. The surface area of the flat
plate-like chloroplasts can also be measured with relative ease.
Hence with this organism it is possible to measure directly the all
important relationship between the absorptive cell surface area
for uptake of dissolved gases and nutrients, and the radiant energy
absorbing surface area of the chloroplast. The opportunities pre-
sented by the study of Mesotaenium underline the comment made
by the distinguished cryptogamic botanist Dr D. H. Scott (1854-
1 934) near the end of his life:

“ I still think that the freshwater algae afford the best

introduction to the elements of structural Botany”.

243

Figure 5

Culture apparatus for growing the Mesotaenium gel.

References

BONEY, A. D. 1980. Water retention and radiation transmission by gela-
tinous strata of the saccoderm desmid Mesotaenium chlamydosporurn
De Bary . Nova Hedwigia Z. Kryptogamenkd. 33: 949-970.

BONEY, A. D. 1981. Mucilage: the ubiquitous algal attribute. Br. phycol J.
16: 115-132.

BROOK, A. I. 1981. The Biology ofDesmids. Oxford: Blackwell’s Scientific
Publications.

STEIN, I. 1978. Handbook of Phycological Methods - Culture Methods and
Growth Measurements. Cambridge University Press.

WEST, G. S. 1915. Structure and reproduction of Mesotaenium caldariorum
J.Bot, 53: 78-81.

WEST, G. S. 1916. The Algae Vol. 1 Cambridge University Press.

WEST, W. & WEST, G. S. 1904. The British Desmidiaceae Vol. 1, Ray.
Society, London.

WEST, W. & WEST, G. S. 1912A. The British Desmidiaceae Vol. IV., Ray.
Society, London.

WEST, W. & WEST, G. S. 19128. On the periodicity of the phytoplankton of
some British lakes. /. Linn. Soc. Bot. 1 1 . 395-432.

244

Book Reviews

Highland Flora
DEREK RATCLIFFE

The Highlands and Islands Development Board 1977,

111 pp. 71 plates £3.50

There has long been a need for an inexpensive illustrated book dealing specifically and
comprehensively with the plant life of the Highlands and Islands. ‘Highland Flora’
satisfies this need in a most attractive and readable way. The author, Dr Derek Ratcliffe,
Chief Scientist with the Nature Conservancy Council, is thoroughly familiar with the
area described. With Dr Donald McVean he was co-author of ‘Plant Communities of the
Scottish Highlands’, a more specialised work, but in the present volume his aim is to
meet the requirement of the visitor or resident who wishes to learn more about the plant
life of the region than can be gleaned from the popular ‘wild flower’ books with their
emphasis on identification rather than the wider aspects of plant communities, habitat
types and influence of local geology.

The introductory chapters deal with general topics, including ‘Ecological Back-
ground’, ‘Highland Botanists’, and a list of Nature Reserves; then follows the main
descriptive part of the text which deals with the subject area under four regional
divisions — South-west Highlands, Central Highlands, Northern Highlands, and The
Islands. The characteristic flora of each area is described in detail, the rarer as well as the
more common species receiving attention. With due regard to conservation however, the
author is careful not to reveal the location of the more vulnerable rarities. The general
theme of conservation is strong throughout the book.

‘Highland Flora’ is liberally illustrated in both monochrome and colour, rather
more than half of the photographs being the author’s own. The illustrations are of high
quality and the subjects have been carefully selected to present a most suitable com-
plement to the text. The format of this volume, a slim 8” by 9”, may not please every-
one, being rather an awkward fit for the bookshelf, but the presentation is otherwise
most attractive, and the illustrations in colour of Primula scotica, etc. on the front cover
certainly invite one to explore further within. ‘Highland Flora’ is one of a series dealing
with various aspects of the region. It can be thoroughly recommended to anyone with an
interest in the flora of these fascinating areas.

A. McG. STIRLING

The Geology of North East England

Editor: D. A. ROBSON

The Natural History Society of Northumbria

The Hancock Museum, Newcastle upon Tyne 1980: £4.20

As a summary of the geology of North East England, this book is hard to beat. It is well
set out and well written by eminent local geologists, who clearly know the area under
discussion. The geology is described in reasonably general terms, but the reader is
directed to an extensive list of references for more detailed information. A fairly detailed
geological map (in colour) is included in the book and is referred to throughout, so that
it is easy to find any locality or formation mentioned in the text.

The book has been written to up-date a publication of 1931, which it does
admirably. Great advances have been made in geological exploration and techniques
since that time. The presence of the Weardale Granite at depth was suspected in 1931,
but was only proved by a borehole in 1961. The use of geophysical surveys and paly-
nology amongst other techniques, have increased the knowledge of the area in recent
years and the most up to date information is included in the book.

Although an excellent book for anyone with a good geological knowledge, it is
rather heavy reading for those who are unfamiliar with the complex geological termi-
nology.

R. SUTCLIFFE

The Scottish and Other Thistles
of the Third Earl of Bute

245

J. H. DICKSON and AGNES WALKER

Botany Department, University of Glasgow and
Department of Natural History,

Glasgow Museums and Art Galleries

Received September 1982

In our recent article (Dickson and Walker, 1981) we listed eleven
species of thistle which have been called the Scottish Thistle. We
discussed at length the claims of two of them, Onopordum acan -
thium (Cotton Thistle) and Cirsium vulgare (Spear Thistle), and
we chose the latter. We were more or less dismissive of the others,
not least Carduus nutans (Musk Thistle) because none of the
representations of the Scottish Thistle, ancient or modem, shows
the nodding heads characteristic of that species. Musk Thistle had
already been discussed and discarded by Johnston (1853) and
summarily rejected by Johns (1949). We complicated the story
by adding Cnicus benedictus (Blessed Thistle) though with strong
reservations. We stated that no 18th century or earlier botanical
work we had consulted mentioned any thistle as the Scottish
Thistle and we claimed that Onopordum , now often called the
Scottish Thistle, was first mentioned in a horticultural publication
as the national flower in 1832. Now we have encountered a
Scottish Thistle in a late 18th century work by the third Earl of
Bute and it is Carduus nutans (Musk Thistle).

John Stewart, third Earl of Bute (1713-1792) is famous for
having been briefly Prime Minister. Less well known is his
devotion to science and to botany in particular. He had a library
of 30,000 volumes in 1773 (Lovat Fraser 1912, p.89) and he
assisted in the creation of the Gardens which developed into the
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. About 1785 he published his
“Botanical Tables9' of which only fourteen copies were printed,
at a cost of some £10,000 according to Coates (1975, p.44) or
£12,000 according to Britten (1916). Kept in the library at Mount
Stuart, isle of Bute, are botanical books which were part of the

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 3 (1982)

246

collection of the third Earl, including his “Botanical Tables”. Out-
lines of the contents of this nine volume work have been provided
by Dryander (1797), Anonymous (1892) and Britten (1916). The
volume of interest here is Volume VII, the first of two on “The
characters of the species of British plants”. On pages 287 to 292
Lord Bute deals with thistles as follows, (modern synonyms are
given in brackets where necessary).

Cadine Thistle
May Thistle
Marsh Thistle
Curl’d Thistle

Musk Scotch Thistle
Spear Thistle
Globe Thistle

Way Thistle

Dwarf Thistle

Milk Thistle
Star Thistle
Barnaby Thistle
English Gentle Thistle
Meadow Thistle

Carlina vulgaris
Carduus acan thoides
Carduus palustris
Carduus crispus

Carduus nutans
Carduus lanceolatus
Carduus eriophorus

Carduus arvensis

Carduus acaulis

Carduus marianus
Calcitrapa stellata
Salstitiaria stellata [sic]
Cirsium helenoides
Cirsium pratense

(Welted Thistle)

(Cirsium palustre)

( C. acanthoides , Welted
Thistle)

(Musk Thistle)

(Cirsium vulgare)

( Cirsium eriophorum,
Wooly Thistle)

( Cirsium arvense. Creeping
Thistle)

( Cirsium acaule , Stemless
Thistle)

(Silybum marianum)
(Centaurea calcitrapa)
(Centaurea solstitialis)
(Melancholy Thistle)

(C. dissectum)

The genera Calcitrapa and Solstitiaria, synonyms of Cen-
taurea, are now unfamiliar and even in the 18th century were not
widely accepted, especially the latter. According to Index Ke wen-
sis, John Hill used Solstitiaria and the Swiss botanist Albrecht von
Haller used Calcitrapa . Both men had dedicated botanical works to
Lord Bute.

Many of the common names listed by Lord Bute will be
familiar to the reader as in current use. Many had been used long
before the publication of Lord Bute’s volumes, such as English
Thistle for Cirsium helenioides (Melancholy Thistle) or for Cirsium
dissectum (Meadow Thistle). However, May Thistle for Carduus
acanthoides is unusual, as is Globe Thistle for Cirsium eriophorum
(Wooly Thistle). Even more remarkable is Musk Scotch Thistle for
Carduus nutans. We have again checked all the many 1 8th century
and earlier botanical books in the libraries of Glasgow University

247

and can find no reference to any Scottish Thistle. This forces us to
contemplate that Lord Bute invented the name. Following the
usual practice in a formal botanical work, Lord Bute gives no
explanations for the common names. However, why invent a name
without explanation? Even if Lord Bute obtained the name from
some source unknown to us, why is Carduus nutans the chosen
species? Lord Bute states (p.288) “Pastures chiefly chalky” which
is a succinctly apt description of the habitat of Carduus nutans. It
is a species of very limited Scottish range, growing mainly in the
southeast (Perring and Walters 1976), but also around the Moray
Firth where the occurrences are considered to be introductions
(McCallum Webster 1978). The Musk Thistle is no larger, no
handsomer and no pricklier than many other British thistles. It
has had no particular medicinal virtues nor horticultural vogue.
Martyn’s Dictionary (1797) summarises the knowledge which
would have been available to Lord Bute in his extensive library.
Volume 1, part 1 describes Musk Thistle as smelling very sweet
and as the first thistle to flower. It also states that the dried
flowers were used to curdle milk. Any special connection between
Musk Thistle and Scotland escapes us.

In conclusion, Lord Bute’s Musk Scotch Thistle presents
intriguing questions. Is it the first botanically identified Scottish
Thistle? If the common name was not Lord Bute’s invention,
where did it come from? Why was Musk Thistle chosen rather than
any other thistle?

Acknowledgments

J. H. Dickson is most grateful to the Marquess of Bute for
permission to consult the Library at Mount Stuart and to Miss
Catherine Armet and Mr Alec Hunter, Librarians, for their help
and courtesy.

References

ANONYMOUS, 1892. Article 277 - Earl of Bute’s Botanical Tables. Kew
Bulletin 72: 306-308.

BRITTEN, J. 1916. Bibliographical Notes LXIII — Lord Bute and John
Miller./. Botany 54: 84-87.

COATES, A. M. 1975. Lord Bute. An Illustrated Life of John Stuart, Third
Earl of Bute 1713-1 792. Aylesbury: Shire Publications.

248

DICKSON, J. H. and WALKER, A. 1981. What is the Scottish Thistle? Glasg.
Nat. 20: 101-121.

DRYANDER, J. 1797. Catalogue Bibliothecae Historico-naturalis Joseph
Banks. Tomus III Botanici. London: Bulmer.

JOHNS, C. A. 1949. Flowers of the Field. Revised by R. A. Blakelock.
London: Routledge and Keegan Paul.

JOHNSTON, G. 1853. The Natural History of the Eastern Borders. London:
John Van Voors.

LOVAT-FRASER, J. A. 1912. John Stuart Earl of Bute. Cambridge Univer-
sity Press.

MARTYN, T. 1797. The Gardener’s and Botanist's Dictionary. Four volumes.
London: F. & C. Rivington.

McCALLUM WEBSTER, M. 1978. Flora of Moray, Nairn & East Inverness.
Aberdeen University Press.

PERRING, F. H. and WALTERS, S. M. 197 6 . Atlas of the British Flora. 2nd
edition. Wakefield: E. P. Publishing.

STEWART, J. C. 1785. Botanical Tables, containing the different Family s of
British Plants, distinguished by a few obvious parts of Fructification
rang’d in a Synoptical method. Nine volumes. Privately published.

249

Plant Records from Bute, 1982

J. H. DICKSON and W. M. BOYD

1. Atriplex laciniata L. On shore, northern side of Kilchattan

Bay. J.H.D. and W.M.B. September, 1982.

2. Atriplex litt oralis L. As above.

3. Atriplex prostrata Boucher ex DC./A glabriuscula Edmon-

ston. As above.

At this locality in addition to species 1 and 2 there is a great
diversity of plants of the A. hastata group. Some appear to be
A. glabriuscula (bracteoles rhombic, thick, joined above base),
others to be A. prostrata (bracteoles ovate/ triangular, joined
at base; Wigginton and Graham, 1981).

4. Callitriche hermaphroditica L. Washed up on shores of both

Loch Quien and Greenan Loch. J.H.D. August, 1982.

5. Carex pallescens L. On west-facing slope southwest of Cnoc

Buidhe, near Rhubodach. Shady steep slope of Ettrick
Burn upstream of Kilbride Farm. J.H.D. July and August,
1982.

6. Carex pulicaris L. Whitesheet Hill, near Rhubodach; Windy

Hill; Muclich Hill. J.H.D. July and August, 1982.

7. Carex sylvatica Hudson. Balnakailly Bum; Kilmichael; Mount

Stuart. J.H.D. July and August, 1982.

8. Eleocharis acicularis (L.) Roem. & Schult. Wet sand, southern

end of Loch Quien. J.H.D. August, 1982. Kirkdam J.H.D.
and W.M.B. September, 1982. Also recorded from Kirk-
dam by R.Mackechnie in 1969.

9. Epilobium brunnescens (Cockayne) Raven & Engelhorn.

Pathside rocks near rock garden, Mount Stuart, J.H.D.
August, 1982.

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 3 (1982)

250

10. Galium mollugo L. About 200 m inland from slipway at

Ruha Bodach. Two clumps in rough grass. J.H.D. July,
1982.

1 1 . Heracleum mantegazzianum Somier & Levier. Escaped from

cultivation at Mount Stuart. J.H.D. August, 1982.

12. Hymenophyllum tunbrigense (L.) Sm. In considerable

quantity on shaded face of large rock in oakwood, a little
south of Kilmichael gate. J.H.D. and W.M.B. August, 1982.
See also Mackechnie (1971).

13. Hymenophyllum wilsonii Hook. Same details as No. 11, but

in a more open position on rockface close to shore.

14. Lycopodium clavatum L. Steep slope northeast of Loch Dhu.

J.H.D. and W.M.B. September, 1982.

15. Medicago lupulina L. Found at northern side of Kilchattan

Bay. W.M.B. September, 1982.

16. Mentha requienii Benth. Well established on gravel paths at

Mount Stuart. J.H.D. August, 1982.

17. Milium effusum L. In profusion on shady sides of glen,

almost a gorge, in South Wood of Lenihuline. J.H.D. and
W.M.B. August, 1982. See also Mackechnie (1971).

18. Polygonum oxyspermum Meyer & Bunge (. Polygonum raii

Bab.). On shingle at Scalp sie Bay, J.H.D. August, 1982.

19. Potamogeton pectinatus L. In abundance in Greenan Loch.

J.H.D. and W.M.B. September, 1982.

20. Ranunculus sceleratus L. One plant only 5 cm tall but

fruiting on the shore at Lamb Craig near Kilmichael.
J.H.D. and W.M.B. August, 1982. Several plants of more
normal stature at northern side of Kilchattan Bay. W.M.B.
August, 1982.

21. Rumex sanguineus L. Shady roadside, South Wood of Leni-

huline. W.M.B. August, 1982.

251

22. Sedum rosea (L.) Scop. A single fruiting plant partly hidden

by taller plants, on uppermost shore. South Wood of Leni-
huline. J.H.D. and W.M.B. August, 1982.

23. Selaginella selaginoides (L.) Link. Several plants with Linum

catharticum and Thymus praecox ssp. arcticus on steep
slope of hill between Barlia Hill and Muclich Hill, at
c.125 m. J.H.D. and W.M.B. August, 1982.

24. Senecio viscosus L. On beach shingle with Glaucium flavum

at Ardscalpsie. J.H.D. August, 1982.

25. Stachys arvensis (L.) L. Edges of barley fields at Stravanan.

J.H.D. and W.M.B. September, 1982. Seen on Bute by Miss
E.R.T. Conacher and Mrs M. Donald several years ago.

26. Torilis japonica (Houtt) DC. Side of wall at edge of shore,

northern side of Khchattan Bay. J.H.D. and W.M.B.
September, 1982.

After consultation with published work and the Biological
Records Centre printout 1981, species 1, 7, 9 to 11 and 16 appear
to have no previous records for Bute. Only pre-1930 records are
given in the B.S.B.I. Atlas for species 4, 13, 14, 18, 22 and 23.
Species 2 is listed in the printout but not in the Atlas. Species
5, 6, 15 and 24 are lacking from both the printout and the Atlas
but were recorded by James Robertson in 1768 (Dickson, 1981).
They may never have been published for the island, but can
hardly have escaped notice totally for over 200 years. Several of
these 26 species are uncommon in west-central Scotland.

References

DICKSON, J. H. 1981. The earliest botanical list from the West of Scotland?
B.S.B.I. Scottish Newsletter 3: 12-13.

MACKECHNIE, R. 1971. Excursion report. Island of Bute. Watsonia 8:
429-430.

PERRING, F. H. and WALTERS, S. M. 1976. Atlas of the British Flora,
2nd ed. Wakefield: E. P. Publishing Ltd.

WIGGINTON, M. T. and GRAHAM, G. G. 1981. Guide to the identification
of some of the more difficult vascular plant species. (England Field
Unit Occasional Paper No. 1) Banbury: Nature Conservancy Council.

252

Bryological Records for Ailsa Craig

J. H. DICKSON

Botany Department, University of Glasgow
Received July 1982

The list of bryophytes for Ailsa Craig published by Long (1978) is the first
made by a bryological visitor to the island. However Long did not examine
any of the high ground. In the course of other studies I have made small
collections of bryophytes especially at the Castle (360 feet, 110 m; 24 June
1978) and at Garry Loch (790 feet, 241 m; 30 May 1975).

The following list gives species additional to Long’s compilation or gives
species listed by Vevers (1936) but regarded as needing confirmation by Long
(1978). The latter are marked with an asterisk.

*Aulacomnium palustre (Hedw.) Schwaegr.

Sward at Garry Loch.

Brachythecium populeum (Hedw.) Br. Eur.

Rocks near sea-level, east side of the island; 15 June 1958. This is the first
record for the island.

* Dicranoweisia cirrata (Hedw.) Milde
Rocks at Garry Loch; c. fr.

Grimmia trichophylla Grev.

Rocks at the Castle.

* Poly trichum commune Hedw.

Sward at Garry Loch. Vevers (1936) lists P. alpestre Hoppe from this locality
but not P. commune. I did not find the former.

*Pterogonium gracile (Hedw.) Sm.

Rocks at the Castle.

Ptilidium ciliare (L.) Hampe

Among rocks near Garry Loch. This is the first record for the island.

Tortula ruralis (Hedw.) Gaertn.

Rocks at the Castle. This is the first record for the island.

The recorded bryophyte flora of Ailsa Craig now totals 126 taxa (93
mosses and 33 liverworts). Specimens of the species listed above have been
lodged in Glasgow University herbarium.

References

LONG, D. G. 1978. A contribution to the bryophyte flora of Ailsa Craig.
Western Naturalist 7: 21-26.

VEVERS, H. G. 1936. The land vegetation of Ailsa Craig. Journal of Ecology
24: 424445.

253

Freeze-Dried Plants
and

Animals for Museum Display

AGNES WALKER and RICHARD HENDRY

Department of Natural History,

Glasgow Museums and Art Galleries

Freeze-drying is a process in which plants or animals are frozen
rapidly to below — 20° C so that all the water inside the cells turns
into ice. With slow freezing large ice crystals may form and these
can damage the cellular structure. The frozen material is then
placed in a special drying unit where, under high vacuum, the ice
in the specimen is gradually extracted as vapour by a process
known as sublimation, in which a solid — in this case ice — is
transformed directly into a gas - water vapour — without passing
through the liquid phase. When a specimen is air dried the surface
tension forces that are involved in evaporation from a liquid to a
gas will damage the cell structure and thus distort the natural
shape of the object. The result of these forces can be seen when
one watches the energy displayed when the last drop of water
forms into a small globule and frantically moves around over a
heated surface. With freeze-drying these problems of distortion
resulting from surface tension do not arise. When all the ice has
been removed the cells are left intact but the specimen is very
fragile. The plant or animal is now completely dry and hence will
not decompose, so will last indefinitely if kept in a dry place. The
size of the specimen to be so prepared is only limited by the
dimension of the chamber in the drying unit.

Most animals preserve very well by this method, both for the
scientific collections and museum displays. Birds and mammals are
the most successful. The display specimens are set up in a life-like
attitude supported by thin wires passed through the limbs and
body before freezing. Glass eyes are usually inserted after the
specimen has been freeze-dried. The colours of the legs and bills
of birds, soft parts of mammals and the body colour of reptiles
and amphibians normally fade and have to be restored with thin

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 3 (1982)

254

oil colours. Little success has been achieved with the freeze-drying
of fish. The secret of successful freeze-drying of animals for
display lies in the freshness of the material being preserved.

While some types of material can be dried very successfully,
flowers become too fragile to handle and have to be sealed into a
mount before freeze-drying. Fungi are the most successful candi-
dates for this treatment. Their colour remains good. Specimens
which have a glutinous covering dry satisfactorily, but on re-
exposure to air re-absorb moisture. Pre-treatment by washing may
help. To slow down re-absorb tion of water after freeze drying the
dry plants are lacquered with a clear varnish. Re-absorbtion does
not appear to cause problems with animals if the freeze-drying
process is thorough. In the course of drying any communities of
parasites within, e.g. fungi, are killed. The specimens are thus
sterilised — very important for long storage or display.

255

Short Notes

COMPILED BY A. McG. STIRLING

Invertebrates

Effect of the Weather on Insect Numbers in 1982 I. C. CHRISTIE

1982 has been noteworthy as a year of unusual abundance for
many insect species in Central Scotland. Bumble Bees all showed
increases over preceding years, with Bombus pratorum (L.) parti-
cularly prominent, likewise social wasps, especially Vespula vul-
garis (L.). Among moths there was a general increase in numbers,
affecting species common and uncommon, and this applied on the
hills as on the low ground. Native butterflies, which are so depen-
dent on fine weather as adults, were more patchy, but Small
Tortoiseshells were perhaps above average in springtime, and
Green-veined Whites were so plentiful in some meadows as almost
to resemble light flurries of snow. On the higher ground, the
Scotch Argus and the Small Mountain Ringlet both did well.
Among other orders, dragonflies, aphids, lacewings and hoverflies
all appeared plentiful, even the fleas on Ailsa Craig! Despite this, it
was pleasant to note decreases in several of the common injurious
species whose larvae prefer damp soil, such as sheep headfly,
blackflies, some clegs and lowground biting midges.

This general abundance in 1982 was presumably attributable
to the exceptional weather conditions during the previous months.
The warm sunny period from late July to mid-September 1981
enabled a build-up in populations, which entered the winter after
an autumn unusually free from temperature fluctuations. Apart
from a short interval at New Year, the period from 6 December to
18 January was very cold and dry, and the remainder of January
was cool. Mild weather commenced in early February and con-
tinued with little interruption until late March. Thereafter the
spring was dry and sunny, and free from injurious night frosts.
Thus the weather passed from a warm late summer through a mild
autumn to a very cold dry winter, a mild late winter and early
spring, and a warm dry spring and early summer — a sequence
which can be regarded as particularly favourable to many hiber-
nating insects, and a rare occurrence in the Glasgow area.

256

Observations on Lepidoptera — 1982 M. R. KIBBY

A Red Admiral ( Vanessa atalanta (L.)) was observed sunning itself
on the evening of 1 6 May in open woodland at Culzean, Ayrshire
(NS 2309). Thomson {The Butterflies of Scotland 1980) states
that, apart from a hibernated individual, the earliest that this
species has been observed in Scotland is 29 May.

A visit to the south-west on 10-11 July produced a number
of interesting sightings. A specimen of the Hummingbird Hawk
moth ( Macroglossum stellatarum (L.)) was seen feeding at flowers
of Red Campion {Silene dioica) near the coastguard station at
Portpatrick (NW 9954). Recent records of this moth in Scotland
are sparse, and it has been reported only once previously from
Galloway, which otherwise would have been a likely site for this
migrant to be observed. Near Leswalt (NW 9862) a colony of the
Ringlet ( Aphantopus hyperantus (L.)) was discovered flying in
grass close to woodland. This butterfly is previously unrecorded
from the Rhinns of Galloway (Biological Records Centre). An
isolated specimen of the Northern Brown Argus or Scotch White
Spot {Aricia artaxerxes (F.)) was seen ovipositing on Rockrose
(Helianthemum chamaecistus) among dead whins on a south-
facing rocky outcrop. The site (NX 0986) was located on cattle-
grazing land at 100 m. There are no records of artaxerxes from
this 10 km square since 1970, although earlier reported from there
(BRC).

Two more sites for the Common Blue {Polyommatus icarus
(Rott.)) have been discovered in industrial Lanarkshire, in a dis-
used railway cutting near East Kilbride (NS 6656) and on derelict
mine workings near Larkhall (NS 7251). Both squares are new
locations for the species (BRC).

Fox Moth (Macrothylacia rubi (L.)) I. C. CHRISTIE

Unusually large numbers of Fox Moth larvae have been seen in
Central and West Scotland during autumn 1982. On one raised bog
near Gartocharn, Dunbartonshire, it was estimated that there were
at least five thousand larvae per acre over an area of about six
acres. The greatest concentration noted was fifteen in one square

257

yard on 8 October — an extraordinary number by any standard.
The principal food plants are Bog Myrtle, Blaeberry and Ling, but
many others are eaten. The Fox Moth population last reached a
major peak at this site in 1954, and has been building up to this
peak since 1980. It will be interesting to see whether the present
abundance is followed by a sudden crash, or a relatively slow
decline in numbers.

Apeira syringaria (L.), The Lilac Beauty in Glasgow

R. KNILL-JONES and G. McCREADDIE

This pretty Geometrid moth has a limited distribution in Scotland,
being first recorded from Rowardennan, Stirlingshire (Christie,
E. R. and Christie, I. C. 1980. Moths of East Loch Lomondside
N.C.C. Report 264/E) and later near Minnigaff, Kirkcudbrightshire
(K. Bland, personal communication 1982). Members of the Zoo-
logical Section attending the excursion to the Cart and Kittoch
SSSI on 23 May 1982 found six larvae on honeysuckle in the birch
woodland adjoining Linn Cemetery (v.c.77). Four larvae were
taken for breeding — resulting in one male which emerged and was
released on 8 June and a second, bred by Gordon McCreaddie,
which emerged on 9 June. This specimen has been placed in the
Kelvingrove Museum collection.

Waulkmill Glen SSSI (v.c.76), part of which is also within the
City boundary, was visited on 7 April and 30 May, 1982. Honey-
suckle was searched on both visits and two larvae of A. syringaria
were noted on the second occasion. This insect seems well
established on the south side of the City. A search of old honey-
suckle elsewhere in the Clyde valley will probably show A. syrin-
garia to be widespread, and it would be interesting to hear if it can
also be found on its alternative food plants — Lilac and Privet — in
Glasgow gardens.

A fifth Scottish site is at Parkgate, Dumfries (v.c. 72), where
a male came to M.V. light on 10 July 1982 (Mr E. C. Pelham-
Clinton).

258

Birds

White Starlings R. SUTCLIFFE

Young white starlings were observed on two consecutive days at
the end of May 1982 by Mr J. A. Christie in Bearsden. The first
occasion was on 30 May when one was seen being fed by a nor-
mally coloured parent bird on Mr Christie’s front lawn. The
second sighting was on the 31 May, when two white starlings were
seen in the back garden along with other young starlings.

True albinos occur where pigment is completely absent from
the bird’s soft parts. Leucism (paleness) is closely related to
albinism; the degree of paleness depending on how much pigment
is present. It is possible to find examples ranging from pale rufous
to a pale ginger then on to silver-grey and to an almost or even
total albino. It is best seen in those species that are normally black
iridescents such as the Starling ( Sturnus vulgaris L.)

Feeding Behaviour of Manx Shearwaters on the Clyde

B. ZONFRILLO

On the Firth of Clyde between Ailsa Craig and Girvan, Ayrshire
(v.c. 75), on 11 September 1982, several Manx Shearwaters (Puf-
finus puf firms (Brunn.)) were observed feeding a short distance
from the boat. The birds were ‘rafting’ in flocks of up to forty
and were making dives of short duration from the surface while
swimming. Four or five flocks were engaged in this activity and
could be approached as close as six metres, provided the engines
of the boat were cut. The Shearwaters were probably taking
Sand-eels ( Ammodytes sp.) which were forced near the surface
by pursuing Mackerel {Scomber scombrus L.), a fish particularly
abundant in the Clyde and on which the Gannets (Sula bassana
(L.)) were probably feeding. Mr W. Coull, whose boat ‘Morning
Tide’ makes frequent fishing trips in the area, had the previous
week seen a similar incidence of Shearwaters feeding on Sand-eels.
On that occasion Mackerel were being hauled aboard, some with
the little Sand-eels still in their mouths.

Numbers of Manx Shearwaters rise dramatically on the Clyde
in autumn, sometimes reaching several thousands. Relatively small

259

numbers breed on Sanda Island, Kintyre (v.c.101) (Maguire, E. J.
1978 The Breeding of the Storm Petrel and Manx Shearwater
in Kintyre, Argyll’, Western Naturalist Vol. 7 pp 63-66). At night
the Ailsa Craig birds have been seen and heard prospecting the
slopes on the east side of the island (pers. obs.). However, large
numbers of Shearwaters are known to breed on the not too distant
island of Rathlin, Co. Antrim, Ireland, and it may be from here
that the birds are coming to feed in the productive waters of the
Clyde.

Flowering Plants

Veronica peregrina L. in Kintyre J. H. DICKSON

Kintyre (101): In July 1982 I found American Speedwell in a
garden at Tarbert. There were only two plants about 5 cm tall in
a well kept plot, now with vegetables but under grass until 1981.
This is the first time I have seen the plant away from a walled
garden (Dickson, J. H. 1981. Plant Records from Bute. Glasg. Nat.
20: 169-170). However the garden is well tended and sheltered
and the owners think it possible that seeds could have arrived with
nursery-grown plants. American Speedwell, although with
scattered localities in west-central Scotland, has no previous
records for vice-county 101 (Cunningham, M. H. and Kenneth,
A. G. 1979. The Flora of Kintyre, E. P. Publishing).

Baldellia ranunculoides (L.) Pari, at Loch Tay J. R. S. LYTH

Mid Perth (88): On 18 July 1982 I found some plants of the
Lesser Water Plantain growing at the edge of Loch Tay near Killin.
I had previously seen the plant at the same site in 1971 but had
not been able to identify it. It would appear therefore to be well
established.

White’s Flora of Perthshire (1898) gives no records from
Breadalbane, the area surrounding Loch Tay, while the Atlas of
the British Flora Ed. 2 (1976) shows it with a coastal distribution
in Scotland, and absent from Perthshire and the Central Highlands.

Is this perhaps an isolated site in the centre of Scotland, or
perhaps just evidence of a lack of available data?

260

A new colony of Rumex aquaticus L. J. MITCHELL

Stirling (86): In the spring of 1982 a well established colony of
Rumex aquaticus was discovered in a wet hollow alongside the
River Endrick, immediately below the former site of Finnich
Drummond Farm (NS 495854). A second stand of plants just a
short distance away all proved to be the hybrid R. aquaticus x
R. obtusifolius.

In Britain, R. aquaticus is known to occur only in the
southern half of Loch Lomondside. Until now it was believed that
the scattered colonies on the east side of the loch were confined to
the lower flood plain of the Endrick, between the river mouth and
the iron bridge at Woodend (NS 447885). The new detached
colony is 10 km further upstream and occupies what was origi-
nally an old course of the river. It is worth noting that the first
edition (1862) of the ordnance survey map shows the ground
reclaimed for arable farming. A subsequent breakdown in the
drainage system led to the re-establishment of marsh and condi-
tions suitable for colonisation by R. aquaticus.

Mertensia maritima (L.) Gray in Ayrshire B. ZONFRILLO

Ayr (75): The pebble shores of south Ayrshire appear to be the
last stronghold of Mertensia maritima , the Oyster Plant, on main-
land coasts in the Clyde area. It is generally regarded as scarce and
declining over much of its range. The Scottish Wildlife Trust’s
reserve at the mouth of the River Stinchar near Ballantrae has the
largest number of plants in the area but some can also be found in
the isolated bays and gullys between that location and Kennedy’s
Pass, just south of Girvan. Here the main A77 road closely follows
the coastline and is frequently subject to subsidence with resulting
stabilisation work and landscaping at the more cliffy parts. Debris
from the earthwork operations is spread or bulldozed onto the
nearest convenient shoreline and in some cases over the areas
where Mertensia grew. Further workings could endanger or even
eradicate the plant from such vulnerable habitats. As a conserva-
tion measure it might be worthwhile to introduce the Oyster Plant
to new, undisturbed areas where it will perhaps flourish. The
shoreline of Ailsa Craig would seem a suitable situation; Mertensia
has never been recorded from there and would be safe from most
mainland threats.

261

[Compiler’s note: The introduction of a native plant to a location
where it is not already known to be native is a controversial sub-
ject among botanists. It is not an undertaking to be contemplated
lightly, and it should be borne in mind that, in the case of Merten -
sia, the source of material for introduction purposes would almost
certainly have to be from an existing colony, of which there are
relatively few, as mentioned in the present note. Any such intro-
duction would have to be carefully planned, superintended and
documented, and be motivated by a very real threat to the plant’s
survival elsewhere . ]

The Earliest Record of a Whitebeam on Arran J. H. DICKSON

Clyde Isles (100): In recent issues of this journal Eric Bignal
(1980. The Endemic Whitebeams of Arran. Glasg. Nat. 20: 59-64)
and Allan Stirling (1981. Early specimen of an Arran Whitebeam.
Glasg. Nat. 20: 186) have discussed the status and history of the
famous whitebeams of Arran. Sorbus arranensis and Sorbus
pseudo fennica are found nowhere in the wild other than the north
end of Arran where the latter was gathered as early as 1797.
Bignal (1980, p.60) argued that Sorbus arranensis perhaps arose
as a hybrid between the widespread and common Sorbus aucu -
paria (rowan) and Sorbus ru pi cola (rock whitebeam), a scattered
rarity in Scotland.

For a short stay in the second half of June 1768 James
Robertson, field botanist extraordinary and associate of Pro-
fessor John Hope of Edinburgh, visited Bute. His visit led to a
list of about 430 plant species; the list is preserved in the library
at Mount Stuart, seat of the Marquess of Bute. Robertson wrote
a short account of Bute (also at Mount Stuart) from which we
know that he sailed to Bute from Arran on 17 June. Whether he
made a list of plants for Arran remains unknown. However, there
are records for Arran in Hope’s notebook (Anonymous 1907. A
catalogue of British plants in Dr Hope’s Hortus Siccus, 1768.
Notes R. Bot. Gdn. Edinb. 4: 147 - 192).

It is virtually certain that Robertson is responsible for the
record given by Hope (Anonymous 1907, p. 168) as follows:

“Crataegus Aria Lamblash island ”

The island must be Holy Island, off Lamlash, Arran, and the
Crataegus can only be Sorbus rupicola , well known from that
island.

262

That being accepted, Robertson’s discovery constitutes the
earliest record of a rare Sorbus, which is part of the story of the
whitebeams peculiar to Arran.

Footnote: A record of Hypericum elodes from Loch Ranza in
Hope’s notebook makes it clear that Robertson visited the north
end of the island, where he may have been the first botanist to
encounter the endemic whitebeams.

What is the Scottish Thistle? MARGARET M. H. LYTH

In my capacity as Assistant Librarian in Charge of Springboig Lib-
rary, Glasgow, I was delighted to be loaned the photographic and
art work which was produced in connection with Dr J. H. Dickson
and Mrs Agnes Walker’s article ‘What is the Scottish Thistle’?
( Glasg . Nat. 20: 101-121) in order to mount a display on that
theme in Springboig Library.

The exhibition included books for adults and children on the
subjects of botany and heraldry. Much interest and surprise was
expressed by borrowers at the range of titles on these subjects
when attention was drawn to some of the holdings of Glasgow
District Libraries on these topics.

Also on display in the library were specimens of thistles
which I collected from the Both well Castle area of Uddingston.
These included Melancholy Thistle ( Cirsium heterophyllum),
Creeping Thistle ( Cirsium arvense ), Marsh Thistle ( Cirsium palu-
stre ), and Spear Thistle ( Cirsium vulgare). The wide range of the
Compositae family was indicated by showing specimens of the
Daisy (. Beilis perennis ) and the Dandelion ( Taraxacum agg.).

In conjunction with the exhibition, which was held from
14-25 June, 1982, a children’s competition was held. This was
highly successful, the children making use of books, the central
display and the specimens in order to find the answers to the
competition.

Much interest was shown in the exhibition but, from com-
ments made to the Library staff, it was discovered that many
adults and children did not know the difference between nettles
and thistles. I therefore conclude that there is a real need for
exhibitions of this kind to be taken out to local communities.

263

Thanks are due to Professor M. B. Wilkins, Dr J. H. Dickson,
the staff of the University of Glasgow Botany Department and to
Mrs Agnes Walker for their help and co-operation in mounting this
exhibition.

Female Flowers of Butterbur J. MITCHELL

Stirling (86): In early May 1982 my wife drew my attention to a
small colony of about twenty-five female spikes of Butterbur
(. Petasites hybridus ) growing in the roadside verge alongside the
re-aligned stretch of the A81 1, just over two km east of Amprior.
Not only is the female flower of Butterbur very uncommon in
Scotland, it is seldom included among the illustrations to British
floras. The best for identification purposes is to be found in Stella
Ross-Craig’s Drawings of British Plants , part XVI (plate 21).

Colour Forms of Solanum dulcamara L. ALISON RUTHERFORD

Dunbarton (99): The white-flowered form of the Woody Night-
shade 0 Solanum dulcamara) has, on several occasions, been repor-
ted in The Glasgow Naturalist from localities in the Clyde area. It
occurs in at least six widely scattered sites in Dunbartonshire.
Rehder, in his Manual of Cultivated Trees and Shrubs , refers to it
as S. dulcamara album Weston. I have, however, been unable to
find any references to other colour variations. Both the normal
purple form and the white variant grow on the Gareloch shore
between Clynder and Rosneath, and it was here in August 1982
that pale lavender-flowered plants were found. It would appear
that these were the result of crossing between the purple and
white-flowered nightshades.

Swine-cresses (Coronopus spp.) in Ayrshire ADA BLAIR and

AGNES CRAIB

Ayr (75): Older members of the Society will be glad to know that
the Swine or Wart-cress ( Coronopus squamatus) is still to be found
growing near Portencross Castle. The related species, Lesser Swine-
cress (C. didymus) was found at a parking place between Largs and
Skelmorlie. The latter can easily be distinguished by its foetid
odour.

264

[Although by no means common in our area the Swine-cresses
are more frequently seen in Ayrshire than elsewhere in the Clyde
area. The following additional records may be of interest: Corono -
pus squamatus — one plant in a lay-by at Bennane Head, N. of
Ballantrae (NX 100876), 1981; C. didymus — abundant on stabi-
lised shingle at the mouth of the Water of App, Loch Ryan, in
the extreme south of the county (NX 051727), 1982; also a few
plants in gravel of car park, Culzean Castle (NS 232102), 1982.
The frequent association with parking areas suggests the likelihood
of seed dispersal via car tyres. Compiler . ]

Dick Prasher’s Plants at Dairy AGNES CRAIB

Ayr (75): The following observations were made by Miss K. Calver
and myself during a visit to Dairy on 2 September, 1982, our pur-
pose being to visit some of the local plants familiar to the late
Dick Prasher. In particular we wished to check on the rare white-
flowered form of the Rosebay Willow-herb ( Epilohium angusti fo-
lium) — one of his specialities. Travelling down to Irvine by train
one day I had noticed that the old hut beside and behind which it
grew had been pulled down. However, there was still some of the
plant growing there on 2 September behind the signal box. Down
by the bridge over the Gamock a bull-dozer in the river was scoop-
ing up earth to shore up the banks. It had completely cleared the
banks near the bridge of plants of the Creeeping Yellow-cress (. Ro -
rippa sylvestris), Water Pepper (. Polygonum hydropiper) and others.
The tall Saracen's Woundwort ( Senecio fluviatilis) was growing
in profusion further on, but it has now probably been cleared
away also. Down by the old coke ovens a large part of the bing
had been flattened, and all plants had disappeared from it. We had
to search for the Viper's Bugloss ( Echium vulgare) growing
patchily in other places. However, in the marshy places we were
still able to find March Willow-herb (Epilohium palustre ), Water
Plantain (Alisrm plant ago-aquatica) , Mare's-tail (Hippuris vulgaris)
in quantity, Water Forget-me-not (Myosotis scorpioides) and some
orchids in fruit. The general report however is not encouraging.

[White Rosebay Willow-herb is indeed rare. The only other occur-
rence which has come to my notice Is from near Lenzie, reported
to me this year by Mr David Walkinshaw. Compiler. ]

265

Proceedings 1981

The chairman, place*, and number present, lecturer’s name and institution,
title of lecture and note of any exhibits are given for each meeting.

*GMK: Glasgow Museum and Art Gallery, Kelvingrove.

UGBD: University of Glasgow Botany Department.

UGCD: University of Glasgow Chemistry Department.

UGZD: University of Glasgow Zoology Department.

USMB: University of Strathclyde, McCance Building.

CTG: College of Technology, Glasgow.

6 JANUARY. Dr P. Macpherson, UGZD, 77.

The President opened the meeting by speaking of the loss sustained by
the Society by the death of Richard Prasher, M.B.E.

Mr D. McEwan, Paisley Colour Photographic Club: Nature photographs
from the 12th Paisley International Colour Slide Exhibition.

Mr T. N. Tait was presented with the prize awarded for the Best
Scottish Entry.

10 FEBRUARY. Dr P. Macpherson, UGZD, 53. 51st A. G.M.

Reports on activities during 1980 were read, elections were held (see
page 267) and appointments made by the Council were announced.
The report of the Council stated that there were 262 members (217
ordinary members, 23 family members, 5 junior members, 9 school
members and 8 honorary members).

There were 23 excursions during 1980 (9 botanical, 3 geological,
4 ornithological, 6 zoological and 1 photographic).

One film was shown: “The only piece of countryside we’ve got”
(Dolphin Arts Centre).

24 FEBRUARY. Mr A. A. Percy, UGZD, 35.

Mr J. Black: Gem Stones and Lapidary.

25 FEBRUARY. With Botanical Society of Edinburgh, the University of

Strathclyde Biology Club and the University of Glasgow
Botanical Society, UGZD, 34.

Prof. D. C. Smith, University of Oxford: Problems in Symbiosis.

10 MARCH., Dr P. Macpherson, UGZD, 55.

Mr B. Zonfrillo: Storm Petrels.

Mr I. Gibson: The Jack Snipe, Yellow Wagtails and Hen Harriers.

Slides of the Isle of May were shown.

14 APRIL. Dr P. Macpherson, UGZD, 49.

Dr I. G. MacDonald, University of Glasgow: Crete, Thira and the
Atlantis Legend.

Exhibits: Mibora minima in flower (Dr P. Macpherson).

12 MAY. Mrs Agnes Craib , USMB, 29.

Dr R. E. Thomas, University of Stirling: Botanising in the Alps of
N.E. Italy.

9 JUNE.

Natural History Social Evening at Finlaystone Estate,
Langbank, 59.

266

19 SEPTEMBER. Dr P. Macpherson, GMK, 62.

Exhibition Meeting. Theme — Woodland.

A selection of books and journals from the Society Library . Dr & Mrs Dobson)

Books on trees and other woodland subjects (Miss M. Lyth)

Plants from Bothwell Woods (Mr J. Lyth)

Literature and Posters from the Forestry Commission (Mr Henderson)

Tree Leaf Quiz (Mrs A. C. Macpherson)

Freeze-dried Fungi (Mrs Agnes Walker)

Woodland Fungi (Mr R. Hunter and Mr I. McCallum)

Colour Photographs of Woodland Flowers (Mr C. E. Palmar)

Some Woodland Insects (Mr G. McCreaddie and Mr R. Sutcliffe)

Woodland History of Glen Falloch (Dr D. Stewart)

Educational Material re Woodlands from the Nature Conservancy

Council (Miss Anne Carstairs)

Grasses of Mugdock Wood (Dr J. H. Dickson, Mr A. Fullerton, Mrs Agnes Walker)

Following the Exhibition three lectures to which members of Glasgow
Art Gallery and Museums Association and the general public were
invited:

Dr M. N. Burge
Mr H. Robb
Mrs Hilary Barker

Woodland Fungi.

Nest Boxes encourage Pied Flycatchers.
The Oak as a Natural Nature Reserve.

13 OCTOBER. Dr P. Macpherson, UGBD, 45.

Mr Marc Brazil, University of Stirling : The Year of the Whooper Swan.
Exhibits : Rayed Groundsel, Senecio vulgaris var. radiatus from
Uddingston (Mr J. Lyth).

: Blessed Thistle from Sweden (Dr J. H. Dickson).

20 OCTOBER. With Botanical Society of Edinburgh, University of Strath-
clyde Biology Club and Glasgow University Botanical
Society, USMB, 25.

Prof. W. W. Fletcher.

Prof. R. M. M. Crawford, University of St. Andrews : Survival Strategies
in Plants of the Mountain and Flood.

10 NOVEMBER Mr A. McG. Stirling, UGBD, 46.

Presidential Address : The Doctrine of Signatures.

25 NOVEMBER. Mr A. McG. Stirling, UGBD, 46.

Mrs Jean Millar : Some Plants of the American Pacific North West.
Mr J. Mitchell : Identification of Grasses for Beginners.

Mr A. McG. Stirling : Botany of Loch Lomondside.

Exhibit : Photographs of plants for identification (Mrs Agnes Walker).

1 DECEMBER.

Dinner Dance aboard S.V. Carrick, 70.

8 DECEMBER. With Glasgow Art Galleries and Museums Association.

Mr T. Honeyman, GMK, 160.

Dr G. P. Durant, Hunterian Museum, University of Glasgow:

Underwater Volcanoes and Related Biology.

267

President:
Vice-Presidents :

Councillors:

General Secretary:

Treasurer:

Librarian:

Editor:

Conveners of Sections :

Auditors:
Trustees:
A ssis tan t Secre taries:

Editorial Board:

Officers and Council

SESSION XLXI 1981

Peter Macpherson, M.R.C.P., F.R.C.R.,
D.T.C.D., F.L.S.

Mrs Agnes Craib M.A. (1979)

Charles E. Palmar A.R.P.S., M.B.O.U., F.M.A.
(1979)

Mrs Ruth H. Dobson M.Sc. (1980)

James H. Dickson B.Sc., M.A., Ph.D. (1979)
Mrs Margaret Anderson B.Sc., N.D.A. (1979)
Jack Campbell (1979)

Mrs Hilary Barker B.Sc., M.Sc. (1980)

I. C. Christie (1980)

Mrs E. L. S. Lindsay M.B., Ch.B. (1980)
Richard Sutcliffe B.Sc. (1981)

Mrs Joyce C. Coubrough (1981)

Iain C. McCallum (1981)

Mrs Margaret E. McLaughlin B.Sc., M.Sc.

(to September 1981)

Richard Sutcliffe B. Sc.

(from October 1981)

Donald D. Clarke B.Sc., Ph.D.

Mrs Ruth H. Dobson M.Sc.

Eric W. Curtis S.D.H., F.L.S.

Allan McG. Stirling (. Botany )

Alfred A. Percy ( Geology )

Bernard Zonfrillo ( Ornithology )

Ronald M. Dobson ( Zoology )

F. Gerald Rod way {Photography)

E. L. Sharp M.A.

E. T. Watt B. Sc.

Alex R. Hill B.Sc., Ph.D.

James H. Dickson B. Sc., M.A., Ph.D.

Alfred A. Percy {Bulletin)

Allan McG. Stirling {Excursions)

Peter Macpherson {Meetings)

Mrs A. C. Macpherson {Minutes)

Mrs Agnes Craib {Social)

Duncan A. Stewart {Publicity)

Richard Sutcliffe (Membership)

Robert G. Watson {Library)

The Editor

Alan C. Crundwell B.A.

Ronald M. Dobson M.A., Ph. D.

James H. Dickson B.Sc., M.A., Ph.D.

Allan McG. Stirling

.

■

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iii

Printed in Scotland by Meigle Printers, Market Street, Galashiels

Contents

Page

191 Doctrine of Signatures. PETER MACPHERSON

211 The Freshwater and Terrestrial Fauna of the Clyde Area.

V. Reptiles and Amphibians of the Clyde Sea Area.

J. A. GIBSON

228 Naturalists in Glasgow No. 3: Thomas Hopkirk

229 Food of Arctic Charr in the Presence and Absence of Brown
Trout. R. N. B. CAMPBELL

236 Book Reviews: “Bird Habitats in Britain” and “Life of the
Meadow Brown”

237 Living in Mucilage: The Saccoderm Desmid Mesotaenium.

A. D. BONEY

244 Book Reviews: “Highland Flora” and “The Geology of North
East England”

245 Thistles of the Third Earl of Bute. J. H. DICKSON and
AGNES WALKER

249 Plant Records from Bute, 1982. J. H. DICKSON and

W. M. BOYD

252 Bryological Records. J. H. DICKSON

253 Freeze-dried Plants and Animals for Museum Display.

AGNES WALKER and RICHARD HENDRY

255 Short Notes compiled by A. McG. STIRLING

265 Proceedings

267 Officers and Council

Volume 20

The Glasgow Natural History Society
(formerly The Anderson ian Naturalists of Glasgow)

The object of the Society is the encouragement of the study of natural !;
history in all its branches, by meetings for reading and discussing papers
and exhibiting specimens, and by excursions for field work. The Glas-
gow Natural History Society meet at least once a month except during
July and August, in the University of Glasgow, the University of Strath-
clyde or the Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum.

The present rates of subscription per annum are: for Ordinary Members,
£6; for Junior Members, £2.50; for Family Members, £2; and for
School Members, £1. Further information regarding the Society’s
activities and membership application forms are obtainable from the
General Secretary:

Mr RICHARD SUTCLIFFE,

NATURAL HISTORY DEPARTMENT,

MUSEUM & ART GALLERY,

KELVINGROVE,

GLASGOW, G3 8AG.

The Glasgow Naturalist

Published by the Glasgow Natural History Society, December, 1983
ISSN 0373-241 X. Price £4.00

Edited by E. W. Curtis with the assistance of
R. M. Dobson, A. McG. Stirling and J. H. Dickson.

Contributions are invited, especially when they bear on the natural
history of Scotland. A note of information for contributors is available
from the Editor .

Smaller items are also welcome from members and others. These may
cover, for example, new stations for a species, rediscoveries of old !
records, additions to records in the Atlas of the British Flora , unusual
dates of flowering, unusual colour forms, ringed birds recovered,
weather notes, occurrences known to be rare, interesting localities not
usually visited by naturalists. (The nomenclature of vascular plants
should be as In Dandy, List of British Vascular Plants , 1958 and its ;
revision. 1969).

All communications on editorial matters should be sent to:

Mr E. W. CURTIS,

BOTANIC GARDENS,

GLASGOW, G1 2 OUE.

A limited number of advertisements can be accepted and enquiries
should be sent to the Editor .

Back numbers available are listed on page iii of cover.

269

Fungi of Skye

compiled by
ROY WATLING

Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh
Received May 1983

Abstract

The first major fungal list for Skye is offered; 831 species are
recorded. The list will act as a base line for future work.

Introduction

The Inner Hebrides (VCs 102-104) do not form a distinct
and natural single unit. Whilst Skye, Raasay and Scalpay form the
northern limit to the smaller islands of Canna, Rhum, Eigg, etc.,
and are separate from the central assemblage of Mull and its
satellites, Ulva and Iona, these islands are quite separate from a
third southern group consisting of Jura, Islay, Colonsay and
Oronsay.

Until fairly recently when one discussed the fungal flora of
the Inner Hebrides one in reality spoke only of the combined
floras of Mull (2003 taxa) and Rhum (905 spp.), the only islands
where fungi had been exhaustively studied. Although some of the
smaller islands have been superficially surveyed for their fungal
constituents it is very surprising that Skye, which dominates the
Inner Hebrides, has been largely ignored. This neglect is in contrast
to the studies which have been carried out on the diverse vascular
plant flora (Murray 1974).

The recent interest in the fungi of Skye was undoubtedly
stimulated by the organisation in 1981 of a Royal Society of
Edinburgh symposium on the natural resources of the Inner
Hebrides. The proceedings of this meeting have been published
and include a review of the larger fungi of the area (Dennis &
Watling 1983) with which one can study and compare the fungal
flora of Skye.

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 4 (1983)

270

Few records of fungi of Skye exist in the literature. The late
Rev. Norman Dennis collected a few larger fungi and lichens
whilst recording flowering plants on Skye and published the
results of my determinations (N. Dennis 1966). Since that date
Brown (1980) and Reid (1980) have offered short accounts of
some larger fungi of Skye although in fact a much more compre-
hensive survey was already underway involving local Skye natu-
ralists. With the help of these naturalists I have been able to
identify material from many, often very isolated, localities on the
island (see Map). A reasonable coverage over the last three-year
period therefore has been achieved and I am indebted to Mrs
Catriona Murray, and her family, to Neil Roberts and his wife
and to Mr and Mrs J. Ruiter for their efforts.

To this data I have been fortunate, through the kindness of
Dr. R.W.G. Dennis, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, to be able to
include many additional records, particularly of micro-fungi. An
analysis of these records is given in the Table (p. 311). 234 taxa,
many Fungi Imperfecti (Deuteromy cotina) , are not recorded from
Mull. Fungi of the relatively close island of Raasay have been
examined by Dennis (pers. comm.); 147 species have so far been
recorded.

It is impossible to bring together lists of organisms such as
the one offered herein without the help of three important groups
of people, the amateur collectors mentioned above, those who
make small collections whilst occupied with another activity, e.g.
A.P. Bennell, Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, and specialists
who collect in a particular habitat or concentrate on the fungi of a
particular substrate or particular group of organisms, e.g. D.W.
Minter, Commonwealth Mycological Institute, Kew. I am indebted
to them all, but particularly Dr R.W.G. Dennis, the inclusion of
whose recent records we believe give a more complete picture of
the fungal flora of Skye.

The list has been arranged within the classification adopted
in the Flora of Mull (Henderson & Watling 1978) and so facilitates
easy comparison. To save space author citations are not added
unless the taxa cannot be found therein or their names have
changed. Generic names are also not used as headings. In general
the ascomycetes follow Dennis (1965) as in the Mull flora,
although it was not clearly stated there; a further edition (1978) is
now available. The fungal names adopted follow the check-lists
used in the production of the Flora of Mull and although some
have been now superseded by other publications the latter are so

271

incomplete it is deemed best to stick to the earlier check-lists, so
facilitating easy comparison between the fungi of the two islands.
The classification of the fungi is in such a fluid state that new
systematic arrangements or rearrangements at ordinal and family
level are regularly proposed and it is therefore considered best to
adopt a rather conservative approach. These differences in names
of larger fungi found between field-guides and the list herein can
reflect either an ultra-modern approach on the one hand or an
archaic approach on the other.

Material of R.W.G. Dennis and D.A. Reid and some of the
critical taxa collected by Maj. R.P. Brown are held in the her-
barium of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (K); some material of
Brown’s and many other collections are in the herbarium of the
Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh (E). Those fungi on conifer
needles collected by A.P. Bennell are in the Commonwealth
Mycological Institute Herbarium (IMI).

References

BROWN, R.P. 1980. A list of fungi from the Island of Skye. Bull. Brit. My col
Soc. 14: 142-143.

DENNIS, N. 1966. Records of non-vascular cryptogams in Skye. Trans. Bot.
Soc. Edinb. 40: 204-232.

DENNIS, R.W.G. 1965. British Ascomycetes, 2nd ed. Vaduz: Cramer. 1978.
ibid. 3rd ed. Vaduz: Cramer.

DENNIS, R.W.G. & WATLING, R. 1983. Fungi in the Inner Hebrides. Proc.
Roy. Soc. Edinb. 83B: 415-429.

HENDERSON, D.M. & WATLING, R. 1978. The Fungi, in A.C. Jermy & J.A.
Crabbe. The island of Mull a survey of its flora and environment, British
Museum, London.

MURRAY, C.W. 1974. The Botanist in Skye. A guide to flowering plants and
ferns, Portree.

ORTON, P.D. 1960. New Check -list of Agarics Boleti. Part III. Trans. Brit.
Mycol Soc. 43: 159-439.

REID, D.A. 1980. A further list of fungi from Skye. Bull Brit. Mycol. Soc.
14: 143-146.

SINGER, R. 1975. Agaricales in Modern Taxonomy, 3rd ed. Vaduz: Cramer.
WATLING, R. ined. Additions to the Fungal Flora of Mull, Royal Bot.
Garden, Edinburgh.

272

Map of Skye showing localities. Symbols: A Mr & Mrs A.P. Bennell;
B R.P. Brown (1980); D N. Dennis (1966);* R.W.G. Dennis;
■ Mrs C. W. & Miss C. Murray; R D.A. Reid (1980);v Mr & Mrs
N. Roberts; ★ Several collectors.

273

List of Fungi recorded

Collectors:

Mr & Mrs A. P. Bennell

Maj. R. P. Brown

Rev. N. Dennis

Dr R. W. G. Dennis

Mrs C. W. & Miss C. Murray

Dr D. A. Reid

Mr & Mrs Neil Roberts

Mr & Mrs J. Ruiter

Abbreviations used in list

AB

RB

ND

RD

CM

DR

NR

JR

Records not accompanied by initials are general collections
made by the Murray and Roberts’ families.

t Taxa not recorded for Mull in Henderson & Watling (1978) and
Watling (ined.).

EUMYCOTA: BA SID 10 M Y CO TINA

HYMENOMYCETES

AGARICALES

f

CANTHARELLACEAE

Cantharellus cibarius

var. amythesteus Quel.
C. infundibuliformis

Craterellus sinuosus

Portree: ND. Ardvasar & Armadale:
RD. Dalavil Wood; under Quercus,
Sleat; Coille Dalavil; Allt an Inbhir;
Dunvegan; south of Kyleakin.

Eynort.

On Corylus log, Coill’ a Ghasgain,
Sleat; Dunvegan.

Dunvegan & Romesdal: RB. Ardva-
sar: RD.

BOLETACEAE

Boletus aestivalis (Paulet) Fr.
B. calopus
B. chrysenteron
B. edulis

f B. lanatus Rostk.

B. subtomentosus
Leccinum aurantiacum

Under Fagus, Coille Dalavil: RD.

Coille Dalavil.

Under Tilia, Armadale.

Dunvegan: RB.

Ben Tote, away from arborescent
plants.

Dunvegan & Romesdal: RB. Arma-
dale: RD. Dalavil Wood.

Under Populus tremula, Romesdal: RB,

274

L. carpini

L. scabrum
L. variicolor

L. versipelle (Fr. & Hok) Snell

Porphyrellus pseudo scaber
Suillus grevillei
S. grevillei var. badius
S. luteus

Romesdal: RB. Aird of Sleat; S. of
Ardvasar: RD. Dunvegan: RB. Near
Roskhill: JR. Portree.

Dunvegan: RB. Near Portree: RD.
South Portree: ND. Kinloch: RD.
Under Betula, Ord glen: RD.

Under Betula , between Drumfearn and
head of Loch Eishort: RD.

Romesdal: RB.

Dunvegan: RB. Portree; Armadale: RD.
Lyndale Wood.

Prabost; second collection from near
Prabost.

PAXILLACEAE

Paxillus involutus Ord glen: RD. On Betula , Coill’a Ghas-

gain, Sleat; Dunvegan; Tokavaig;
Drumfearn Wood.

HYGROPHORACEAE

Hygrocybe aurantiosplendens Teangue: RD.
f H. berkeleyi (Orton)Orton & Watl. Coral beach, Dunvegan: DR. Tormore:

RD. Skerinish.

Skerinish; slopes above Loch Mor.
Pasture near Point of Sleat; Tormore:
RD.

H. cant bar ella
H. ceracea

H. chlorophana
H. citrinovirens
H. coccinea

f H. coccineocrenata (Orton) Moser
H. conica

H. flavescens
H, fornicata

f H. glutinipes (J. Lge.) Haller

H. intermedia
H. lacma

H. laeta

H. langei (Kuhn.) Pearson

Pasture, Ardvasar: RD.

Coral Beach, Dunvegan: DR.

Ardvasar to Aird; Glen Meadhonach:
RD. Skerinish; Suardal Bum.

In Sphagnum, Loch Ainort.

Ardvasar; Drumfearn; Kinloch; Ord
glen: RD. Armadale; Stenschoill: JR.
Dalavil; Skerinish (4-spored); Inver-
tote; Sligachan; Galtrigill; near Leachd.
Ardvasar: RD. Ben Tote; Dalavil Wood.
In grass by road above shore, Varka-
saig; Gorge near Glen Vidigill.

Point of Sleat: RD. Prabost; Gorge
near Glen Vidigill.

Coral Beach, Dunvegan: DR.

Moor at head of Glen Meadhonach:
RD. Healaval Bheag.

Ardvasar: RD. Rubha Hunish; Skeri-
nish; Prabost; coast north of Kilt
Rock; Healaval Bheag; Point of Sleat.
In turf, Tormore; Ardvasar: RD.

275

H. marchii
H. metapodia

f H. aff. mollis (B. & Br.) Orton &
Watl.

H . nitrata
H. nivea

H. pratensis

H. psittacina

H. punicea

H. quieta
H. reai

H. russocoriacea
H. unguinosa

f Hygrop horns eburneus (Bull, ex
Fr.) Fr.

Ardvasar; Dalavil: RD. Healaval Bheag;
Tokavaig.

Coral Beach, Dunvegan: DR. (Singer,
1975, places this species in Porpoloma,

T richolomataceae) .

Boggy pasture on cliff and in peaty
soil, Dun an Aird: ND. (This is the
taxon described in a footnote by
Orton, 1960).

Coral Beach, Dunvegan: DR.

Ardvasar: RD. Prabost; Bile Chapel,
Portree.

Coral Beach, Dunvegan: DR. Glen
Meadhonach: RD. Stenschoill: JR.
Prabost; Orbost; Gorge near Glen
Vidigill.

Grazed coastal turf, Orbost & Ard-
vasar: RD. Stenschoill: JR.

Aird of Sleat: RD. SW.of Bealach
Amadal, 400 m; Kilbeg.

Cliff top turf, Tormore & Kinloch: RD.
Loch Mor.

Kinloch, Duisdale & Knock: RD. In
grassed turf, Eynort.

Lawn, Ardvasar: RD.

Under Betula, Ord glen: RD.

PLEUROTACEAE

t Lentinus lepideus (Fr. ex Fr.) Fr.
Pleurotellus candidissimus

P. porrigens

t Pleurotus cornucopiae (Pers.)
Rolland
P. ostreatus

P. pulmonarius

Near Dunvegan Castle: RB.

(-- Cheimonophyllum) . On dead grass
and moss, Ardvasar: RD.

(As Phyllotus in Mull Flora 15.12).
Dunvegan Wood; Scalpay House; Arma-
dale: RD.

On Acer, Dunvegan Castle: RB.

On Fagus, Armadale & Dunvegan: RD.
Kilmarie Wood.

On Ilex, Port Asgaig: RD.

TRICHOLOMATACEAE

t Armillaria bulbosa (Schaeff.) On dead Quercus stump, Sleat; Kil-
Kile & Wat ling marie Wood.

276

f A. ostoyae (Romagn.) Herink

Calyptella capula

f Cantharellula cyathiformis (Fr.)
Sing.

Clitocybe dicolor
C. flaccida
C. langei

f C. cf. pausiaca (Fr.) Gillet
C. vibecina
C. aff. vibecina
Clitophilus prunulus
f Colly bia acervata (Fr.) Kummer
C. butyracea

C. confluens
C. dryophila

C. maculata

Cystoderma amianthinum

C. carcharias

Dermoloma atrocinereum

f Flagelloscypha faginea ( Lib.)
W.B. Cooke
Flammulina velutipes

Laccaria amethystea

L. bicolor
L. laccata

On Betula, Tokavaig; Forestry Comm,
plantation, Loch Suerdal.

(Both A. ostoyae and A. bulbosa were
included in the polymorphic taxon
A. mellea: A. mellea s. stricto has not
been collected in the Ebudes).

On Urtica dioica, Knock Castle: RD.
Portree.

South of Portree. Duisdale: RD.

Skye: NR, no further details.

Portree

In litter under Picea, Ardvasar: RD.
Portree; in litter, Tokavaig.

Dun Beag, Torrin.

Coille Dalavil: RD.

Dunvegan Wood.

Varkasaig Wood; Glen Varragil, Arma-
dale; Portree.

Armadale: RD. Dunvegan Wood.

Under Fteridium, Sleat, above Tormore;
RD. Portree; Varkasaig Wood; Kilmarie
Wood; Coille Dalavil; Drinan near Elgol;
Prabost.

In Molinia & Calluna by shore, Ardva-
sar: RD. Glen Varragill.

Tormore: RD. Creag a’ Lain, summit
plateau; Creag a’ Lain north to Bealach
na Leacaich; Varkasaig Wood; Invertote,
Prabost; Gorge near Glen Vidigill.
Healaval Bheag, summit plateau 490 m;
Dun Beag, Torrin.

In roadside grass, Ardvasar to Aird of
Sleat: RD. Prabost.

On Rosa canina and Salix aurita, cove S.
of Ardvasar: RD.

Skeabost; Flodigarry Wood; Allt an
Inbhir.

Ardvasar: RD. Coill a’ Ghasgain, Sleat;
hazel wood, Torrin; Portree; Coille
Dalavil; Dunvegan Wood; Dunvegan.
Under conifers, Varkasaig Wood.

Creag a’ Lain, summit plateau; Arma-
dale Castle; West Portree; Prabost;
Varkasaig Wood; Dalavil Wood; Kylea-
kin; Tokavaig; Broadford; Treaslane;

277

L. proxima

L. striatula
Lachnella villosa

f Lepista luscina (Fr.) Sing.
L. nuda
L. sordida

Lyophyllum decastes
Marasmius androsaceus

M. oreades

f M. recubans Quil.
M. rotula

f Melanoleuca grammopodia (Bull
ex Fr.) Pat.

f M. melaleuca (Pers.) Murr.
Mycena acicula

M. aetites
M. alcalina
M. hulbosa

t M. capillaris (Schum.) Kummer
M. citrinomarginata
t M. cf. crisp at a Kuhn.

M. epipterygia

Kilmarie Wood; W. side of Ben Tote;
Dunvegan Wood; Uig; Dunvegan; near
Leachd.

Under Salix aurita, near Point of Sleat &
Dunvegan: RD. River Haultin; Dunve-
gan; Scalpay House.

Skye: NR, no further details. Above
Tormore: RD.

On Iris pseudacorus and Mentha
aquatica , Ord, in May & on Lathy rus
pratensis, Ardvasar, in October: RD.
Pasture, Glen Meadhonach: RD.
Armadale Castle woods; Dunvegan: RD.
Bernisdale.

Under Fagus, Ardvasar: RD.

On Calluna, Acairseid an Rudha, Point
of Sleat; RD. Prabost; on Scirpus squar-
rosus, Healaval Bheag; Broadfoot; Seal-
pay House.

Glengrasco: NR. Armadale, RD.

On Corylus nut, Coill’a Ghasgain, Sleat.
On Fagus , Ardvasar; Dunvegan: RD.
Coille Dalavil; River Haultin (18/4451);
Uig; Portree.

SE. of Portree, July; Cpt. George.

Roadside grass, Ord: RD.

On sticks in bed of Urtica dioica, Knock
Castle: RD.

Pasture, Ardvasar: RD.

Kilmarie Wood; Dunvegan: RD.

On Juncus, Ardvasar: RD.

Dead leaf on Corylus, Kinloch: RD.
Slope below Healaval Bheag.

Coral Beach, Dunvegan: DR. (A tiny
white species with well developed
decurrent gills; specimen becoming
yellowish straw-coloured in dried
material. Pileus 3-7 mm diam. Stipe up
to 1.5 cm high. Spores 5.75-6.2 x
2 .2-3.0 u.m, elliptic to tear-shaped, non-
amyloid. Gill-edge with very scanty,
thin -walled, hair-like cystidia which are
slightly narrowed toward the apex);

Glen Meadhonach: RD. On Calluna
stem and litter, Sligachan; Kilmarie
Wood; near Leachd; Portree; Drum-
fearn Wood.

278

M. fibula
M. filopes

M. flavoalba
M. galericulata

M. galopus
M. haematopus

M. leptocephala
M. leucogala

f M. mirata (Peck) Sacc.

M. olivaceomarginata
f M. oortiana Hora
M. pearsoniana

M. poly gramma
M. pudica
M. pur a

M. rorida

M. rubromarginata
M. sanguinolenta

f M. sepia J. Lge.

M. swartzii

M. tenerrima

t M. tortuosa P.D. Orton
M. uracea

M. vitilis

Omphalina ericetorum

O. griseopallida
O. hepatica

Castle lawns, Armadale: RD.

Aird of Sleat; Armadale: RD. Kilmarie
Wood; in litter Kyleakin; Glen Suardal.
Roadside grass, Ardvasar: RD.

Armadale: RD. Kilmarie Wood; under
Betula, Coill a’ Ghasgain, Sleat; Toka-
vaig; Dunvegan.

S. of Ardvasar: RD. In litter, Sleat.

Skye: NR, no further details. Arma-
dale: RD.

Prabost; west of Portree.

SE. ridge of Belig; Healaval Bheag;
Prabost.

On Corylus , Duisdale: RD.

Prabost.

Prabost.

Conifer plantations, Ardvasar & Arma-
dale: RD.

Armadale: RD.

On Juncus, above Tormore: RD.
Dunvegan: RB. Varkasaig; North of
Dun Beag, Torrin.

Prabost. On twigs, edge of plantation
above Tormore: RD.

Portree.

In Juncus tussocks, Tormore: RD.
Varkasaig Wood; Kilmarie Wood.

Under conifers in woodland (2 col-
lections): NR, no further details.
Ardvasar: RD. Suardal burn; Camasu-
nary, Loch Scavaig.

On Picea bark, Armadale: RD. On
Rubus twig, Dunvegan; west of Portree,
On rotting Quercus log, Sleat.

Beinn a’ Chearcaill: ND. Ridge below
SW. ridge of Blaven.

Kilmarie Wood; near Leachd; in litter,
Coill’a Ghasgain, Sleat; Glen Suardal;
Tokavaig; N. of Dun Beag, Torrin.

Rub ha Hunish; Allt an Inbhir; Healaval
Bheag; with Botrydina vulgaris auct.
pi. (Lichen) in Sphagnum , Kyleakin;
same locality with B. vulgaris on peat.
Moors near Point of Sleat; on bare soil,
plantation N. of Tormore: RD.

Moors at head of Ord glen: RD.

279

t

t

f

f

f

t

O. hudsoniana Jenn. (= O. luteolilacina (Favre) Hend. in

Mull Flora 15.12). Mossy edge of
Lochan, col below Blaven 610 m; wet
moor on Healaval Bheag.

O. luteovitellina Wet moor Bealach Hartaval, 610 m.:

ND. Prabost; E. end of Loch Dhugaill,
1524m.

O. oniscus

O . pseudoandrosacea (Bull.) Moser
s. Quel. & Moeller
O. rustica (Fr.) Quel.

O. sphagnicola
O. velutina

O. wynniae

Oudemansiella mucida

O. radicata

Panellus mitis (Pers. ex Fr.) Sing

P. serotinus (Schrad. ex Fr.)
Kummer

In Sphagnum , Drumfearn.

Torvaig; Bealach Cumhaing; Allt nan
Leac.

With Peltigera (Lichen), moors at head
of Ord glen: RD. (See also O. cupula-
toides P.D. Orton in Mull Flora, Wat-
ling ined.)

Slope below Healaval.

On wet peat near waterfall, east of
Glen Hannisdale woodlands: Prabost;
Eynort.

On bark of conifer, Armadale Castle:
RD. Loch Suardal; amongst moss at
base of Pinus sylvestris, Treaslane.
Dunvegan: RB. Coille Davavil: RD.
Armadale: JR.

Portree.

Allt an Inbhir; Portree.

Dalavil Wood.

On sticks, Armadale: RD.

.&R.) On Pinus. Dalavil: RD. also known as
Pseudohiatula.

Panus torulosus (Pers. ex Fr.) Fr.
Resupinatus applicatus
Strobilurus stephanocystis (K
Sing

Tricholoma argyraceum
T. flavo virens
T. fulvum

T. imbricatum
T. psammopus
T. terreum
T. ustale

Tricholomopsis rutilans

Under Fagus, Ardvasar: RD.

Under Pinus sylvestris, Dunvegan.
Under Tilia, Armadale: RD. Coille
Dalavil.

In garden, Prabost.

Portree.

Under Fagus, Ardvasar: RD.

Under Fagus, Ardvasar: RD.

Glen Brittle & Dunvegan: RB. Arma-
dale: RD. Kilmarie Wood.

ENTOLOMATACEAE

f Entoloma aprile (Britz.) Sacc. Dunvegan: RB.

f Entoloma majaloides P.D. Orton. Dalavil Wood: Sleat; Coill’ a Ghas-

gain.

280

E. nidorosum
E, porphyrophaeum
Leptonia anatina
L. corvina
L. fulva

L . lazulina

f L. cf. leptonipes (Kuhn &
Romagn.) Orton

L. lividocyanula

f L. mougeotii (Fr.) P.D. Orton
f L. nigroviolacea P.D. Orton
t E. sarcitula Kuhn & Romagn. ex
Orton
L. sericella

t L. serrulata (Pers. ex Fr.) Kummer
L. turci

Nolanea cetrata
N. hirtipes

t N. juncinus (Kuhn & Romagn.)
P.D. Orton

f N. lucida P.D. Orton
f N. mammosa (L. ex Fr.) Quel,
t N. papillata Bres.

N. sericea

N. staurospora

Sligachan; Ard of Sleat: RD.

Coral Beach, Dunvegan: DR.

Coral Beach, Dunvegan: DR.

Coral Beach, Dunvegan: DR. Prabost.
Coral Beach, Dunvegan: DR. Tulm
Island.

Coral Beach, Dunvegan: DR. Romes-
dal: RB.

(Pileus greyish-brown with bluish tinge
and pink colour of gills showing
through at margin which is striate;
surface non-scurfy. Stipe blue-grey.
Rather fragile). Coral Beach, Dunve-
gan: DR.

Coral Beach, Dunvegan: DR.

River Haultin, (18/4351-4451).
Invertote.

Coral Beach, Dunvegan: DR.

Coral Beach, Dunvegan: DR. Moors
above Tormore: RD.

Coral Beach, Dunvegan: DR. South
East ridge of Belig; Dalavil Wood; Ben
Tote.

Tormore: RD.

In moss and bracken litter, Kyleakin;
Armadale: RD. Portree; Creag a’ Lain,
N. of Bealach na Leacaich.

Armadale: RD.

Moors N. of Tormore: RD. Healaval
Bheag; Prabost.

Coral Beach, Dunvegan: DR.

Coral Beach, Dunvegan: DR.

Healaval Bheag.

Cliff-top Dun an Aird: ND. Near
Leachd; slopes above Loch Mor.

Coille Dalavil; S. of Adrvasar: RD.
Portree; Creag a’ Lain; Ben Tote;
Skerinish; near summit Belig, 670 m;
Healaval Bheag.

f

f

CORTINARIACEAE (inch Crepidotaceae)

Cortinarius anomalus
C. balaustinus s. Lange

C. betuletorum Moser

Varkasaig Wood; near Leachd.

Under Betula/Corylus, Coill’a Ghas-
gain, Sleat.

Under Be tula, Duisdale: RD.

281

C. caninus
C. bolaris

C. cinnamomeo-badius

C. cinnamomeus
C. fasciatus
C. helvelloides
C. hemitrichus
C. hinnuleus grp.

C. largus

t C. malicorius Fr.
t C. nemorensis (Fr.) J. Lange
f C. paleaceus Fr.

C. pseudo salor

C. rigidus

f C. cf. striaepilus Favre
C. uliginosus

t C. variicolor (Pers. ex. Fr.) Fr.
Crepidotius applanatus
C. calolepis
C. cesatii

C. herbamm (Peck) Sacc.

C. mollis
Galerina clavata

G. graminea
G. hypnorum
G. mniophila

G. mutabilis

G. paludosa

G. vittaeformis
Gymnopilus penetrans

Picea plantations, Ardvasar: RD.
Dunvegan: RB.

Under Quercus and Corylus, shore
gulley and in Picea plantations, Ardva-
sar: RD.

Portree.

In litter, Sleat; under A’Mhaoile, Sleat.
Coill’a Ghasgain, Sleat.

Under Corylus , Tokavaig.

Dun Beag, Torrin.

Armadale: RD.

Picea plantations, Ardvasar: RD.

Under Fagus, Ardvasar: RD.

Dunvegan Wood; Portree.

Dunvegan: RB. Ardvasar: RD. Drum-
fearn Wood.

Under Corylus, Tokavaig.

Wet slope under Alnus, Armadale: RD.
Swamp under Betula and Salix, Ord
glen: RD.

Portree.

Coille Dalavil.

On Fagus, Coille Dalavil: RD.

On Fagus, Armadale: RD.

On Fraxinus, Ord glen and on dead
Impatiens and Urtica, Tormore: RD.
Portree: ND. On Fraxinus, Dunvegan;
on Salix by River Hinnisdal
In moss by Picea sitchensis stump,
Eynort; SW. of Bealach Amadal,
400 m.

Ben Tote.

In moss under conifers, Ardvasar: RD.
Aird of Sleat: RD. Skerinish; Garbh
Bheinn, 790 m.

Tormore: RD. On Corylus , Coill’a
Ghasgain, Sleat; Dunvegan Wood;
Armadale; edge of stream between
Loch Fada and Loch Leathan; Heala-
val Bheag; Glen Suardal.

Glen Meadhonach: RD. In Sphagnum ,
coast north of Kilt Rock; Dalavil
Wood; Beinn a’ Chearcaill; Lower
Lochan Tianavaig.

Healaval Bheag.

Dunvegan: RD. Drumfearn Wood.

282

t Hebeloma fragilipes Romagn.

H. longicaudum

H. sinuosum
Inocybe asterospora

I. boltonii

I. calimistrata
I. calospora
I. eutheles
I. fastigiata

f I. fastigiata var. umbrinella (Bres.)
Heim

I. geophylla

I. geophylla var. lilacina
I. grammata
I. microspora

I. napipes
I. petiginosa
I. posterula
I. pudica
I. umbrina
I. virgatula
Naucoria bohemica
N. escharoides

N. scolecina
Pholiota myosotis

P. squarrosa

f Tubaria conspersa (Pers. ex Fr.)
Fayod

t T. furfuracea (Pers. ex Fr.) Gillet

(Not in New British Checklist, but
apparently widespread in Scotland).
Area north of Dun Beag, Torrin.
Under Be tula, Ord glen; under Picea ,
Ardvasar: RD.

North of Dun Beag, Torrin.

Under Corylus , Aird of Sleat: RD.
Picea plantation, Ardvasar: RD.

Glen Brittle: RB.

Dunvegan: RB.

Dunvegan: RB.

Dunvegan: RB. Under Tilia, Armadale:

RD.

(This variety is frequently given speci-
fic rank). Romesdal: RB.

Dunvegan; Romesdal: RB. Armadale
Castle; Varkasaig Wood; Coill’a Ghas-
gain, Sleat; Kilbeg.

Dunvegan: RB.

Portree.

Ardvasar: RD. In Corylus litter, Toka-
vaig.

In Corylus litter, Tokavaig.

Ardvasar: RD. On soil, Tokavaig.
Armadale: RD. Portree.

Dunvegan: RB.

Varkasaig.

Armadale: RD.

Prabost.

Armadale: RD. Under Alnus, under
A’Mhaoile, Sleat.

Under Alnus, under A’Mhaoile, Sleat.
Moors around Loch Airidhe na
Suiridhe: RD.

On Sorbus aucuparia, Monkstadt and
Drumfearn: RD.

Ardvasar: RD. In Betula litter, Kyle-
akin; in moss on twig Dunvegan;
Skeabost (?).

West of Portree.

BOLBITIACEAE

Agrocybe arvalis In wet grassland, Invertote.

f Conocybe aporos Kits van W. Prabost, in June.

C. coprophila On cow dung, Ard of Sleat to Camas

Daraich: RD.

283

C. kuehneriana Singer (As C. ochracea f. macrospora in Mull

list). Skerinish; under Fraxinus, Toka-
vaig.

C. tenera (2-spored) Near Corylus, Tokavaig.

STROPHARIACEAE

Hypholoma elongatum
H. fasiculare

H. poly trichi
H. marginatum

f H. subericaeum (Fr.) Kuhn.

H. udum

f Psilocybe bullacea (Bull. ex. Fr.)
Kummer aff.

P. fimetaria (P.D. Orton) Watling

P. semilanceata

Stropharia aeruginosa
S. semiglobata

Roadside grass, Kinloch: RD.

Coille Dalavil: RD. On Be tula stump,
Coill’a Ghasgain, Sleat; Eynort; Kil-
marie Wood; Dunvegan Wood.

Prabost; in Sphagnum , Beinn a’
Chearcaill.

Scalpay House.

Skerinish; Rubha Hunish.

Coille Dalavil.

Bruach na Frithe.

(As Stropharia in Mull list 15.17).
On cow dung, Enort.

Ord glen and Ardvasar plantations: RD.
Skerinish; Orbost.

Roadside grass, Ord: RD.

Very common. Armadale: RD. Sten-
scholl: JR. River Haultin (18/4351-
4451); Skerinish (cow dung); summit
plateau, Creag a’ Lain; hill grassland,
N. to Bealach na Leacaich; SE. ridge
of Belig; SW. ridge of Blaven; Inver-
tote; Healaval Bheag; Dalavil Wood;
between Torvaig and Bealach Cum-
haing; Uig; Coille Dalavil; Dunvegan.

COPRINACEAE

f Coprinus acuminatus (Romagn.)

P.D. Orton
t C. angulatus Peck
f C. comatus (Mull, ex Fr.) S.F.
Gray

t C. latisporus P.D. Orton
C. micaceus
C. niveus
C. plicatilis

C. semitale P.D. Orton

Kilmarie Wood.

Bonfire site, Armadale: RD.

Ardvasar: RD.

On cow dung, Ord glen: RD.

Armadale: RD. Kilmarie Wood.

On sheep dung, Tormore: RD.

Drinan, near Elgol; Storr: ND. Ard-
vasar; Ord: RD.

(See C. cineratus Quel in Mull Flora
15.18) Drumfeam Wood.

284

f Lacry maria velutina (Pers.) Konr.
& Maubl.

Panaeolina foenisecii

Panaeolus castanaefolius (Murr.)
O’lah

P. fimicola
P. rickenii

P. semiovatus

P. sphinctrinus

P. subbalteatus
Psathyrella candolleana
P. coprophila

P. hydrophila

f P. microrhiza (Lasch) K. & M.
P. spadicea

f P. sphagnicola (Maire) Favre
f P. squamosa (Karst.) Moser
P. vernalis

On lawn, Ardvasar: RD.

Dunvegan: RB. In pasture, Tormore:
RD.

(See Panaeolina sp. in Mull Flora
15.18) Ben Tote.

Storr: ND. Ardvasar: RD.

Ord glen: RD. Summit plateau, Creag
a’ Lain; Invertote; Dalavil Wood; near
Leachd.

On dung: Between Torvaig, Bealach
Cumhaing Am Mao and Loch Dhug-
haill: ND. N. of Tormore; Ord glen:
RD. River Haultin (18/4351-4451);
Dalavil Wood; Dunvegan; Invertote;
SW. ridge of Blaven.

Kennels, Armadale: RD. Prabost;
Dalavil Wood; between Torvaig and
Bealach Cumhaing; Bile Chapel, Por-
tree; Loch Dhughaill Wood; Storr.

Cliff top turf, Tormore: RD.
Plantations, Armadale: RD.

(See P. aff. stercoraria in Mull Flora
15.18) On dung, Rubha Flunish
(sheep dung); SE. ridge of Belig (sheep
dung); opposite Tulm Is.

Near Leachd; Armadale: RD.

Under Fraxinus, Dunvegan.

Base of Ulmus montana, Kilmore: RD.
Moors above Tormore: RD.

In litter, Sleat.

Prabost, June: CM.

Agaricus sylvaticus

AGARICACEAE

Dunvegan Wood.

PLUTEACEAE

Pluteus cervinus

f P. pellitus (Pers. ex Fr.) Kummer
P. salicinus

Dunvegan: RB. On Betula, Coille
Dalavil: RD.

On Fagus, Coille Dalavil: RD.
Armadale: JR.

Amanita fulva
A. muscaria

AMANITACEAE

Dunvegan: RB. River Haultin
(18/4351-4451).

Dunvegan; Glen Brittle: RB. Near

285

Portree: RD. Skeabost River
(18/4040).

A. rubescens Lynedale Wood, Dunvegan; Romesdal;

Glen Brittle: RB. Armadale Wood: RD.
Kilmarie Wood.

f A. submembrancea (Bon) Groger Under Quercus and Corylus, Ardvasar:

RD.

A. umbrinolutea ? River Haultin (18/4351-4451).

A. vaginata Romesdal: RB. Roskhill: JR. Dunve-

gan; Glen Varragill.

RUSSULACEAE

Lactarius blennius

Dunvegan: RB. Ardvasar: RD. Arma-
dale Castle; Kilbeg.

L. deliciosus

Portree; Armadale: RD.

L. glyciosmus

Ord glen: RD.

L. mitissimus

Under Corylus and Quercus , gulley S.
of Ardvasar; under conifers, Armadale:
RD.

L. obscumtus

Armadale: RD. Under Alnus, under
A’Mhaoile, Sleat.

L. pallidus

Armadale: RD.

L. pyrogalus

S. of Ardvasar: RD. Under Corylus,
Tokavaig.

L. quietus

S. of Ardvasar: RD. Under Quercus,
Sleat.

L. rufus

Dunvegan Wood.

L, subdulcis

Ardvasar: RD. Kilmarie Wood, N. of
Dun Beag, Torrin.

L. tabidus

Under Sorbus, Tokavaig and Ord glen:
RD.

L. torminosus

Dunvegan: RB. Ord glen: RD. Dalavil
Wood; between Torvaig and Bealach
Cumhaing; Loch Suardal; N. of Dun
Beag, Torrin.

L. turpis

Varkasaig.

L. vellereus

Coille Dalavil; Druisdale: RD. Under
Be tula, Coill’a Ghasgain, Sleat; Kin-
loch; Drumfeam Wood.

L. vietus

Under Betula, Coill’a Ghasgain, Sleat;
Tokavaig.

Russula aeruginea

Portree.

R. alpina (Blytt) Moeller &
Schaeff.

Ben Tote.

R. betularum

Ord glen: RD. Under Betula, Coill’a

Ghasgain, Sleat; Drumfearn.

R. caerulea

Portree; Coille Dalavil: RD.

286

R. cyanoxantha

Under Quercus, Ardvasar: RD. Lyn-
dale Wood.

R. delica

Dunvegan; Romesdal: RB. Ardvasar;
Armadale: RD. River Haultin
(18/4351-4451); north of Dun Beag.

R. foetens

Under Corylus and Populus tremula,
Romesdal: RB.

R. densifolia

Romesdal: RB.

R. emetica

Dunvegan Wood.

R. emeticella

In litter, Sleat.

R. fellea

Under Fagus, Ardvasar; Dalavil Wood.

R. fragilis

S. of Ardvasar: RD. Under Betula,
T okavaig.

R. lepida

Under Fagus, Kilbeg.

R. lutea

S. of Ardvasar: RD. River Haultin
(18/4351-4451).

R. mairei

Ardvasar: RD. Lyndale Wood; River
Haultin (18/4351-4451).

R. nigricans

Lyndale Wood; Dunvegan; Romesdal:
RB.

R. nitida

Under Betula, Ardvasar; Armadale;
Ord glen; Drumfearn, Kinloch: RD.
Coille Dalavil.

R. ochroleuca

Armadale: RD. Eynort; Dalavil Wood;
Kilmarie Wood.

R. sardonia

Under Pinus sylvestris, Armadale: RD.
Sligachan.

R. vesca

Near Leachd.

R. xerampelina

Prabost.

APHYLLOPHORALES

CLAVARIACEAE

Clavaria acuta
C fumosa

C. vermicularis

Clavariadelphus fistulosus
var. contortus

Clavulinopsis corniculata
C. fusiformis
C. helvola

Allt an Inbhir.

Coral Beach, Dunvegan: DR. Grass-
land slopes above Loch Mor; Rubha
Hunish.

Coral Beach, Dunvegan: DR. In pas-
ture, Ord glen: RD.

On Alnus, Armadale: RD. On Be tula,
near Kyleakin.

Roadside grass, near Tormore: RD.
Skerinish.

In Corylus litter, Tokavaig; Armadale
Castle: RD.

287

f Pistillaria epiphylla (Quel.)
Corner
P. micans

f P. quisquillaris Fr.

On leaf of Alnus, Tormore: RD.

On Digitalis purpurea, bay N. of Point
of Sleat; on Oenanthe crocata, Ardva-
sar: RD.

On Pteridium, Broadford.

CLAVULINACEAE

Clavulina cinerea Varkasaig; Dunvegan Wood.

C. cristata Armadale; Ardvasar: Glen Mead-

honach: RD. Coille Dalavil; Eynort;
Kilmarie Wood; Dunvegan Wood.

C. rugosa Armadale: RD. Dunvegan: JR. Kil-

marie Wood; Sleat; Tokavaig; Portree.

CONIOPHORACEAE

f Coniophora arida Fr. On wood of Pinus sylvestris, Coille

Dalavil: RD.

Cylindrobasidium evolvens
Julich

t Hyphodontia nespori (Bres.)

J. Erikss. & Hjortst.

Laetisaria fuciforme (Berk & Br.)
Burdsall

Peniophora incamata

P. limitata
P. lycii

P. polygonia

P. quercina

Phlebia radiata
Schizopora paradoxa

f Tubulicrinis glebulosus (Bres.)
Donk

Vuilleminia comedens

(As Corticum in Mull list 15.22).
Flodigarry Wood.

Dunvegan.

(See Isaria: Deuteromycotina).

Ardvasar; Armadale: RD. On Ulex,
Broadford; Dunvegan.

On Fraxinus, Armadale: RD.

On Rubus fruticosus, Dunvegan; on
IJlmus, Armadale: RD.

On Populus tremula, Aird of Sleat:
RD.

On Fagus, Ardvasar: On Quercus,
Dalavil: RD.

Skye: NR, no further details.
(Although generally considered a poly-
pore, much more closely related to
Hyphodontia). On Quercus, Sleat.

On Larix, Armadale: RD.

On Corylus, Achnacloich: RD.

CORTICIACEAE
(Fr.)

GANODERMATACEAE

On Fagus and Tilia, Armadale.

Ganoderma adspersum

288

Hydnum repandum
H. mfescens

HYDNACEAE

Dunvegan, Romesdal: RB. Ardvasar:
RD. Kilmarie Wood; Kilbeg; Sligachan.
Coille Dalavil; Forestry Comm, planta-
tion, Loch Suardal.

HYMENOCHAETACEAE

Hymenochaete corrugata On Corylus, S. of Ardvasar; Duisdale;

Achnacloich; Coille Dalavil: RD.
Phellinus nigricans Coille Dalavil.

Inonotus radiatus On Alnus, Armadale; Tormore: RD.

POLYPORACEAE

Bjerkandera adusta
Ceriporia reticulata
C. viridans

t Coriolus hirsutus (Wulf.) Quel.

f C. pubescens (Schum.) Quel.

C. versicolor

Fomes fomentarius

Gloeophyllum sepiarium
Heterobasidion annosum
Hirschioporus abietinus
Incrustipora semipileata

Piptoporus betulinus

Polyporus brumalis
P. nummularis

P. squamosus
P. varius

f Tyromyces chioneus (Fr.) Karst.

Uig.

On stump, Eynort.

On Betula, Glen Meadhonach: RD.
Coille Dalavil: Prabost; Kilmarie
Wood; Uig.

On Betula, Tokavaig.

Armadale: RD. Portree: ND. Sleat;
Kilbeg; Allt an Inbhir; Bile Chapel near
Portree; near Leachd.

On Betula, Tokavaig: ND. Coille
Dalavil; Coille’a Ghasgain; Old: RD.
Prabost.

Flodigarry Wood, Armadale: RD.
Tokavaig: ND.

(As Tyromyces in Mull list 15.24).
Dunvegan.

Glen Meadhonach; Ord glen: RD.
Kilmarie Wood; Uig; near Leachd;
Sleat; Lyndale; Allt an Inbhir.
Dunvegan: RB. Flodigarry Wood.
River Haultin (18/4351-4551); Dalavil
Wood; Kilmarie Wood; Dunvegan
Wood; Prabost.

Dunvegan Castle: RB. Skye: NR, no
further details.

On Salix, Achnacloich: RD. On
Quercus, Sleat; on Alnus and Sorbus,
Armadale.

Skye: NR, no further details.

289

SCHIZOPHYLLACEAE

f Plicaturopsis crispa (Fr.) Reid On Corylus, Achnacloich: RD.

STEREACEAE

Flodigarry Wood.

On Fagus, Coille Dalavil; on sticks,
Armadale; on Corylus , Duisdale: RD.
Coille Dalavil; near Kyle akin; Flodi-
garry Wood; Allt an Inbhir.

Dalavil; Achnacloich; Ord glen: RD.
Portree; Lyndale Wood; Sleat; Toka-
vaig; Allt an Inbhir, Armadale.

THELEPHORACEAE

Thelephora palmata Dunvegan: RB.

T. terrestris Dunvegan: RB.

Stereum gausapatum
S. hirsutum

S. rugosum

1 HYMENOMYCETOUS HETER OB A SIDIAE’

AURICULARIALES

AURICULARIACEAE

Himeola auricula- judae On Sambucus, bay N. of Point of

Sleat; Armadale; Isleornsay: RD.

TREMELLALES

TREMELLACEAE

Basidiodendron eyrei
Exidia thuretiana

f E. recisa (Ditm. ex S.F. Gray) Fr.
Myxarium hyalinum

f Pseudo sty pella translucens
(Gordon) Reid & Minter
Tremella exigua
T. foliacea
T. frondosa

f T. indecorata Sommerf.

T. mesent erica

Kilmarie Wood.

(See E. albida in Mull list 15.25.) On
Ilex aquifolium, Coille Dalavil: RD.

On Betula twigs, Sleat; Allt an Inbhir.
On twig of Tsuga heterophylla, Dunve-
gan: AB. Armadale: RD.

On Lophodermium seditiosum, Dun-
vegan: AB.

On Ulex, Armadale: RD.

On pine?, Prabost.

On Acer, Dunvegan.

On Diatrype, Dunvegan.

On Ulex, Armadale; on Fraxinus,
Ord: RD. On Ulex, above Orbost
(18/2543); Skeabost Bridge; North of
Dunvegan; Dunvegan.

290

DACRYMYCETALES

DACRYMYCETACEAE

Calocera cornea

Dacrymyces stillatus

t Guepiniopsis chrysocoma (Bull,
ex St Amans) Brasf.

On Betula, Coille Dalavil: RD. Pra-
bost; Lynedale.

General; on rotten wood and plants:
RD. Prabost; Broadford.

Lynedale.

GASTEROMYCETES

LYCOPERDALES

LYCOPERDACEAE

Bovista nigrescens
Lycoperdon foetidum

L. perlatum

L. pyriforme

Vascellum pratense

Tormore: RD.

Ardvasar; Tormore; Armadale; RD.
Glen Varragill.

Armadale; RD. Slopes of Ben Tote;
Portree; Varkasaig.

Armadale: RD. Tokavaig; north of
Dun Beag, Torrin.

(Often known as Lycoperdon or
Vascellum depressum). Glen Mead-
honach: RD. Stenschoill: JR. Portree.

NIDULARIALES

SPHAEROBOLACEAE

Sphaerobolus stellatus In Juncus tussocks, Ardvasar: RD.

SCLERODERMATALES

SCLERODERMATACEAE

Scleroderma citrinum Armadale: RD.

S. verrucosum Armadale: RD.

291

HEM IB A SID 10 M YCETES
UREDINALES

Abbrev. I aeciospores II = uredospores III = teleutospores 0 = spermogonia

CHRY SOM YXACEAE

f Chrysomyxa rhododendri de Bary On Rhododendron ‘Princess Alice,’ Kyle

House, May 1981, Kyle akin: D M. Hen-
derson. Also on Rhododendron trichos-
tomum x Ledum groenlandicum, same
locality; apparently new UK host.

COLEOSPORIACEAE

Coleosporium tussilaginis II On Tussilago farfara, by pier, Armadale:

RD.

t

MELAMPSORACEAE

Melampsora epitea

II & III

On Salix cinerea, N. of Kinloch: RD.
Kyleakin; Prabost (?).

M. hypericorum

II

Head of Loch Ainort: AB. Armadale: RD.

Melampsoridium betulinum II

On seedlings Kinloch: RD. On Betula,

Kyleakin.

Milesina blechni

On Blechum spicant, Kyleakin & Arma-
dale: RD.

M. dieteliana (Syd.) Magn. II

On Polypodium vulgare, Armadale &

Isleornsay: RD.

Pucciniastrum circaeae

II

On Circaea lutetiana, Armadale.

P. epilobii

On Epilobium, Eynort: AB.

P. guttatum

II

On Galium saxatile, N. of Point of Sleat &
& Kinloch: RD.

P. vaccinii

II

On Vaccinium myrtillus, Kyleakin & Ard-
vasar: RD.

PUCCINIACEAE

Miyagia pseudosphaeria II
Phragmidium fragariae
P. mucronatum II & III

t P. rosae-pimpinellifoliae

Diet. II & III

P. ruhi-idaei II & III

P. violaceum II & III

On Sonchus oleraceus, Armadale: RD,
On Potentilla sterilis, Kinloch: RD.

On Rosa sp., Tokavaig: AB. On R.
“villosa”, Aird of Sleat & Drumfearn:
RD.

On Rosa pimpinelli folia, Aird: RD.

On Rubus idaeus, Broadford & Arma-
dale.

Ardvasar & Armadale: RD. On Rubus
“ fruticosus ”, Kyleakin.

292

Puccinia acetosae

II

P. annularis

II

P. arenariae (Schum.)
Wint.

III

P. brachypodii

II

P. calcitrapae

P. caricina

P. caricina var. urticae-acutae

P. caricina var. pringsheimiana

(Kleb.) Hend.

P. caricina var. paludosa (Plow-

right) Hend.

P. chrysosplenii

III

P. circaeae

III

P. cnici

II & III

P. coronata

II

P. deschampsiae

II

P. dioicae

II

P. epilobii

III

P. galii-vemi Ces.

III

P. glechomatis DC.

III

P. glomerata Grev.

III

P. hieracii

II & III

P. lagenophorae

I

P. magnusiana

III

P. menthae

II & III

P. obscura

II

P. poae-nemoralis

II

P. poarum

O&I

On Rumex acetosa, Dunvegan, Ardva-
sar & Sconser: RD.

On Teucrium scorodonia, Kyle akin &
Ardvasar: RD. Dunvegan: AB.

On Silene dioica, Kilmore: RD.

On Brachypodium sylvaticum, Ardva-
sar & Kinloch: RD.

On Cirsium palustre, Armadale: RD.
Ardvasar.

On Car ex, Kyle akin: AB.

On Urtica, Skeabost: CM.

On Ribes grossularia, Armadale: RD.

On Pedicularis sylvatica, Dun an Aisi-
lidh, at the narrows of Raasay: RD.

A collection on Carex nigra is also
possibly referrable to this taxon.

On Chrysosplenium oppositifolium,
Portree (wood on Broadford Road) &
Armadale: RD.

On Circaea lutetiana, Armadale: RD.
On Cirsium vulgare, Dunvegan; Port-
ree; Kirkibost, Loch Slapin; Aird of
Sleat; Kinloch: All RD.

On Agrostis, Ardvasar & ? on Holcus,
Kinloch: RD.

On Deschampsia caespitosa, Caradal:
RD.

On Carex dioica, Loch Airidhe na Sui-
ridhe: RD.

On Epilobium montanum, Ord: RD.
On Galium saxatile, Kinloch: RD.

On Nepeta hederacea, Knock: RD.

On Senecio jacobaea, Dunvegan: RD.
On Taraxacum, Kyleakin: on Leonto-
don autumnalis, Kinloch: RD.

On Senecio vulgaris, Ardvasar: RD.

On Phragmites communis, Portree &
Uig: RD.

On Mentha aquatica, Armadale: RD.
On Luzula sylvatica, by pier Armadale:
RD. Eynort: AB.

On An thoxanthum odoratum, Ardva-
sar: RD. On Poa trivialis, Ardvasar &
Tormore.

On Tussilago farfara, by pier Armadale
RD. On same host, Dunvegan: AB.

293

P. primulae

P. punctata III

P. punctiformis

P. recondita

P. sessilis I

P. tumida

P. violae II

t P. virgae-aureae (DC.) Lib. Ill
Triphragmium ulmariae

t Uredo festucae DC. II
Uromyces airae-flexuosae II

U. armeriae

U. dactylidis I

t U. fallens (Desm.) Kern

f U. ficariae (A. & S.) Lev.

U. muscari III

U. nerviphilus III

f U. pisi (DC.) Otth II

U. rumicis
U. valerianae

U. viciae-fabae II

On Primula vulgaris, Caradal, Kinloch &
Tokavaig: RD.

On Galium palustre, Ardvasar: RD.

On Cirsium arvense: Portree, Ardvasar
& Uig: RD.

On Holcus, Prabost (?): CM.

(=P. winteriana Magn.) On Allium ursi-
num, Armadale: RD.

On Conopodium majus Uig & Kinloch:
RD.

On Viola riviniana, Kyle akin, Ard of
Sleat & Caradal: RD.

On Solidago virgaurea, Ard of Sleat: RD,
On Filipendula ulmaria, Armadale;
Ardvasar & Kinloch: RD. Tokavaig;
Loch Eishort; Skeabost.

On Festuca rubra, Kinloch: RD.

On Deschumpsia flexuosa, Kinloch:
RD.

On Armeria maritima, Dun Scaich,
Loch Eishort, Kilmore & Dun Fiadh:
RD.

On Ranunculus ficaria, Uig; Armadale
& Tokavaig: RD.

On Trifolium pratense, Lealt River,
Trotternish & Ardvasar: RD.

On Ranunculus ficaria, Uig: RD.

On Scilla non-scrip tus, Dun an Aisi-
lidh, north of Loch Sligachan; Dun
Grugaig, Elgol: Tokavaig; Kinloch;
Loch Eishort; Armadale: All RD.

On Trifolium repens, Ardvasar &
Knock: RD.

(This is U. lotii Blytt). On Lotus
corniculatus, Kinloch: RD.

On Rumex, Armadale: RD.

On Valeriana officinalis, Ardvasar:
RD.

On Vicia sepium, Ardvasar: RD.

USTILAGINALES

USTILAGINACEAE

Entyloma ficariae
E. microsporum
Ustilago violacea

On Ranunculus ficaria, Uig, Ardva-
sar & Tokavaig: RD.

On Ranunculus repens, Portree &
Ardvasar: RD.

On Silene dioica, Kilmore: RD.

294

EU MY COT A: ASCOMYCOTINA
HEMIA SCOM YCETES
TAPHRINALES

TAPHRINACEAE

Brooms on Betula, Achnacloich; Ord:

RD.

Leaves of Populus, Ardvasar: Arma-
dale: RD.

On Potentilla erecta , Kinloch & Port-
ree: RD. Above Tormore.

On Alnus glutinosa, Ord: Drochaid &
Mhuilinn: RD.

PROTOMYCETACEAE

Protomyces macro sporus On Aegopodium podagraria, Ky lea-

kin: RD.

t Taphrina betulina Rostrup
T. populina
T. potentillae
T. tosquinetii

EUASCOMYCETES

PLECTASCALES

ELAPHOMYCETACEAE

Elaphomyces granulatus In conifer plantation, Glen Brittle: RD

Sleat.

Elaphomyces sp. Decomposed fruit-body; see Cordy-

ceps capitata below.

ERYSIPHALES

ERYSIPHACEAE

f Erysiphe galeopsidis DC.

E. galii

E. graminis

E. ranunculi

Microsphaera alphitoides

Oidium succisae Karl.

f Phyllactinia guttata (Fr.) Lev.

Sphaerotheca alchemillae
f S. macularis (Wallr.) Jaczew.

Uncinula bicornis

On Stachyssylvatica, Ardvasar: RD.

(as E. cichoracearum) On Galium
aparine , Ardvasar: RD.

Conidia on Poa, Dun Scaith, Loch
Eishort: RD.

(as E. polygon i) On Ranunculus
acris, Ardvasar: RD.

Conidia scanty on Quercus, Arma-
dale: RD.

(= ? E. polygon i) On Scabiosa succisa,
Ord glen: RD.

On Corylus, Kinloch: RD.

On Alchemilla, Prabost: CM.

Conidia on Alchemilla, Ardvasar: RD.
On Acer pseudoplatanus, Armadale:
RD.

295

HYPOCREALES

Gibber ella pulicaris
Hypomyces aurantius

Nectria cinnabarina

N. coccinea
N. ? galligena
f N. magnusiana Rehm.

NECTRIACEAE

On Prunus laurocerasus, Armadale:
On Polyporus squamosus, Ardvasar &
Ord: RD.

Flodigarry Wood; also as Tubercularia,
Portree.

On Fagus & Sambucus, Armadale: RD.
On Alnus, Duisdale: RD.

On Diatrypella sp., on Betula, Achna-
cloich: RD.

CLAVICIPITALES

Claviceps purpurea
Cordyceps capitata
C. miiitaris
Epichloe typhina

CLAVICIPITACEAE

Sclerotia on Molinia, widespread.

On Elaphomyces sp., Sleat; Lyndale.

In lawns, Ardvasar & Armadale: RD.
On immature spike of Anthoxanthum,
Portree: ND.

SPHAERIALES

AMPHISPHAERIACEAE

f Diapleela clivensis (B. & Br.) Munk On Hieracium, Kinloch: RD.

DIAPORTHACEAE

Diaporthe eres
Diaporthopsis angelicae
Gnomonia cerastis
f G. gnomon (Tode) Schroet.

G. setacea

G. vulgaris
Linospora capreae
Melanconis alni
t M. aucta (B. & Br.) Wehm.
M. stilbostoma
Plagio stoma pustula

Dunvegan

On Angelica sylvestris, Ardvasar: RD.
On Acer, Armadale: RD.

On Corylus, between Taskavaig and
Tokavaig: RD.

On Betula, between Taskavaig and
Tokavaig: RD.

On Corylus, Coille Dalavil: RD.

On Salix aurita, Tormore: RD.

On Alnus, Armadale: RD.

On Alnus, Dalavil: RD.

On Betula, Achnacloich: RD.

On Quercus, between Taskavaig and
Tokavaig: RD.

296

TRICHOSPHAERIACEAE

Chaetosphaerella phaeostroma (Placed in Pleosporales in Mull Flora

15.41). On Ulmus montana, Arma-
dale: RD.

f Trichosphaeria melanostigmoides On Ilex, Port Asgang: RD.

(Feltg.) Munk

DIATRYPACEAE

Diatrype bullata (Hoffm.) Fr.
D. disci formis
D. stigma

f Diatrype sp.

Diatrypella favacea
f Endoxyla sp.
f Eutypa spinosa (Pers.) Tul.
t Eutypella stellulata (Fr.) Sacc.

f Valsa cf. myricina Kirschst.

On Salix, Achnacloich: RD.

On Fagus, Ardvasar: RD. Eynort.

On Crataegus, Duisdale: RD. Coille
Dalavil; Skeabost; Lyndale.

On Ulex (spores 9-12(-13) x (1.7)
2-3 fxm). Prabost: CM.

Near Kyleakin.

Sleat: AB.

On Fagus, Coille Dalavil: RD.

On Ulmus montana, Armadale & Kil-
more: RD.

On Myrica gale, Glen Meadhonach &
Ord glen: RD.

LASIOSPHAERIACEAE

Cercophora coprophila On cow dung, Kinloch, Ord & Dalavil:

RD.

Coniochaeta ligniaria On Pinus, Coille Dalavil & Armadale:

RD.

POLYSTIGMATACEAE

Phyllachora sylvatica On Festuca rubra, Dalavil: RD.

f Physalospora alpestris Niessl On Carex panicea, Point of Sleat: RD.

SPHAERIACEAE

Chaetosphaeria myriocarpa Ord River (also see Codinaea: Deutero-

mycotina).

XYLARIACEAE

f Anthostomella appendiculosa
(Berk. & Br.) Sacc.
f A. conorum (Fuckel)
t A. formosa Kirschst.

A. fuegiana Speg.

On Rubus (<fruticosus, ” Knock: RD.

Dunvegan: AB.

Dunvegan: AB.

On Luzula sylvatica, quay N. of Point
of Sleat: RD.

297

Daldinia vernicosa (Schw.) de Not.
Hypoxylon fragi forme

H. fuscum

H. multiforme
H. rubiginosum

H. semi-immersum

Ustulina deusta

On Betula, Coille Dalavil: RD.

On Fagus, Ardvasar: RD. Portree;
Coille Dalavil; Lyndale.

On Alnus, mill-burn, Armadale: RD.
On Corylus, Coille Dalavil; Duisdale,
Tokavaig; Suardal burn.

On Betula , Armadale: RD. Lynedale
Wood.

On Fagus, Coille Dalavil; on Fraxinus,
Ord: RD. Dunvegan.

On Fagus, Coille Dalavil, May & on
Corylus, Duisdale, Oct.: RD.

On Tilia, Armadale: RD.

Xylaria carpophila
X. hypoxylon

f X. longipes Nits,
t X. ? polymorpha

On Fagus, cupules, Dalavil: RD. Ard-
vasar.

On Fagus, Coille Dalavil & on Tilia,
Armadale: RD. Near Kyleakin, Kil-
marie Wood; W. of Portree.

Onrroots of Acer pseudoplatanus,
Armadale: RD.

Near Tokavaig.

CORONOPHORALES

CORONOPHORACEAE

Bertia moriformis Dunvegan.

t Coronophora gregaria { Lib.) On Ulmus, Armadale: RD.

Fuckel

PHACIDIALES

PHACIDIACEAE

f Ascodichaena rugosum Butin On Quercus, Tormore: RD.

Phacidium lacerum (See Ceuthospora: Deuteromycotina).

f Propolis betulae (A. & S.) Dennis On Rubus “fruticosus” & Rhododen-
dron, Armadale: RD.

HYPODERMATACEAE

Coccomyces dentatus Fallen Quercus leaves, Coille Dalavil:

RD.

Colpoma quercinum On Quercus, Armadale; Coille Dalavil:

RD.

Hypoderma virgultorum On Rubus ‘ fruticosus ”, Armadale: RD.

298

Lophodermium arundinaceum
t L. hysterioides Sacc.

L. juniperinum

L. petiolicolum
L. pinastri

t L. seditiosum Minter, Staley
& Millar

Rhytisma acerinum
R. salicinum

On Phragmites, Ord: RD.

Petioles of Sorbus aucuparia, Coille
Dalavil: RD.

On Juniperus communis, Aird of
Sleat: RD.

On Quercus, Armadale: RD.

Needles of Pinus silvestris, Ardvasar:
RD. Sligachan; Dunvegan: AB.

On pine needles, Dunvegan: AB.

On Acer pseudoplatanus, Armadale:
RD. Treaslane.

On Salix aurita, bay N. of Point of
Sleat & between Drumfearn and head
of Loch Eishort: RD. Sleat; Eynort.

HELOTIALES

ASCOCORTICIACEAE

f Ascocorticium sp. See under Scutellinia below.

ORBILIACEAE

f Orbilia curvatispora Boud.
O. epipora

O. xanthostigma auct. angl.
t O. marina Boyd

On Rubus iifruticosus,\ bay N. of
Point of Sleat, (red apothecia): RD.

On Tilia, Armadale: RD.

On wood of Fagus, Coille Dalavil:
RD. Ord river: AB.

On Fucus vesiculosus (Alga) Rudha
Guail & cove S. of Ardvasar: RD.

DERMATACEAE

f Drepanopeziza schoenicola
Graddon

f Leptotrochila cerastiorum (Wallr.)
Schuepp

t L. ranunculi (Fr.) Schuepp

f Melittosporiella pulchella Hoehn.
Mollisia benesuada
M. cinerea

t M. fuscostriata Graddon

M. ligni
M. melaleuca

On Schoenus nigricans, Kinloch: RD.
On Cerastium, Kinloch: RD.

On Ranunculus acris, Ardvasar & Kin-
loch: RD.

On Be tula, Ord glen: RD.

On Alnus glutinosa, Armadale: RD.
Wood of Betula, Glen Meadhonach:
RD. Ord river.

On Filipendula ulmaria, Ardvasar:

RD.

On wood of Fagus, Armadale: RD.

On Sorbus aucuparia, Coille Dalavil:

RD.

299

M. millegrana
M. palustris

f Mollisia sp.

Niptera phaea

f N. cf. submelaena Rehm
t Patellariopsis clavispora
(Berk. & Br.) Dennis
Pezicula livida
P. rubi

f Pezicula sp.

Propolomyces versicolor (Fr.)
Dennis

Pseudopeziza trifolii

f Pyrenopeziza compressula Rehm.
P. digitalina
P. fuckelii

t P. oenanthes (Phill.) Graddon
P. petiolaris

f Scutomollisia punctum (Rehm.)
Nannf.

Tapesia rosae

Trichobelonium obscurum
Trochila craterium
T. ilicina

On Filipendula ulmariae, Uig: RD.

On Phalaris arundinacea, Ord: on
Phragmites, Aird of Sleat: RD.
(ascospores 0-1 septate, 14-16.5 x
4.5-6 pm; clavate paraphyses <7 pm
broad) Sleat.

On Carex binervis, Ardvasar; on
Trichophoron caespitosum, Point of
Sleat: RD.

On Carex panicea, Point of Sleat: RD.
On Corylus, Drumfearn: RD.

On Larix, Armadale: RD.

On Rubus ‘fruticosus”, Armadale;
Point of Sleat: RD. Broadford.

On Myrica gale, Ord glen: RD.

(See P. farinosus in Mull Flora 15.36)
On Salix aurita, cove S. of Ardvasar:
RD.

On Trifolium pratense, Aird of Sleat
& Dun vegan: RD.

On Lotus corniculatus, Ardvasar: RD.
On Digitalis purpurea, Armadale: RD.
On Salix aurita, Tormore: Achna-
cloich: RD.

On Oenanthe crocata, Ardvasar: RD.
On Acer, Armadale: RD.

On Nardus stricta, N. end of Loch
Dhughaill: RD.

On Rosa sp., cave S. of Ardvasar: RD.
On Calluna, Geag Mhor, Point of
Sleat: RD.

On leaves of Hedera helix, Armadale:
RD.

On leaves of Ilex, Prabost.

HEMIPHACIDIACEAE

f Naemacyclus minor Butin Sligachan: AB.

HYALOSCYPHACEAE

f Calycellina populina (Fuckel) Dead leaf of Corylus, Drumfearn: RD.
Hoehn.

f Dasyscyphus acutus (Vel.) Dennis On Agrostis, Ardvasar: RD.

D. apalus On Juncus effusus, Ardvasar: RD.

Broadford.

300

D. carneolus var. longispoms
D. ciliaris

f D. clavisporus M out on

D. controversies
D. corticalis
D. grevillei

D. minutissimus (Crouan) Le Gal
D. nidulus
D. nudipes
D. pulveraceus

D. sulphurellus

D. sulphureus

D. virgineus

Hyaloscypha flaveola
H. hyalina
H. leuconica
t Hyaloscypha sp.

Lachnellula subtillissima
Microscyphus grisella
Unguicularia cirrhata
t U. winteriana (Rehm) Nannf.

Dead grass, Ardvasar: RD.

Dead leaf of Fagus, Coille Dalavil: RD.
On Carex dioica, Loch Airidhe na Sui-
ridhe, and on Trichophoron caespito-
sum, Drumfearn to head of Loch Ei-
short: RD.

On Phragmites, Ord: RD.

On He dera helix, Kinloch: RD.

On Oenanthe crocata, Ardvasar: RD.
On Acer, Armadale: RD.

On Oenanthe crocata, Ardvasar: RD.
On Filipendula ulmaria, Ardvasar: RD.
On Rhododendron ponticum,
Armadale: RD.

On Myricagale, Tormore to Aird; Ord
glen: RD.

On Urtica dioica, Knock Castle; Tor-
more: RD.

On Rubus “fruticosus ” & Calluna;
Ardvasar: RD. Sleat.

On Pteridium, Coille Dalavil: RD.
Sleat.

Sleat.

On Pinus, Coille Dalavil: RD.
Sligachan: AB.

On Pteridium, Ord glen: RD.

On Fagus, Coille Dalavil: RD.

On A thyrium filix-femina, Ardvasar:
RD.

SCLEROTINIACEAE

f Monilinia johnsonii (Ellis & Ev.) Conidia on Crataegus, Ardvasar: RD.
Honey

t Rutstroemia sp. On Myricagale, Ord glen: RD.

Sclerotinia curreyana On Juncus effusus, Ardvasar: RD.

GEOGLOSSACEAE

Geoglossum fallax Beside Achnacloich road, Glen Mead-

honach.

G. nigritum Roadside grass, Ardvasar to Aird of

Sleat; Knock: RD. Prabost.

Leotia lubrica Under Corylus and Quercus, gulley to

shore, Ardvasar: RD. Sleat; near Toka-
vaig; under A’Mhaoile, Sleat.

301

Mitrula paludosa

Thuemenidium atropurpureum
Trichoglossum hirsutum

Ardvasar; Tokavaig: RD. In wet ditch
Prabost; similar habitat above Loch Sli-
gach.

Roadside grass, Ardvasar & Ord glen:
RD.

Roadside grass, Ardvasar & Ord glen:
RD. Near Elgol.

HELOTIACEAE

Ascocoryne cylichnium

A. sore aides

f A. solitaria (Rehm.) Dennis
Belonioscypha culmicola (Desm.)
Dennis

Bisporella citrina

B. sulphurina
Bulgaria inquinam

f Bulgariella pulla (Fr.) Karst,
t Cenangium graddonii Dennis

Chlorociboria aeruginascens
Chlorociboria sp.

Claussenomyces atrovirens
t Claussenomyces sp.
t Cudoniella buissonii Grelet

C. clavus

t Cyathicula coronata (Bull.)
de Not.

C. cyathoidea

f C. petasata (Karst.) Dennis
f Durella cf. commutata Fuckel
t ‘ ‘ Helo tium ’ ’ geogin um Cke .

Heterosphaeria patella

Hymenoscyphus fagineus

H. fructigenus

Sleat; Dunvegan.

West of Portree; Ardvasar; Armadale:

RD.

Near Tokavaig; near Kyleakin.

On Molinia, Tormore to Aird: RD.

Near Tokavaig; Eynort; Suardal burn.
Armadale: RD.

Near Kyleakin.

On Fagus, Coille Dalavil: RD.

On Fagus, Ardvasar: RD.

Twig of Corylus, Drumfearn; on Ilex,
Port Arskaig: RD.

On Fagus, Ardvasar: RD.

Portree (no ascomata).

On Fagus, Coille Dalavil: RD.

Kilbeg, near Sleat.

Beneath bark of Pinus log, Coille
Dalavil: RD.

Rotting Iris pseudacorus, Ardvasar:
RD.

Dead stems of Impatiens glandulifera,
Tormore:

On Angelica silvestris & on Mentha
aquatica, Ardvasar; on Stachys sylva-
tica, Kilmore: RD. On Urtica dioica,
Kilmore & Knock Castle: RD.

On Agrostis, Ord: RD.

On Fraxinus, Kilmore: RD.

On soil and wood chips, Armadale;
grass root, Kilmore: RD.

On Angelica silvestris, Ardvasar; Arma-
dale: RD. Portree.

On Fagus cupules, Ardvasar; Kinloch:
RD.

On nut of Corylus, Kinloch: RD. Near
Tokavaig.

302

H. scutula

f H. vitellinus (Rehm) Kuntze

Pezizella chrysostigma
P. eburnea var.

t Phaeangella ulicis (Cke.) Mass
Phaeangellina empetri
f Phaeohelotium nobile (Vel.)
Dennis

Polydesmia pruinosa

t Retinocyclus abietis (Crouan.)

Groves & Wells
t Tympanis ligustri Tul.

Broadford.

Dead stems of Polygonum, Armadale
Castle: RD.

On Dry op tens filix-mas, Tormore: RD,
On Pteridium, Coille Dalavil: RD.
Dunvegan.

On Empetrum, Drumfearn: RD.

On Alnus glutinosa, Armadale: RD.

On effete perithecia, on Corylus,
Ardvasar: RD.

On Pinus, Coille Dalavil: RD.

Twigs of Ligustmm vulgare, Armadale:
RD.

LECANORALES

LECIDEACEAE

Rhizodiscina lignyota (Fr.) (As Karschia in Mull Flora 15.39).

Hafellner On Fagus, Coille Dalavil: RD.

PEZIZALES

ASCOBOLACEAE

Ascobolus carbonarius

On bonfire site, Armadale: RD.

HUMARIACEAE

Aleuria aurantia

Anthracobia macrocystis
A. melaloma

f Cheilymenia flmicola (de Not.
& Bagl.) Dennis

C. st ere or ea
C. vitellina

f Coprobia sp.

Scutellinia scutellata

Kinloch: RD. Skeabost (2 collections);
Glen Varragill.

Burnt ground, Armadale: RD.

On bonfire site, Armadale: RD.

Cow dung, Drumfearn, Ord glen &
Aird of Sleat; on (?) sheep dung, Toka-
vaig: RD.

On dung, Allt na Inbhir.

Soil under Urtica dioica, Knock
Castle: RD.

(ascospores 24-26 x 16 pm). On dung,
Orbost.

Portree. A collection from Tokavaig
with Ascocorticium-\]ke asci scattered
throughout hymenium.

303

HELVELLACEAE

Macroseyphus macropus Under Corylus and Quercus, gulley to

shore, S. of Ardvasar: RD.

Otidea alutacea

t Peziza arvernensis Boud.

P. badia

P. bovina Phill.

t P. cerea Sow. ex Merat
f P. micropus Pers.

f P. praetervisa Bres.

PEZIZACEAE

Under conifers, Armadale Castle lawn:
RD. Dun vegan: RB.

Sawdust of Fagus, Armadale Castle:
RD.

Under A’Mhaoile, Sleat; Skernish
Wood.

Cow dung, Aird of Sleat to Camas
Daraich: RD.

In house, Struan: RD.

Dead stems of Polygonum, Armadale
Castle: RD.

On bonfire site, Armadale: RD.

MORCHELLACEAE

Morchella conica Under conifers, Dunvegan Castle: CM.

SARCOSCYPHACEAE

f Desmaziella acicola Lib. On needles (see Verticillium: Deutero-

mycotina).

LOCULOASCOMYCETES

PLEOSPORALES

VENTURIACEAE

f Pro toven turia s trau sii (S acc . &
Roum.) Dennis
Stigmatea robertiani

Ven turia maculae formis

On Erica cinerea, between Aird of
Sleat and Camas Daraich: RD.

On Geranium robertianum, Ardvasar
& Kinloch: RD.

On Epilobium montanum, Armadale:
RD.

LOPHIOSTOMATACEAE

f Lophiostoma semiliberum
(Desm.) de Not.

t Platystomum compressum (Pers.
ex Fr.) Trev.

On Urtica, Knock Castle: RD.

On Salix aurita, cove S. of Ardvasar:
RD.

304

PLEOSPORACEAE

t Asteromassaria macro sp ora
(Desm.) v. Hoehn.

f Capronia cf. pleiospora (Mouton)
Sacc.

f Didymella picea (Sollm.) Sacc.
Leptosphaeria acuta

L. dolioloides
L. doliolum
L. fuckelii

L. graminis

t L. herpotrichoides de Not.

L. jaceae
L. nardi

L. nigrans

t Leptospora rubella (Pers.) Rab .
Melanomma pulvis-pyrius

Naumovia abundans
Pleospora herbarum
P. vagans

Rhopographus filicinus

On Fagus, Coille Dalavil: RD.

On Calluna, Point of Sleat: RD.

On Tri folium pratense, Kinloch: RD.
Armadale: RD. On Urtica dioica,
Kilmore.

On Tanacetum, Aird of Sleat: RD.

On Digitalis purpurea, Kinloch; RD.

On Phalaris arundinacea, Ord; on
Deschampsia caespitosa, Kinloch: RD.
On Phalaris arundinacea, Ord: RD.

On Poa trivialis, Ardvasar: RD. On
Holcus, Prabost.

On Centaurea nigra, Ardvasar: RD.

On Nardus, Loch Airidhe na Suiridhe:
RD.

On Agrostis, Ord: RD.

On Lathyrus pratensis, Ardvasar: RD.
On Betula, Kinloch: RD. Kilmarie
Wood.

On Prunella vulgaris, Kinloch: RD.

On Glaux maritima, Teangue: RD.

On Arrhenatherum elatius, cove S. of
Ardvasar & on Deschampsia caespitosa
Kinloch: RD.

On Pteridium, Skeabost.

DOTHIDEALES

DOTHIDEACEAE

f Mycosphaerella filicum (Desm.)
Starb.

M. iridis

M. maculaeformis
f M. rumicis (Desm.) Grove

On Polypodium vulgare, Drumfearn:
RD.

On Iris pseudacorus, Kilmore; RD.

On Corylus avellana, Coille Dalavil:
RD.

On Rumex, Dunvegan.

DOTHIORACEAE (see BOTRYOSPHAERIACEAE in Mull Flora 15.42)

t Botryosphaeria dothidea (Moug.
ex Fr.) Ces. & de Not.

B. festucae

f B. rhodorae (Cke.) Barr
t Scirrhia rimosa (A. & S.) Fuck.

On Rosa, cove S. of Ardvasar: RD.

On Nardus, Kylerhea: RD.

Leaf of Rhododendron ponticum,
Armadale: RD.

On Phragmites: RD.

305

HYSTERIALES
Gloniopsis praelonga

Glonium lineare
f Lophium elatum Grev.

L. mytillinum

Mytilidion acicola

HY STERIACE AE

On Ruhus “fruticosus”, bay at Point
of Sleat; on Rhododendron ponticum,
Armadale: RD.

On Fagus, Armadale: RD.

On Lonicera periclymenum, Tilia and
Ulmus, Armadale: RD.

On roots of Pinus sylvestris, Coille
Dalavil: RD.

On Juniperus communis, Aird of
Sleat; RD.

HEMISPHAERIALES

MICROTHYRIACEAE

Asterina veronicae
t Lem bosina gon tardii Muller

f Leptopeltis nebulosa (Petrak)
Holm & Holm

t Microthyrium pinophyllum
(Hoehn.) Petrak
Stomiopeltis sp.

On Veronica officinalis, Kinloch: RD.
On Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Aird to
Camas Daraich: RD.

On Athyriurn filix-femina, Ardvasar:
RD.

Dunvegan: AB.

On Juniperus communis, Aird of
Sleat: RD.

EUMYCOTA: DEUTEROMYCOTINA
‘HYPHOMYCETES’

f Actincladium rhodosporum
Ehrenb. ex Fr.

A egeri ta can dida
t Arthrinium (Papularia)
phaeospermum (Cda.) Ellis
A. puccinioides

f Bactrodesmium sp.

Botrytis cinerea

Botrytis sp.

Brachysporium brittanicum
f Camposporium pellucidum
(Grove) Hughes

f Candelebrum spinulosum van

Bev.

Ord river: AB.

On Fraxinus, Armadale: RD.

On Phragmites, Aird of Sleat: RD.

On Carex, Ardvasar & Kinloch, May:
RD.

Sleat.

On Rubus “fruticosus” fruit, Ardva-
sar: RD.

On capsules of Scilla non-scrip tus,
Ardvasar: RD.

Ord river: AB.

On Fagus cupules, Coille Dalavil: RD.

On Filipendula ulmaria, Ardvasar
shore: RD.

t Cercosporidium depressum (Berk.
& Br.) Deighton

t Chalara cylindrosp ermum (Cda.)
Hughes

f C. fungorum Sacc.
t Chloridium virescens (Pers.)

Gams & Hoi.— Jech.
t Cladobotryum varians Nees
f Codinaea sp.

f Cristulariella depraedens (Cke.)
Hoehn.

Dendryphium comosum
f Haplariopsis fagicola Oud.

Isaria fucifonnis Berk.

t Monodictys sp.

f Oidium (Acladium) ellipsosporum
Hoi. —Jech.

Ovularia obliqua
O. primulana
O. sphaeroidea

t Parasympodiella clarkii Sutton
Periconia atra

t P. cookei Mason & Hughes
t Phaeoisaria clavulata (Grove)
Mason & Hughes
f Pseudospiropes obclavatus
M.B. Ellis

f P. rousselianus (Mont.) Ellis

Ramularia heraclei

f R. lapsanae (Desm.) Sacc.

f R. pratensis Sacc.
t R. primulae Thum.
f R. pygmaea Lin dr.

t R. rubella (Bon.) Nannf.
t R. senecionis (Berk. & Br.) Sacc.
R. valerianae

f R. vallisumbrosae Cav.

Sepedonium chrysospermum

On Angelica sylvestris, Armadale: RD.

On leaf of Populus tremula , Point of
Sleat: RD.

On Fagus cupules, Coille Dalavil: RD.
On Urtica dioica, Tormore: RD.

On Coriolus versicolor, Ord: RD.

Stage of Chaetosphaeria callimorpha,
Ord river.

On Acer pseudoplatanus and Tilia,
Armadale: RD.

On Angelica sylvestris, Ardvasar: RD.
On Fagus cupules, Coille Dalavil: RD.
(See Corticium in Mull Flora 15.22)
On grass, Armadale Castle lawns: RD.
Ord river: AB.

On wood of Fagus and Pinus, Coille
Dalavil: RD.

On Rumex sp., Armadale: RD.

On Primula vulgaris, Kinloch: RD.

On Lotus uliginosus, Armadale: RD.
Sligachan: AB.

On Juncus effusus, Ardvasar; on
Holcus, Armadale: RD.

On Urtica dioica, Tormore: RD.
On Sambucus, Armadale & Point of
Sleat: RD.

Ord river: AB.

On Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Aird to
Point of Sleat: RD.

On Heracleum sphondylium, Aird of
Sleat: RD. Prabost: CM.

On Lapsana communis, Armadale:
RD.

On Rumex acetosa, Ardvasar: RD.
Prabost: CM.

On Veronica serpyllifolia, Armadale:
RD.

Prabost: CM.

On Senecio jacobaea, Ardvasar: RD.

On Valeriana officinalis, Ardvasar:
RD.

On Narcissus, Armadale: RD.

On Boletus sp. Armadale: RD. Glen
Varkasaig.

307

f Spadicoides bina (Corda) Hughes
f Spondylocladiopsis cupulicola
Ellis

f Sporidesmium folliculatum (Cda.)
Mason & Hughes

f Strasseria geniculata (Berk. & Br.)
Hoehn.

Sympodiella acicola
t Taeniolella scrip ta (Karst.) Hughes
Tilachlidium tomentosum

Torula herb arum

t Trichocladium macro sporum Kirk
f T. uniseptatum (Berk. & Br.)
Hughes & Piroz.

Trimmato stroma betulinum

t T. cf. scutellare (Berk. & Br.) Ellis

Triposporium elegans

Tubercularia vulgaris
f Veronaea cf. botryosa Cif. &
Montemartini
f Verticillium sp.
f Xylohypha ferruginosa (Corda)

X. nigrescens

Ord river: AB.

On Fagus cupules, Coille Dalavil:
RD.

On Fagus, Coille Dalavil: RD.
Sligachan: AB.

Sligachan.

Sleat: Ord river: AB.

(= Blistum) On Trichia affinis, Ord:
RD.

On Urtica dioica, Tormore: RD.

Ord river: AB.

Ord river: AB.

On Be tula, Achnacloich; on Salix,
Drumfearn: RD.

On decorticated wood of Pinus,
Coille Dalavil: RD.

On Fagus cupules, Coille Dalavil:
RD. On Filipendula ulmaria, Ardva-
sar shore: RD.

On twigs, Armadale: RD. Skeabost.
Ord river: AB.

Stage of Desmazierella, Sligachan.

Ord river: AB.

On Fraxinus and on Rhododendron
ponticum, Armadale: RD.

‘COELOMYCETES’

SPHAEROPSIDALES - MELANCONIALES

f Ascochyta equiseti Grove
f A. cf. leptospora (Trail) Hara

f A. leptospora var. minor Punith.

f Ceuthospora latitans (Fr.) Grove

f Ceuthospora sp.

Chaetoconis polygoni
t Cheirospora botryospora (Mont.)
Berk & Br.

f Coleophoma empetri (Rostr.)
Petr.

On Equisetum fluviatile, Kinloch: RD.
On Trichophoron caespitosum,

Kinloch: RD.

On Deschampsia caespitosa, Kinloch:
RD.

On Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Aird of
Sleat: RD.

Stage of Phacidium lacerum, Dunvegan.
On Polygonum, Armadale: RD.

On Hedera helix, Kinloch: RD.

On Lonicera periclymenum, Arma-
dale: RD.

308

f Colleototrichum gloeosp oroides
(Penz.) Sacc.
f Colle to trichum sp.

t Coniothyrium olivaceum Bon.

t Cytospora leucostoma (Pers.)
Sacc.

Darluca filum (Biv.— Bern.) Berk.

f Dinemasporium strigosum (Pers.)
Sacc.

f Discella carbonacea B. & Br.
t Elacopeltis sp.
t Lemalis aurea (Lev.) Sacc.

Leptostroma filicinum

Leptostroma sp.

Leptostroma sp.

t Macrophoma phlei Tehon & Stout

f Marssonina juglandis Magn.

f M. kriegeriana (Bres.) Magn.

Melanconium apiocarpum
f Microdiscula phragmitis (West)
Hoehn.

Phleospora aegopodii
f Phoma sp.

f Phomopsis albicans (Rob.) Syd.

f P. brachyceras Grove
P. crustosa
P. ligulata
P. occulta

t Phyllosticta sambuci Desm.
t Pseudopatellina sp.

Pycnothyrium litigiosum

Prabost: CM.

On Anthoxanthum odoratum, Ardva-
sar: RD.

On Rubus “fruticosus”, Kilmore: RD.
On Myrica gale, Ord glen: RD.

On Prunus padus, Ord: RD.

(See Eudarluca in Mull list 15.41)
On II of Puccinia caricina, P. coronata,
P. dioicae, P. obscura etc.: RD.

On Deschampsia and Juncus, Arma-
dale: RD.

On Salix vitellina, Drumfearn: RD.

On Phragmites, Dalavil: RD.

Debris of Pinus sylvestris, Coille
Dalavil: RD.

On Pteridium aquilinum, Coille Dala-
vil: RD.

Stage of Lophodermium pirns tri,
Dunvegan: AB.

Stage of Lophodermium seditiosum ,
Dunvegan: AB.

On Agrostis and Sieglingia, Point of
Sleat: RD.

Leaf spot of Juglans regia, Armadale:
RD.

On Salix cinerea subsp. oleifolia,
Ferindonald: RD.

On Alnus glutinosa, Armadale: RD.

On Phragmites, Uig: RD.

On Aegopodium podagraria, Arma-
dale: RD.

On Ribes, Prabost.

On inflorescence of Hypochaeris radi-
cata, Ardvasar: RD.

On Ligustrum vulgare, Armadale: RD.
On Ilex aquifolium, Achnacloich: RD.
On Ulex, Armadale: RD.

On cone of Pinus sylvestris, Coille
Dalavil: RD.

On Sambucus, Armadale: RD.

Stage of Lachnellula subtillissima,
Dunvegan: AB.

On Pteridium, Coille Dalavil: RD.

309

t Sclerophoma pythiophila (Corda)
Hoehn.

f Seimatosporium caudatum
(Preuss) Shoemaker
f Septogloeum ulmi (Fr.) Briosi
& Cavara

f Sep toria ficariae Desm .

S. hydrocotyles
f S. junci Desm.
f S. lychnidis Desm.

S. rosae
S. stachydis

t Septoriella junci (Desm.) Sutton
f Siro coccus strobilinus Preuss
t Siro thy riella sp.

f Stagonospora caricis (Oud.) Sacc.
f S. elegans (Berk.) Sacc.

S. subseriata

Thyriostroma spiraea
t Tiarosporella paludosa (Sacc. &
Fiori) Hoehn.

Dunvegan: AB.

On Rosa sp., Prabost: CM.

On Ulmus montana, Armadale: RD.

On Ranunculus ficaria, Kinloch: RD.
On Hydrocotyle vulgaris, Dalavil: RD.
On Juncus, Kinloch: RD.

On Silene dioica, Armadale: RD.

On Rosa canina, Ardvasar: RD.

On Stachys sylvatica, Armadale: RD.
On Juncus effusus, Ardvasar: RD.

On Pinus, Dalavil: RD.

Stage of Stomiopeltis pinastri, Dunve-
gan: AB.

On Car ex, Uig: RD.

On Phragmites, Dalavil: RD.

On Molinia, Kylerhea; on Deschamp-
sia, Kinloch: RD.

On Filipendula ulmaria, Ardvasar: RD.
On Trichophorum, Kylerhea: RD.

EUMYCOTA: ZYGOMYCOTINA
‘ZYGOMYCETES’

MUCORALES

MUCORACEAE

f Spinellus fusiger (Link) van Tiegh On Mycena sp., Prabost.

EUMYCOTA: MASTIGOMYCOTINA
VOMYCETES ’

PERONOSPORALES

PYTHIACEAE

f Phytophthora aff. cyperi (Ideta) On Iris pseudacorus, Portree: RD.
Ito

310

PERONOSPORACEAE

t Albugo Candida (Pers.) Kuntze
Bremia lactucae

Peronospora alta
P. conferta
f P. ficariae Tul.

P. ranunculi

On Cardamine hirsuta, Armadale &
Kylerhea: RD.

On Centaurea nigra, Kyleakin &
Ardvasar; on Cirsium palustre, Ardva-
sar & Armadale: RD.

On Plantago major, Ardvasar: RD.
On Cerastium sp., Ardvasar: RD.

(See P. ranunculi in Mull Flora 15.54.)
On Ranunculus ficaria, Ardvasar &
Uig: RD.

On Ranunculus repens, Armadale;
Kilmore, May & September: RD.

MYXOMYCOTA: MYXOMYCOTINA

MYXOMYCETES

TRICHIALES

TRICHIACEAE

Arcyria cinerea
Trichia a f finis

t T. favogenia (Batsch) Pers.
T. floriformis

On Rubus, near Tokavaig.

On bark, Ord: RD.

On Corylus, Sleat.

On Oenanthe crocata, Ardvasar: RD.

LICEALES

RETICULARIACEAE

Ly cogala epidendrum On Corylus wood, Armadale: RD.

Reticularia lycoperdon On Alnus, Coille Dalavil: RD.

PHYSARALES

PHYSARACEAE

Craterum minutum On dead Dryopteris filix-mas, Tor-

more: RD.

DIDYMIACEAE

Didymium melanospermum On leaves of Quercus, Armadale: RD.

D. nigripes On dead stem, Tormore: RD.

311

CERA TIOM YXOM YCETES
CERATIOMYXALES

CERATIOMYXACEAE

Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa On rotten wood, Ardvasar: RD.

TABLE: Fungal flora of Skye compared with that of Mull
(Varieties are not included in this analysis)

Skye

Mull

Eumycota

Basidiomycotina

Hymenomycetes

Agaricales

316

665

Aphyllophorales

56

168

Jelly fungi (Tremellales etc)

14

20

Gasteromycetes

8

17

Hemibasidiomycetes

64

97

Ascomycotina

246

669

Deuteromycotina

109

344

Zygomycotina

1

29

Mastigomycotina

7

22

Myxomycota

10

77

Total 831 2008

312

Naturalists in Glasgow

No. 4: WILLIAM HUNTER (1718-1783)

Drawn in 1772 by Charles Crignion, one of Hunter’s students at the Royal Academy.

William Hunter was born in East Kilbride, the seventh of ten children. At the
age of 14 he went to Glasgow University and studied humanities for five
years, before turning to medicine. He moved to London in 1741 and even-
tually established there his school of anatomy. As Physician in Extraordinary
to Queen Charlotte he was able to reciprocate the Royal interest in natural
history.

By judicious purchase he amassed huge natural history collections, including
many type specimens. These, and his magnificent library which includes
many significant natural history books and manuscripts, were left to found
the Hunterian Museum of Glasgow University, which celebrated this
remarkable man’s bicentenary in 1983.

313

The Vascular Plants of Northern
Ardnamurchan

RUTH H. DOBSON

664 Clarkston Road, Glasgow
Received September 1983.

The area covered by this study is the northern coastal strip of
Western Ardnamurchan, comprising the mainland area of 10 km
square NM 47 and the part of square NM 57 west of N-S grid
line 56 (Fig. 1). It is part of vice county 97.

It is a wild and sparsely inhabited area, rising from the
coast to about 150 m. and is drained by several small rivers
and streams. The geology (Fig. 2) is dominated by Tertiary vol-
canic rocks over most of the area but to the east of Swordle
Farm metamorphic schists of the Moine series predominate.
Tertiary basaltic lavas interspersed with areas of vent agglo-
merate outcrop in the Achateny valley and at Kilmory, these
being farming and crofting areas. To the south of square 47
lies the main centre of the Ardnamurchan volcano complex and
this is immediately surrounded by basic plutonic rocks. Con-
centric minor intrusions of quartz dolerite intersect both the
basalt and the schist. These give the area an undulating land-
scape of small hills which form cliffs in places. Significant out-
crops of Triassic sandstones and cornstones and Jurassic sand-
stones and limestones (of the Lower Lias) occur in the Swordle
area where there is a fertile farm. Jurassic rocks are also found
in the coastal areas around Glendrian cave and nearby. The coast
is intersected by numerous basic dykes which have often been
eroded to form deep gullies; these are most common west of
Fascadale. Raised beaches occur extensively and old sea cliffs
are found at varying distances from the sea.

The area is one of equable temperatures with the mean
January minimum 2-3°C and the mean July maximum 17-18°C.
The mean annual rainfall is about 1400 mm. and high wind-
speeds are common with gales recorded on 20-30 days each year.

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 4 (1983)

314

These climatic conditions encourage the formation of acid
soils and, notwithstanding the basicity of the underlying rocks,
peat bogs and moorlands cover the greater part of the area.
(Figs. 3 & 4). On low-lying ground west of Achateny there are
areas of Western Blanket Bog, dominated by Calluna vulgaris
(heather), Scirpus cespitosus (deer grass), Molinia caerulea
(purple moor-grass) and Myrica gale (bog myrtle). Extensive
patches of Schoenus nigricans (black bog rush) occur in places of
enriched drainage water. Areas of standing water varying in size
from over 100 m. to mere pools occupy the hollows and are
associated with Sphagnum mosses and Drosera spp. (sundews).
Phragmites (reeds) and Menyanthes (bog bean) are common in
the water and where enriched conditions occur a wider range of
water plants and sedges is present.

Where the ground is higher and better drained the propor-
tion of deer grass decreases and strong growths of moor grass
and heather predominate to give ‘wet grass shrub heath’, this
being the major vegetation type on higher ground throughout the
area. In smaller wetter hollows patches of bog myrtle and Carex
spp. (sedges), notably Carex echinata (star sedge), are common.
Where enriched drainage water emerges flush vegetation including
several Carex spp. is produced, sometimes in association with
moor-grass tussocks and herbs. The proportion of purple moor-
grass and deer sedge to heather has been increased on parts of
square 57 by heather burning.

The volcanic ridges, well drained areas overlying sedimen-
tary rocks and previously fertilised areas around the old crofts at
Ockle, support an Agrostis-Festuca-Anthoxanthum grass commu-
nity rich in flowering herbs. In adjacent areas where the soil is
more acid the number of herbs is reduced and Potentilla erecta
(tormentil) and Galium saxatile (heath bedstraw) are the most
common. Where the soil is very thin and outcropping occurs
Sedum anglicum (stonecrop), Thymus drucei (thyme), Aira
praecox (hair grass) and Festuca ovina are found and on cliff
tops near the sea Plantago coronopus (buck’s-horn plantain) and
Armeria maritima (sea pink) are common. Bracken invades the
grass in quantity.

Most of the area is open to grazing by sheep and cattle, and
rabbits are common; the grass is thus kept short. In the lower
part of the Kilmory valley patches of woodland are interspersed

315

Fig 1. Position of Study Area

Fig 2. Western Ardnamurchan Rocks

316

Fig 3. Square 47 Physical Features and Vegetation

offshore rocks

317

Fig 4. Square 57 (part) Physical Features and Vegetation

318

with seldom grazed fenced meadows with lush vegetation and
large numbers of herbs including many calcicoles. In very recent
years the number of grazing animals at Kilmory has been reduced
with a noticeable increase in the numbers of the same herbs on
the unfenced grassland in the area.

Woods are mainly limited to sheltered and better drained
slopes, and rocky areas where they may be protected from graz-
ing animals. They are found in steep-sided stream and river
valleys, in the shelter of inland cliffs and on the steep hillside
west of Achateny. This Achateny wood is a typical highland
birch wood, with a few oaks and rowans and a damp rocky and
mossy substrate supporting ferns and a wide range of herbs in
small numbers. Vaccinium myrtillus (blaeberry) is uncommon.
The streamsides support a more mixed but scrubby woodland
consisting of birch, oak, ash, elm, hazel and rowan with ferns and
a greater density of herbs. Alders and willows occur where the
substrate is wet and aspens are found near the sea. Small, mainly
birch, woods are found in the gullies to the west of Fascadale
but in the extreme west small pure stands of hazel or aspen occur
in sheltered positions. Stunted trees are found on cliffs and are
associated with a rich woodland flora. Similar floras also occur in
the shelter of large rocks and among stands of bracken through-
out the area.

The coastline is varied with sandy beaches of mineral sand
at Fascadale, Kilmory, Swordle and Achateny. There are also ac-
cumulations of shell sand at Achateny where there is the largest
area of dunes. Small shell sand beaches with fixed dunes occur at
several points along the coast. Salt marshes have developed at
various places where the coast is flat and are most extensive
between Kilmory and Achateny and near Swordle. The flora of
these is somewhat impoverished, probably partly due to grazing.
Typical associations of plants are found on sea cliffs, notably
near Glendrian cave, while the limestone cliffs above the raised
beaches at Swordle support a wide range of plants typical of
woods and marshes as well as the coast. Streams are fast flowing
except in their lower reaches near the coast and here marsh plant
associations often form.

On the offshore rocks west of Kilmory bay, where gulls
nest, the shore vegetation is well manured and lush, consisting
mainly of Cochlearia sp. (scurvy grass), Rumex crispus (curled
dock) and Festuca spp. (fescue grasses).

319

383 species of flowering plants and ferns were found in the
area of which 21 were found only in square 47 and 101 only in
square 57. The greater number in the latter is explained by the
greater area and diversity of sedimentary rocks, the greater area of
some habitats and the weeds associated with man and his activities.
The area is rich in calcicoles, 72% of the species listed by McVean
and Ratcliffe (1962) being represented, compared with only 42%
of their calcifuges.

79 species can be placed within the various geographical
elements described by Matthews (1955) and the following table
summarises the information:

Geographical

element

No. species
in area

British

total

% of toi

Mediterranean

0

38

0

Oceanic southern

4

82

5

Oceanic West European

12

87

14

Continental southern

3

129

2

Continental

5

88

6

Continental northern

31

97

32

Northern montane

4

31

13

Oceanic northern

12

23

52

North American

1

6

17

Arctic sub-arctic

1

28

4

Arctic alpine

6

75

8

Alpine

0

10

0

Northern and oceanic species clearly predominate and the
arctic elements are poorly represented.

In the species list which follows the nomenclature of the
flowering plants is based on Dandy’s ‘List of British Vascular
Plants’ (1958), with a few modern revisions. That of the Pterido-
phytes follows ‘An Atlas of Ferns of the British Isles’.

The following habitat descriptions are used:

Bog

Moor

Species-rich Grass
Species-poor Grass

‘Western Blanket Bog’.

‘Wet Grass Shrub Heath’
Agrostis-Festuca-Anthoxanthum grass
with flowering herbs.

More acid Agrostis-Festuca grass with
few flowering herbs.

Woods

320

Marsh

Salt marsh

Flush

Sea cliffs

Cliffs

Fields

Water logged places usually associated
with streams.

Vegetation on coastal areas covered at
spring tides.

Small wet area where seeping water
brings nutrients.

Not immediately beside the sea.

Cultivated fields (weeds) .

* denotes an introduced species

List of Species

Lycopodium clavatum (Stag’s-horn Moss, Common Clubmoss) Moors. Rare. 57.
Huperzia selago (Fir Clubmoss) Higher moors. Uncommon. 47.

Selaginella selaginoides (Lesser Clubmoss) Moors. Frequent in the west. 47.
Equisetum fluviatile (Water Horsetail) Lochs. Frequent. 47 57.

E. arvense (Common Horsetail) Rough places. Uncommon. 47 57 .

E. sylvaticum (Wood Horsetail) Woods. Frequent. 47 57 .

E. palustre (Marsh Horsetail) Marshes. Frequent. 47 57.

Polypodium vulgare agg. (Polypody) Rocks in woods, cliffs. Frequent. 47 57.
Pteridium aquilinum (Bracken) Woods, invading grass. Abundant. 47 57.
Phegopteris connectilis (Beech Fern) Woods in the west, under rocks. Fre-
quent. 47.

Oreopteris limbosperma (Mountain Fern) Rough grass. Common in the east.
47 57.

Asplenium scolopendrium (Hart’s-tongue Fern) Cliffs. Rare. 57.

A. adiantum-nigrum (Black Spleenwort) Rocks near shore. Frequent. 47 57.

A. marinum (Sea Spleenwort) Sea cliffs. Frequent. 47 57.

A. trichomanes (Maidenhair Spleenwort) Rocks and cliffs. Frequent. 47 57.

A. ruta-muraria (Wall-Rue) Cliffs, limestone rocks, walls. Locally Abundant.
47 57.

Athyrium filix-femina (Lady-fern) Woods, cliffs, rough grass. Common.
47 57.

Gymnocarpium dryopteris (Oak Fern) Woods. Rare. 57.

Cystopteris fragilis (Brittle Bladder-fern) Limestone rocks. Locally Common.
57.

Dryopteris filix-mas (Male Fern) Woods, cliffs. Common. 47 57.

D. pseudomas Woods, cliffs. Common. 47 57.

D. austriaca (Broad Buckler-fern) Woods, cliffs. Common 47 57.

D. expansa (Northern Buckler-fern) Woods. Frequent. 47 57.

Blechnum spicant (Hard Fern) Woods, moors. Frequent. 47 57.

321

Junipems communis (Juniper) Rocks on hills. Mostly in the west. Frequent
47 57.

Caltha palustris (Kingcup, Marsh Marigold) Marsh, streams. Common. 47 57 .
Trollius europaeus (Globe Flower) Meadows. Locally Frequent. 47 57 .
Anemone nemorosa (Wood Anemone) Woods. Frequent. 47 57.

Ranunculus acris (Meadow Buttercup) Meadows, dunes, species-rich grass,
marsh, woods. Common. 47 57.

R. repens (Creeping Buttercup) Grass near buildings. Common. 47 57.

R. bulbosus (Bulbous Buttercup) Dunes. Locally Frequent. 47 57.

R. flammula (Lesser Spearwort) Marsh, lochs, streams. Common. 47 57.

R. ficaria (Lesser Celandine) Woods, bases of cliffs, under bracken. Common.

47 57.

Thalictrum minus subsp. arenarium (Lesser Meadow Rue) Dunes. Uncommon.
47 57.

Nymphaea alba (White Water-lily) Lochs. Frequent. 47 57.

*Brassica rapa (Turnip) Fields. Locally Common. 57.

Sinapis arvensis (Charlock) Fields. Common. 57.

Cakile maritima (Sea Rocket) Sandy beach. Rare. 57.

Capsella bursa-pastoris (Shepherd’s Purse) Fields and gardens. Frequent. 57.
Cochlearia officinalis (Scurvy-grass) Rocks on shore, sea cliffs, salt marsh.
Common. 47 57.

C. danica (Danish Scurvy -grass) Rocks on shore, salt marsh. Uncommon. 57.
Erophila verna (Spring Whitlow Grass) Dunes. Rare. 57.

Cardamine pratensis (Cuckoo Flower, Lady’s Smock) Marsh, beside streams.
Common. 47 57.

C. flexuosa (Wood Bitter-cress) Woods. Frequent. 47 57.

C. hirsuta (Hairy Bitter-cress) Short grass. Uncommon. 57.

Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum (Watercress) Streams. Uncommon. 57.

Viola riviniana (Common Violet) Cliffs, woods, short grass. Common. 47 57.

V. palustris (Marsh Violet) Bog, usually with Sphagnum. Frequent. 47 57.

V. arvensis (Field Pansy) Fields. Uncommon. 57.

Polygala vulgaris (Common Milkwort) Meadows, species-rich grass, cliffs.
Locally Common. 47 57.

P. serpyllifolia (Common Milkwort) Moors. Frequent. 47 57.

Hypericum androsaemum (Tutsan) Cliffs. Uncommon. 47 57.

H. tetrapterum (Square-stemmed St. John’s Wort) Marsh. Frequent. 57.

H. pulchrum (Slender St. John’s Wort) Cliffs, moors. Frequent. 47 57.

Silene maritima (Sea Campion) Sea cliffs. Common. 47 57.

S. dioica (Red Campion) Cliffs, woods. Uncommon. 47 57.

Lychnis flos-cuculi (Ragged Robin) Marsh. Frequent. 57.

Cerastium holosteoides (Common Mouse-ear Chickweed) Species-rich grass,
dunes. Common. 47 57.

C. glomeratum (Sticky Mouse-ear Chickweed) Species-rich grass. Uncommon.

57.

322

C. atrovirens (Dark-green Mouse-ear Chickweed) Dunes, sandy beaches. Com-
mon. 47 57.

Stellaria media (Chickweed) Fields, gardens, beaches. Common. 47 57.

S. holostea (Greater Stitchwort) Woods. Uncommon. 57.

S. graminea (Lesser Stitchwort) Rough grass. Uncommon. 57.

S. alsine (Bog Stitchwort) Marshes, streams, springs. Frequent. 47 57.

Sagina procumbens (Procumbent Pearlwort) Short grass, roadsides, inland
and shore rocks. Common. 47 57.

S. subulata (Awl-leaved Pearlwort) Rocks, beside roads. Frequent. 57.

S. nodosa (Knotted Pearlwort) Near shore. Uncommon. 47 57.

Honkenya peploides (Sea Sandwort) Sandy beaches in west. Uncommon. 47.
Arenaria serpyllifolia (Thyme-leaved Sandwort) Dunes. Uncommon. 47 57.
Spergula arvensis (Corn Spurrey) Fields, roadsides. Common. 47 57.
Spergularia marina (Sea Spurrey) Salt marsh. Uncommon. 47 57.

Montia fontana (Blinks) Springs, streams. Common. 47 57.

A triplex patula (Common Orache) Near shore. Uncommon. 57.

A. hastata (Hastate Orache) Near shore. Uncommon. 57.

A. glabriuscula (Babington’s Orache) Beaches. Common. 47 57.

Salsola kali (Prickly Saltwort) Sandy beaches. Rare. 57.

Malva sylvestris (Common Mallow) Near buildings. Probably introduced.

Rare. 57.

Linum catharticum (Purging Flax) Species-rich grass. Frequent. 47 57.
Geranium dissectum (Cut-leaved Cranesbill) Fields. Rare. 57.

G. molle (Dove’s-foot Cranesbill) Dunes, short grass near the sea. Frequent.

47 57.

G. robertianium (Herb Robert) Woods, rocks and stones on shore. Frequent.
47 57.

Oxalis acetosella (Wood Sorrel) Woods, bases of cliffs, under bracken. Com-
mon. 47 57.

*Acer pseudoplanatus (Sycamore) Planted by buildings. 57.

Ilex aquifolium (Holly) Cliffs. Rare. 47 57.

Ulex europaeus (Furze, Gorse, Whin) Locally Common in east. 57.

Trifolium pratense (Red Clover) Meadows. Common. 47 57.

T. repens (White Clover) Meadows, species-rich grass, dunes. Common. 47 57.
T. dubium (Suckling Clover, Lesser Yellow Trefoil) Grass. Uncommon. 47 57.
Anthyllis vulneraria (Kidney Vetch, Ladys’ Fingers) Meadows, cliffs. Uncom-
mon. 47 57.

Lotus comiculatus (Birdsfoot Trefoil, Bacon and Eggs) Meadows, cliffs,
dunes. Common. 47 57.

Viccia cracca (Tufted Vetch) Meadows. Frequent. 57.

V. sepium (Bush Vetch) Meadows, woods. Frequent. 47 57.

Lathyrus pratensis (Meadow Vetchling) Meadows. Frequent. 57.

L. montanus (Bitter Vetch) Banks on moors. Uncommon. 47 57 .

Filipendula ulmaria (Meadow Sweet) Marsh, wet cliffs. Common. 47 57.

323

Rubus saxatilis (Stone Bramble) Rocks near sea. Uncommon. 47 57.

R. idaeus (Raspberry) Woods. Uncommon. 47 57.

R. fruticosus agg. (Bramble, Blackberry) Woods, cliffs, rough places. Com-
mon. 47 57.

Potentilla palustris (Marsh Cinquefoil) Marsh. Uncommon. 47 57.

P. sterilis (Barren Strawberry) Woods. Frequent. 47 57.

P. anserina (Silverweed) Beaches, fields, rough places. Common. 47 57.

P. erecta (Common Tormentil) Abundant everywhere. 47 57.

Fragaria vesca (Wild Strawferry) Woods. Frequent. 47 57.

Geum rivale (Water Avens) Streams. Frequent. 47 57.

Alchemilla alpina (Alpine Lady’s Mantle) Rare. 57.

A. xanthochlora (Lady’s Mantle) Woods. Uncommon. 57.

A. glabra (Lady’s Mantle) Meadows, species-rich grass. Frequent. 47 57.
Aphanes microcarpa (Parsley Piert) Bare soil. Uncommon. 47 57.

Rosa pimpinellifolia (Burnet Rose) Cliffs, sloping moors. Uncommon. 47 57.
R. canina agg. Woods, cliffs. Uncommon. 47 57.

R. villosa agg. Woods, cliffs. Common. 47 57.

Pmnus spinosa (Blackthorn, Sloe) Woods. Uncommon. 47 57.

P. padus (Bird-Cherry) Woods. Uncommon. 47.

Crataegus monogyna (Hawthorn) Woods, cliffs. Common. 47 57 .

Sorbus aucuparia (Rowan, Mountain Ash) Woods. Common. 47 57.

Sedum rosea (Rose-root, Midsummer-men) Cliffs. Frequent. 47 57.

S. anglicum (English Stone Crop) Cliffs, thin soil by rocky outcrops. Com-

mon. 47 57.

S. acre (Wall-pepper) Dunes. Uncommon. 47 57.

Saxifraga aizoides (Yellow Mountain-Saxifrage) Among stones in stream.
Locally Common. 47.

Chrysosplenium oppositi folium (Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage) Wet
places in woods. Frequent. 47 57.

Pamassia palustris (Grass of Parnassus) Lowland flushes. Frequent. 47 57.
Drosera rotundi folia (Round-leaved Sundew) Bogs. Common. 47 57.

D. anglica (Great Sundew) By pools and lochs in bog. Frequent. 47 57.

D. intermedia (Long-leaved Sundew) By pools and lochs in bog. Frequent.

47.

Ly thrum salicaria (Purple Loosestrife) Marsh. Locally Common. 57.
Epilobium montanum (Broad-leaved Willow-herb) Woods, cliffs. Frequent.
47 57.

E. obscurum (Short-fruited Willow-herb) Marshes, gardens. Uncommon. 47

57.

E. palustre (Marsh Willow-herb) Marsh. Frequent. 47 57.

*E. brunnescens (New Zealand Willow-herb) Stony lay-by. Rare. 57.

Circaea intermedia (Intermediate Enchanter’s Nightshade) Woods, limestone
rocks. Uncommon. 47 57.

Myriophyllum altemiflorum (Alternate-flowered Water-milfoil) Stream. Un-
common. 47.

324

Callitriche stagnalis (Water Starwort) Small pools. Common. 47 57.

Hedera helix (Ivy) Woods, cliffs. Common. 47 57.

Hydrocotyle vulgaris (Marsh Pennywort) Marshes. Frequent. 47 57.

Sanicula europaea (Sanicle) Woods, cliffs. Rare. 47 57.

Conopium majus (Pignut, Earthnut) Meadows, species-rich grass, under trees.
Common. 47 57.

*Aegopodium podagraria (Goutweed, Bishop’s Weed, Ground Elder) Garden
weed. Uncommon. 57.

Oenanthe crocata (Hemlock Water Dropwort) Small streams near the sea.
Frequent. 57.

Ligusticum scoticum (Scots Lovage) Cliffs. Rare. 57.

Angelica sylvestris (Wild Angelica) Marshes, cliffs, stream-sides. Frequent.

47 57.

Heracleum sphondylium (Hogweed, Cow Parsnip) Meadows, rough ground.
Common. 57.

Daucus carota (Wild carrot) Meadows, species-rich grass, cliffs. Frequent.

47 57.

Mercurialis perennis (Dog’s Mercury) Woods, gullies at bases of cliffs. Fre-
quent. 47 57 .

Euphorbia helioscopia (Sun Spurge) Fields. Uncommon. 57.

Polygonum aviculare (Knot Grass) Fields, waste places. Common. 47 57.

P. arenastrum (Knot Grass) Paths around buildings. Frequent. 57.

P. persicaria (Redshank, Spotted Persicaria) Fields, waste places. Common.

47 57.

P. hydropiper (Water Pepper) Wet hollows in grass. Frequent. 57.
*Reynoutria japonica (Japanese Knotweed) Kilmory village. 57.

Rumex acetosella (Sheep’s Sorrel) Dry places. Frequent. 47 57.

R. acetosa (Sorrel) Meadows, fields, species-rich grass, cliffs. Abundant.

47 57.

R . crispus (Curled Dock) Fields, shore. Common. 47 57.

R. obtusifolius (Broad-leaved Dock) Fields, around farm buildings. Com-
mon. 57.

Urtica dioica (Common Nettle) Around buildings and ruins. Common. 47 57.
Ulmus glabra (Wych Elm) Woods in the east. Uncommon. 57.

Myricagale (Bog Myrtle, Sweet Gale) Bogs and wet moors. Common. 47 57.
Betula pendula (Silver Birch) Woods but not west of Fascadale. Frequent.

47 57.

Betula pubescens (Downy Birch) Woods. Common. 47 57.

Alnus glutinosa (Alder) Woods near streams. Frequent. 47 57.

Corylus avellana (Hazel) Woods. Common. 47 57.

Quercus petraea (Sessile Oak) Woods. Common. 47 57.

Populus tremula (Aspen) Woods, cliffs. Common. 47 57.

325

Salix viminalis (Common Osier) By streams. Probably introduced. Uncom-
mon. 57.

Salix caprea subsp. sericea (Goat Willow, Great Sallow) Wet places in woods.
Frequent. 47 57.

S. cinerea subsp. atrocinerea (Common Sallow) By streams. Uncommon. 57.
S. aurita (Eared Sallow) Bogs, wet moors. Common. 47 57.

S. repens (Creeping Willow) Moors. Frequent. 47 57.

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Common Bearberry) Moors. Rare. 47 57.

Calluna vulgaris (Heather, Ling) Bogs, moors. Abundant. 47 57.

Erica tetralix (Cross-leaved Heath) Bogs, wet moors. Common. 47 57.

E. cinerea (Bell-heather) Moors. Common. 47 57.

Vaccinium myrtillus (Blaeberry, Bilberry) Woods, moors. Uncommon. 47 57.
Empetrum nigrum (Crowberry) Moors. Uncommon. 47 57.

Armeria maritima (Thrift, Sea Pink) Shore rocks, cliffs, salt marsh. Common.
47 57.

Primula vulgaris (Primrose) Woods, grassbanks, cliffs. Common. 47 57.
Lysimachia nemorum (Yellow Pimpernel) Woods. Frequent. 47 57.

Anagallis tenella (Bog Pimpernel) Low level flushes. Rare. 47 57 .

Glaux maritima (Sea Milkwort, Black Saltwort) Salt marsh. Common. 47 57.
Fraxinus excelsior (Ash) Woods, not west of Fascadale. Frequent. 47 57.
Centaurium erythraea (Common Centaury) Dunes, cliffs. Rare. 47 57.
Gentianella campestris Meadows, locally Common. 57.

Menyanthes trifoliata (Bogbean, Buckbean) Lochs and pools. Common. 47
57.

Myosotis caespitosa (Water Forget-me-not) Streams, marshes. Frequent.

47 57.

M. arvensis (Common Forget-me-not) Dunes. Uncommon. 57.

M. discolor (Yellow and Blue Forget-me-not) Fields, waste places. Frequent.
57.

Calystegia pulchra (Bellbine, Large Bindweed) Garden weed, probably
introduced. Frequent. 57.

Scrophularia nodosa (Figwort) Rare. 57.

Digitalis purpurea (Foxglove) Among rocks in woods, cliffs. Common. 47 57.
Veronica beccabunga (Brooklime) Streams. Rare. 57.

V. scutellata (Marsh Speedwell) Marsh. Rare. 57.

V. officinalis (Common Speedwell) Grass, cliffs, woods. Frequent. 47 57.

V. montana (Wood Speedwell) Woods, Rare. 47 57.

V. chamaedrys (Germander Speedwell) Woods, meadows, species-rich grass.
Common. 47 57.

V. serpyllifolia (Thyme-leaved Speedwell) Woods, grass. Frequent. 47 57.

V. arvensis (Wall Speedwell) Dry places. Frequent. 47 57.

Pedicularis palustris (Red Rattle) Marshes, streams. Frequent. 47 57 .

P. sylvatica (Lousewort) Moors. Frequent. 47 57.

326

Rhinanthus minor (Yellow Rattle) Meadows, fields. Common. 47 57.
Melampyram pratense (Common Cow-wheat) Woods, moors. Frequent. 47 57.
Euphrasia officinalis agg. (Eyebright)

E. micrantha Moors. Frequent. 47 57.

E. scottica Moors. Uncommon. 57.

E. tetraquetra Grass. Uncommon. 57.

E. nemorosa Meadows. Locally Frequent. 57.

E. confusa Dunes, short grass. Common. 47 57.

E. arctica subsp. borealis Meadows. Locally Common. 57.

Odontites vema subsp. vema (Red Bartsia) Meadows, fields. Frequent. 57.
Pinguicula lusitanica (Pale Butterwort) Bogs, wet moors. Uncommon. 47 57.

P. vulgaris (Common Butterwort) Bogs, among wet rocks. Frequent. 47 57.
Utricularia intermedia (Intermediate Bladderwort) Bog pools. Locally
Common. 47.

Mentha aquatica (Water Mint) Marshes, streams. Common. 47 57.

Ly copus europaeus (Gypsy -wort) Rocks near shore. Rare. 47.

Thymus drucei (Wild Thyme) Grass by rocky outcrops, cliffs. Common. 47
57.

Prunella vulgaris (Self Heal) Meadows, species-rich grass, marsh. Common.
47 57.

Stachys arvensis (Field Woundwort) Fields. Uncommon. 57.

S. palustris (Marsh Woundwort) Marshes. Frequent. 47 57.

S. sylvatica (Hedge Woundwort) Open woods. Frequent. 47 57.

Lamium purpureum (Red Dead-nettle) Fields, gardens. Uncommon. 57.
Galeopsis tetrahit (Common Hemp-nettle) Fields, waste places. Common.

47 57.

G. bifida (Common Hemp-nettle) Fields. Common. 57.

G. speciosa (Large-flowered Hemp-nettle) Fields. Frequent. 57.

Scutellaria galericulata (Common Skull-cap) Stoney shores. Uncommon.
47. 57.

S. minor (Lesser Skull-cap) Wet moor. Frequent. 47 57.

Teucrium scorodonia (Wood Sage) Rocks, cliffs. Common. 47 57.

Ajuga rep tans (Bugle) Woods. Uncommon. 47 57.

Plantago major (Greater Plantain) Fields, around buildings, road verges.
Common. 47 57.

P. lanceolata (Ribwort Plantain) Meadows, species-rich grass, dunes.

Common. 47 57.

P. maritima (Sea Plantain) Rocks by sea, cliffs, salt marsh, grass and road
verges well away from sea. Common. 47 57.

P. coronopus (Buck’s-horn Plaintain) Rocks by sea, salt marsh, top of sea
cliffs. Common. 47 57.

Campanula rotundifolia (Harebell) Grassy slopes, edges of moors. Frequent.
47 57.

Lobelia dortmanna (Water Lobelia) Gravelly loch shores. Uncommon. 47 57.

327

Sherardia arvensis (Field Madder) Dunes. Uncommon. 57.

Galium odoratum (Sweet Woodruff) Woods. Uncommon. 47 57.

G. boreale (Northern Bedstraw) Moor slopes. Uncommon. 47.

G. verum (Lady’s Bedstraw) Meadows, species-rich grass, dunes. Common.
47 57.

G. saxatile (Heath Bedstraw) Moors, species-poor grass. Common. 47 57.

G. palustre (Marsh Bedstraw) Marshes. Common. 47 57.

G. aparine (Goosegrass, Cleavers, Sticky Willie) Fields, shores. Common.
47 57.

Sambucus nigra (Elder) Woods. Frequent. 57.

Lonicera periclymenum (Honeysuckle) Woods, cliffs. Frequent. 47 57.
Valerianella locusta (Lamb’s Lettuce) Dunes. Rare. 57.

Valeriana officinalis (Valerian) Stream sides. Uncommon. 57.

Succisa pratensis (Devil’s-bit Scabious) Meadows, wet moors. Common.
47 57.

Senecio jacobaea (Common Ragwort) Fields, meadows, cliffs. Common.
47 57.

S. aquaticus (Marsh Ragwort) Marshes. Frequent. 57.

S. vulgaris (Groundsel) Gardens. Frequent. 57.

Tussilago farfara (Coltsfoot) Gravelly places near streams. Uncommon.
47 57.

Petasites hybridus (Butterbur) Stream sides. Uncommon. 57.

Gnaphalium sylvaticum (Wood Cudweed) Roadside. Rare. 57.

G. uliginosum (Marsh Cudweed) Colonising bare wet grounnd. Locally
Common. 47 57.

Antennaria dioica (Cat’s Foot) Grass, moors. Frequent. 47 57.

Solidago virgaurea (Golden Rod) Meadows, cliffs. Frequent. 47 57.

Beilis perennis (Daisy) Meadows, species-rich grass, dunes, road verges.
Common. 47 57.

Achillea millefolium (Yarrow, Milfoil) Meadows, species-rich grass, dunes,
fields. Common. 47 57.

A. ptarmica (Sneezewort) Meadows, beside lochs. Frequent. 57.
Tripleurospermum maritimum subsp. maritimum (Scentless Mayweed) Cliffs
beaches. Rare. 47 57.

* Matricaria matricarioides (Pineapple Weed) Roadsides, around buildings.
Common. 57.

Chrysanthemum segetum (Corn Marigold) Fields. Common. 57.

C. leucanthemum (Marguerite, Moon-Daisy, Ox-eye Daisy) Meadows. Locally
Common. 57.

*C. parthenium (Feverfew) Old houses. Rare. 57.

C. vulgare (Tansy) Kilmory village, probably planted. 57.

Artemesia vulgaris (Mugwort) Waste places. Uncommon. 57.

Arctium minus agg. (Burdock) Mainly near buildings. Frequent. 47 57.
Cirsium vulgare (Spear Thistle) Dunes, species-rich grass. Common. 47 57.

328

C. palustre (Marsh Thistle) Marshes. Common. 47 57.

C. arvense (Creeping Thistle) Fields, invading grass. Common. 47 57.

C. heterophyllum (Melancholy Thistle) Woods. Uncommon. 47 57.

Centaurea nigra (Common Knapweed, Hardheads) Meadows, cliffs. Common.
47 57.

Lapsana communis (Nipplewort) Woods. Uncommon. 57.

Hypochoeris radicata (Cat’s Ear) Meadows, cliffs, grassy banks. Common.
47 57.

Leontodon autumnalis (Autumnal Hawkbit) Meadows, cliffs, species-rich
grass, dunes, salt marsh. Common. 47 57.

Sonchus oleraceus (Common Sow-Thistle) Fields. Uncommon. 57.

S. asper (Spiny Sow-Thistle) Cliffs. Frequent. 47 57 .

Hieracium schoolbredii Cliffs. Uncommon. 47 57.

H. vulgatum (Common Hawkweed) Roadsides and waste places, cliffs.
Frequent. 57.

H. pilosella (Mouse-ear Hawkweed) Dry grass. Frequent. 47 57.

Crepis capillaris (Smooth Hawk’s-beard) Meadows, dunes. Locally Common.
57.

C. paludosa (Marsh Hawk’s-beard) Beside streams. Uncommon. 57.

Taraxacum section vulgare (Common Dandelion) Roadsides, dunes, species-
rich grass. Common. 47 57.

T. section spectabile (Broad-leaved Marsh Dandelion) Wet cliffs, marshes,

Frequent. 47 57.

Triglochin palustris (Marsh Arrow-grass) Marshes. Frequent. 47 57.

T. maritima (Sea Arrow-grass) Salt marshes. Frequent. 47 57.

Potamogeton natans (Broad-leaved Pondweed) Lochs, stream. Frequent. 47.

P. polygonifolius (Bog Pondweed) Bog pools and ditches. Common. 47 57.
Eriocaulon septangulare (Pipewort) Loch in bog. Rare. 47.

Narthecium ossifragum (Bog Asphodel) Bogs, wet moors. Common. 47 57.
Endymion non-scrip tus (Bluebell, Wild Hyacinth) Woods, cliffs, species-rich
grass, under bracken. Common. 47 57.

Juncus squarrosus (Heath Rush) Moors. Frequent. 47 57.

*/. tenuis (Slender Rush) Centre of road. Locally Common. 57.

J. gerardii (Mud Rush) Salt marsh. Common. 47 57.

J. bufonius (Toad Rush) Wet bare ground. Frequent. 47 57.

J. effusus (Soft Rush) Marshes, grassy hollows. Common. 47 57.

J. conglomeratus (Compact Rush) Moors. Frequent. 47 57.

J. acutiflorus (Sharp-flowered Rush) Streams. Common. 47 57.

/. articulatus (Jointed Rush) Marshes, streams. Common. 47 57.

J. bulbosus (Bulbous Rush) Shallow water. Common. 47 57.

Luzula pilosa (Hairy Woodrush) Woods. Rare. 47.

L. sylvatica (Greater Woodrush) Woods, cliffs. Frequent. 47 57.

L. campestris (Sweep’s Brush, Field Woodrush) Short Grass. Common. 47 57.
L. multiflora (Heath Woodrush) Wet moor. Common. 47 57.

Allium ursinum (Ramsons) Woods, gullies in cliffs. Frequent. 47 57.

329

Iris pseudocorus (Yellow Flag Iris) Marshes, streams. Common. 47 57 .
*Crocosmia x crocosmiflora (Montbretia) Stream sides. Uncommon. 57.
Gymnadenia conopsea (Fragrant Orchid) Meadows, volcanic ridges,

Locally Common. 47 57.

Pseudorchis albida (Small White Orchid) Meadows. Rare. 57.

Platanthera chlorantha (Greater Butterfly Orchid) Meadows. Locally
Common. 57.

Orchis mascula (Early Purple Orchid) Cliffs. Frequent. 47 57.

Dac tylorh iza fuchsii (Common Spotted Orchid) Woods. Rare. 57.

D. maculata subsp. ericetorum (Heath Spotted Orchid) Moors, wet grass,
marshes. Common. 47 57.

D. maculata x purpurella (Hybrid Marsh Orchid) Marshes, wet grass. Fre-
quent. 57.

D. purpurella (Northern Marsh Orchid) Marshes. Frequent. 57.

Sparganium angustifolium (Floating Bur-reed) Lochs, pools. Uncommon. 47

57.

Eriophorum angustifolium (Common Cotton Grass) Bogs, wet moors.

Common. 47 57. 47 57.

E. vaginatum (Hare’s Tail Cotton Grass) Bogs, wet moors. Common. 47 57.
Scirpus cespitosus (Deer-grass) Moors, bogs. Abundant. 47 57.

S. maritimus (Sea Club-rush) Brackish pools. Uncommon. 57.

S. setaceus (Bristle Scirpus) Near running water. Uncommon. 47 57.

S. fluitans (Floating Scirpus) Lochs, pools. Common. 47 57 .

Eleocharis quinqueflora (Few-flowered Spike-rush) Local in bogs, edges of
salt marsh. Frequent. 47 57.

E. multicaulis (Many-stemmed Spike-rush) Loch sides, bog pools, flushes.
Frequent. 47 57.

E. palustris (Common Spike-rush) Lochs, pools. Frequent. 47 57.

Blysmus rufus (Narrow Blysmus) Salt marsh. Frequent. 47 57.

Schoenus nigricans (Bog Rush) Bogs. Common. 47 57.

Rhynchospora alba (White Beak-sedge) Bogs. Frequent. 47 57.

Carex distans (Distant Sedge) Rare in the west, near the sea. 47.

C. hostiana (Tawny Sedge) Flushes. Frequent. 47 57.

C. binervis (Ribbed Sedge) Moors. Frequent. 47 57.

C. demissa Flushes, by pools and lochs. Frequent. 47 57.

C. serotina Beside loch. Rare. 47.

C. rostrata (Beaked Sedge, Bottle Sedge) Lochs. Frequent. 47 57.

C. pallescens (Pale Sedge) Damp woods, meadows. Uncommon 47 57.

C. panicea (Carnation-grass) Flushes, wet grass. Common. 47 57.

C. limosa (Mud Sedge) Pools. Uncommon. 47.

C. flacca (Carnation-grass) Flushes, species-rich grass. Common. 47 57.

C. lasiocarpa (Slender Sedge) Lochs. Frequent. 47.

C. caryophyllea (Spring Sedge) Short species-rich grass. Locally Common. 47 57.
C. nigra (Common Sedge) Bogs, beside lochs. Common. 47 57.

C. otrubae (False Fox-sedge) Near shore. Uncommon. 47 57.

330

C. echinata (Star Sedge) Wet moors. Common. 47 57 .

C. remota (Remote Sedge) Woods. Uncommon. 47.

C. ovalis (Oval Sedge) Wet grass. Common. 57.

C. pulicaris (Flea Sedge) Flushes, wet cliffs. Common. 47 57.

C. dioica (Dioecious Sedge) Flushes, beside lochs. Frequent. 47.

Phragmites australis (Common Reed) Lochs, marshes. Common. 47 57.

Molinia caerulea (Purple Moor-grass) Bogs, moors. Abundant. 47 57.

Sieglingia decumbens (Heath Grass) Species-poor grass. Common. 47 57.

Glycera fluitans (Flote Grass) Slowly flowing water. Frequent. 57.

Festuca pratensis (Meadow Fescue) Rare. 57.

F. rubra (Creeping Fescue) subsp. arenarium Dunes, Common, subsp. rubra
Meadows, species-rich grass. Common. 47 57.

F. ovina (Sheep’s Fescue) Dry grass, moor. Common. 47 57.

F. vivipara (Viviparous Fescue) Moors. Frequent. 47 57.

Lolium perenne (Rye-grass) Species-rich grass, road verges, dunes. Common. 57.
Puccinellia maritima (Sea Poa) Salt marsh. Frequent. 57.

Catapodium marinum (Darnel Poa) Beside sea. Rare. 47.

Poa annua (Annual Meadow Grass) Colonising bare ground. Common. 47 57.

P. pratensis (Smooth-stalked Meadow Grass) Widespread. Common. 47 57 .

P. subcaerulea Short species-rich grass, dunes, sandy beaches. Common. 47 57.
P. trivialis (Rough stalked Meadow Grass) Marshes, wet grass. Common. 47 57.
Catabrosa aquatica (Water Whorl-grass) Streams near sea. Uncommon. 57.
Dactylis glomerata (Cock’s-foot) Widespread. Common. 47 57.

Cynosurus cristatus (Crested Dog’s-tail) Species-rich grass. Common. 47 57.
Bromus mollis agg. (Soft Brome) Beside Fields. Uncommon. 57.

Brachypodium sylvaticum (Slender False-brome) Woods, cliffs. Frequent. 47 57.
Agropyron repens (Couch-grass, Scutch, Twitch) Rough places. Uncommon. 57.
A . junceiforme (Sand Couch-grass) Dunes. Uncommon. 57.

Koeleria cristata (Crested Hair-grass) Species-rich grass, mostly near the sea.
Locally Common. 47 57.

Helictotrichon pubescens (Downy Oat-grass) Meadows. Uncommon. 47 57.
Arrhenatherum elatius (False Oat-grass) Meadows, rough places. Common.

47 57.

Ffolcus lanatus (Yorkshire Fog) Wet grass, woods. Common. 47 57.

H. mollis (Creeping Soft-grass) Woods, cliffs. Frequent. 47 57.

Deschampsia caespitosa (Tufted Hair-grass) Wet grass. Frequent. 47 57.

D. flexuosa (Wavy Hair-grass) Moors. Frequent. 47 57.

Aira praecox (Early Hair-grass) Dry short grass. Common. 47 57.

A. caryophyllea (Silvery Hair-grass) Dry grass. Frequent. 47 57.

Ammophila arenaria (Marram Grass) Dunes. Uncommon. 57.

Agrostis canina (Brown Bent-grass) Moors, species-poor grass. Common. 47 57.
A. tenuis (Common Bent-grass) Meadows, species-rich grass, woods. Common.

47 57.

331

A. stolonifera (Fiorin) Wet grass, salt marsh, sandy beaches. Common. 47 57.
Phleum pratense (Timothy) Beside fields, probably introduced. Uncommon.
57.

Alopecurus pratensis (Meadow Foxtail) Beside fields, probably introduced.
Uncommon. 57.

A. geniculatus (Marsh Foxtail) Marshy grass, streamsides. Frequent. 47 57.
Anthoxanthum odoratum (Sweet Vernal-grass) Grass, meadows, cliffs, woods.
Abundant. 47 57.

Phalaris arundinacea (Reed Canary-grass) Marshes. Uncommon. 57.

Nardus stricta (Mat-grass) Moors, species-poor grass. Common. 47 57.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Mr A. McG. Stirling for his help with
the identification of plants and my husband, Dr R. M. Dobson for
much help and encouragement.

References

CLAPHAM, A.R., TUTIN, T.G. and WARBURG, E.F. 1962. Flora of the
British Isles. 2nd ed. Cambridge.

DANDY, J.E. 1958. List of British Vascular Plants. London.

JERMY, A.C., ARNOLD, H.R., FARRELL, LYNNE, and PERRING, F.H.

1 978. An A tlas of Ferns of the British Isles.

JERMY, A.C. and TUTIN, T.G. 1968 .British Seges , B.S.B.I.

McVEAN, D.N. and RATCLIFFE, D.A. 1962. Plant Communities of the
Scottish Highlands. H.M.S.O. London.

MATTHEWS, J.R. 1955. Origin and Distribution of the British Flora.
PERRING, F.H. and WALTERS, S.M. 1962. Atlas of the British Flora.
B.S.B.I. London.

RICHEY, J.E., MACGREGOR, A.G. and ANDERSON, F.W. 1961. The
Tertiary Volcanic Districts. British Regional Geology: Scotland. 3rd ed.
H.M.S.O. Edinburgh.

TANSLEY, A.G. 1939. The British Islands and their Vegetation. Cambridge.
YEO, P.F. 1978. A Taxonomic Revision of Euphrasia in Britain, Rot. J. Linn.
Soc. 77: No. 4 223-334.

332

Plant Records from Bute, 1983

J. H. DICKSON

1. Allium vineale L. var. compactum (Thuill.) Boreau

In abundance on the “Haystack”, Ardscalpsie (NS 052 582). J.H.D.
July 1983.

2. Lamium album L.

Close to the ancient Kames Castle (NS 062 675). J.H.D. July 1983.

3. Mycelis muralis (L.) Dumont

Shady places on and under walls of Rothesay Castle (NS 088 647).
Camilla Dickson and J.H.D. August 1983.

4. Spergularia marina (L.) Griseb.

Saltmarsh north of St. Ninian’s Point (NS 035 617). William Boyd and
J.H.D. August 1983.

5. Trifolium striatum L.

In considerable quantity low on the western side of the “Haystack”.
J.H.D. July 1983.

6. Urtica urens L.

Arable field near Straad (NS 041 619). J.H.D. August 1983.

7. Vulpia bromoides (L.) Gray

Sparingly on the “Haystack”. J.H.D. July 1983.

Species 2 was recorded for Bute by James Robertson in 1768
but perhaps it has not been listed formally since then though
known to members of the Buteshire Natural History Society.
Species 4 grows with Spergularia media (L.) C. Presl in the salt-
marsh where Salicornia, Suaeda maritima (L.) Dumont and Ranun-
culus sceleratus L. occur in large numbers. Species 4 and 6 have no
previous records for Bute.

The “Haystack”, a small conical mound of Lower Old Red
Sandstone scree, is an abandoned sea stack prominent on the
raised beach of Scalpsie Bay. Species 1, 5 and 7 growing together,
all rare in the Clyde area and all new to Bute, confer botanical
distinction to this geological puzzle described by Hill (1979,
p. 39) as “ perhaps the most unusual landform in Bute”.

Reference

HILL, J. 1979. Reading the Landscape of Bute through its Geology .
Rothesay: Buteshire Natural History Society. 83 pages.

333

The History of Alder, Alnus glutinosa
(L.) Gaertn., in the Campsie Fells

DUNCAN A. STEWART*

Botany Department University of Glasgow

Received September, 1983

The sight of tree stumps or large fragments of wood protruding
from eroding upland peat will be familiar to many. These stumps
are remnants of former woodlands commonly of Pinus (Pine),
Betula (Birch) or Alnus (Alder) whose roots were overwhelmed
by peat growth and subsequently preserved.

Early workers such as Geikie (1881), Lewis (1905-7, 1911)
and Samuelsson (1910) noted the existence of not one but often
two layers of tree stumps in Scottish peat. Blytt and Semander
had used stumps in peat to develop hypotheses concerning past
climates in Norway and Sweden respectively (Birks, H.H. 1975).
The resultant Blytt and Sernander climatic scheme as applied to
Scotland by Samuelsson regarded the forest beds as belonging
to dry periods while the intervening peat belonged to wet periods.

Trees began to colonise upland Scotland shortly after the
opening of the present interglacial period (Flandrian) which began
with a climatic improvement 10,000 years ago. The lower stump
layer was thought to correspond to some of these early forests
which had been destroyed by widespread bog development.

The growth of the peat was caused by the climate becoming
wetter c. 7500 years ago. The upper stump layer was taken to
represent a drying of the climate and hence of the peat surface

^Present address: Falkirk High School, Blinkbonny Road, Falkirk

Glasg. Nat . 20 part 4 (1983)

334

sufficient to permit the growth of trees on the peat. The relatively
dry period lasted from c. 5000 years ago until the climate changed
once more to wetter conditions c. 2500 years ago, with an increase
in peat growth and tree death resulting.

The situation today is more complicated than the early
investigators suggested. Radiocarbon dates from a variety of sites
in Scotland have not produced the expected clustering of dates to
match the scheme outlined above (Godwin 1975). A table of
radiocarbon dates from sites in the Northwest Highlands, Cairn-
gorms and Galloway produced by Birks (Birks, H.H. 1975) does
show two main broad groups. However both groups have wide
ranges. These are approximately 7300 —6000 and 5000 — 4000
years ago respectively. There is a noticeable lack of dates between
c. 6000 and c. 5000 years ago. Very young radiocarbon dates for
stumps are also found. Pine stumps from Glen Falloch which can
be seen from the Glasgow — Oban road have been dated to 1620
- 50 B.P. (Before Present) (Stewart 1979, 1980).

Evidence of former woodland is not restricted to macro-
scopic remains but is also provided by microfossils such as pollen
grains. Any given layer in a peat core contains pollen grains pro-
duced by the vegetation contemporaneous with that layer. Pollen
analysis permits the reconstruction of past vegetation types.

This article follows the production of a pollen diagram and
the identification of Alder wood by Eydt (1959) from Muir Toll
in the Eastern Campsie Fells (Fig. 1). It was decided to examine
another site in an attempt to provide a more detailed account of
the vegetational history of the area, especially with regard to
Alder.

Craigbarnet Muir (Fig. 1 ) is a blanket bog at the head of Fin
Glen in the central western end of the Campsie Fells. The Campsie
hills are a plateau mainly of Carboniferous basalts (George 1974)
only partially dissected so that large gently sloping areas remain on
top at heights of 400 — 500 m (O.D.), rising to 580 m at Earls
Seat. These sloping areas are mainly covered by blanket bog.

The area was extensively affected by the last glaciation as
can be seen by the presence of corries such as the Corrie of Bal-
glass on the northern edge of the Campsies.

There is evidence of severe erosion or hagging of the peat

335

which may be due to climatic change or to disturbance by man
and his domestic animals.

Craigbarnet Muir is subject to the direct effects of the pre-
vailing south westerly winds. The mean annual rainfall is therefore
fairly high, i.e. about 1 500 mm. The mean annual temperature is
6.6°C with a January mean of 0.5°C and a July mean of 12.7°C
(Smith 1974).

Figure 1

Map of Campsie Fells. Contours in metres. Scale in kilometres.

Sites where Alnus (Alder) has been identified: Muir Toll. Eydt (1957).
Craigbarnet Muir. Stewart (1975). 1A Dickson (unpublished).
2A Inner Black Hill. McDonald (1978). 3A Campsie Muir. McDonald (1978).
4A Sample, collected by Edward Blake, identified by Dr. J.H. Dickson.

336

The blanket bog community is mainly a mixture of Calluna
vulgaris (Heather), Trichophorum cespitosum (Deer grass), Erio-
phorum vaginatum (Cotton grass) and varying proportions of
Sphagnum spp. Other components include Molinea caerulea
(Purple Moor-grass) and Rubus chamaemorus (Cloudberry) which
is noticeably abundant in this area (Stewart 1975).

The Site

The site (Fig. 1) is situated at the head of Fin glen (NS 586
832) in a small gully c. 2 kilometres east of Earls Seat at an
altitude of 380 m. A 2-02 m monolith of peat was taken. Apart
from the basal 4 cm of mineral peat the peat column consisted
mainly of partly decayed or lightly humified herbaceous plant
remains. Fragments of Alder wood were found at 165 cm and 195
cm. Leaves of Sphagnum Section Subsecunda were identified at
200 cm. Leaves of Hylocomium splendens were found at 150
cm. Small particles of charcoal were found at 40, 60 and 80 cm.
At 190 cm there were sclerotia of Cenococcum geophilum.

The location of the six sites from which Alder wood has
been identitied is shown in Fig. 1 .

Methods

Monoliths of peat were extracted using three sided metal
containers. Samples were prepared for pollen analysis using the
standard procedures described by Faegri and Iversen (1975). The
pollen diagram (Fig. 2) was based on counts of 100 tree pollen
(T.P.) and normally well in excess of 150 grains (T.P.) were
counted. Pollen and spore identifications were made with
reference to the type collection in the Botany Department,
Glasgow University and to Erdtman et. al. (1963). Nomenclature
and conventions follow Birks (1973). The category Coryloid
includes Myrica (Bog Myrtle) and Corylus (Hazel).

Samples for macrofossil analysis were taken every 20 cm,
sieved and the residue examined under the low power of the
binocular microscope.

After staining with a fifty fifty mixture of phloroglucinol
and concentrated hydrochloric acid, transverse, radial longitudi-
nal and transverse longitudinal wood sections were mounted in
gum chloral. Wood samples were identified with reference to
Godwin (key at rear 1956) and Jane (1970).

337

WflNOVHdS

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Figure 2

Craigbarnet Muir pollen diagram.

338

Radiocarbon Date

A sample from the core was radiocarbon dated at the
Scottish Universities Research and Reactor centre, East Kilbride
by Dr. D. D. Harkness. The result which is presented on the pollen
diagram was:

SRR-985, 189-191 cm, 6197 + 45 B.P.

Presentation and Zonation of the Pollen Diagram

The results of the pollen analyses are presented as a percen-
tage of total tree pollen (excluding hazel and willow) in Fig. 2.
For convenience several taxa which occur discon tinuously are pre-
sented in Table 1 . A summary diagram based on a sum of trees,
tall shrubs, heaths and other non-tree pollen (N.T.P.) is included in
Fig. 2.

The pollen diagram (Fig. 2) has been divided into four local
pollen zones using the numerical techniques devised by Gordon
and Birks (1972). The local pollen zones are numbered from the
base upwards and are prefixed CM. (CM = Craigbarnet Muir).

History of Alder

Only one species of Alder namely Alnus glutinosa (F) Gaertn.
is now native in the British Isles. Godwin (1975) considers that it
is safe to assume that all subfossil remains in the Flandrian (last
10,000 years) belong to this species.

The finding of Alder wood at six sites in the Campsie Fells
(Fig. 1) is of considerable interest as all the sites are at altitudes
of over 300 m (O.D.). To-day there is no evidence that Alder sets
viable seed above 300 m, although there are relict Alder woods
surviving above this height. McVean’s ecological studies (McVean
1955) have shown that Alder is adversely affected by strong winds
during the flowering season, late frost in the early stages of seed-
ling establishment, as well as leaching, podsolization and ombro-
genous bog formation. As most of these factors, plus activity by
man, prevail in the Campsie Fells it is not surprising that Alder is
at present absent from the higher altitudes. This does not explain
the absence of Alder from lower areas such as Fin Glen and the
Spout of Ballagan where mixed Ulmus (Elm) woods occur. Dick-
son (1977) points out that tree regeneration in general may well be
prevented except in the most inaccessible sites due to grazing. As

Table 1

Additional pollen taxa in order of appearance.

+ = less than 1%

339

Rosaceae undiff.

340

Alder grows well along the river margins, it may have been prone
to this type of seedling damage even although it is not noted for
its palatability. The selective use of Alder by man (e.g. charcoal) is
also a possibility. However, though growing well on shingle, Alder
is not a tree of rocky shores or stream-sides. The stream-sides of
the glens in the Campsie Fells, being predominantly rocky, provide
few or no suitable habitats.

At the opening of zone CM 2 Alder replaces Pine as a major
tree species. As shown by the radiocarbon date at 181 - 191 cm
the general expansion of Alder, or “Alder rise”, took place at
6197 ± 45 B.P. Smith and Pilcher (1973), who considered all the
dated Alder profiles in the British Isles up to 1973, noted the time
transgressive nature of the Alder rise. In general the Alder rise
occurs later (i.e. younger date) the further north the site, with a
range of c. 2000 years within Britain. It may seem surprising that
the CM Alder rise date is younger than that from Loch Maree
which has been dated to 6513 - 65 B.P. (Birks, H.H. 1972). The
Alder rise may have been expected to have occurred earlier in
Central Scotland than in the north west. Indeed Birks’ isochrone
map (Birks 1980) places the CM site well below the 6500 year
isochrone (i.e. between 6500 — 7500 years ago, Fig. 3). The CM
Alder rise date is in general agreement with that from the Dubh
Lochan (near Loch Lomond) of 5909 — 170 B.P. (Stewart 1979
and in press). Unfortunately the interpretation of the Dubh
Lochan Alder rise horizon is problematical due to the horizon
occurring during a period of changes in both stratigraphy and sedi-
mentation rate. Interpretation of the Alder rise horizon from the
Loch Lomond south basin core LLRD 1 (Dickson et al. 1978,
Stewart 1979) is also complicated due to the presence of marine
sediment and differential pollen presentation. However a date of
c. 7000 years ago is provided from core LLRD 1 by interpolation
between radiocarbon dates. Recent work by Stewart (in prepara-
tion) on a core from the north basin also suggests an age of
c. 7000 years ago for the Alder rise horizon in the Loch Lomond
area. Therefore the evidence would tend to suggest that the Craig-
barnet Muir Alder rise is later than would be expected.

The lateness of the CM Alder rise may be due to the upland
nature of the site. Smith and Pilcher (1973) noted that the Alder
rise horizon in Ireland tends to be later in upland sites. Chambers
(1983) notes a similar situation in upland south Wales. The Alder
rise is attributed to the climate becoming warmer and wetter.

341

Although wetness would be expected to affect upland areas more
than lowland areas, the warming trend may have affected lowland
or southern areas earlier than upland or northern areas. This would
explain not only the north south trend but also the further lag in
Alder expansion at higher altitudes within different geographical
areas.

Isochrone Map of Alnus in Scotland (adapted from Birks, H.J.B. 1980).
Dates are in years before present — B.P.

342

As expressed in percentage T.P. terms (Fig. 2) Alder pollen
frequencies remain high for the rest of the diagram. The summary
diagram (Fig. 2) expressed as a percentage of total pollen clearly
shows that tree pollen declines, especially during zone CM 4, to
very low proportions.

Other Features of the Vegeta tional History

Peat formation probably began at the CM site between
6500 - 7000 years ago. The high values of Pine pollen (58-71%)
during zone CM 1 make it highly likely that Pine trees grew in the
Campsies. McVean and Ratcliffe (1962) also suggest that Pine
trees once grew in the Campsie Fells and show its proposed
occurrence in a map. Eydt (1959) however, considered that apart
from Alder most of the tree pollen in his diagram was blown in
from a distance. The former point of view is probably correct and
pine will have been a feature of the Campsie vegetation during
zone CM 1 , especially at higher areas.

Corylus (Hazel) and Salix (Willow) have their highest fre-
quencies during zone CM 1 and both will have been widespread
in occurrence. One striking feature of zone CM 1 is the diversity
of herb pollen taxa (Fig. 1 and Table 1). The high values of
Filipendula (Meadowsweet), Valeriana (Common Valerian) and
Umbelliferae pollen suggest the existence of a tall herb com-
munity. This “rich” herb community contrasts greatly with the
herb components found in later zones.

The high levels of Polypodiaceae undiff. spores during zone
CM 1 were not recorded at Eydt’s (1959) site.

During zone CM 2 and early CM 3 Ulmus (Elm) values are
high (20 - 30%) and Elm trees will have been present growing on
richer soils. The fall in Elm at 150 cm has been taken as the elm
decline. This fall in Elm pollen values appears in many pollen
diagrams from north western Europe. A considerable number of
radiocarbon dates have shown the event to have occurred around
5000 years ago. A date for the horizon of 4913 - 85 B.P. was
obtained from the Dubh Lochan c 20 km to the northwest.
(Stewart 1979). Many explanations have been postulated for the
elm decline but no hypothesis has been universally accepted
(Hove 1968). The phenomenon has been variously attributed to
such factors as a change of climate, the effects of Neolithic man

343

and to disease. Garbett (1981) favours over exploitation by Neo-
lithic man as being the cause of the elm decline. He suggests that
the initial pollarding of Elm, Quercus (Oak) and Tilia (Lime) to
provide fodder for stalled animals was later restricted only to Elm.
A combination of agriculture and disease is considered by Rack-
ham (1980) to be the most feasible explanation. He is of the
opinion that Neolithic man was not present in sufficient numbers
to have halved the pollen production of the large area of Elm
present before the elm decline. This area he estimates to have been
around ten million acres or about twice the area of all woodland,
including plantations, present in Britain to-day.

Plantago lan ceo lata (Plantain) occurs from the time of the
elm decline and reaches fairly high values during zone CM 4.
Plantain has been very closely associated with human activities,
occupying ground which has been disturbed. The occurrence of
Pteridium aquilinum (Bracken) spores is also indicative of the
activity of man in the surrounding areas. The deep rhizomes of
bracken are not harmed by fires of the type used by early man
for land clearance. Indeed microscopic fragments of charcoal,
which may have been the result of deliberate burning of the sur-
face vegetation, were found at 40, 60 and 80 cm.

A notable addition to the tree taxa is the recording of Fraxi-
nus (Ash) pollen which occurs consistently from 60 cm. Ash
reaches 9% which is high for this tree. Modem work on the disper-
sal of Ash pollen has shown that Ash can have fairly low values
even close to an Ash wood. Ash grains are also one of the less
well preserving grains (Havinga 1967). Woodlands rich in Ash and
Elm will have been present on the richer soils in areas such as Fin
Glen for at least the last few thousand years.

From the beginning of zone CM 4 heather values rise rapidly
and by 60 cm the vegetation at the site will have been substan-
tially the same as it is to-day.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Dr. J. H. Dickson not only for the
expert advice and encouragement given during the supervision of
this project, but also for helpful comments on the original drafts
of this paper. Thanks go to D. Stewart and E.C. Stewart for help
in the collection of samples.

344

References

AABY, B. (1979). Characterisation of Peat and Lake deposits. In Berglund,
B.E. (ed). Palaeohydrological changes in the Temperate zone in the last
15,000 years. IGCP 158B Lake and Mire Environment pp. Vol. 1 pp 77-98.

BIRKS, H.H. (1972). Studies in the vegetational history of Scotland III. A
radiocarbon dated pollen diagram from Loch Maree, Ross and Cromarty.
New Phytol 71, 731-754.

BIRKS, H.H. (1975). Studies in the vegetational history of Scotland IV. Pine
stumps in Scottish blanket peats. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B. 270, 181-226.

BIRKS, H.J.B. (1973). Past and Present Vegetation of the Isle of Skye, a
Palaeoecological Study. Cambridge University Press, London.

BIRKS, H.J.B. (1980). Quaternary Vegetational History of West Scotland.
Guidebook for Excursion C8. 5 International Palynological Conference,
Cambridge.

CHAMBERS, F.M. (1983). Three Radiocarbon Dated pollen diagrams from
Upland Peats North-west of Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. J. Ecol. 71,
475-487.

DICKSON, J.H. (1977). Western Scotland II Guidebook for Excursion C13.
Inqua Norwich.

DICKSON, J.H., STEWART, D.A., THOMPSON, R., TURNER, G., BAX-
TER, M.S., DRND ARSKY, N.D. and ROSE, J. (1978). Palynology, palaeo-
magnetism and Radiometric dating of Flandrian Marine and Freshwater
sediment of Loch Lomond. Nature 274, 548-553.

ERDTMAN, G., PRAGLOWSKI, J. and NILSSON, S. (1963). An intro-
duction to a Scandinavian Pollen Flora. Vol. 11. Alnquist and Wilsell,
Stockholm.

EYDT, H.R. (1959). A pollen diagram from a Blanket Bog in the Campsie
Fells. Trans. Bot. Soc. Edinb. 39, 28-34.

FAEGRI, K. and IVERSEN, J. (1975). Textbook of Pollen analysis, 3rd edn.
Blackwell, Oxford.

GARBETT, G.G. (1981). The Elm Decline. The Depletion of a Resource.
New Phytol. 88,573-585.

GEIKIE, J. (1881). Prehistoric Europe. Stanford, London.

GEORGE, T.N. (1974). “The geology of the Stirling region”. In Timms
D.W.G. (ed.) The Stirling Region pp 5-29. Brit. Assoc. Adv. Sci. Stirling.

GODWIN, H. (1956). The History of the British Flora. Cambridge University
Press, London.

GODWIN, H. (1975). The History of the British Flora. 2nd edition. Cam-
bridge University Press, London.

GORDON, A.D. and BIRKS, H.J.B. (1972). Numerical methods in Quater-
nary Palaeoecology .New Phytol. 71, 961-979.

HAVINGA, A.J. (1967). Palaeobotan. Palynol. 2, 81-98.

HOVE, H.A. TEN (1968). The Ulmus fall at the Transition Atlanticum-Sub-
boreal in pollen diagrams. Palaeogeography, Palagoclimatol, Palaeoecol
5, 359.

345

JANE, F.W. (1970) The structure of wood 2nd ed. Adam and Charles Black,
London.

LEWIS, F.J. (1905-7, 1911). The plant remains in the Scottish peat mosses.
Tran. roy. Soc. Edin., 41, 45, 46, 47.

McDONALD, F.G. (1978). An investigation into possible effects of Human
activity on the origin of Blanket Peat formation. Unpublished B.Sc. thesis,
Glasgow Universtiy Botany Department.

McVEAN, D.N. (1955). Ecology of Alnus glutinosa (L) Gaertn. J. Ecol. 43,
46.

McVEAN, D.N. and RATCLIFFE, D.A. (1962). Plant communities of the
Scottish Highlands. Nature Conservancy Monograph No. 1, London.

RACKHAM, 0. (1980). Ancient Woodland its history vegetation and uses in
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SAMUELSSON, G. (1910). Scottish peat mosses. A contribution to the
knowledge of the late quaternary vegetation and climate of north-western
Europe. Bull. geol. Instn. Univ. Uppsala 10, 197.

SMITH, A.G. and PILCHER, J.R. (1973). Radiocarbon dates and the vegeta-
tional history of the British Isles. New Phytol. 72, 903-914.

SMITH, K. (1974). “Climatology and Hydrology”. In Timms, D.W.G. (ed.)
The Stirling Region pp 47-65. Brit. Assoc. Adv. Sci. Stirling.

STEWART, D.A. (1975). A study of the vegetational history of Craigbarnet
Muir, western Campsie Fells. Unpublished BSc. thesis, Glasgow Univer-
sity Botany Department.

STEWART, D.A. (1979). The Flandrian Vegetational History of the Loch
Lomond area. Ph.D. thesis University of Glasgow.

STEWART, D.A. (1980). The establishment of Pinus sylvestris woodland
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346

Book Reviews

Green Planet: The Story of Plant Life on Earth

Editor: D. M. MOORE

Cambridge University Press 1982

288 pp. with numerous plates and figures £12.50

This fine book written by 30 botanists, for the most part well-known, is an
introduction to the world’s plant life. Its profusion of colour plates and dia-
grams is a very welcome aid to the understanding of the text which deals with
phytogeography, taxonomy, floras, vegetation, evolution, environment, con-
servation and man’s effects.

In reading some sections of particular interest to me I have noted the
following blemishes. Of the six pollen grains illustrated (page 80) four have
wrong names and Tilia is not figured at all!! A much more informative pollen
diagram could have been discussed. The endemic Sonchus spp. of the Canary
Islands are referred to both as sowthistles and hawkseeds; the latter is incor-
rect (page 104). There are many genera of mosses other than Eurhynchium
that I would have chosen as typical colonists of rock surfaces (page 150). The
Patagonian desert is shown as too extensive and the Atacama desert as too
restricted (page 169). Three years after the eruption of Krakatoa the island
had been colonised by 26 plants (page 151) or 27 plants (page 235); after 50
years there were more than 250 colonists (page 151) or 271 (page 235). The
statement (page 242) that “Cereals produce abundant pollen, so cereal culti-
vation is usually detectable in the pollen (fossil) record . ...” is misleading;
cereal pollen is poorly dispersed and hence cereals are under-represented in
pollen analysis.

Notwithstanding these criticisms I can recommend this book freely to
anyone interested in the whole organism rather than the cellular approach to
botany. J. H. DICKSON

Birds New to Britain and Ireland

J.T.R. SHARROCK and P.J. GRANT
T. & A.D. Poyser, Calton, Staffs. 1983
£12.60

A compilation of those magic moments when a species new to the British
Isles makes its first appearance. Treated chronologically, each record is des-
cribed in detail, as originally encountered. Additional information has been
added only where relevant and a map of world distribution together with a
pen and ink drawing of the bird enhances each chapter. In the text can be
found an account of the first occurrence of the Collared Dove, now a
common species, and species such as Siberian Thrush and Cape May Warbler
which remain as thought-provoking today as when first sighted.

This book is not just a rarity-hunters catalogue, it is an historic docu-
ment, something which birdwatchers everywhere will never cease to refer or
enjoy. B. ZONFRILLO

347

Oribatid Mites Associated with Marine
and Maritime Lichens on the Island of
Great Cumbrae

M. J. COLLOFF

Department of Zoology, University of Glasgow
Received August 1983

Introduction

The Island of Great Cumbrae (V.C. 100, Clyde Isles) has been the
focus of a huge body of zoological work mostly due to the endea-
vours of the Marine Biological Station, Millport and the marine
and littoral faunas are generally well documented (Chumley 1918,
Powell 1960-1971). Few records exist, however, for the acaro-
fauna apart from the work of Brady (1875) and King (1911,
1914). Their studies in total list two species of Mesostigmatid
mite, Halolaelaps marinus (Brady 1875), Parasitus immanis Ber-
lese 1903 and three species of prostigmatid mite, Neomolgus
littoralis (Linnaeus 1758), Halacarus ctenopus Gosse 1855 and
Copidognathus rhodostigma (Gosse 1855).

This study adds sixteen species of cryptostigmatid mites
(Acari: Cryptostigmata) to the Great Cumbrae list and includes
notes on their taxonomy, ecology and their associations with the
lichens of rocky shores. Published records of Scottish oribatids
include those of Usher (1975), Bertram (1939), Sheals (1956),
Waterston (1980), Crichton & Waterston (1936) and Hull (1916)
who cites records taken from a manuscript by William Evans of
Edinburgh on Oribatidae from the Forth area. The total number
of oribatid species recorded is about 100. Those species from
Great Cumbrae not on these lists are marked with an asterisk.

The lichen flora is generally well developed on the Upper
Devonian Old Red Sandstone series. Although this rock weathers
relatively quickly it has several advantages as a substrate for

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 4 (1983)

348

Fig. 1 Map of Great Cumbrae showing sampling sites.

349

saxicolous (rock-dwelling) lichens. The coarse texture facilitates
initial colonisation by lichen propagules and the porosity of the
rock is such that not only does the surface remain damp for some
time after precipitation or splash but also nutrients and minerals
released by weathering are held in ionic form in the pore water
(Fletcher 1980) and are available for uptake by the lichen thallus.

Materials and Methods

Sampling was carried out in February and March 1983. Lichen
material was scraped from the rock until a sufficient amount had
been obtained for extraction of the mites (about 10 - 20 g wet
weight). Samples were stored at 4°C until the mites could be
extracted in a Tullgren funnel at a temperature of about 45°C.
The mites were collected in 5 cm plastic petri dishes containing
60% lactic acid solution and heated to 50^C for several hours to
dissolve the opaque viscera and leave the mites clear for subse-
quent identification under a compound microscope.

The sampling sites (Fig. 1) used in this study were:

Farland Point South-east-facing promontory, NS 172541.
Gradient approximately 1:5.

Exposure; “fairly sheltered (5)” on Ballan-
tyne’s (1961) exposure scale.

Monument

White Bay
(west side)

East-facing shore with numerous gulleys,
NS 182592.

Gradient approximately 1 :4.

Exposure; “sheltered (6)”.

North-facing shore with wide wave-cut
platform, NS 173592.

Gradient approximately 1:10.

Exposure; “semi-exposed (4)”.

At each site the following lichen species were collected:

Xanthoria parietina, Ochrolechia parella, Lecanora atra, Anapty-
chia fusca, Ramalina siliquosa, Parmelia saxatilis and Cladonia
portentosa.

Results (see Table 1)

350

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Table 1 . Distribution and abundance of oribatids in lichens at the three sampling sites on Great Cumbrae.
Abundance scale: 1—5 = Present (P). 6—20 = Occasional (0). 21-50 = Frequent (F).

51— 150 = Common (C). 150+ = Abundant (A).

All figures based on numbers of intact mites per lOg dry weight of lichen.

Abbreviation of Sampling Sites: M = Monument, FP = Farland Point, WB = White Bay.

351

Species list

Family Camisiidae Oudemans, 1900.

Camisia invenusta (Michael 1888)

Seyd (1981) states this to be a rare species present on few British and
European lists. This apparent rarity may simply reflect the lack of studies
on oribatids in lichen biotopes since, although it has been recorded from moss
and leaf litter, there is some evidence to suggest that lichens are a preferred
habitat. Trave (1963) recorded it in 4 lichen samples out of a total of 9 and
Seyd (1981) collected 39 specimens from lichen and 5 from moss. Halbert
(1915) found it to be not uncommon under lichens at Howth, Co. Dublin.

Distribution: Southern, central and eastern Europe, British Isles, Russia,
Scandinavia, Faroes. Scottish Records: Forth Area (Hull
1916).

* Camisia biurus (C. L. Koch 1839)

Confusion over the identity of this species due to its assumed synonomy
with Camisia segnis Hermann 1804 by many authors, may have been an
important reason that this species appears on very few early lists. Grandjean
(1936) showed that the Nothrus segnis of Koch 1839 was not the same
species as Notaspis segnis Hermann 1804. Nothrus segnis Koch 1839 is
identical to Nothrus biurus Koch 1839. Hull (1915) recorded Nothrus segnis
Hermann from the Tyne provinces as “common everywhere, Scotland and
Ireland.” Whether this species is Camisia biurus or Camisia segnis would
require an examination of the original material.

The only definite British records for this species up to now are those of
Michael (1888) who describes it under the name of Nothrus segnis C. L. Koch;
his figures leave no doubt as to the identity of this species. Michael found
Camisia biurus in terricolous mosses in Yorkshire and the Cumberland hills
and also from Epping Forest and Axe Edge, Staffordshire. Camisia biurus is
not listed by Turk (1953). It appears to be found mostly in mosses.

Distribution: Scandinavia, Russia, Canada, Northern Europe, Japan.

Camisia spinifer (C.L. Koch 1836). (Fig. 4)

This species has catholic tastes in habitat and a wide distribution in
the Holarctic region. It has been recorded in mosses, lichens, leaf litter, soil,
sand dunes and rotting wood.

Distribution: Mediterranean region, eastern, central and northern Europe,
Spitsbergen, Russia, America, Japan, British Isles and Scan-
dinavia. Scottish Records: S. Uist. (Waterston 1980), Rannoch
(Usher 1975), Forth Area (Hull 1916).

Platynothrus peltifer (C.L. Koch 1840). (Figs. 2, 3)

Seyd (1970) has dealt with the nomenclature of Platynothrus punctatus

352

(L. Koch) which has been confused with, and incorrectly synonymised with,
Platynothrus peltifer (C.L. Koch) by numerous authors. This species is very
common in a variety of different biotopes, lichens being one of the less
common ones.

Distribution: Faroes, Russia, British Isles, America, St. Helena, Europe,
Scandinavia, Japan, Canada, Spitsbergen, Greenland, Iceland,
New Zealand. Scottish Records: South Uist, Lewis (Waterston,
1980).

Family Nanhermanniidae Sellnick 1928.

Nanhermannia nana (Nicolet 1885) sensu Willman 1931.

This species appears to be solitary, or at least never found in large numbers.
In this study one specimen was found in Anaptychia fusca. Seyd (1981)
records one specimen from moss on Kinder Scout, Derbyshire. Few records
of this species exist on foreign lists, partly due to its confusion with N.
elegantula Berlese 1913.

Distribution: Scandinavia, America, Europe, Japan, Russia, America.

Scottish Records: Rannoch (Usher 1975), Forth Area
(Hull 1916).

This species appears to have a preference for wet biotopes especially mosses.

Family Hermanniidae Sellnick 1928.

Hermannia reticulata Thorell 1871

One specimen each from Parmelia saxatilis and Anaptychia fusca,
Memorial site. Seyd (1981) regards this as a possible relict-arctic ice-age
species because of its occurrence in Britain in a number of high altitude habi-
tats, although it is not restricted to these habitats and several sea-level records
do exist. It has not been shown whether discrete high and low altitude
populations with different environmental tolerances exist, or whether arctic
and sub -arctic specimens differ in size from the British and Northern Euro-
pean specimens, although the variation of measurements between 770 nm—
880 fim x 420 — 525 (xm given for Russian specimens by Ghilyarov and Kri-
volutsky (1975) certainly suggest such a situation may exist.

Distribution: Arctic, Sub-arctic, British Isles, Holland, Mostly in moss.
Scottish Records: Forth area (Hull 1916).

Family Metrioppiidae Balogh 1943.

Ceratoppia bipilis (Hermann 1804).

Five specimens from Cladonia portentosa at Farland point. This species
has been recorded in a variety of different biotopes seemingly those that are
moderately damp.

Distribution: British Isles, Canada, Scandinavia, Europe, America, Russia,
Japan, North Africa, Northern Pakistan. Scottish Records:
Canna (Bertram 1939), South Uist (Waterston 1980), Rannoch
(Usher 1975), Forth area (Hull 1916)

353

Figs. 2-8. Some oribatid
mites associated with
marine and maritime
lichens. 2. Platynothrus
peltifer, tritonymph.

3 . Platynothrus peltifer,
adult. 4. Camisia spin if er ,
tritonymph. S.Phauloppia
lucorum (small form),
adult female with eggs. 6,
Ameronothrus maculatus,
adult. 7. Carabodes will-
manni, adult. 8. My co-
bates parmeliae, adult.
Scale bar =100 am

i

354

Family Carabodidae C.L. Koch 1837.

*Carabodes willmanni Bernini 1975. (Fig. 7)

The review of Carabodes minusculus Berlese 1923 by Bernini (1976)
resulted in the establishment of five new species, separated by features such
as the shape of the notogastral setae and pseudostigmatic organs, differences
in propodosomal microsculpture, and the presence or absence of the pair of
aggenital setae behind the genital plate. The description of the arrangement of
the notogastral tubercles and the prodorsal areolae leaves no doubt that all
the Great Cumbrae specimens are C. willmanni.

As a result of these endeavours the biogeography of the C. minusculus
group is now in confusion, although Bernini (1976) does redefine some
records and descriptions that appear in the older literature, e.g. Sellnick &
Forsslund (1953) C. minusculus = C. willmanni, and also includes a map of
the distribution of C. willmanni.

Distribution: British Isles, Sweden, Holland, America, North Africa, Italy,
Spain, France, Germany.

Carabodes marginatus (Michael 1884).

Confined to Cladonia portentosa at all three sites. There appears in the
literature several records of this species associated with Cladonia spp. e.g.
Tarras-Wahlberg (1952), Hammer (1972), Seyd (1962), Gjelstrup (1979),
Van der Hammen (1952). It is probably more exact to say that this is a
species generally associated with acid heathland in which Cladonia is abun-
dant than to say that this species prefers Cladonia as a habitat. Scottish
Records: Forth area (Hull 1915).

Family Oribatulidae Thor 1929.

*Zygoribatula exilis (Nicolet 1855).

Most abundant in Parmelia saxatilis at Farland Point. Strenzke (1952)
recognised two Zygoribatula exilis communities in saxicolous mosses and
lichens, a hygrophilous group including Eremaeus oblongus C.L. Koch 1836,
Sphaerozetes piriformis (Nicolet 1885) and Minuthozetes pseudo fusiger
(Schweizer 1922) and a xerophilous group including Phauloppia lucorum
(C.L. Koch 1841), Scutovertex minutus (C.L. Koch 1836), Trhypochthonius
tectorum (Berlese 1896) and Cymbaeremaeus cymba (Nicolet 1855). This
latter community corresponds neither with the Z. exilis community found
by Gjelstrup (1979) or with that found on Great Cumbrae, although all
three communities were present in xeric cryptogramic habitats. This serves
to point out how geographical variation combined, almost certainly, with
a whole range of differing local environmental conditions can result in very
different species associations in very similar habitats.

Distribution: Britain, Europe, Scandinavia, Greenland, Spitsbergen, Russia.

355

Phauloppia lucorum (C.L. Koch 1841). (Fig. 5)

This species is highly variable in its external morphology. Trave (1963)
suggested two forms of this species may exist, a large form of 700-900 f^m
and a small form 560-740 (um in length. The small form has notogastral setae
of 100-120 Jim and the large form, 160-180 |im . Trave (pers. comm. 1983)
found both forms at inland sites in the Pyreneean region, the small form be-
ing present in mosses and liverworts on the trunks of trees as well as in lichens.
None of the Great Cumbrae specimens could be designated as of the large
form on the basis of the length of the notogastral setae. Subsidiary samples
taken from Xanthoria parientina on Mull, the Lizard Peninsula, Cleveland,
St. Kilda, and from walls in Kent, suggest that in the British Isles the small
form may be coastal in its distribution while the large form is found inland.
However a detailed study of the variability of the species is required before
any formal establishment of sub-specific taxa could be attempted.

Numerous workers have reported this species to be strongly lichenophilous
(Trave 1963). Squash preparations of 50 Great Cumbrae specimens showed
that the gut contents stained a deep red in the presence of potassium
hydroxide solution. This test is used to indicate the presence of phenocar-
boxylic acids which are present in many lichens as secondary metabolites.
No lichen ascospores were observed although unicellular coccoid algae and
fungal hyphae could be seen, indicating that P. lucorum in this study confines
its feeding to the vegetative parts of the thallus.

Distribution: British Isles, Europe, Scandinavia, Russia. Scottish Records:
S. Uist, Barra (Waterston 1980).

Family Ameronothridae Willmann 1931.

Ameronothrus maculatus (Michael 1882). (Fig. 6)

The main biotopes of this species are marine and maritime lichens (Schu-
ster 1979, Michael 1883, Gjelstrup & S0ch ting 1979, Schulte 1975), although
it is also found in algae. Schuster (1979) examined the tolerance of nineteen
species of littoral and terrestrial mites to submersion in salt and freshwater.
He found that A. maculatus has a high tolerance to both and could thus be
regarded as euryhaline. He also notes that this finding corresponds well with
the distribution of A. maculatus which is the only ameronothrid found on the
coast and inland where it is associated with habitats on riverbanks. In Britain
the only published inland record seems to be that of Warburton (1904) who
recorded it from an unspecified location in Cambridgeshire.

Distribution: Europe, British Isles, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Faroes.
Scottish Records: Forth area (Hull 1916).

Family Mycobatidae Hull 1916.

Mycobates parmeliae (Michael 1884). (Fig. 8)

This species is lichenophagous although records also exist from mosses
(Hammer 1952) and soils (Karppinen 1958).

Distribution: British Isles, Scandinavia, Europe.

Scottish Records: Forth area (Hull 1916).

356

Family Scheloribatidae Grandjean 1953.

Scheloribates sp. cf. confundatus Sellnick 1928 .

The systematics of this genus are very confused and the species very
difficult to separate. They are separated basically on size and the shape of the
pteromorphs. The Great Cumbrae specimens have pteromorphs intermediate
in size between S. latipes (Koch 1844) and S. confundatus.

Family Damaeidae Berlese 1896.

Damaeus onustus C.L. Koch 1841 .

A single specimen from Cladonia portentosa at Farland Point. Damaeus
spp. are normally associated with deciduous leaf litter and this specimen
should be regarded as an ‘accidental’ in this habitat.

Distribution: British Isles, Europe, Russia, Scandinavia.

Scottish Records: S. Uist (Waterston 1980).

Family Achipteriidae Thor 1929.

* Parachipteria punctata ( Nicolet 1855).

Three specimens from Parmelia saxatilis at White Bay. Van der Hammen
(1952) has dealt with the considerable taxonomic problems surrounding this
species. Again, the distribution of P. punctata is unclear as a result of mis-
interpretations in the literature.

Discussion

Lichens of rocky shores provide a unique microhabitat for
oribatid mites. They are usually the first plants to colonize bare
rock and once established are sufficiently permanent to allow
large oribatid populations to become established, which would
otherwise not be able to exist in the maritime environment. Even
so, maritime lichens have to be tolerant to long periods of de-
hydration, especially on sunny cliffs, and to high concentrations
of salt. One would expect that microarthropods living successfully
in maritime lichens would be likewise equipped to withstand these
conditions. Indeed there is some suggestion that coastal popula-
tions of certain species may exist, e.g. Phauloppia lucorum and
Hermannia reticulata , that differ physiologically and morphologi-
cally from inland populations, although considerable work needs
to be done in order to clarify the situation.

In this study, two groups of oribatid species are identifiable:
one is a maritime group associated with lichens in the supralittoral
zone. This group consists of Ameronothrus maculatus, Phauloppia
lucorum, Mycohates parmeliae and Scheloribates sp. The other
group is terrestrial in character and associated with Cladonia

357

portentosa. This group consists of Carabodes mllmanni, C. mar-
ginatus, Zygoribatula exilis , Platynothrus peltifer, and Camisia
spp. The range of these two groups appears to overlap in Parmelia
saxatilis.

Very little information exists on the associations between
maritime lichens and oribatid mites. The only detailed studies are
those of Gjelstrup & S^chting (1979 and in litt.) from the island
of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. Certain parallels exist between the
species associations there and those on Great Cumbrae. Gjelstrup
& S^chting (in litt.) found Phauloppia lucorum to predominate in
Ramalina siliquosa, Anaptychia fusca and Lecanora atm; Phaulop-
pia coineau Trave 1961 in Ramalina siliquosa, Lecanora atra and
Haematomma coccineum; Mycobates parmeliae in Parmelia
saxatilis; Zygoribatula exilis in the moss Schistidium maritimum;
and Trichoribates trimaculatus (C.L. Koch 1836) in Xanthoria
parietina. On Great Cumbrae the main biotopes of Phauloppia
lucorum were in Xanthoria parietina, Ramalina siliquosa, Anap-
tychia fusca and Lecanora atra. Phauloppia coineau was not found
in this study despite dissections of the thalli of Ramalina siliquosa
following reports by Gjelstrup & S^chting (1979) that P. coineau
burrows into the spongy medulla .Mycobates parmeliae was found
mostly in Anaptychia fusca and Parmelia saxatilis; Zygoribatula
exilis in Parmelis saxatilis; and Ameronothrus maculatus in Xan-
thoria parietina. Thus it is demonstrated that, in broad terms,
certain associations between oribatid mites and maritime lichens
can, as Gjelstrup & S^chting (1979) suggest, be permanent and
widespread.

Acknowledgments

Thanks are extended to Mr D. Macfarlane, Commonwealth
Institute of Entomology for checking and identifying the
Oribatidae.

References

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BRADY, G.S. 1875. A Review of the British Marine Mites with descriptions
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CRICHTON, M.I. & WATERSTON, A.R. 1936. Arachnida, in Forrest et al.
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CHUMLEY, J. 1918. The Fauna of the Clyde Sea Area. Glasgow University
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FLETCHER, A. 1980. Marine & Maritime Lichens of Rocky Shores: Their
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GHILYAROV, M.S. & KRIVOLUTSKY, D.A. (eds) 1975. A Key to the
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GJELSTRUP, P. 1979. Ephiphytic cryptostigmatid mites on some beech
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GJELSTRUP, P. & S0CHTING, U. 1979. Cryptostigmatid mites (Acarina)
associated with Ramalina siliquosa (Lichenes) on Bornholm in the Baltic.
Pedobiologia 19: 237-45.

GJELSTRUP, P. & S0CHTING, U. (In press) Dominating Oribatid mites in
some lichens and mosses of maritime cliffs on Bornholm in the Baltic.
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GRANDJEAN, F. 1936. Les Oribates de Jean Frederick Hermann et de son
pere. Annls Soc. ent. Fr. 105: 27-110.

HALBERT, J.N. 1915. Clare Island Survey Section II. Terrestrial and Marine
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HAMMER, M. 1972. Microhabitats of oribatid mites on a Danish Woodland
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HULL, J.E. 1916. Terrestrial Acari of the Tyne Province. Trans . nat. Hist.
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KARPINNEN, E. 1958. Mitteilungen uber einige fur Finnland neue Oribati-
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MICHAEL, A.D. 1884-1888. British Oribatidae Vols. I & II. Ray Soc.,
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SCHULTE, G. 1976. Zur Nahrungsbiologie der Terrestrichen und Marinen
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360

Get to Know Scotland's Forests

PETER ROSS

Macdonald, Edinburgh 1982

160 pp. with 9 maps, 19 plates, numerous line drawings

Hardback £6.95 Paperback £4.95

This book written by a professional forester with a keen interest in outdoor
activities will be invaluable for planning holidays and outings. After a prelimi-
nary section outlining the history of forestry in Scotland and current forestry
practices, the book provides a detailed guide to the numerous walks, camp
and picnic sites, holiday houses, fishing sites, information centres, etc.
associated with Scotland’s forests. Addresses and telephone numbers of
“contacts” are given where necessary. Tourist items in the forest areas such as
castles and houses open to the public and wild-life parks are also included.

The final section is a brief, non-technical guide to the principal species
of forest trees and includes notes on their identification, history, location and
usage.

The text is well written, interesting and informative; production is
excellent and spelling mistakes are few. r m DOBSON

The Ecology of Whales and Dolphins

D. E. GASKIN

Heinemann 1982

459 pp. 46 monochroms plates. £25

The scope of this book, written by the Professor of Marine Biology at the
University of Guelph, Ontario, is much broader than its title suggests. In
tightly written individually documented chapters the author deals with dis-
tributional ecology, feeding, metabolism, social structure and behaviour,
zoogeography, population analysis and management and environmental
contamination and its significance to the Cetacea.

He also includes extended accounts of evolution and speciation of these
animals, a synonymic checklist, with common names of the world species and
a geographically subdivided summary of the best available estimates of
present populations of commercial species.

There is little comfort in this book for those who like to credit whales
and dolphins with near-human faculties, but for students of the Cetacea,
ecologists and those concerned with resource conservation this book will for
long provide a source of accurate and critically appraised information.

Gaps in our knowledge are clearly indicated and ecological and physio-
logical concepts with their attendant mathematics are explained with text-
book clarity. The author speaks his mind and pulls no punches when dis-
cussing either the vexed problems of international agreement on management
and harvest quotas or Man’s pre-occupation with short-term gain and political
expediency.

The bibliography is impressive with, including some duplication, over
1200 sources, drawn from many disciplines. The text is copiously illustrated
with clear line drawings, maps, graphs and flow charts. Typographical errors
are rare and print and binding are excellent. R, M. DOBSON

361

The Cladocera (Water Fleas) of the
Forth and Clyde Canal

C. R. DOUGHTY

Clyde River Purification Board, East Kilbride
Received June 1983

This paper lists the species of Cladocera recorded by the Clyde
River Purification Board (CRPB) from the Forth and Clyde
Canal over the period 1978-82. Details of distribution and rela-
tive abundance are given and possible reasons are suggested for the
localized distribution of some species.

The Cladocera are a suborder of small crustaceans ranging in
size from around 0.25 mm to 10.0 mm. They are almost exclu-
sively freshwater animals, inhabiting all types of standing or slow-
flowing waters from small temporary pools to large lakes. Maitland
(1977) lists 88 species as occurring in fresh waters in the British
Isles. Most Cladocera feed on detritus or microscopic algae, but a
few species are predacious. The Cladocera themselves fall prey to
fish, and invertebrate predators such as hydroids, naidid worms
and dytiscid beetles. In suitable habitats Cladocera may occur in
very large numbers e.g. Smirnov (1963) recorded 1.4 million
Chydorus sphaericus on 1 m2 of bottom and in the cubic metre of
water above. In spite of their importance in slow'moving or still
freshwaters, the Cladocera have received relatively little attention
in the Clyde area. The only comprehensive account of species
distribution remains that of Scott (1901).

The Forth and Clyde Canal

The canal was constructed in the 18th century to link the
Clyde Estuary at Bowling with the Forth Estuary at Grangemouth.
Since its closure to navigation in 1963, major changes have taken
place. One section of the canal near Grangemouth has been
infilled, other sections have been culverted, lock gates have fallen
into disrepair, and the urban stretches have been used as unofficial
rubbish dumps. On the positive side, the absence of boat traffic

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 4(1983)

362

and the lowering of the water level have encouraged the develop-
ment of a rich aquatic and marginal flora.

Responsibility for maintaining water quality in the 35 km
section of canal between Bowling and Banton rests with the CRPB.
Since 1972 the CRPB has regularly collected water samples for
chemical analysis. Water quality is generally good, although
significant variations occur between different sections of the canal.
The quality and volumetric input of the canal feeders are largely
responsible for determining water quality in the canal itself. The
Lenzie Feeder, which enters the canal at Kirkintilloch, has been
shown to be particularly important in this respect (CRPB, un-
published data). This feeder conveys water to the canal from the
Bothlin Burn, which is polluted by sewage effluent. As a result,
this section of the canal contains elevated concentrations of bio-
degradable organic matter, ammonia, nitrate, phosphate and other
dissolved salts. Another factor having a major influence on water
quality and which may well be related to the fertilizing effect of
the Lenzie Feeder is the prolific growth of duckweed ( Lemna
spp.) in the Kirkintilloch area. In recent years the accumulation
and subsequent decay of thick mats of duckweed have led to
serious oxygen depletion in certain stretches of the canal,
especially during late summer. Since 1981 however, the British
Waterways Board has reduced the flow of the Lenzie Feeder
whenever possible and this has led to a significant improvement in
water quality in the Kirkintilloch area. In addition the growth of
duckweed, and consequently the degree of oxygen depletion, have
been less than in previous years.

Methods

The microcrustacean fauna of the canal was sampled at 28
sites between Craigmarloch (NS 738773) and Bowling (NS
458731) from June 1978 to July 1982. In all, 190 samples were
collected. The samples were taken by sweeping the water with a
hand-held plankton net in a standardized manner. In addition, a
few samples were taken by pumping water from the canal and
filtering it through a plankton net. Samples were preserved in the
field by the addition of formalin. Samples were collected at all
seasons of the year, but most were taken between April and
November when the cladoceran fauna was at its richest and most
abundant.

363

Species list

Within families, species are listed alphabetically, the nomencla-
ture following Maitland (1977). The number in brackets follow-
ing the authority refers to the number of sites at which each
species was recorded.

Family Sididae

Diaphanosoma brachyurum (Lieven) (10) Frequent. Prior to 1982 this
species was restricted to Bowling and to the section of canal east of Kirkintil-
loch. In 1982 it was found to have extended its range westwards from Kirkin-
tilloch to Cadder.

Sida crystallina (Muller) (10) Frequent. Found only east of Kirkintilloch.

Family Daphniidae

Ceriodaphnia dubia Richard (3) Local and rare. Stockingfield Junction,
Lamb hill, Kilsyth.

Ceriodaphnia laticaudata Muller (11) Found only east of Stockingfield
Junction, but locally common, particularly in the Kirkintilloch area.

Ceriodaphnia pulchella Sars (24) Widespread and often abundant. The
most commonly encountered representative of the genus in the canal.

Ceriodaphnia quadrangula (Muller) (2) Local and rare. Lamb hill and
Bishopbriggs.

Ceriodaphnia reticulata (Jurine) (22) Widespread, but particularly com-
mon between Kirkintilloch and Stockingfield Junction.

Daphnia longispina (Muller) (19) Widespread and often abundant, espe-
cially between Kirkintilloch and Bishopbriggs.

Scapholeberis mucronata (Muller) (16) Frequent. Although now widely
distributed, this species was not recorded from the canal between Kirkin-
tilloch and Kelvindale prior to 1981. Since then it has spread westwards from
Kirkintilloch as far as Bishopbriggs.

Simocephalus expinosus (Koch) (18) Fairly widespread, but particularly
common between Kirkintilloch and Bishopbriggs.

Simocephalus vetulus (Muller) (28) Recorded at every site sampled, often
abundant.

Family Bosminidae

Bosmina longirostris (Muller) (15) Craigmarloch to Stockingfield Junction;
Bowling. Sometimes abundant. Includes the comuta and similis varieties.

Family Macrothricidae

Ilyocryptus sordidus (Lieven) (1) Found only at Craigmarloch. Frequent
in bottom sediment.

Family Chydoridae

Acroperus harpae Baird (18) Kilsyth to Kirkintilloch, Lamb hill to Bowl-
ing; frequent.

364

Alona affinis (Leydig) (14) Mainly Kilsyth to Kirkintilloch, Lamb hill to
Bowling; frequent. Recorded for the first time between Kirkintilloch and
Lamb hill in 1982.

Alona costata Sars (11) Kilsyth to Kirkintilloch, Kelvindale to Bowling;
uncommon.

Alona guttata Sars (15) Widely distributed; frequent.

Alona quadrangularis (Muller) (1) One specimen only, from Dalmuir in
November 1978.

Alona rectangula Sars (2) Local and rare. Found only at Kilsyth and
Bowling. Not recorded since 1980.

Alona weltneri Keilhack (1) One specimen only, from near Kirkin-
tilloch in September 1979.

Alonella nana (Baird) (2) Kilsyth area only; uncommon.

Camptocercus rectirostris Schodler (11) Kilsyth to Kirkintilloch, Temple
to Bowling; quite common.

Chydorus sphaericus (Muller) (26) Widespread and common.

Eurycercus lamellatus (Muller) (27) Widespread and common.

Graptoleberis testudinaria (Fischer) (24) Widespread and quite common.

Leydigia leydigi Schodler (1) One specimen only, from Glasgow Bridge
(near Kirkintilloch) in July 1982.

Oxyurella tenuicaudis (Sars) (3) Local and rare. Restricted to the Bishop-
briggs and Lamb hill areas.

Peracantha truncata (Muller) (28) Widespread and common. Found at
every site sampled.

Pleuroxus laevis Sars (25) Widespread and common.

Pleuroxus trigonellus (Muller) (26) Widespread and common.

Pleuroxus uncinatus Baird (4) Garscadden to Bowling; uncommon.

Pseudo chy dorus globosus (Baird) (19) Widespread but uncommon.

Family Polyphemidae

Polyphemus pediculus (L.) (20) Widespread, often abundant. Recorded
between Kirkintilloch and Bishopbriggs only since 1981.

Discussion

The Forth and Clyde Canal has a particularly rich cladoceran
fauna (33 species). There is little published information on the
Cladocera of other British canals: Fryer (1955) recorded 14
species from the Huddersfield-Ashton Canal; Galliford (1974)
found only six species in canals in the Manchester area. The author
(unpublished data) identified 25 species from the canal-like
Wicken Lode (Cambridgeshire) during 1976-7. The Forth and
Clyde Canal appears to have a rich cladoceran fauna compared
with other types of water body e.g. in the relatively well-studied

365

English Lake District, out of 36 lakes and tarns for which records
are given by Scourfield and Harding (1966), only Lake Winder-
mere with 35 species has a richer cladoceran fauna. Although the
number of species recorded from the canal may in part reflect the
intensity of the sampling programme, the diversity of the clado-
ceran fauna can be attributed mainly to the eutrophic nature of
the canal: the nutrient-rich waters promote the development of
a diverse aquatic flora which in turn provides shelter and, directly
or indirectly, an abundant food supply.

Cladoceran diversity was found to vary markedly along the
length of the canal. Excluding those sites which were sampled only
infrequently, the richest sites were generally found east of Kirkin-
tilloch (19-24 species) and the poorest (with the exception of
Lambhill) between Kirkintilloch and Temple (16-18 species).
Possible reasons for this difference are suggested below.

The species found in the canal may be divided into 3 groups
according to their distribution and abundance. The largest group
(14 species) were widely distributed throughout the canal over the
5 years of study: Ceriodaphnia pulchella, C. reticulata, Daphnia
longispina, Simocephalus expinosus, S. vetulus, Bosmina longiros-
tris, A Iona guttata, Chydorus sphaericus, Eurycercus lamellatus,
Graptoleberis testudinaria, Peracantha truncata, Pleuroxus laevis,
P. trigonellus, Pseudo chydorus globosus. All of these species
except for C. pulchella and S. expinosus were previously recorded
from the Clyde area by Scott (1901). According to Scourfield and
Harding (1966), C. pulchella, S. expinosus and B. longirostris have
a predominantly southern and eastern distribution in Britain. This
is presumably due to a preference for eutrophic waters, which are
more common in the south and east of Britain than in the north
and west. The occurrence of these 3 species in the Forth and
Clyde Canal illustrates that they may be found in abundance in
Northern Britain where there are suitable habitats.

The second group is made up of those 7 species that were
only rarely encountered in the canal: Ceriodaphnia dubia, C. quad-
rangula, Alona quadrangularis (described by Scott, 1901, as being
generally distributed and moderately common in the Clyde area),
A. rectangula, A. weltneri, Leydigia leydigi, Oxyurella tenuicaudis.
Of these, C. dubia, O. tenuicaudis and A. weltneri were not
recorded by Scott. All three were regarded by Scourfield and
Harding (1966) as being rare in Britain, particularly A. weltneri,
which was previously recorded only from Scarborough (Scourfield
1907). The occurrence of A. weltneri in the canal has been
reported earlier (Doughty 1980).

366

The remaining, and in some ways the most interesting group
(12 species), consists of species which were common or frequent
in the canal, but had distinctly localized distributions, at least
during part of the study period. Ilyocryptus sordidus, Alonella
nana and Pleuroxus uncinatus were restricted to short stretches of
the canal, the first two species to the Kilsyth area and the third to
the Clydebank and Bowling areas. The reasons for this limited
distribution are not readily apparent. According to Fryer (1968),
the ecological requirements of P. uncinatus are similar to those of
Pleuroxus trigonellus, a species widely distributed in the canal.
I. sordidus , a burrowing species, was found only in the vicinity of
the Craigmarloch Feeder. It is possible that its occurrence at this
site was in some way connected with the quality of the sediment
transported by the feeder and deposited in the canal. Ceriodaphnia
laticaudata was particularly common in the Kirkintilloch to
Bishopbriggs area i.e. that section of the canal typically having the
thickest and most extensive duckweed mats and a bottom
composed of black, anoxic mud seemingly derived largely from
duckweed decomposition. Dissolved oxygen concentrations under
these duckweed mats were often very low, even during the day,
and especially during late summer. Concentrations as low as 3%
saturation were recorded. According to the literature, C. laticau-
data is typically associated with this type of habitat, preferring
waters with abundant decaying vegetation (Pacaud 1939; Galliford
1953; Scourfield and Harding 1966; Flossner 1972). Two species
that were widely distributed in the canal ( Ceriodaphnia reticulata
and Simocephalus expinosus) also appeared to be more common
in this stretch of the canal than elsewhere. In contrast, 8 species
( Diaphanosoma brachyurum, Sida crystallina, Scapholeberis muc-
ronata, Acroperus harpae, Alona affinis, A. costata, Camptocercus
rectirostris, Polyphemus pediculus ) were not recorded from the
Kirkintilloch to Bishopbriggs area prior to 1981. The absence of
these species may have been due to pollution from the Lenzie
Feeder, or may have been related to the prevailing low dissolved
oxygen concentrations, or possibly the shading out of submerged
aquatic vegetation by the duckweed mats. In the case of S muc-
ronata, which is known to frequent the surface film (Pacaud
1939; Scourfield and Harding 1966; Flossner 1972) the presence
of a dense, continuous mat of floating duckweed may have
directly inhibited colonization. These factors could explain the
lower species diversity observed in this part of the canal. It is
interesting to note that during 1981-2, following an improvement
in water quality and a reduction in duckweed cover, D. brachyu-
rum, S. mucronata and P. pediculus spread to several sites in the

367

Kirkintilloch to Bishopbriggs area. In addition, A. affinis was
found at one site in the area in 1982. It remains to be seen
whether the improvement in water quality will be maintained and
whether the other four species will eventually colonize the area.

Acknowledgments

I wish to thank Mrs Sheena Fraser, Miss Marion Shields, Mrs
Barbara Wright (CRPB), Miss Jacqueline Clark (Bell College), Miss
Deborah Davis and Mr Peter Higgins (Chelsea College) all of whom
assisted with fieldwork. I am grateful to Mr D. Hammerton,
Director of the Clyde River Purification Board for permission to
publish this paper. The views expressed are those of the author
and not necessarily those of the Board.

References

DOUGHTY, C.R. 1980. A species of water-flea new to Scotland ( Alona
weltneri). Glasg. Nat. 20: 25-28.

FLOSSNER, D. 1972. Krebstiere, Crustacea. Kiemen-und Bluttfusser, Bran-
chiopoda, Fischlause, Branchiura. Tierwelt Dtl. 60: 1-501.

FRYER, G. 1955. A faunistic and ecological survey of the freshwater Crus-
tacea of the Huddersfield district of West Y orkshire . Naturalist, Hull 101-126.

FRYER, G. 1968. Evolution and adaptive radiation in the Chydoridae
(Crustacea: Cladocera): a study in comparative functional morphology
and ecology. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. (B) 254: 221-385.

GALLIFORD, A.L. 1953. Notes on the distribution and ecology of the
Rotifera and Cladocera of North Wales. N. West. Nat. NS. 1: 513-529.
GALLIFORD, A.L. 1974. Notes on the Rotifera and Crustacea of the canals,
reservoirs, ponds and the River Tame in the Audenshaw and adjacent
districts of Manchester. Publ. Lancs. Ches. Fauna Soc. 65: 17-22.
MAITLAND, P.S. 1977. A Coded Checklist of Animals Occurring in Fresh
Water in the British Isles. Institute of Terrestrial Ecology.

PACAUD, A. 1939. Contribution a Fecologie des Cladoceres. Bull. biol. Fr.
Belg. Suppl. 25: 1-260.

SCOTT, T. 1901. Crustacea. In ELLIOT, G.F.S., LAURIE, M. and MUR-
DOCH, J.B. (eds.) Fauna, Flora and Geology of the Clyde Area. Glasgow.
SCOURFIELD, D.J. 1907. An Alona and a Pleuroxus new to Britain ( Alona
Weltneri Keilhack and Pleuroxus denticulatus Birge). J. Quekett micro sc.
Club Ser. 2, 10: 71-76.

SCOURFIELD, D.J. & HARDING, J.P. 1966. A key to the British species of
freshwater Cladocera with notes on their ecology. Scient. Pubis. Freshwat.
biol. Tss. 5: (3rd ed.) 1-55.

SMIRNOV, N.N. 1963. On inshore Cladocera of the Volga water reservoirs.
Hydrobiologia 21: 166-176.

368

Short Notes

COMPILED BY A. McG. STIRLING

Invertebrates

Old Woodland Beetles at Kindrogan R. A. CROWSON

Kindrogan House, the property of the Scottish Field Studies
Association, is situated in a glen at about 270 m. above O.D. to
the east of Pitlochry, Perthshire. I had the opportunity of visiting
it in mid-November of 1980 with a reading party of students.
Soon after arrival I noticed an old estate map dated about 1770
showing a solid block of woodland to the south east of the house,
and was later able to visit the area, finding a surviving area of old
deciduous woodland, dominantly old or very old birch, with a
scattering of oak, ash and Scots pine. The beetles I collected in
this area included Leptusa pulchella (Mann.) {angusta (Aube) ),
Agathidium nigrinum Sturm, Hylecoetus dermestoides (L.),
Epuraea angustula Sturm, Glischrochilus 4-punctatus (L.), Corti-
caria impressa (Oliv.), Bolitophagus reticulatus (L), Chrysomela
aenea L. and Scolytus ratzeburgi Janson.

This association of species almost certainly indicates an old,
primary woodland site. The Leptusa was indicated as “very rare”
by Joy (A Practical Handbook of British Beetles, 1932), while the
Bolitophagus and the Scolytus in Britain appear to be restricted
to the old woods of the Scottish highlands. The vicinity of such an
area of native woodland is obviously valuable to the Field Studies
Centre; unfortunately the woodland does not belong to the SFSA,
though the owners put no restrictions on access to it by visitors to
Kindrogan. It is to be hoped that some arrangement can be made
to preserve native-type woodland on this site.

Beetles from Jed Forest R. A. CROWSON

The old forest of Jed, situated some distance up the Jed valley
from Jedburgh, was a noted hunting ground of Scottish kings.
During the 18th century it was finally “deforested”, passed into
private ownership and was largely clear-felled. There are still
remains of an old saw mill at Mossburnford, which probably
dealt with the last of the felled Jed Forest trees. There are, how-
ever, still significant areas of well grown oak woodland on the
steeper slopes both upstream and downstream from the sawmill

369

site. Two visits to these, on 6 June, 1980 and 30 July, 1980, pro-
duced a number of beetle species, more or less uncommon in
southern Scotland and apparently restricted to “primary” wood-
land sites — probably survivors, in fact, of the Jed Forest fauna.

Notable examples were the Leiodid Nargus anistomoides
(Spence), the Scydmaenid Microscydmus nanus (Schaum), the
Lucanid Sinodendron cylindricum (L.), the Ptinid Ptinus sub-
pilosus Sturm, the Melyrid Aplocnemus nigricornis (F.), the
Tetratomid Tetratoma ancora F., and the Curculionids Acalles
roboris Curtis and A. ptinoides (Marsh.), The Ptinus and Acalles
species are notable as being flightless at least in the female sex and
so with very limited powers of natural distribution. Of the Haploc-
nemus, my only other Scottish record is from another ancient
hunting forest, Dalkeith Old Oak Wood.

The areas in private ownership are being scheduled as Sites of
Special Scientific Importance by the Nature Conservancy Council,
to whom I am indebted for the first intimation that the sites
would repay investigation. Their natural history interest makes
them, in a sense, monuments of Scottish history.

A Stylopid in Glasgow R. A. CROWSON

There are very few published records of the beetle family Stylo-
pidae (still treated as an independent order Strepsiptera by many
authors) from Scotland, and almost cretainly none hitherto from
Glasgow. In mid-July 1980, a male of Elenchus tenuicornis
(Kirby) was caught in a suction trap just outside the northern
boundary of Dawsholm Park. The recorded larval hosts of this
species are species of the Homopterous family Delphacidae, a
number of which certainly occur in the Garscube estate. My only
other record of Stylopidae in Scotland is of females of Halicto-
phagus curtisi Curtis, in nymphs of another Homopteran, the
Cicadellid Eupelix cuspidata (F.) from Morroch Bay, Portpatrick,
Wigtownshire, in September 1974. It is likely that at least the
Elenchus will prove to be quite widespread in Scotland.

Records of Convolvulus Hawk Moth R. SUTCLIFFE

A Convolvulus Hawk Moth {Agrius convolvuli (L.) ) was dis-
covered in a greenhouse in Dunblane, Perthshire, during the fourth
week of August, 1983. After it had been positively identified, the
moth was released and flew off strongly into the night. It had
presumably been attracted by the scent of Nicotiana flowers, a

370

large number of which were in the greenhouse at the time. (Mr M.
Garrett-Cox)

Another recent record of the Convolvulus Hawk Moth comes
from the Dick Institute, Kilmarnock, where one was handed in
during October, 1982 after it had been found at a house in Kilmar-
nock. (Mr C. J. Woodward)

A migrant species, this moth is a fairly rare visitor to Scot-
land although it occurs on a regular basis in the south of England.
In 1982 approximately 180 sightings were reported for the whole
of Britain, of which only about a dozen were from Scotland.

Elephant Hawk Moth from the Sea I. C. CHRISTIE

The month of October, 1983 was notable for much wet and windy
weather. On the 20th I was walking down the Taynish shore of the
Linne Mhuirich below Tayvallich, Argyll (v.c. 101) when I noticed
a large pupa lying among the Zostera and seaweed cast up on the
turf. This proved to be an Elephant Hawk Moth ( Deilephila
elpenor L.). Presumably the larva had pupated in the bank near
the water’s edge and this had subsequently been eroded by the
waves. The pupa appeared to have been in the water for some
time, since several small pieces of seaweed were caught between its
abdominal segments. Despite its ordeal it was alive and
undamaged, and remains so at the time of writing (mid November).
Many pupae of this species must undergo inundation by fresh
water, but it is perhaps surprising that rough treatment in salt
water can also be tolerated. Had it been left lying exposed, this
one would soon have been picked up by a bird.

Birds

Wheatear entangled in wool J. MITCHELL

On 30 April, 1983, while walking the hillside above Fintry, West
Stirlingshire, my attention was drawn to the struggles of a small
bird hanging head downwards from the highest branch of a haw-
thorn tree. The bird proved to be a female Wheatear Oenanthe
oenanthe whose legs were held fast to the topmost twig by wisps
of sheep’s wool. On being released the Wheatear flew off
apparently none the worse for its experience. The danger of
entanglement in cast wool is well documented for wading birds of
agricultural land, in particular the Oystercatcher Haematopus

371

ostralegus , but much less is known of its occurrence in the smaller
ground-frequenting species.

(' Compiler's note Mr B. Zonfrillo reports the finding some
years ago of a Starling ( Sturnus vulgaris ) similarly entangled. He
is of the opinion that such mishaps probably occur occasionally,
particularly to birds which, like the Starling, frequently perch on
sheep in search of the parasites.)

The Origins of Whooper Swans in the Glasgow Area

B. ZONFRILLO

Whooper Swans Cygnus cygnus L. breed extensively over a wide
area of the Soviet Union in numbers unknown. In Europe some
400 individuals inhabit Sweden and Finland and in Iceland some
6000 or more birds have been counted. Only a small proportion of
these birds actually breed. In winter Whoopers move from their
northern haunts to winter in less hostile surroundings. On the
lochs around Glasgow Whoopers usually arrive during September
or October and depart by mid April.

The population wintering in Britain is reckoned to be around
2500 birds the majority of which are found in Scotland. In the
Glasgow area, the fields to the north of the city bordering the
River Kelvin and to the south, near Glasgow Airport, can at times
hold around 250 birds.

Whoopers bearing soft plastic inscribed neck collars have
been seen grazing at Inchinnan, Renfrewshire (v.c. 76) and at
Gadloch, Lanarkshire (v.c. 77). Enquiries have revealed that these
birds were marked in Iceland by a team of Danish ornithologists
studying their movements. The birds were caught during moult
when, for a short period, they are flightless. A dye marked bird at
Gadloch in spring had been caught at the Wildfowl Trust’s refuge
at Carlaverock, on the Solway, where it had wintered.

It is probable that the vast majority of Whooper Swans in
the Glasgow area are of Icelandic origin. It is worth recording that
a Bewick’s Swan Cygnus columhianus bewickii Yarrell, bearing a
colour ring put on at Slimbridge, Gloucestershire was observed at
Summerston in January, 1975 by T. P. Daniels and the writer.
This species breeds in the high arctic regions of Siberia and winters
regularly in southern Britain. Formerly it was commoner than the
Whooper Swan in the Glasgow area but it is now rather scarce with
only a few scattered records each winter. Whooper Swans from the

372

Soviet Union or Baltic areas have not as yet been recorded winter-
ing in the west of Scotland.

Mammals

A Specimen of the Common Porpoise MARGARET M.T. REILLY

The Zoology Section of the Hunterian Museum, Glasgow Univer-
sity, has recently been presented with a head of the Common
Porpoise Phocaena phocaena (tentative identification). The animal
was found on the shore at Diabaig, Loch Torridon, Wester Ross,
on the morning of 6 September, 1983. It was very freshly dead as
the muscle was still warm when dissected. Its lungs and liver were
heavily parasitised.

The specimen was found and the head presented by Dr J.
Roger Downie of the Zoology Department. The Veterinary
Anatomy Department of the University at Garscube has been
asked to prepare the skull for the Museum.

Dolphin in the River Clyde in Glasgow R. SUTCLILLE

A Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis was observed in the River
Clyde on 1 December, 1982. It was seen in Prince’s Dock and was
photographed jumping clear of the water by a photographer from
the Daily Record. A report appeared in that newspaper on 2
December, 1982. It is interesting to note that some barges were
towed up the river to just below the Kingston Bridge on 1 Decem-
ber. It is possible that the dolphin followed these barges up the
river.

Another dolphin (species undetermined) was sighted in Loch
Long between Ardentinny and Cove during the weekend of 23 -
26 September, 1983 by a Mr I. Tully of Cove.

An incomplete and worn skull of White Beaked Dolphin
Lagenorhynchus albirostris was found at Lendalfoot, Girvan on
the 26 September, 1983 by a Mr M. Sweeny. This was handed in
to Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow, where it was identified and has
since been added to the collection (Z 1983-221). Judging from the
size of the skull, it must have come from a fully-grown specimen
of about 9-10 feet long. Gibson (Western Naturalist 5, 22) states
that although this species is common in the Clyde he could only
trace three actual strandings. This skull would appear to represent
the fourth reported stranding for the Clyde area.

373

“ Daily Record

374

Flowering Plants

Carex x beckmannii in Ayrshire A. McG. STIRLING

In early July, 1978 the writer found a Carex of unfamiliar appea-
rance in sedge swamp on the margin of Loch Lochton, near
Lendalfoot, Ayrshire (NX 174924). In general morphology and
habit the plants seemed intermediate between Carex paniculata
and C. diandra , both of which occurred in considerable quantity
at the site. Fully developed utricles did not appear to have been
formed — a circumstance which often indicates hybridity in Carex ,
and it therefore seemed possible that this was Carex x beckmannii
Keck ex F. Schultz, the hybrid between the aforementioned
species. However, at this time the hybrid had not been reported
from the British Isles, although known from central Europe
(Stace. Hybridisation and the Flora of the British Isles . 1975), and
when the Loch Lochton specimens were sent to the British
Museum (Nat. Hist.) for a specialist opinion it was perhaps under-
standable that a positive determination was not forthcoming.

In 1981 specimens of a similar Carex , which had been found
in S.E. Yorkshire as long ago as 1960, were examined at the BM
by A.O. Chater and R.W. David and determined as C. x beck-
mannii (Crackles. Watsonia 14 , 275. 1983). This identification led
to a further examination of the Ayrshire material by these
specialists, and in March, 1983 this was also confirmed as C. x
beckmannii. This constitutes the first record of this hybrid from
Scotland. The same taxon has now also been reported from Ire-
land. It should be looked for elsewhere, particularly where the
putative parents grow in proximity.

Rhynchosinapis monensis in the Glasgow area A. McG. STIRLING

In the west of Scotland the Isle of Man Cabbage ( Rhynchosinapis
monensis ) is well known as a plant of sandy ground near the sea,
mainly in Ayrshire where it is a prominent member of the flora
in such habitats between Ayr and Irvine. Its occurrence in two
sites in the Glasgow area, presumably as an introduction, is less
well known and is worth putting on record. Both occurrences are
on the site of abandoned railway sidings which have been derelict
for many years. The first is an area to the east of Dawsholm Park
(v.c. 99) where I found a few plants in June, 1981. The second,
which is mentioned in another note in this journal (below) is on
similar ground close to Hyndland Station (v.c. 77) where it was
noticed in the summer of 1983. In both cases the soil is well

375

drained and therefore presumably an acceptable substitute for the
more normal sandy habitat of Rhynchosinapis. The species is a
biennial, and its ability to persist in these urban sites will depend
on successful seed production.

Three Flowering Plants New to Kintyre (v.c. 101)

B. H. THOMPSON

Geranium sylvaticum L. Ravine at the head of Allt Airigh
Sheileach, near Ormsary. Probably fewer than ten plants. Its
rarity in Kintyre is in contrast to its widespread occurrence in
Main Argyll (v.c. 98)

Crithmum maritimum L. Quite a strong colony broken up
into three or more separate units, on sea cliff at Rubha a’
Mharaiche, Mull of Kintyre. Probably unable to withstand the
depredations of the local wild goats as it is confined to virtually
inaccessible ledges.

Cicerbita macrophylla (Willd.) Wallr. Growing in some
quantity on the south bank of the Crinan Canal at Barnakill.
Probably a recent arrival. Suitable places along the canal are used
at times for tipping surplus materials. Identification confirmed by
D. McClintock.

(< Compiler's note. The recent discovery, by Dr E. Bignal, of
the Thyme Broomrape ( Orobanche alba) near the Mull of Kintyre
adds yet another very interesting species to the flora of this vice-
county.)

Unusual Assemblage of Adventives P. MACPHERSON &

at Hyndland, Glasgow A. McG. STIRLING

The occurrence of several interesting and uncommon adventive
plants on waste ground adjacent to Hyndland Station, Glasgow,
was first noticed by one of the authors (A.McG.S.) in the summer
of 1982. Among the commoner plants of such places there were
several of more rare occurrence. The latter included Hare’s-foot
Trefoil ( Trifolium arvense ), Creeping Cinquefoil ( Potentilla
rep tans), Field Bindweed ( Convolvulus arvensis) and Welted
Thistle ( Carduus acanthoides), all rather scarce plants in the
Glasgow area. A particularly striking feature was the presence of
large numbers of the Opium Poppy (. Papaver somniferum) in a

376

variety of colours, some of the plants having double flowers.
These were doubtless of garden origin.

In the summer of 1983 the area was again visited by both
authors and examined in more detail. This resulted in the dis-
covery of a surprising number of additional interesting species,
including Treacle Mustard {Erysimum cheiranthoides ), Isle of Man
Cabbage ( Rhynchosinapis monensis ), Bladder Campion ( Silene
vulgaris ), Oxford Ragwort {Senecio squalidus ), Small Toadflax
(Chaenorhinum minus ) and the North American Bent Grass
(Agrostis scabra). Perhaps the most interesting species were an
alien Cinquefoil {Potentilla norvegica ), Henbane {Hyoscyamus
niger), both of which occurred as single plants, and Large Hop
Trefoil {Trifolium aureum). In 1983 the Opium Poppy, although
still present, was much reduced in quantity and the plants poorly
developed.

It is interesting to speculate how such a collection of uncom-
mon species came to be together in this restricted area. Perhaps a
clue lies in the nature of the ground in the vicinity of the railway
lines. This, being composed largely of ballast and ash, is well
drained and likely to encourage plants with a preference for light
soils like the Isle of Man Cabbage and the Hare’s-foot Trefoil,
although these are far from their normal habitat on sandy ground
near the sea.

{Note: A pink-flowered form of Silene vulgaris is also
reported from near Hyndland Station by Dr J. H. Dickson).

Elatine hydropiper — a Recent Record C. NEWBOLD &

for the Lake of Menteith MARGARET PALMER

A field visit in September, 1981 established a new site for Elatine
hydropiper in Scotland at the Lake of Menteith (v.c. 87). We were
previously aware of the old record for Elatine hexandra and
Isoetes lacustris which Robert Kidston recorded in 1884 whilst
dredging off Inchmahome (Trans. Stirling Nat. Hist. & Arch. Soc.
6, 56 (1884). To this end we were searching sandy habitats to con-
firm the presence of E. hexandra and using established transect
lines dredged the Lake with a double rake to see if Isoetes lacu-
stris were also present. We were also conducting a more general
survey of the Lake.

We launched our boat at grid ref. NN 568010 by two fish
cages and patrolled the reed swamp edge lying to the east. We
immediately saw a bed of Elatine on a sandy substrate, 0.76

377

metres deep. The substrate was firm and the species was identified
as E. hydropiper. There were further frgamented beds of E.
hydropiper in a general area 5 metres long by 3 metres wide. These
beds ranged in size from 1 0 to 100 sq. cms.

A further visit in September, 1982 established the presence
of E. hydropiper in exactly the same area. The substrate however
was now fluid high in organic matter and less than ten populations
of a few individuals were recorded. The proximity of the fish cages
to this site may well have exerted some influence on substrate
type. The heavy rain during August could well have flushed
organic material from underneath these cages to the reedswamp
edge. The effect therefore may only be temporary.

Further searching located the largest colony of E. hydro-
piper found so far for this site at grid ref. NN 578010. The water
was extremely clear down to a depth of 1.5 metres despite the
rain. Some twenty or more beds ranging in size from 10 to 100
sq. cms, exceptionally 500 sq. cms., were recorded. They were
found at depths of 0.30 - 0.75 metres. The substrate was firm and
sandy and the largest beds were found close to the reedswamp
edge.

Suitable habitats around Inchmahome and the bay at grid ref.
NS 580997 were also searched. Elatine was not recorded. At no
time did we find E. hexandra. Isoetes lacustris was found in a
transect from grid ref. NN 576008 to the pier on Inchmahome,
grid ref. NN 575006.

Elatine hydropiper appears to be spreading across Central
Scotland. A simple mechanism such as the movement of wildfowl
from one site to another could explain its apparent recent
appearance at the Lake of Menteith.

The Flora of the Clyde Area

by JOHN R. LEE

The Society has for sale copies of “The Flora of the Clyde Area” by John R.
Lee (1933). This is still the only work of its type on the area and is now in
short supply. It contains a list of species found, with descriptions, localities
and keys for identification.

Unbound copies price £2; hand-bound copies price £4 (postage extra
50p per copy) from the Librarian, 664 Clarkston Road, Glasgow G44.

378

Book Reviews

A Guide to Edinburgh's Natural History Habitats
and Walks within the City Boundaries

Edinburgh Natural History Society 1982
127 pp with maps and figures
Hardback £6.95 Paperback £4.95

This attractive book deals with all aspects of the varied natural history,
including geology, of our capital city. Very informatively it gives detailed
routes for walks within the city. On the whole it does so authoritatively.

There are two figures of leaves and twigs of trees. These I find un-
satisfactory because of an unpleasant shakiness. The leaves of lime ( Tilia )
are unrecognisable. Nor do I think the drawings of grasses very helpful.
There is a useful list of reference books though I would include Alan Mit-
chell’s books on trees. The Excursion Flora (1959 — two editions since
then!) is not the “basic” work for identification of our flora. The Full Flora
(1962 — and now somewhat out-of-date) is that work. There are several
wrongly spelled formal plant names in the check-list.

However, these criticisms are more like quibbles than major points.
This is a book that all urban natural history societies would do well to
emulate. J.H. DICKSON

The Barn Owl

D.S. DUNN, A.B. WORBURTON & R.D.S. WILSON

T. & A.D. Poyser, Calton 1982

264 pp. 1 colour and 31 monochrome photographs. £12.60

This thorough monograph is the result of almost 40 years of fieldwork and an
extensive literature search; it includes chapters on breeding, feeding, distribu-
tion, and other aspects of a truly fascinating bird. The section on general
behaviour contains some amusing anecdotal material, and the occasional
tendency towards anthropomorphism can be excused as an expression of the
authors’ obvious affection for Barn Owls. A chapter on folklore helps to
make this book not only valuable as a reference work, but also highly read-
able. One slight criticism is that its explanation of the recent decline in Barn
Owls is not wholly satisfactory, being based on an understanding of the
species’ ecology which needs to be improved; hopefully further research will
help to answer this rather urgent question. However, the book is an excellent
compendium of present knowledge, superbly produced, and well worth

reading. IA1N p GIBSON

379

Collin's British Birds

JOHN GOODERS

Paintings by TERENCE LAMBERT

Collins 1982

384 pp. £12.95

As a companion to a pocket field guide this publication, describing nearly
450 birds, is an excellent buy at £12.95. The text, which is most comprehen-
sive, includes distribution maps and indicates approximate populations, etc.
of nearly 250 breeding birds. More than 130 occasional visitors are described
and painted as an aid to their identification. Perhaps the most interesting
section covers what the author terms introduced and escaped birds, which can
cause identification problems in natural habitats.

John Gooders is, of course, well known for his book “Where to Watch
Birds” and one chapter on habitats and reserves lists areas of ornithological
interest. Irish localities are also mentioned and will be of particular interest
at holiday time for ornithologists visiting new areas. Localities are divided
into R.S.P.B. reserves, bird observatories, major haunts of rarities, major
estuaries and reservoirs. I personally feel that listing areas where rarities occur
may cause rarities to become even more rare. The final chapter deals with
Birds and the Law, with which all ornithologists should be conversant.

Although most birds are illustrated in flight, there are quite a number
which are not, and I feel that this is a minor point which could be improved
on in future revisions. I was also surpirsed that there was no mention, under
habitats, of the S.W.T. Loch of Lowes Reserve where ospreys are readily
observed.

In conclusion, I have no hesitation in recommending that this book be
kept on the discerning ornithologist’s bookshelf. iaN C. McCALLUM

The Garden Bird Book

Editor: DAVID GLUE

Macmillan 1983

208 pp. £7.95

This book should be of value to anybody interested in bird-watching because
of its great variety of topics, ranging from how to build a nest-box to how
much energy a bird needs to survive the night. The book is filled with many
excellent drawings and photographs. The graphs are also of a very high
quality and are easily understood. The book is based on the B.T.O.’s Garden
Bird Feeding Survey and contains a lot of information on birds’ feeding,
including a comprehensive list of the preferred food-stuffs of a large selection
of species.

The editor, David Glue, has made an excellent job of compiling such a
large amount of information and I thoroughly recommend this book to any
bird-watcher. STEPHEN BELL

380

Proceedings 1982

The chairman, place*, and number present, lecturer’s name and institution,
title of lecture and note of any exhibits are given for each meeting.

*GMK: Glasgow Museum and Art Gallery, Kelvingrove.

UGBD: University of Glasgow Botany Department.

USMB: University of Strathclyde, McCance Building.

12 JANUARY. With Scottish Wildlife Trust and Glasgow Central Camera

Club.

Dr P. Macpherson, UGBD, 68.

Mr D. McEwan, Paisley Colour Photographic Club: Nature photographs
from the 13th Paisley International Colour Slide Exhibition.

Mr T. N. Tait was presented with the Bowie Medal for the best Scottish
entry.

9 FEBRUARY. Dr P. Macpherson, UGBD, 58. 52nd A.G.M.

Reports on activities during 1981 were read, elections were held (see
page 382) and appointments made by the Council were announced. The
report of the Council stated that there were 348 members (273
ordinary members, 33 family members, 9 junior members, 25 school
members and 8 honorary members).

There were 20 excursions during 1981 (8 botanical, 4 zoological, 2
ornithological, 2 geological, 1 botanical/ornithological, 1 botanical/
geological and 2 general).

Dr J. H. Dickson exhibited Aeonium tabulaeforme from Tenerife.
Two films were shown: “Highland Buzzard” and “Highland Eagle”
(Mr C. E. Palmar).

9 MARCH. Mrs A. Craib, UGBD, 49.

Members’ Photographic Night.

Exhibits: Darlingtonia califomica (Mr Christie);

Saxifraga xgeum ( S . hirsuta x umbrosa ) (Dr Macpherson);

A collection of fossils (Mr Lyth).

23 MARCH, Mr B. Zonfrillo, UGBD, 45.

Mr T. Daniels: Islands of Loch Sween.

Mr I. Gibson: The Bird Life of the Clyde Estuary.

Mr B. Zonfrillo: Conducted Tour of Mexico

13 APRIL, Mrs A. Craib, USMB,

Dr Rosemary A. H. Smith: Habitats and Plants in Perthshire.

11 MAY. Glasgow Botanic Gardens, 52.

Mr E. W. Curtis: The Botanic Gardens as a Resource Centre.

8 JUNE. Culcreuch Castle, Fintry, 54.

Natural History Social Evening.

381

11 SEPTEMBER. GMK.

Exhibition Meeting. Theme — Water.

Water plants from a loch Mr J. Lyth

Fungi Mr R. Hunter

Aquatic plants from Bute . Dr J. H. Dickson

Live fish and newts Mr Robert McFadyean

Freshwater mussels Mr F. R. Woodward

Plants on a pice of waste ground Mr A. McG. Stirling

G.N.H.S. Library Mr & Mrs I. C. McCallum

Garden birds Parks Department

Aquatic life in the River Kelvin Natural History Department

Mounted specimens of aquatic animals . . Natural History Department

Mosses and liverworts Natural History Department

Fresh and freeze-dried fungi Natural History Department

Following the Exhibition there were two lectures:

Mr R. A. R. Smith: Loch Lomond and its fish population.

Mr B. Davenport: The Forth and Clyde Canal — which way now?

12 OCTOBER. Mrs A. Craib, UGBD, 39.

Mrs Jean Millar: In the Steps of David Douglas.

6 NOVEMBER. With Botanical Society of Edinburgh and Botanical
Society of the British Isles UGBD.

Exhibition Meeting and Lecture:

Dr S. Halliday: Plant Life in N.E. Greenland.

9 NOVEMBER. Mrs A. Craib, UGBD, 59.
Mr F. G. Rodway: Butterfly Beauty.

Exhibit: a Chiidling Pink from Jersey (Dr Macpherson)

23 NOVEMBER. Mr A. A. Percy, UGBD, 22.
Geology Section Film Show.

7 DECEMBER. Mrs A. Craib, UGBD, 26.

Dr George Farrow, University of Glasgow: Marine Life in British
Columbia.

14 DECEMBER.

Annual Dinner Dance aboard S. V. Carrick. 52.

Era turn:

Volume 20, page 266, line 33

substitute: 10 NOVEMBER. Dr P. Macpherson, UGBD, 76.

382

President :
Vice-Presidents:

Officers and Council

SESSION XLXII 1982

Mrs Agnes Craib, M.A.

Mrs Ruth H. Dobson, M.Sc.

Peter Macpherson, M.R.C.P., F.R.C.R.,
D.T.C.D., F.L.S.

Miss M. G. Cuthill

Councillors:

Mrs Hilary Barker, B.Sc., M.Sc.

I. C. Christie

Mrs Joyce C. Coubrough

Iain C. McCallum

Prof. A. D. Boney, Ph.D., D.Sc.

T. N. Tait

John R. S. Lyth

Miss Margaret M. H. Lyth

General Secretary:
Treasurer:
Librarian:
Editor:

Conveners of Sections:

Richard Sutcliffe B.Sc.

Mrs E. L. S. Lindsay, M.B., Ch.B.

Mrs Ruth H. Dobson, M.Sc.

Eric W. Curtis, S.D.H., F.L.S.

Allan McG. Stirling (Botany)

Alfred A. Percy (Geology)

Bernard Zonfrillo (Ornithology)

F. Gerald Rodway (Photography)

I. C. Christie (Zoology)

Auditors:

E. L. Sharp, M.A.

E. T. Watt, B.Sc.

Trustees:

Alex R. Hill, B.Sc., Ph.D.

James H. Dickson, B.Sc., M.A., Ph.D.

Assistant Secretaries:

Alfred A. Percy (Bulletin)

Allan McG. Stirling (Excursions)

Peter Macpherson (Meetings)

Miss M. G. Cuthill (Minutes)

Mrs Agnes Craib (Social)

Iain C. McCallum (Publicity)

Richard Sutcliffe (Membership)

Robert G. Watson (Library)

Editorial Board:

The Editor

Alan C. Crundwell, B.A.

Ronald M. Dobson, M.A., Ph.D.

James H. Dickson, B.Sc., M.A., Ph.D.
Allan McG. Stirling

The Glasgow Naturalist

This publication is included in the abstracted and indexing coverage of
the Biosciences Information Service of the Biological Abstracts.

The following back numbers are available for purchase at the prices
shown (plus postage).

Volume II

(1909-10)

Parts 1, 2, 3, 4

Volume III

(1910-11)

Parts 1 , 2, 3, 4

Volume IV

(1911-12)

Parts 1, 2, 3, 4

£1 .50 each

Volume V

(1912-13)

Parts 1 , 2, 3, 4

Volume VI

(1913-14)

Parts 1 , 2, (3 + 4)

Volume VII

(1915)

Parts 1 , 2, 3, 4 i

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(1916-18)

Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 !

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(1937-38)

Parts 1 , 2

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(1940-44)

Parts 1 , 2, 3

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(1945-49)

Parts 1*, 2, 3 '

1 £1.00 each

Volume XVI

(1951-52)

Parts 1 , 2, (3 + 4)

Volume XVII

(1952-56)

Parts 1, 2+, 3, 4, 5, 6

Volume XVIII

(1958-71)

Parts 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, 64, 7
Parts 8, 9

£1.25 each

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£2.00

Volume XIX

(1973-79)

Parts 1 , 2, 3, 4

£2.00 each

Part 5

£2.50

Part 6

£4.00

Volume XX

(1980- )

Part 1, 2, 3

£4.00

*Part 1 contains (18pp) The Flora of Easter Dunbartonshire by J. R. Lee.
fPart 2 contains (18pp) Additions to the flora of the Gy de Area by
J. R. Lee.

4Part 6 (82pp) is a list of the less common Scottish Basidiomycetes by
D. A. Reid and P. K. C. Austwick.

Of the earlier journals, the only parts available are:

Annals of the Andersonian Naturalists ’ Society:

Volume IV Part 3 £1.00

Proceedings and Transactions of the Natural History Society of Glasgow:

Volume I
Volume II
Volume VI
Volume VII
Volume VIII

(1885-86) Parts
(1886-88) Parts 1
(1899-1901) Parts 1
(1904-05) Parts
(1905-08) Parts 1

£1 .50 each

Orders for any of the above and for copies of the current and future
issues should be addressed to the Librarian -

Mrs R. H. DOBSON,
664 CLARKSTON ROAD,
GLASGOW, G44 SYS.

iii

Printed in Scotland by Meigle Printers, Market Street, Galashiels

Contents

Page

269 Fungi of Skye. ROY WATLING

312 Naturalists in Glasgow No. 4: Wiliam Hunter

3 1 3 The Vascular Plants of Northern Ardnamurchan,
RUTH H. DOBSON

332 Plant Records from Bute, 1983. J. H. DICKSON

333 The History of Alder in the Campsie Fells.
DUNCAN A. STEWART

346 Book Reviews: “Green Planet: The Story of Plant Life on
Earth” and “Birds New to Britain and Ireland”

347 Oribatid Mites associated with Lichens on the Island of
Great Cumbrae. M. J. COLLOFF

360 Book Reviews: “Get to Know Scotland’s Forests” and
“The Ecology of Whales and Dolphins”

361 The Cladocera (Water Fleas) of the Forth and Clyde Canal
C. R. DOUGHTY

368 Short Notes compiled by A. McG. STIRLING

378 Book Reviews:
“The Barn Owl
Bird Book”.

A Guide to Edinburgh’s Natural History”,
, “Collin’s British Birds” and “The Garden

380 Proceedings

382 Officers and Council

Part 5
1984

The Glasgow Natural History Society
(formerly The Andersonian Naturalists of Glasgow)

The object of the Society is the encouragement of the study of natural history
in all its branches, by meetings for reading and discussing papers and
exhibiting specimens, and by excursions for field work. The Glasgow Natural
History Society meet at least once a month except during July and August,
in the University of Glasgow, the University of Strathclyde or the Glasgow
Art Gallery and Museum.

The present rates of subscription per annum are: for Ordinary Members,
£6; for Junior Members, £2.50; for Family Members, £2; and for School
Members, £1. Further information regarding the Society’s activities and
membership application forms are obtainable from the General Secretary:
Mr RICHARD SUTCLIFFE,

NATURAL HISTORY DEPARTMENT,

MUSEUM & ART GALLERY,

KELVINGROVE,

GLASGOW, G3 8AG.

The Glasgow Naturalist

Published by the Glasgow Natural History Society December 1984
ISSN 0373-241 X Price £4.00

Edited by R. M. Dobson

with the assistance of J. H. Dickson, A. McG. Stirling and I. C. Wilkie.

Contributions are invited, especially when they bear on the natural history
of Scotland. A note of information for contributors is available from The
Editor.

Smaller items are also welcome from members and others. These may cover,
for example, new stations for a species, rediscoveries of old records, addi-
tions to records in the Atlas of the British Flora , unusual dates of flower-
ing, unusual colour forms, ringed birds recovered, weather notes, occur-
rences known to be rare, interesting localities not usually visited by
naturalists. (The nomenclature of vascular plants should be as in Dandy,
List of British Vascular Plants , 1958 and its revision, 1969).

All communications on editorial matters should be sent to:

Dr R. M. DOBSON,

ZOOLOGY DEPARTMENT,

UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW,

GLASGOW G12 8QQ.

A limited number of advertisements can be accepted and enquiries should
be sent to The Editor.

Back numbers available are listed on the inside back cover.

ii

383

Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout
in Loch Fad and its Tributary, Woodend
Burn, Isle of Bute

M. J. PHILLIPS, G. H. MEIKLE,

M. C. M. BEVERIDGE and J. A. STEWART

Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling
Received March 1984

Rainbow Trout Salmo gairdneri Richardson were first introduced
into Scotland in 1885 (Worthington 1940) and since then have
become increasingly popular for restocking angling waters and fish
farming. Their widespread occurrence has not been reflected in the
occurrence of naturalised populations, however, as to date there
have been only two documented cases of Rainbow Trout breeding
in the wild in Scotland - in the Lake of Menteith (Stuart 1968)
and in a small lochan in Inverness-shire (Lever 1977). In spite of
this apparent lack of breeding success several large Rainbow Trout
have been caught in salmon nets off the east coast of Scotland
(Shearer 1975) and there have been some large escapes of Rainbow
Trout from fish farms into several Scottish lochs and rivers over
the past few years. Such occurrences have renewed concern over
whether the species is breeding and could pose any threat to the
native Brown Trout S. trutta L. This is not an unfounded concern
as Rainbow Trout are more aggressive than Brown Trout when held
in aquaria (McAuley 1984) and have been ousting Brown Trout from
several river systems in Ontario, Canada (Dodge pers. comm.). The
aim of the present note is to record another case of Rainbow Trout
breeding and provide some possibly reassuring evidence of the
resilience of a native Brown Trout population to a large invasion
of Rainbow Trout in a fresh water loch near the west coast of
Scotland.

The loch concerned is Loch Fad on the Isle of Bute (Latitude
55.48' - 55.49' N, Longitude 05.04' W; grid reference NS 07-61-)
which has been the site of a commercial Rainbow Trout cage farm
since late 1976. The loch has been periodically gill-netted and beach-

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 5 (1984)

384

Woodend Burn, electrofished at various times of the year since 1981 .
This fishing has revealed an abundant coarse and Rainbow Trout
fishery within the loch with ‘escapee’ Rainbow Trout dominating
the catches (Table 1). The partially eroded dorsal fin of cage-reared
Rainbow Trout makes them easily distinguishable from their wild
counterparts and the eroded condition of the fins of Rainbow Trout
caught in Loch Fad suggested that they were probably all escapees
and not derived from natural spawning.

No Brown Trout were captured in the loch by any of the
authors, although three Brown Trout were captured in fyke nets
set for eels by fish farm workers during this period. The largest of
these fish was a 6-year old male with a fork length of 500 mm which,
judging from scale characteristics, had spawned at least twice.

Loch Fad has been a ‘mixed’ coarse and Brown Trout fishery
since the beginning of this century (Gibson and Stephen 1976, Meikle
1982). In recent years, even before the establishment of the fish farm,
it has been dominated by coarse fish (Meikle 1982), which suggests
that the near absence of Brown Trout at the present time cannot
be due to the fish farm. The influence of farming operations and
fertilisation from the surrounding agricultural land could be a con-
tributory factor because salmonids are susceptible to eutrophica-
tion (Colby et al 1972). Brown Trout are also less tolerant of
nutrient-enriched conditions than Rainbow Trout (Frost and Brown
1967, Taylor 1978).

In contrast to the loch, Woodend Burn was dominated by 0 +
and 1 + age group Brown Trout (Table 1). Electrofishing between
September and December 1981 revealed young of the year (0 + )
Rainbow Trout in perfect condition. These fish were smaller than
any held on the fish farm at this time, confirming that Rainbow
Trout had successfully bred in the burn. The burn was also fished
between March and May 1983 and although some juvenile Rain-
bow Trout were captured these may not have been spawned in the
burn because similarly sized fish were held on the farm at this time.
Ripe mature female and male Rainbow Trout from fish farm stock
were captured in the burn during November 1981 and March 1983,
suggesting that there could be an extended run of Rainbow Trout
into the burn. Only two mature Brown Trout were ever caught in
the burn, a mature cock fish on 18th December 1981 and a spent
3-year old female on 28th November 1983.

The success of Rainbow Trout breeding in Woodend Burn is
useful to record because of the few records of the phenomenon oc-
curring either in Scotland or the rest of the U.K. (Frost 1974, Lever

Date of Fishing Rainbow Trout Brown Trout Roach Perch Pike

385

»n O

— < <N

GO i

m

m r

i

o o o

^ ir>
— ' 00 GO

^ M (N

O

0©

On _

- t, s

i; » 2
■° - >.

O <N

o o

o o

OG 1— *
m Tt

<N — ci
*o <N

*

m
oo oo
On On

G

<D

>

Q

3

03

S

C

<D

X)

S

03

S

m

oo

ON

z

H

a*

0>

T— <

vH

H

3

o

tH

o

ro

1

£Q

<D

Q

1

<D

i

JO

JO

X)

i

o

i

o

C

k*

<D

SO

G

Jm

*-h

4-*

S-l

<D

o

Oh

<

03

2

©

C/S

os

bD

03

5

ft

<L>

o

•“ 5

NO

OO

NO

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1

3

<

NO

<N

C/5

VO

Table 1: The total numbers of different species of fish captured in Loch Fad and Woodend Burn.

(* indicates that no data on coarse species are available for these dates.)

386

1977). Woodend Burn is fast flowing, well oxygenated, and has
mean pH 6.9, mean total hardness 33 mg l1 as CaC03(1981
values), and extensive gravel areas. Thus its physical and chemical
characteristics make it ideal for trout spawning, but not unusually
different from many other salmonid streams throughout Scotland.
The main reason Frost (1974) gives for the general lack of breeding
success is the presence of Brown Trout, because Brown Trout
naturally spawn earlier than Rainbow Trout and earlier hatched
Brown Trout are able to outcompete later hatched Rainbow Trout.
Rainbow Trout have therefore usually been found to breed suc-
cessfully only where Brown Trout are few or absent (Frost 1974,
Lever 1977). The success in Loch Fad agrees with this interpreta-
tion and it is possible that only autumn maturing Rainbow Trout
are spawning successfully because their alevins hatch earlier. Even
so, in spite of the numerical dominance of Rainbow Trout in the
loch, the lack of naturalised juvenile Rainbow Trout in the loch
and dominance of Brown Trout in the burn suggest that the Rain-
bow Trout are not particularly successful in breeding in Loch Fad
and, indeed, might not even form a self-sustaining population in
the absence of continuous stocking. However, if Rainbow Trout
do breed then the overall production of Brown Trout from the
stream must decrease because the two species feed on very similar
items (Meikle 1982).

Work is now continuing on Loch Fad and Woodend Burn to
monitor the development of any naturalised population, particular-
ly of any autumn spawning strain. Such a strain has been more suc-
cessful in eastern Canada (Dodge pers. comm.) and may be more
successful in Scotland in competing with the native Brown Trout.
Other research on the competitive relationships between the two
species in several Scottish waters is also continuing, because the
results have implications both for future stocking policies and any
future introduction of other exotic salmonids.

Acknowledgments

Thanks are due to I. Forbes and A. Flores-Nava for providing ex-
tra catch data for this note and to Mr T. Rae for allowing us to
fish in Loch Fad.

387

References

COLBY, P. J., SPANGLER, G. R., HURLEY, D. A. and McCOMBIE, A. M.
1972. Effects of eutrophication on salmonid communities in oligotrophic
lakes. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 29 : 975-983.

FROST, W. E. 1974. A survey of the Rainbow Trout (Salmo gairdneri) in Britain
and Ireland. London: Salmon and Trout Association.

FROST, W. E. and BROWN, M. E. 1967. The Trout. London: Collins.

GIBSON, T. A. and STEPHEN, A. 1976. The freshwater fishes of the Island
of Bute. Trans. Butesh. nat. Hist. Soc. 20 : 71-75.

LEVER, C. 1977. The Naturalised Animals of the British Isles. London: Hutchison.

McAULEY, I. 1984. Interactions Between Brown Trout (Salmo trutta) and Rain-
bow Trout (S. gairdneri). Unpub. B.Sc. Hons. Thesis. Univ. of Stirling.

MEIKLE, G. H. 1982. A Study of the Introduced Rainbow and Indigenous Brown
Trout Populations in the Afferent Streams of Loch Fad, Bute. Unpub. B.Sc.
Hons. Thesis. Univ. of Stirling.

SHEARER, W. M. 1975. Sea-going Rainbow Trout. Scott. Fish Bull. 42 : 17-18.

STUART, T. A. 1968. Studies on the Lake of Menteith. Dir. Fish. Res. Rep. 1968:
132-135.

TAYLOR, A. H. 1978. An analysis of the trout fishing at Eyebrook - a eutrophic
reservoir. /. Anim. Ecol. 47 : 407-423.

WORTHINGTON, E. B. 1940. Rainbows: a report on attempts to acclimatize
Rainbow Trout in Britain. Salm. Trout Mag. 100 : 241-260.

Acknowledgment

The Glasgow Natural History Society is indebted to the Royal
Society for the generous grant of £200 towards the cost of publishing
Volume 20, Part 4 (1983) of this journal.

388

Naturalists in Glasgow

No. 5: ROGER HENNEDY (1809-1876)

Born near Belfast, of Scottish parents, Roger Hennedy’s earlier working
life was spent as a block-cutter and lithographer in the textile printing trade.
His great love however was the study of botany which he pursued to such
effect that he became a lecturer in the subject, first at the Athenaeum in
Glasgow and later at the Mechanics Institute. In 1863 he was appointed
to the Chair of Botany in the Andersonian University and held the Pro-
fessorship there until his death.

He is best remembered by Glasgow naturalists as author of ‘The
Clydesdale Flora’ (1865) ‘a description of the flowering plants and ferns
of the Clyde district’.

The portrait is by his great friend William Simpson FRGS who also
contributed a very full and interesting biographical sketch of Hennedy
in the ‘In Memoriam’ edition of the Flora published in 1878.

389

The Peregrine Population in the Loch
Lomond - T rossachs Area of Scotland
Between 1961 and 1981: a Review

JOHN MITCHELL

Nature Conservancy Council, 22 Muirpark Way,
Drymen, Glasgow

Received May 1984

No avian predator has captured man’s imagination over the cen-
turies more than the Peregrine Falco peregrinus Tunstall. Peregrines
in the Loch Lomond-Trossachs area have a long and distinguished
lineage, for in the Middle Ages their ancestral eyries on the highland
fringe were a regular source of eyasses (young birds taken for train-
ing) for professional falconers in service to the Scottish Kings. The
Peregrine’s fortunes began to wane with the development of por-
table firearms, and dramatically changed with the advent of inten-
sive grouse rearing from the early 1800s. Once zealously protected,
the nobleman’s hawk came to be regarded as an unacceptable com-
petitor for the carefully nursed stocks of game. On all the sporting
estates the nesting pairs were ruthlessly destroyed, the Victorians’
passion for preserved specimens in the parlour and cabinet creating
a ready market for the many Peregrines trapped or shot. Despite
every gamekeeper’s and collector’s hand against them, scattered
pairs continued to linger on in the remoter regions, only to face
an even greater threat to their existence from a post- 1945 introduc-
tion into Britain of persistently poisonous agricultural pesticides.

The Study Area

The Loch Lomond-Trossachs study area comprises the former
counties of Dunbarton, Stirling and those parts of south-west Perth
southwards from Glen Lochy, Strath Fillan and Glen Dochart as
shown on the Ordnance Survey one-inch ‘Tourist Map’ of Loch
Lomond and the Trossachs (1979). The area covers some 900 square
miles (2330 km2), two-thirds of which is mountainous terrain
north of the highland line. The lowland portion is made up of more

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 5 (1984)

390

gently rolling foothills and improved agricultural ground. The
recorded history of Peregrines in the region prior to the first
national survey being undertaken in the early 1960s is contained
in two previous papers (Mitchell 1979, 1984).

National and Local Peregrine Surveys 1961 - 1981

In response to a request from the Home Office, the first na-
tional field census of Peregrines was carried out in 1961-62 by the
British Trust for Ornithology acting on behalf of the Nature Con-
servancy. The main objective of the enquiry was to ascertain whether
changes were taking place in the levels of occupation and breeding
success at known Peregrine territories/nesting sites throughout Great
Britain. The results of the two-year survey, together with earlier
information available, showed clearly that a rapid decline in both
the number of nesting pairs and breeding success had taken place
from about 1955. In 1961, of 431 Peregrine territories visited, 173
(40%) were apparently deserted. Successful pairs (young reared) were
recorded in only 82 (19%) of the 431 territories examined. In the
following year, of 488 territories visited, 247 (50%) were apparently
deserted. Successful pairs were recorded in only 68 (13%) of the
488 territories examined (Ratcliffe 1963). The decline continued into
1963, with only 38% of a sample 137 territories visited found to
be occupied, and successful nests recorded in only 10% (Ratcliffe
1965). In the 1961-62 national enquiry report and subsequent papers,
the author presented convincing evidence to connect the un-
precedented decline in Peregrine numbers and breeding success with
the post-war introduction of a particular group of synthetic
agricultural pesticides. This group of organochlorine insecticides
proved persistent long after application, exhibiting a very low rate
of degradation and remaining virtually unchanged in the soil for
a number of years. As the result of feeding on contaminated
granivorous and insectivorous prey species, Peregrines were not only
at risk of death due to secondary poisoning, but even with low levels
of pesticide residues the birds were subject to physiological and
behavioural changes, including infertility, the laying of eggs with
abnormally thin shells, and parental damage to the eggs during in-
cubation (Ratcliffe 1970).

During the course of the 1961-62 national Peregrine survey,
13 known territories in the Loch Lomond-Trossachs area were
checked by observers on at least one occasion. Nine territories proved
to be occupied, eight of these by potential breeding pairs.

391

Unfortunately, the information collected on breeding success was
too incomplete to draw definite conclusions in either year (D. A.
Ratcliffe pers. comm.).

The writer’s study of Peregrines in the Loch Lomond-Trossachs
area began three years later in 1965, but up to and including 1970
only a sample number of territories were examined in any one
season. The records available suggest that the lowest ebb in local
breeding success occurred in 1967, with only two young (two singles)
being reared in six territories examined that year. From 1968 on-
wards, both territory occupancy and breeding success began slow-
ly to improve. Fifteen territories in the study area were visited dur-
ing the second national Peregrine census undertaken in 1971, the
examinations producing 11 nesting pairs, a single bird and three
apparently deserted sites. Nine of the 1 1 nesting pairs were successful
and 18 + young birds eventually flew, giving a mean brood size of
at least 1 *64 young per territorial pair.

Throughout Great Britain as a whole, 726 Peregrine territories
were visited in 1971 . Of these, 341 (47%) were found to be occupied
and successful pairs were recorded in 157 (22%). The improvement
shown in territory occupation and breeding success in Britain since
the sample national survey of 1963 was still far from satisfactory,
but it did represent the first instance of a partial recovery in a declin-
ing Peregrine population following the world-wide introduction and
use of organochlorine pesticides (Ratcliffe 1972).

After the almost complete survey in 1971, sample censusing
of Peregrines in the Loch Lomond-Trossachs area was resumed for
the next two years. Less than half the known territories were ex-
amined in either season, with a definite bias on the writer’s part
towards visiting only those sites where ‘positive’ results were an-
ticipated from past form. From 1974 onwards the study was adopted
as a Nature Conservancy Council regional project, and with addi-
tional field-work being undertaken by Don and Bridget MacCaskill
comprehensive cover began to be achieved. With Peregrines conti-
nuing to expand throughout the study area, the small group of field-
workers was augmented by Patrick Stirling-Aird from 1978. The
third national survey of Peregrines was carried out in 1981 , by which
time the number of occupied territories in the Loch Lomond-
Trossachs area had increased significantly to 35, 31 of these by
potential breeding pairs. Twenty of the 31 pairs bred successfully,
rearing a total of 40 young. A resume of the survey group’s recorded
observations between 1974 - 1981 is presented in Table 1.

392

Table 1 Territory Occupation and Breeding Success of the Peregrine
recorded by counties in the Loch Lomond-Trossachs area,
1974 - 1981

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

South-west Perthshire

1.

P/Y3

P/Y3

P/Y2

P/Y2

P/Y3

P/Y2

P/Y2

P/F

2.

P/F

P/Y3

P/Y3

P/Y2

P/Y2

P

P/Y3

P/Y3

3.

P/Y4

P/Y4

P/F

P/Y2

P/Y2

P/Y2

P/F

P/Yl

4.

P/Y4

P/F

P/Y2

P/Y3

P/F

P/Y2

P/Y4

P/F

5.

P

S

P

P/Y2

P/Y4

P/Y2

P/Y2

P/Y2

6.

P/Y3

P/Y3

P/F

S

P/F

P/Y2

P/Y3

P/F

7.

P/Yl

P/Y3

P/F

P/Y2

P

P/Y2

P/Y2

P/Y2

8.

P/F

P/Y3

P/Y2

P/F

P

P/F

P/Y2

P/Yl

9.

P

P/Y3

P/Y2

P/Y2

P/Y2

P/Y3

P/Y3

10.

S

AU

P

P

P/Y2

S

S

11.

P/Y2

P/Y3

P/Y2

P/F

P/F

P/Yl

12.

P/Y2

P/Yl

S

P/F

P/F

13.

P/Y3

P/Y3

P/Y3

P/Y3

14.

P

P/Y2

P/Y2

P/Yl

15.

P

S

P

P/Y2

16.

S

P/F

P/Yl

P/Y3

17.

S

P

Stirlingshire

18.

P/Y2

P/F

P/Y3

P/F

P/Y3

P/F

P/Y4

P/Yl

19.

S

U

S

P/Y2

P

P/F

P/Y4

P/Y3

20.

S

—

S

U

S

S

P

P/F

21.

P/F

P/Y3

P/Y3

P/F

P

P/Y2

P/Yl

22.

S

U

U

U

u

P/Yl

P/Y2

23.

P/F

P/F

S

24.

P/Y4

25.

P/F

26.

P

27.

S

Dunbartonshire

28.

P/Y2

P/Yl

S

P/Y3

P/F

P/F

S

P/Y2

29.

S

P

u

P

P/F

U

S

S

30.

P

u

U

U

P

P/Y3

P/F

31.

P/Y2

P/Y2

P/Y2

P/Y2

32.

P/Y2

P/Y4

P/Yl

33.

P/Y2

P/Y2

34.

P

P/F

35. P

393

Number of pairs

holding territory

10

13

12

16

21

22

26

31

Number of pairs
breeding
successfully

7

7

8

12

10

12

19

20

Number of young
reared

19

20

20

28

24

25

49

40

Mean brood size per
territorial pair

1.90

1.54

1.67

1.75

1.14

1.14

1.88

1.29

Notes to Table 1

1. Key:

U

S

P

P/F

P/Y

No information

Territory apparently unoccupied
Single bird only

Pair present, but no evidence obtained of
breeding

Pair bred, but nest failed (natural causes
and human interference)

Pair successful (at least one young reared)
and number of young that apparently flew

2. Two deserted Peregrine sites - Dumbarton Rock and Abbey
Craig by Stirling - have been excluded from the table figures. Since
these sites were last occupied in the 19th century, the character of
both has been significantly altered by urban and/or industrial
development.

3. Not included in the total of 225 young reared in the eight-year
period 1974 - 1981 are a further 10+ young taken by falconers,
both legally and illegally.

Nationwide, three-quarters of 1058 Peregrine territories examined
in 1981 proved to be occupied, 703 by pairs. Throughout the coun-
try the nesting season was adversely affected by prolonged cold and
wet weather over the incubation to fledging period, yet almost half
of the territorial pairs were successful in rearing young (Ratcliffe
1984).

394

Contamination by organochlorine residues

In 1961, an addled egg collected from a Peregrine’s eyrie in
central Perthshire was found on analysis to contain residues of
several organochlorine insecticides (Moore and Ratcliffe 1962). Since
then sample Peregrine eggs have been taken (under licence) each
year in Britain to monitor levels of pesticides and measure egg-shell
thickness. Peregrine corpses have been examined for pesticide
residues since 1963. The three toxic substances most commonly
found in British Peregrines and their eggs have been DDE (the
metabolite or break-down product of DDT and the main causative
agent in egg-shell thinning), Dieldrin and PCBs (see Appendix 1).

It is only by chance that a dead or dying Peregrine is found
and becomes available for organochlorine analysis. In the study area
the first Peregrine corpse to be recovered was a male bird in April
1971 near Stirling. On examination by the Nature Conservancy’s
Toxic Chemicals and Wildlife Section at Monkswood Experimen-
tal Station, the liver of the bird proved to contain 9.2 ppm (parts
per million) of Dieldrin residues, the highest level of this exceptional-
ly toxic insecticide recorded in a British Peregrine at that time
(Ratcliffe 1972). Two years later, a male and female Peregrine were
picked up between February and April 1973 not far from a regularly
occupied breeding site in Strathendrick, West Stirlingshire. Analysis
at the Department of Veterinary Pharmacology, University of
Glasgow, showed Dieldrin levels in the liver of 17 • 3 and 43 • 9 ppm
respectively, the amount in the brain alone - 6-8 and 16*4 ppm
- being considered sufficient to have caused their deaths (Bogan
and Mitchell 1973). Such concentrations of Dieldrin were completely
unexpected in a district not principally given over to cereal produc-
tion. Later enquiries, however, produced reports of the unorthodox
use of the insecticide against the turnip flea beetle in the local cultiva-
tion of swedes. Two events combined to raise Dieldrin levels brief-
ly in the mid-1970s. The first was the intimation by the Govern-
ment and manufacturers of the withdrawal of Dieldrin, which un-
doubtedly led to hoarding as distributors disposed of held stocks.
The second was a sharp rise in the prices of animal feed-stuffs, par-
ticularly barley, encouraging stock rearers to grow a higher percen-
tage of their own requirements. The result was a noticeable increase
in the ploughing of semi-permanent grassland, some of which had
not been turned over for a good many years. This old grassland
required heavy initial chemical treatment to control wire-worm and
other ground pests, and in most cases the effective Aldrin-based
insecticides (which readily convert to Dieldrin by chemical oxidation

395

in the soil) were used for this purpose. As the individually held stock-
piles of Dieldrin were used up, the residue levels found in Peregrines
and their eggs decreased accordingly. This was exemplified by a
fourth Peregrine, a female, picked up in October 1978 on the
periphery of the same territory as the heavily contaminated pair
in 1973, which was shown on examination at the Department of
Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland to have only 0*39 ppm
Dieldrin in the liver tissue.

The number of Peregrine eggs collected for analysis in any one
season is small, in most cases depending on the chance availability
of addled eggs from the more regularly visited sites. Relatively few
eggs have been collected in the Loch Lomond-Trossachs study area,
but the results obtained from their examination have generally mat-
ched other chemical analyses and measurements of shell thickness
carried out at the Department of Veterinary Pharmacology, Univer-
sity of Glasgow, on eggs taken from inland Peregrine sites elsewhere
in south-west Scotland. Figures for south-west Scotland presented
by Ratcliffe (1972) show a gradual decrease in the levels of DDE
residues found in Peregrine eggs during the 1960s, following a reduc-
tion in the use of DDT-based products. A corresponding improve-
ment in egg-shell thickness occurred over the same period. This trend
continued in south-west Scotland throughout most of the 1970s,
resulting in a complete recovery in the mean shell thickness before
the end of the decade (J. A. Bogan pers. comm.). Yet egg breakages
were still being recorded. Randomly taken fresh eggs from one Stirl-
ingshire eyrie in 1977 and 1979 had shells of normal thickness, yet
the remainders of their respective clutches were found to be broken
at a subsequent check. Instances such as this add weight to the argu-
ment that structural weakness of the shell has not been the only
cause of the many Peregrine egg breakages reported in Britain and
elsewhere over the last thirty years. At sub-lethal levels,
organochlorines have also been held responsible for aberrant
behaviour observed in nesting Peregrines. Ratcliffe (1970) gives an
example of a female seen scraping at the eyrie after the eggs had
been laid, a disruption in the normal sequence of ledge scraping
- egg laying - egg incubation with inevitable disastrous results.

In the late 1970s, an increasing dependency by agriculturists
on DDT products became evident once more. As the result of a
severe infestation of leather jackets, an upsurge in the use of DDT
as sprays and in pelleted seeds of fodder crops began in the coun-
ties of Perth and Stirling in early 1978. With the wet summer and

396

autumn that followed, the infestation of leather jackets spread, and
again the use of DDT sprays and baits was officially recommend-
ed as the most effective treatment. This resumption of DDT use
on a larger scale was reflected by an increase in DDE residue levels
and a reduction once again in mean shell thickness in the sample
of Peregrine eggs obtained from the Loch Lomond-Trossachs area
and south-west Scotland in 1980 and 1981 (J. A. Bogan pers.
comm.).

Tests for PCBs (industrial pollutants) in the Clyde marine
sediments and benthic fauna (Halcrow et al. 1974) indicate that since
the 1950s significant quantities of these compounds have been
dumped with sewage sludge in the Firth of Clyde. A wide variation
in the levels of PCB residues have been found in Peregrine eggs
taken from the study area and inland sites in south-west Scotland,
probably reflecting individual birds’ taste for gulls which commute
daily/seasonally in large numbers from the Clyde estuary, or those
Peregrines which spend time on the coast outwith the breeding
season.

Post-1974 response to decrease in use of organochlorine pesticides

Between 1971 and 1974 the Loch Lomond-Trossachs Peregrine
population appears to have remained relatively stable. Although
three new territories had been located in the intervening years, the
total number of potential breeding pairs present and young reared
per annum stayed much the same. Over the course of the next seven
years (1975 - 1981) the number of known pairs holding territories
in the study area more than trebled, excluding those sites apparently
held by only single birds (Table 1). Wherever the distribution of
territorial pairs was not limited by lack of suitable nesting cliffs,
the most common distance between occupied sites by 1981 was three
miles (4.83 km). The inclusion of several outlying eyries in the
lowland region gave a mean minimum distance between occupied
sites of 3.16 miles (5.1 km) — one of the highest densities of
Peregrines in Britain at the present time.

Between 1974 and 1981, 225 young were reared to the fledg-
ing stage (Table 1), at least another ten being taken (legally and
illegally) for falconry purposes. Figures available on Peregrine mor-
tality/population recruitment in Britain as a whole, based partly
on ringing data and partly on life-tables for commoner birds of prey,
suggest an annual requirement of 1 • 2 young per potential breeding

397

pair to sustain a stable population (D. A. Ratcliffe and C. J. Mead
pers. comm.)* Despite three rather poor breeding seasons (1978,
1979, 1981) in the Loch Lomond-Trossachs area, mainly due to
adverse weather conditions, an average of 1 - 5 young per annum
was reared for each territorial pair during the intensive study period
(Table 1). It has been this small but regular surplus of young that
has led to the progressive re-occupation of long deserted breeding
sites.

Despite the Peregrine’s success the need for continued monitor-
ing remains. The marginal surplus of young most years could all
too easily become an annual deficit in the face of a sustained
resurgence in the use of organochlorine pesticides, resulting in a
slow but steady decline in the population again as recruitment fails
to equal adult mortality. The recent renaissance in DDT use is cause
for particular concern.

Acknowledgments

The Nature Conservancy Council-backed annual survey of
Peregrines in the Loch Lomond-Trossachs area of Scotland was
made possible only through the courtesy extended by private
landowners, Strathclyde Regional Council Water Department and
the Forestry Commission.

As local organiser, I am particularly grateful to Don and
Bridget MacCaskill and Patrick Stirling-Aird for undertaking
systematic field work in the northern and eastern portions of the
study area. Also to the many other Peregrine enthusiasts who sub-
mitted supplementary observations over the years. Special mention
must be made of the necessary climbs to unobservable eyries taken
on by John Mason and a small team of rope-handlers.

For the chemical analyses and shell-thickness measurements
of Peregrine eggs collected in the study area and south-west Scotland
during 1974 - 1981 lam indebted to Dr Jim Bogan of the Depart-
ment of Veterinary Pharmacology, University of Glasgow.
Throughout the project, the encouragement and helpful discussion
provided by Dr Derek Ratcliffe, Chief Scientist of the Nature Con-
servancy Council, was greatly valued.

398

References

BOGAN, J. A. and MITCHELL, J. 1973. Continuing dangers to Peregrines from
Dieldrin. Br. Birds 66 : 437-439.

HALCROW, W., MACKAY, O. W. and BOGAN, J. A. 1974. PCB Levels in
Clyde Marine Sediments and Fauna. Marine Pollution Bulletin 5 : 134-136.

MITCHELL, J. 1979. Peregrines and Man in the Stirling Region. Forth Naturalist
and Historian 4 : 75-85.

MITCHELL, J. 1984. Peregrines and Man in Dunbartonshire. West Dunbarton-
shire Naturalist's Report 6 : 5-10.

MOORE, N. W. and RATCLIFFE, D. A. 1962. Chlorinated hydrocarbon residues
in the egg of a Peregrine Falcon from Perthshire. Bird Study 9 : 242-244.

RATCLIFFE, D. A. 1963. The status of the Peregrine in Great Britain. Bird Study
10 : 56-90.

RATCLIFFE, D. A. 1965. The Peregrine situation in Great Britain 1963-64. Bird
Study 12 : 66-82.

RATCLIFFE, D. A. 1970. Changes attributable to pesticides in egg breakage fre-
quency and eggshell thickness in some British birds. J. appl. Ecol. 7 : 67-1 15.

RATCLIFFE, D. A. 1972. The Peregrine in Great Britain in 1971. Bird Study
19 : 117-156.

RATCLIFFE, D. A. 1984. The Peregrine breeding population of the United
Kingdom in 1981. Bird Study 31 : 1-18.

Peregrine falcon

(from Saunders, H. 1899. An Illustrated Manual of British Birds. Gurney and Jackson.)

399

Appendix I

DDE The main breakdown product of DDT, an insecticide made
available for agricultural, horticultural and industrial use
after 1945. Following recommendations from the Advisory
Committee on Poisonous Substances used in Agriculture
and Food Storage, some restrictions on the uses of DDT
were introduced by the Government in 1971, but it is still
available for use against a variety of invertebrate pests.
Its metabolite DDE is still toxic. DDE has been experimen-
tally shown to inhibit calcium metabolism in birds, even
at very low concentrations, and it would appear to be the
principal causative agent responsible for the unprecedented
shell thinning in Peregrine eggs that occurred from 1947.

Dieldrin One of a group of agricultural insecticides introduced in
the mid-1950s. Especially effective against wireworms, car-
rot fly and wheat bulb fly, it is very toxic to vertebrates.
With eventual recognition of the acute toxicity of Dieldrin
to many forms of wildlife, voluntary restrictions on its use
during spring sowing came into effect from 1961, there-
after its application being mainly confined to autumn-sown
wheat. Opposition to the use of Dieldrin continued, and
in 1973 the Advisory Committee announced that follow-
ing consultations with Government and Industry it had
recommended the complete withdrawal of Dieldrin-based
seed dressings. Dieldrin was taken off the British market
in 1975, but it should be noted that Aldrin (which
metabolises to Dieldrin in animals and the soil) is still readi-
ly available.

PCBs Polychlorinated Biphenyls are by-products of the produc-
tion of plastics and have a wide range of industrial uses
in, for example, paints, polishes and adhesives. Follow-
ing the discovery of widespread contamination by PCBs,
the manufacturers banned their external use from 1971.
Today, PCBs are mainly associated with the marine en-
vironment through effluent discharge into estuaries and
sludge-dumping into the sea. PCBs have low toxicity, but
appear to be a component cause of embryonic and chick
mortality in wild birds.

400

Book Reviews

Enjoying Ornithology

RONALD HICKLING

T. and A. D. Poyser, Calton, Staffs., 1983, 296 pp.,
many maps, graphs and line drawings, £13.

Fifty years ago the British Trust for Ornithology came into being to research and
study seriously the birds of Britain. Leading ornithologists of the day helped set
up and organise amongst other things surveys of ‘harmful’ species such as Rooks,
migrants such as Swallows and more general surveys of woodland birds. All of
which were, for their time, innovative and revealing. Ringing of species in vast
numbers, such as the Gannet (the BTO’s emblem) led to a more complete knowledge
of the species away from the breeding grounds. In more modern times, the Atlas
of Breeding Birds is perhaps the culmination of the Trust’s work in promoting
cooperative and popular research in ornithology.

All of these aspects are reviewed in this book which is, in fact, a composite
of many aspects of work engendered by the Trust. The book’s sub-title is ‘A
Celebration of Fifty Years of the British Trust for Ornithology 1933-1983’ and
the ‘celebration’ takes the form of many varied literary contributions, all having
the common thread of BTO support.

The table of facts and figures on bird ringing at the end of the book highlights
the value of long term studies in ornithology. All in all the book is an immensely
interesting and readable work, well worth the £13.00 it costs, b. ZONFRILLO

Fair Isle’s ‘Garden Birds’

JOHN HOLLOWAY

Shetland Times Ltd., Lerwick, 1984, 159 pp., many
paintings, £18.00

To the ornithologist who may travel long distances to ‘tick’ new species, Fair Isle
must be some sort of Valhalla. How wonderful it must be to be able to see such
birds as Great Grey Shrike, Black Redstart, Wryneck and Gyr Falcon in your own
garden!

Mr Holloway, who ran the Fair Isle shop from December 1977 to October
1983, built up a collection of colourful field sketches of the island birds. These
are delightfully reproduced here and include several species not previously illustrated
in British bird books.

Part 1 comprises a diary of birds seen from the shop. I like the account of
a bluethroat which spent the day at his compost heap on 3 October 1983.

Part 2 deals with birds seen elsewhere on the island. Here are depicted such
exotics as the Red-flanked Bluetail and Cretzschmar’s Bunting and there is an
interesting plate detailing heads of buntings.

Part 3 gives notes on sightings by other households in the island and each
entry has a thumbnail sketch of the appropriate house. These make good reading;
one contribution from John and Betty Best writes of teasing the assistant warden
by telling him that their cat had orange feathers sticking out of its mouth when
the enthusiasts were hunting the Baltimore Oriole.

In conclusion, a delightful book.

IAN C. McCALLUM

401

The Harry Slack Memorial Collection:
a new Resource for Loch Lomondside

COLIN E. ADAMS

University Field Station, Rowardennan
Received August 1984

Descriptions of Loch Lomond tend to be sprinkled with superlatives:
it has the largest surface area of any loch/lake in Britain; it is the
third deepest loch in Scotland (Tippett 1974); it is arguably the most
beautiful, certainly the most easily accessible, and consequently the
most heavily frequented major water body in Scotland.

In addition to its size, beauty and accessibility, Loch Lomond
has one further feature which makes it unique amongst Scotland’s
larger lochs. As a result of having been bisected by the Highland
Boundary Fault, Loch Lomond has a dual character (Slack 1957).
The basin to the north of Loch Lomond is deep (180m), long and
narrow, steep-sided and relatively nutrient-poor (oligotrophic). The
catchment is mountainous rough grazing and forestry. The south
basin, on the other hand, is shallow (18 m), short, broad and relative-
ly nutrient-rich (mesotrophic) (Maitland et al. 1981). Here the
catchment is lower lying, with much of the land having been im-
proved for agricultural use.

One consequence of this division of the loch and the surroun-
ding countryside by the fault is that Loch Lomondside offers a range
of habitats for study, with widely differing characteristics, not just
in geology but also in climate and topography of the catchment bet-
ween the extremes of north and south of the area (see Idle 1974).

With this range of habitats to be found in the Loch Lomond
catchment it is not surprising that Loch Lomondside can boast a
diverse fauna and flora (e.g. Smith et al. 1981), many of the species
not normally being seen in the same proximity. It is here that the
southern limit of range of some cool climate species is found, next
to the northern limit of some more southerly species, because on
Loch Lomondside the cooler, wetter, windier, Highlands meet the
warmer, drier, Central Lowlands.

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 5 (1984)

402

For example, the Moss Campion Silene acaulis (L.) (Idle 1974)
and the moth, Scotch Argus Erebia aethiops (Esper) (Heath 1970)
are both upland species whose range is interrupted south of the
Highland Boundary Fault.

Southern species whose range extends no further north than
the 10- 5°C minimum July isotherm which cuts the loch in two, in-
clude such species as the Bur Marigold Bidens cernua L. and the
Wood Stitchwort Stellaria nemorum L. (Idle 1974).

The diversifying effects of the meeting of the Highlands and
the Lowlands on Loch Lomondside is further enhanced by the close
proximity of the loch to the sea. The river Leven connects Loch
Lomond to the Clyde estuary, only 13 km away. Thus the Flounder
Platichthys flesus (L.), principally an estuarine species, is counted
amongst the already large number of species of fish to be found
in the loch (Maitland, Smith and Adair 1981).

Should this enormous diversity of species and habitat types not
be enough to whet the appetite of amateur naturalist and profes-
sional scientist alike, there is now another resource available that
aims to promote further interest in the studies of Loch Lomond.

The Harry Slack Memorial Collection was founded in July 1983
when the University Field Station at Rowardennan obtained a grant
from the Manpower Services Commission to employ one full-time
and two part-time scientific staff, a field worker and two administra-
tion staff.

The brief of the staff employed on the project was to collect
and present a comprehensive collection of the aquatic and terrestrial
flora and fauna of the areas of Loch Lomondside most often fre-
quented by students and visiting research workers.

As an adjunct to the collection itself, it was decided that each
specimen should be documented as fully as possible and that basic
environmental data should be monitored. This included, for exam-
ple, a regular regime of monitoring the pH, conductivity and
oxygen concentration of aquatic sites and the rainfall and
temperature of terrestrial sites.

Other work being done by the project staff includes the com-
pilation of a bibliography of scientific publications concerning the
Loch Lomond area and the construction of keys for identification
of local species.

The collection is being indexed on standard Museum Documen-
tation Association, Natural History Index Cards and the specimens

403

are catalogued in a manner that is compatible with the Hunterian
collection housed in Glasgow University. Indexing is duplicated on
a Tandy microcomputer with a “floppy disc” storage system for
ease of access. A retrieval programme allows cross-referencing of
specimens with respect to taxa, method of capture, date of capture
and location. Thus, for example, a species list can be produced in-
stantly for a particular trapping method at a particular site.

The collection is being housed as two distinct parts: 1) the
Reference Collection, which consists of a voucher specimen collec-
tion stored in taxonomic order and 2) the Teaching Collection which
is stored by habitat type or collection method and consists of a larger
range of specimens to demonstrate morphological variation, unusual
specimens and ecological themes.

The collection has been named after the first director of the
University Field Station, the late Dr H. D. Slack, to commemorate
his work on freshwater ecology on Loch Lomondside which has
stimulated and encouraged many researchers and students in their
studies on the loch.

Since the inception of the project, the number of staff has been
increased. There is now a total scientific staff of six, plus two techni-
cians, a field worker and a secretary, a sure sign that the value of
the work being done has been recognised.

Access to the collection is available to professional and amateur
naturalists with an interest in the flora and fauna of Loch Lomond-
side. It is the hope of all the staff on the project that the collection
will help to promote future scientific interest in this unique area
by providing a useful tool for researchers and teachers studying Loch
Lomond.

Anyone interested in using the collection, or in finding out more
about it, should contact Dr R. Tippett at the University Field Sta-
tion, Rowardennan.

404

References

HEATH, J. 1970, Provisional Atlas of the Insects of the British Isles. Part 1 . The
Biological Records Centre N.E.R.C. Publishers, Huntingdon.

IDLE, E. T. 1974. Botany. In: A Natural History of Loch Lomond. University
of Glasgow Press: 24-34.

MAITLAND, P. S., SMITH, B. D., ADAIR, S. M. 1981. The Fish and Fisheries.
In: The Ecology of Scotland's Largest Lochs (Ed. P. S. Maitland). Dr W.
Junk Publishers, The Hague : 223-253.

MAITLAND, P. S., SMITH, I. R., BAILEY-WATTS, A. E., SMITH, B. D.
and LYLE, A. A. 1981. Comparisons and Synthesis. In: The Ecology of
Scotland’s Largest Lochs (Ed. P. S. Maitland). Dr W. Junk Publishers, The
Hague : 253-285.

SLACK, H. D. 1957. Studies on Loch Lomond. Blackie and Son, Glasgow.
SMITH, B. D., MAITLAND, P. S., YOUNG, M. R. and CARR, M. J. 1981.
The Littoral Zoobenthos. In: The Ecology of Scotland’s Largest Lochs (Ed.
P. S. Maitland). Dr W. Junk Publishers, The Hague : 155-205.
TIPPETT, R. 1974. Introduction. In: A Natural History of Loch Lomond. Univer-
sity of Glasgow Press : 7-11.

405

Syrphidae and Dolichopodidae
(Diptera) from Jura

IAIN MACGOWAN

40 Hamilton Street, Tillicoultry, Clackmannanshire
Received May 1984

The dipterous fauna of the Inner Hebrides has received little study
in the last sixty years. The only previously published records of
Diptera on Jura (V.C. 102, South Ebudes) were in Grimshaw’s
Diptera Scotica (1914-16) and in a short note by Coe (1941). The
Diptera Scotica series was a landmark in insect recording in Scotland
drawing together many of the captures of the enthusiastic Victorian
collectors. The section on the Western Isles was published between
1914 and 1916 in the Scottish Naturalist and the Jura records are
based entirely on a collection made on the island by J. Waterston
in September 1907. The paper by Coe (1941) makes reference to
a specimen of the syrphid Eristalis abusivus taken on Jura by J.
E. Collin but no date of capture is given.

During the period 24 May to 4 June 1982 two Malaise insect
traps were operated near Ardlussa on Jura by D. Horsfield. The
first trap was situated on an area of open grass at grid reference
NR650878 whilst the second was in an area of birch and rhododen-
dron at NR650877. The insect catches from the traps were preserv-
ed in alcohol and later given to the Royal Scottish Museum in
Edinburgh.

Grimshaw (1914-16) records 16 species of Syrphidae
(Hoverflies) and 12 species of Dolichopodidae (Long-legged flies)
collected by Waterston on Jura, to which Coe (1941) adds one syr-
phid species. The results of the Malaise trap collections in 1982 have
added a further 14 species of Syrphidae and 8 species of
Dolichopodidae to the list for Jura.

Table 1 shows the number of dolichopodids caught in the
Malaise trap on the open grass and the birch and rhododendron
scrub along with the species taken by Waterston.

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 5 (1984)

406

The three most abundant species of Dolichopodidae caught in
the Malaise traps were Dolichopus pennatus, D. discifer and D.
popularis which accounted for 36-2%, 30*5% and 24*5% respec-
tively of the total.

As would be expected for the Dolichopodidae, which as a family
mainly occur in damp grassland areas, 76-6% of the total were
caught in the Malaise trap on the grass whilst only 23*497o of the
total were caught in the wood. There were however two species which
occurred more frequently in the wood, Dolichopus discifer and Her-
costomus aerosus. All of the dolichopodids caught in the traps have
a widespread distribution in the British Isles.

The total number of syrphids recorded from Jura now stands
at 31 , and these are listed in Table 2. Operation of the traps in late
May and early June enabled early species, not found by Waterston
in September, to be added to the list. Most of the species recorded
are common throughout the British Isles, although Melangyna arc-
tica and Trichopsomyia flavitarsis are more common in Scotland
than elsewhere.

Acknowledgment

I would like to thank Dr. M. R. Shaw of the Royal Scottish
Museum who kindly gave me access to the insect collection from
Jura.

References

COE, R. L. 1941. Distribution of Eristalis abusivus Collin (Dipt., Syrphidae) in
the British Isles, with notes on the female. Entomologist’s mon. Mag. 77:
130-131.

COE, R. L. 1953. Diptera. Family Syrphidae. Handbk Ident. Br. Insects 10(1):
1-98.

FONSECA, E. C. M. d’ASSIS. 1978. Diptera, Dolichopodidae. Handbk Indent.
Br. Insects 9 (5) : 1-90.

GRIMSHAW, P. H. 1914-1916 Diptera Scotica. 6 The Western Isles. Scott. Nat.

1914 : 204-213, 234-236, 258-262; 1916 : 115-119, 134-138.

KLOET, G. S. and HINCKS, W. D. 1976. A checklist of British insects (2nd edi-
tion), pt. 6 Diptera and Siphonaptera. Handbk Ident. Br. Insects 1 1 (5) :
1-139.

STUBBS, A. E. and FALK, S. J. 1983. British Hoverflies. An Illustrated Iden-
tification Guide. London : Br. Entomological Nat. Hist. Soc.

407

Table I

Dolichopodidae recorded on Jura. (Nomenclature after Kloet and
Hincks 1976.)

May-June 1982 September 1907
SPECIES (Horsfield) (Waterston)

Grass Birch

Argyra argent ina (Meigen) -

Argyra diaphana (Fabricius) 4

Argyra leucocephala (Meigen) 1

Campsicnemus loripes (Haliday) -

Dolichopus atripes Meigen -

Dolichopus discifer Stannius 36

Dolichopus lepidus Staeger 6

Dolichopus nubilis Meigen -

Dolichopus pennatus Meigen 95

Dolichopus plumipes (Scopoli) 21

Dolichopus popularis Weidemann 60
Dolichopus simplex Meigen
Her cost omus aerosus (Fallen) 6

Hercostomus cupreus (Fallen) 12

Hydrophorus balticus (Meigen) -

Hydrophorus nebulosus Fallen 4

Hypophyllus obscurellus (Fallen)
Rhaphium crassipes (Meigen) 6

Sympycnus desoutteri Parent 12

Syntormon pallipes (Fabricius) 3

50

7

9

18

4

2

1

7
1

1

2

2

4

3

3

1

8

408

Table II

Syrphidae recorded on Jura. (Nomenclature after Stubbs and Falk 1983.)

SPECIES May-June 1982 September 1907

(Horsfield) ( Water st on)

Dasysyrphus tricinctus (Fallen)

+

—

Epistrophe grossulariae (Meigen)

-

+

Eristalinus sepulchralis (Linnaeus)

-

+

Eristalis abusivus* Collin

—

—

Eristalis arbustorum (Linnaeus)

-

+

Eristalis pertinax (Scopoli)

+

+

Eristalis tenax (Linnaeus)

-

+

Helophilus pendulus (Linnaeus)

+

-

Lejogaster metallina (Fabricius)

-

+

Leucozona glaucia (Linnaeus)

-

+

Melangyna arctica (Zetterstedt)

+

-

Melangyna lasoiphthalma
(Zetterstedt)

+

Melanostoma mellinum (Linnaeus)

-

+

Melanostoma scalere (Fabricius)

+

+

Meliscaeva cinctella (Zetterstedt)

+

+

Metasyrphus corollae (Fabricius)

+

-

Metasyrphus latifasciatus (Macquart)

+

-

Neoascia podagrica (Fabricius)

+

-

Parasyrphus punctulatus (Verrall)

+

-

Platycheirus albimanus (Fabricius)

+

-

Platycheirus clypeatus (Meigen)

+

+

Platycheirus scam bus (Staeger)

+

-

Platycheirus scutatus (Meigen)

+

-

Rhinghia campestris Meigen

+

-

Sericomyia lappona (Linnaeus)

+

-

Sericomyia silent is (Harris)

+

+

Syr it a pipiens (Linnaeus)

-

+

Syrphus ribesii (Linnaeus)

+

+

Syrphus torvus Osten-Sacken

-

+

Syrphus vitripennis Meigen

-

+

Trichopsomyia flavitarsis (Meigen)

+

— '

* Recorded by Coe (1941)

409

Predation by the Arctic Charr on the
Three-spined Stickleback and its Nests
in Loch Meallt, Skye

RONALD N. B. CAMPBELL

Department of Zoology, University College, Cork,
Republic of Ireland.*

Received February 1984

Introduction

The Arctic Charr ( Salvelinus alpinus (L.)) is generally regard-
ed as being a fish of deep cold mountain lochs where it feeds on
zooplankton. This view is, however, an artefact of the situation in
the British Isles where until recently all the populations of Arctic
Charr known co-existed with at least one other fish species of similar
size, usually the Brown Trout {Salmo trutta L.). In 1974 an Arctic
Charr population co-existing only with the Three-spined Stickleback,
( Gasterosteus aculeatus L.) was found in Loch Meallt on the Isle
of Skye and the diet of this population was compared with that of
an Arctic Charr population co-existing with Brown Trout in Loch
Fada, North Uist by Campbell (1976). The Loch Meallt Charr pro-
ved to have a trout-like, bottom-feeding diet unlike the zooplankton
diet of the Arctic Charr of Loch Fada and elsewhere where they
co-exist with Brown Trout (Campbell 1982). A similar variation in
the diet of Arctic Charr in the presence and absence of Brown Trout
is well known in Scandinavia (Nilsson 1955). A particularly in-
teresting feature of the diet of the Charr in Loch Meallt is their
predation on the Three-spined Stickleback and its nests. The former
has only been recorded once before in the British Isles (Darling and
Boyd 1969) and the latter does not appear to have been recorded
before in these islands.

* Present address: Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, 78 Craighall Road, Edinburgh
EH6 4RG.

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 5 (1984)

410

The Loch and Methods

Detailed accounts of Loch Meallt and of the methods used
to obtain fish are given in Campbell (1982). The loch is eutrophic,
8.2 ha in area, with a maximum known depth of 3m, and is situated
in a rock basin on top of an exposed sea cliff at 51m above sea
level. Its outflow runs for only 15m before falling vertically over
the cliff. The loch was netted three times in 1975; in April (6 fish),
May (77) and August (11). Stomachs were preserved in formalin
and the percentage composition of diet index (Jones and Hynes 1955)
was used to record the contents.

Results

Fig. 1 shows the change in diet between the spring (April
and May) and the August samples. The most obvious difference
is in the amount of Sticklebacks eaten, which could be due to change
in the sizes of these available to the Charr in the different seasons.
In spring only larger, mature Sticklebacks are present in the loch
and these were only common in the diet of Charr exceeding 190mm
in length. In August, however, when many young-of-the-year
Sticklebacks were present they were common food for Charr ex-
ceeding 150mm. In spring, Sticklebacks up to 58mm in length were
eaten, but in August only young ones of 20mm or so were found
in Charr stomachs.

Fig. 2 shows how the diet of the Charr changed with their
increasing size in the May sample (77 fish), the proportion of
Sticklebacks eaten increasing at the expense of other food types to
be over 50% for the largest size class. These large Charr ate either
only Sticklebacks or the small gastropod, Potamopyrgus jenkinsii
Smith; no stomach contained remains of both.

The presence of Stickleback spawn in the diet raises the ques-
tion of whether the Charr eat stray ova lost during Stickleback
spawning or actually raid the nests. These ova are small, about
1 -0mm in diameter and are found in very large numbers in some
Charr stomachs, one of which contained 140. It is unlikely that a
Charr would be able to find and pick up that number of stray ova.
In one Charr two distinct batches were found, one in the stomach
of undeveloped ova, the other in the gullet of “eyed” ova. The fact
that the latter had reached this stage indicates that they had been
fertilised and this only occurs inside Stickleback nests. It

411

Fig. 1 The change in the diet of Arctic Charr in Loch Meallt from spring
to late summer. The numbers of fish in each sample are in brackets.

Benthic prey
( inc. Spawn)

Sticklebacks

Mid-water
& Surface prey_

Zooplankton

Percent Composition of Diet

Fig. 2. The change of diet of Charr in the May sample with increasing
size , indicated by length in cm. The numbers of fish in each size class are
in brackets.

( 9 )

412

appears therefore that Charr do raid nests for their spawn. Only
Charr less than 180mm had eaten spawn and of these only one also
contained adult Stickleback remains. This could indicate that
breeding Sticklebacks either do not defend their nests to the death
or are too large for the small Charr that eat spawn to eat them.

Discussion

Predation by Charr on Three-spined Sticklebacks has only
been recorded once before in the British Isles, in Loch Borralie in
Sutherland (Darling and Boyd 1969) where the Charr, although sym-
patric with Brown Trout, are not restricted to a zooplankton diet
as is usual in the British Isles for such populations (Campbell 1982).
This unusual situation is probably due to the restriction of trout
numbers by poor spawning (Campbell 1961). Elsewhere, when Arctic
Charr, Brown Trout and Sticklebacks are found together, as in Loch
Fada, North Uist, it is the Trout that are the Stickleback predators
(Campbell 1976). The defensive spines of Sticklebacks do not ap-
pear to deter the Loch Meallt Charr, a number of which had the
pelvic spines of Sticklebacks deeply embedded in the walls of their
stomachs.

There are no previous records, it appears, of Charr in the
British Isles preying on Stickleback spawn, but Frost (1951) found
that Charr in Lake Windermere fed on their own eggs at spawning
time. She did not regard this as nest-raiding, but as the picking up
of stray ova during communal spawning. There is at least one
reference to the predation by Arctic Charr on the eggs of Three-
spined Sticklebacks in North America (in Greenbank and Nelson
1959).

Most British Charr are small, probably because they come
from zooplankton-feeding populations that co-exist with Brown
Trout, and Steinbock (1950) showed that a zooplankton diet stunts
the growth of Charr. Sticklebacks, however, should be excellent
food, since Varley (1967) states that the best diet for fish is other
fish, the proteins of such prey requiring the minimum amount of
rearrangement for absorption. A fish diet is known to greatly in-
crease the growth of Brown Trout (Campbell 1979). There is, in fact,
a claim of a 1*4 kg Charr having been caught in Loch Meallt
(MacKenzie 1930) which would be the largest known British Arctic
Charr if confirmed. Given the unusual and beneficial diet of the
Charr in the loch, such a record size is quite possible.

413

Acknowledgments

I should like to acknowledge with gratitude the permission to
work in Loch Meallt given by the Department of Agriculture and
Fisheries for Scotland and the netting of the May sample of this
study by the Fisheries Management Section of the Freshwater
Fisheries Laboratory, Pitlochry.

References

CAMPBELL, R. N. 1961. The growth of Brown Trout in Acid and Alkaline

Waters. Salm. Trout Mag. 161 : 47-52.

CAMPBELL, R. N. 1979. Ferox Trout, Salmo trutta L. and Charr, Salvelinus
alpinus (L.) in Scottish lochs. J. Fish Biol. 14 : 1-29.

CAMPBELL, R. N. B. 1976. Examinations of, and Comparisons between, the
Food of two Hebridean Populations of Charr (Salvelinus alpinus (L.) ), one
Allopatric, the other Sympatric with Trout (Salmo trutta L.). Hons, thesis,
Dept, of Zoology, Univ. of Aberdeen.

CAMPBELL, R. N. B. 1982. The food of Arctic Charr in the Presence and Absence
of Brown Trout. Glasg. Nat. 20 : 229-235.

DARLING, F. F. and BOYD, J. M. 1969. The Highlands and Islands London:
Collins.

FROST, W. E. 1951. Some Observations on the Biology of Charr of L.
Windermere. Internat. Assoc. Limnol. 11 : 105-110.

GREENBANK, J. and NELSON, P. R. 1959. Life history of the Threespine
Stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus Linnaeus in Karluk Lake and Bare Lake,
Kodiak Island, Alaska. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fishery Bulletin 153.

JONES, J. W. and HYNES, H. B. N. 1955. The Food of Freshwater Sticklebacks.
J. Anim. Ecol. 19 : 59-73.

MACKENZIE, W. 1930. Iochdar Trotternish. Glasgow : MacLaren.

NILSSON, N-A. 1955. Studies on the Feeding Habits of Trout and Charr in North
Swedish Lakes. Rep. Inst. Freshwat. Res. Drottningholm 36 : 163-225.

STEINBOCK, O. 1950. Probleme der Ernahrung und des Wachstums bei
Salmoniden. Schweiz. Fisch Ztg 58 : pts 3 and 4.

VARLEY, M. E. 1967. British Freshwater Fishes London : Fishing News (Books)
Ltd.

414

Book Review

The Puffin

M. P. HARRIS

T. and A. D. Poyser, Calton, Staffs., 1984, 224pp.,
24pp. monochrome plates, 47 figs., 20 tables. £12.60

The Puffin probably vies with the Robin as Britain’s best-known bird; even a child
of two can recognise it readily! Anthropomorphically it is top of the bird pops,
with its bizarre bill yet grave expression. But for every person who has seen a Robin,
far fewer have seen a Puffin, for its summer-time nesting cliffs are, with few ex-
ceptions, remote from the normal haunts of normal men (this excludes Mike Harris
and his likes) while in winter it takes to the open seas and, unless storm-bound
or oiled, remains far from the shore.

Our bird, the Atlantic Puffin ( Fratercula arctica (L.) ), is found not only in
Britain but breeds as far north as the Canadian Arctic, Greenland, Spitzbergen,
and Novaya Zemlya and as far south as Maine, Brittany and the Channel Islands.
While much of the enormous and laboriously-gathered detail in the book deals
with in-depth studies in two Scottish colonies - the 40,000 pairs on Dun, one
of the St. Kilda colonies - and the Isle of May, where the 1982 figure was around
10,000 pairs - Dr. Harris, with labour comparable to his fieldwork, draws freely
on other studies from U.S.A., Newfoundland, Iceland, Norway, the Murmansk
coast of Russia, and Wales. It was in Wales that the pioneer work of Ronald
Lockley on Skokholm and on Skomer before and after World War 2, culminated
in his monograph Puffins in 1953. Dr Harris’s book 31 years later complements
these pioneer studies.

One chapter is on Puffin morphology - its external features; appearance
in winter and when immature; sex; weight and moult. Its numerous specialisa-
tions are described; for example, its wings are adapted to act as paddles under-
water as well as for aerial flight.

The distribution of colonies in Britain is dealt with comprehensively. Excellent
maps of the Scottish mainland and the Western Isles, together with one each for
Orkney and for Shetland, show each colony and give an order of size. The Puffin
colonies outside Britain are similarly treated; always, good text backs up the maps.
How do you count and monitor Puffin numbers? A whole chapter describes the
problems posed, and the methods used to overcome them.

Breeding biology, behaviour, food and feeding, the growth of the young,
predators, parasites, competition, pollution, ringing and migration, are among
other topics dealt with.

One of the most interesting chapters is on Man and Puffins. For a long time,
Man has been one of the chief predators on Puffins - not only on St. Kilda,
but on the Scilly Isles, Isle of Man, Wales, Faeroes, Iceland, Russia, Greenland
and North America. They formed valuable items of food, either freshly killed,
or preserved in a variety of ways. The eggs and feathers were also greatly valued.
However, the birds are now protected during nesting-time in most countries.

The Puff in is marvellously illustrated by Keith Brockie, who has clearly wat-
ched the birds at great length in the field, which is the only real way to draw birds.
Additionally, a 24-page section of the book on art paper shows a splendidly selected
series of photographs, every single one of which shows some specific facet of Puf-
findom. I particularly like Bobby Tulloch’s photo of a “wheel” of Puffins on
Fetlar - it takes you right there! But so do the others, too.

The references and tables so necessary to the serious student are placed at
the end of the book; the mind boggles at the author’s labours with brain and pen;
they match his vast physical efforts on the sea-cliffs! c. E. PALMAR

415

Seven Species of Scuttle Fly (Diptera:
Phoridae) from Scotland - New to the
British List

R. H. L. DISNEY

Field Studies Council Research Fellow, University
Museum of Zoology, Cambridge CB2 3EJ.

Received December 1983

The Phoridae are a large family of very small hump-backed flies
which run in a characteristic scuttling manner. They can be caught
in every sort of terrestrial habitat. While most larvae are parasitic
or specialised predators, some feed on fungal tissue, and a few are
muck-feeders (see Disney 1983).

The purpose of this paper is to report seven additions to the
British List of Scuttle Flies from Scotland. One of these represents
an addition to volume 1 of my Handbook on British Scuttle Flies
(Disney 1983), the other six have been discovered during revisionary
work on the giant genus Megaselia , whose males are to be covered
in volume 2.

Megaselia aquilonia Schmitz, 1958

Schmitz and Beyer (1965) state of the halteres of this species
that they are “Schwarz gestielt, Kopfchen meist gebraunt, seltener
ganz oder am Grunde gelb”. In their key, however, M. aquilonia
specimens will only run down correctly when the halteres are
“dunkel”. The five specimens I have seen from Scotland all have
murky yellow halteres. I have, however, confirmed their identity
by comparison with a cotype from the Schmitz collection.

The British records are two males from Cairngorm above 1200m
altitude (Grid ref. 27/9- 9-) 15 and 31 May 1982 P. Ashmole; two
males from the Fannich Hills S.S.S.I., W. Ross (Grid refs.

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 5 (1984)

416

28/179726 and 28/185731) June/July 1982 D. Horsfield; and one
male from Rothiemurchus (Grid ref. 28/8809) 14 June 1982 P. J.
Chandler.

The species has previously been reported from Norway and
Sweden.

Megaselia coccyx Schmitz, 1965

The males of this species are readily recognised by the distinc-
tive hypopygium (see Fig. 297 in Schmitz and Beyer 1965).

The British records are 22 males and 2 females from Insh Mar-
shes nature reserve (Grid ref. 28/8-0-) 16 June 1982 P. J. Chandler.

The species has previously been recorded from Finland and
Sweden.

Megaselia palmeni (Becker, 1901)

This species is keyed by Schmitz (1956). I have compared the
Scottish specimens with a specimen in the British Museum (Natural
History) identified by the late Fr. Borgmeier.

The British records are one male from the Devil’s Elbow,
Perthshire between 500 and 600m altitude (Grid ref. 37/1476) 25
July 1979 A. G. Irwin; one male from Cairngorm above 1200m
altitude (Grid ref. 27/9- 9-) 19 July 1982 and 1 male and 5 females
(including one var. exemta Becker) from nearby (Grid ref.
27/992992) 6 August 1983 P. Ashmole.

The species has previously been recorded from Austria, Finland,
Germany, Hungary, Poland, Switzerland and the U.S.S.R.

Megaselia robusta Schmitz, 1928

This species is keyed by Schmitz (1956) and Borgmeier (1964)
and an amplified description is given by Robinson (1978).

The British records are three males and six females from Loch
Garten, Inverness (Grid ref. 28/9818) May and June 1981 J. Owen.

The species has previously been recorded from Austria, Finland,
Sweden, the U.S.S.R. and the Nearctic Region.

417

Megaselia subfraudulenta Schmitz, 1933

In the description of this species given by Schmitz and Beyer
(1974) the costal ratios are stated to be 12.5:8:3 (= 4.16:2.66:1).
This is an error taken from Schmitz’s (1933) original description.
The photograph of the wing given by Schmitz and Beyer indicates
a ratio nearer 3:2:1. The ratios for the Scottish specimen are
3.29:1.94:1.

The single Scottish specimen is a male from Loch Garten, In-
verness (Grid ref. 28/9818) June 1981 J. Owen.

Smith (1977) questioned the listing of this species as British.
However Schmitz and Beyer (1974) recorded it for Ireland. In ad-
dition it has been reported from Germany, Holland, Poland and
Sweden.

Megaselia tarsella (Lundbeck, 1921)

This species is keyed and described (in English) by Lundbeck
(1922). However some specimens will key to couplet 52 of Group
VI instead of to couplet 31.

The British records are one male from Kinrara, Inverness (Grid
ref. 28/8809) 19 June 1976 A. G. Irwin (previously reported as an
undetermined species of Megaselia by Disney and Irwin 1978); one
male from Rannoch Moor N.N.R. (Grid ref. 27/402562) 23/27 June
1980 J. M. Nelson; one male from Morroch (Grid ref. 17/658857)
16/17 July 1981 R. H. L. Disney; and a series of males from the
Craigellachie N.N.R. , Aviemore (Grid ref. 28/891116) 13/16 July
1982 R. H. L. Disney.

The species has previously been recorded from Denmark, Ger-
many, Holland and Spain.

Phora penicillata Schmitz, 1920

In my key to the British species of Phora this species will run
to couplet 13 (Disney 1983). It is immediately distinguished from
P. speighti Disney, P. hamata Schmitz and P. obscura (Zetterstedt)
by the form of the male hypopygium (Figs. 1 and 2).

The British records are two males from Rothiemurchus, In-
verness (Grid ref. 28/8809) 14 and 17 June 1982 P. J. Chandler.

The species has previously been recorded from Austria,
Czechoslovakia, Germany, Italy, Poland and the U.S.S.R.

418

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to B. H. Cogan (British Museum, Natural
History) and Dr H. Ulrich (Zoologisches Forschungsinstitut und
Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn) for allowing me to examine
specimens in their care.

I am grateful to the Shell International Petroleum Co. Ltd.
for a grant to further my studies of Phoridae.

References

BORGMEIER, T. 1964. Revision of the North American phorid flies. Part II.
Studia ent. 7 : 257-416.

DISNEY, R. H. L. 1983. Scuttle Flies - Diptera, Phoridae (except Megaselia).

Handbk Ident. Br. Insects 10(6) : 1-81.

DISNEY, R. H. L. and IRWIN, A. G. 1978. Some scuttle flies (Diptera: Phoridae)
from Scotland. Glasg. Nat. 19 : 377-383.

LUNDBECK, W. 1922. Diptera Danica part VI Pipunculidae, Phoridae. Lon-
don : Wesley.

ROBINSON, W. H. 1978. Terminalia of some North American species of
Megaselia (Apiochaeta) and descriptions of two new species (Diptera:
Phoridae). Proc. ent. Soc. Wash. 80 : 216-227.

SCHMITZ, H. 1933. Neue Phoriden aus Hollandisch Limburg. Natuurh. Maandbl.
22 : 99-100.

SCHMITZ, H. 1956. In Lindner, E. (Ed.) Die Fliegen der Palaearktischen Region
33. Phoridae. Lief. 187 : 369-416.

SCHMITZ, H. and BEYER, E. 1965. Ibid. Lief. 258, 260 : 513-608.
SCHMITZ, H. and BEYER, E. 1974. Ibid. Lief. 301 : 609-637.

SMITH, K. G. V. 1977. Notes on some British Phoridae (Diptera) including two
species of Megaselia Rondani new to science. Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var.
89 : 161-168.

419

Figs 1 - 2 Male hypopygium of Phora penicillata Schmitz

1 - viewed from left side 2 - viewed from right side
Scale lines are 0.1 mm

420

Book Reviews

Outline of Plant Classification

SANDRA HOLMES

Longman, London 1983, 181pp., £8.50.

This small book summarises the classification of plants from bacteria and blue-
green algae to flowering plants. Though succinct, it deals with the many modern
advances, conveniently compares old with new and specifies areas of doubt. There
is a useful appendix giving life-cycles with alternation of generations.

My criticisms are minor. It is a pity not to have mentioned the only non-green
bryophyte, Cryptothallus. To emphasise that a raceme is “more or less conical”
is misleading. Nor should the glossary describe an umbel as “umbrella-shaped”.
There are many pleurocarpous mosses which do not have a “prostrate habit”.

J. H. DICKSON

Popular Encyclopaedia of Plants

ed. V. H. HEYWOOD and S. R. CHANT
Cambridge University Press, 1982, 368pp., many colour
paintings and photographs, £15.

The style and format of this work may be readily judged from its title. The il-
lustrations are generally of high quality and the text informative, but it is ques-
tionable whether mosses are ‘popular’, occurring as they do in a book with a strong
economic emphasis, covering cereals, all edible plants and most genera of ornamen-
tals. Algae, lichens and ferns are covered, the latter having a distinct bias towards
American common names and species cultivated. Many will be unfamiliar to and
unlikely to be encountered by British and European readers, but our Polypodium
interjectum is included as ‘injectum’. Under Polystichum the European P.
aculeatum and setiferum are included with our familiar common names, but the
latter are accompanied by a profusion of transatlantic ones, and there is no men-
tion of the attractive crested or plumose forms, which is disappointing when the
book purports to cover ornamental subjects. The photographs of the Horse-tails
are very attractive, but a plate covering Lady, Oak and Beech Ferns might con-
fuse one as the plants are immature and photographed from too great a distance.

The ivies get rather strange treatment, Hedera helix being said to occur as
far afield as North Africa, and H. hibernica hort. sports a cultivar ‘Scotica’ which
would be interesting to see. H. canariensis and H. maderensis are stated to be
synonymous, an arrangement only seen nowadays in Victorian works or the
quainter catalogues.

Despite these criticisms the book merits attention, there being many plants
included of which a good illustration is rare (I was particularly pleased to see
Crocosmia masonorum). The illustrations are in fact the book’s real strength. With
few exceptions the focus is sharp and the colour, as far as I can judge, true. This
encyclopaedia will be of assistance to those trying to get to grips with our non-
native flora.

ALISON RUTHERFORD

421

Without Water the Work of Death
Would be Incomplete

A. C. WARDLAW

Department of Microbiology, University of Glasgow
The Goodfellow lecture delivered on 8 May , 1984

When viewed from outer space, the planet Earth appears largely
covered by water in the form of ocean and cloud, and with the land
masses in a subordinate position. Water is, in fact, the substance
that makes the Earth so special from a life-support point of view.
Our neighbouring planets of Venus and Mars are quite inhospitable
and, so far as we know lifeless.

The main message of this lecture is that water is not only essen-
tial for life; it is also a necessary accompaniment for death. This
has been much more elegantly stated by Louis Pasteur, the Father
of Microbiology, whose quotation provides my title.

The Goodfellow lecture of this Society is traditionally devoted
to some aspect of microscopy. The aspect to be discussed here is
the role of microorganisms as the prime agents of decomposition
on land and in the sea, and the necessary role of water in these
processes.

The Carbon Cycle

From an ecological standpoint, life in any habitat is a cyclical
process in the sense that all living things have a moment of birth,
a period of growth and active life, and eventual death followed by
decomposition and the return of the chemical substance of the
organism to the environment (Fig. 1). As the Book of Common
Prayer puts it: . . earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust;”.

The ecologist would probably express this differently and in
terms of the carbon cycle (Fig. 2). Starting with carbon dioxide

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 5 (1984)

422

“One is so grateful one is biodegradable. One quite simply couldn't live
~ „ , . . . . , _ , with oneself otherwise."

Reproduced by permission of Punch J

(CO,) the carbon cycle is driven by the sun’s energy reaching
green plants, both on land and sea, and allowing by the process
of photosynthesis (1) the fixation of CO^ into plant oganic
material. At the same time, water is split ancl oxygen is released
to the atmosphere. The power of photosynthesis is such that each
year it produces an amount of oxygen equivalent to one-half of that
in the atmosphere.

424

Much of the carbon incorporated into the organic substance of the
living plant is in a highly impermanent state. Part of it (2) is respired
back to CO,, part is released as soluble material into the soil, and
part is liable to be transformed into animal tissues by the grazing
(3) activities of the herbivores - which can be of any size from
aphids to elephants. Herbivores, in turn, pass on their carbon in
various ways: part (4) is respired back to C02, part (5) is excreted
as urine or faeces and part (6) may be transformed into carnivore
organic material. All animals and plants eventually die and we
therefore have the carbon ending up as dead organic remains. It
is this material that provides the food material for the decomposer
organisms, the bacteria and fungi, which perform the essential task
of breaking down organic materials of all kinds to inorganic com-
pounds - the process of mineralisation (7). The main reservoir of
carbon in the mineral form is as limestone rocks which are con-
stantly being laid down in the sea and eroded on land.

Bacteria and fungi have enormous metabolic versatility and,
given the right conditions, and enough time, can eventually break
down almost all kinds of natural organic materials. However these
decomposer organisms are not always given the opportunity to work
under the best conditions, or for sufficient time, with the result that
there may be left a relatively indigestible organic residue which is
the material known as humus. Accumulation of this material in bogs
gives rise to peat, which under suitable conditions of geological burial
may become coal. There is also humus being accumulated on some
parts of the bed of the sea which has provided the geological
feedstock for deposits of oil and natural gas. A major human ac-
tivity is to extract these fossil fuels and then burn them back to
CO, in power stations, factories, houses, motor cars and aircraft.
So what took millions of years to lay down in the rocks, is being
converted back to CO, in a relatively short time by human
intervention.

The Decomposer Organisms

The field naturalist is accustomed to observing those organisms
that are visible to the unaided human eye. These include one im-
portant group of easily-seen decomposer organisms, the large fungi.
Additionally, however, there is an equally important and interesting
world of microorganisms - those living things which are smaller
than about 0* 1mm diameter and for which we require a microscope
for visualization. Among these microscopic organisms are two

425

important groups of decomposers the bacteria and the smaller fungi.
One of the main points of emphasis of this lecture is that we do
not actually need to see microorganisms in order to detect their
existence. The reason for this is that microorganisms can be studied
from the standpoint of what they do, as well as from the stand-
point of what they look like.

Bacteria are unimaginably small but also unimaginably abun-
dant in nature where they occur in all habitats from the tops of
the mountains to the deepest ocean trenches. Outside of a laboratory,
it is uncommon to see an accumulation of bacterial cells that is large
enough to be visible to the naked eye. However, one such place is
a beach pool containing rotting seaweed, where one may see
photosynthetic bacteria as a red scum on the surface of the water.
Elsewhere, bacteria may be present in very large numbers and may
be carrying out active chemical transformations, or causing disease,
but because they are so dispersed, and hidden they are not visible
without a microscope. Even pure water remains crystal-clear and
free of turbidity unless it contains about ten million (107) bacteria
per millilitre.

The human body carries a very impressive microbial flora on
all of the body surfaces and throughout the alimentary tract. In
fact the number of bacterial cells on a human being is probably
about ten times greater than the number of human cells that make
up the person’s body! Human faeces contain about one-third of
their bulk composed of bacteria, the rest being undigested food
residues. Some figures for bacterial and fungal abundance in various
habitats are provided in Table 1.

Table 1 Abundance of bacteria in various habitats

Habitat

Number of bacteria

Soil

108 per gram

Skin of the human forehead

104 per cm2

Human faeces

10" per gram

Seawater

104 per cm3

Note these figures are only approximate and are subject to 10-fold
variation in both directions.

426

Whereas the experienced field botanist or zoologist can go in-
to the countryside and expect to be able to see and identify most
of the animals and plants in which he or she specializes, this is not
so for the microbiologist. The microbiologist can collect samples,
but mostly these have then to be studied in the laboratory by such
techniques as a) direct microscopy of wet films b) microscopic ex-
amination of stained films c) culture of the microbes on suitable
growth media and d) use of a soil percolation apparatus (Burns,
1982) to follow the chemical changes brought about by microbial
action. A few techniques can, however, be used directly in the field.
These include the buried slide method of Rossi and Cholodeny (Gray
and Williams, 1971) and the dyed-cellophane film procedure (Swift,
1982). Some of the activities of bacteria that impinge on everyday
human existence and which may be studied by these methods are
listed in Table 2.

Table 2 Activities of bacteria that have an impact

on everyday human existence

(1) Decomposition of many kinds of organic materials:

proteins

carbohydrates (sugar, starch, cellulose)

fats and oils

detergents

(2) Carrying out many useful chemical changes:

e.g. Nitrogen gas * ammonia, in the soil

Milk * cheese and yoghurt

(3) Agents of infectious disease in man, domestic animals and also in
plants.

Factors Influencing Biodegradation by Microorganisms

The decomposer activities of microorganisms are taking place
all around us in everyday life but the human nose rather than eye
is most often the sense organ by which we detect them. Such things
as the smells of a public lavatory or of a farmyard; of the unwash-
ed human body; of sour milk or rancid butter or rotten fish; of
the decomposing corpse of a sheep or deer - these are all examples
of the microbial breakdown of organic materials to simple molecules,
some of which like ammonia, short-chain fatty acids and hydrogen
sulphide are volatile and strongly smelling.

427

Let us now consider the six main factors that determine the
extent and rapidity of biodegradation by microorganisms (Fig. 3).
As indicated in the diagram which expresses the six factors as six
questions, efficient biodegradation by bacterial or fungal action re-
quires a ‘yes’ answer to all six questions. A negative answer to one
or more questions results in microbial attack being prevented or
retarded. Some of these factors and their consequences are now con-
sidered in more detail.

428

Intrinsic biodegradability

A natural organic substance is almost by definition likely to
be of biological origin although, as with the fossil fuels, an initial
plant or animal residue may be greatly transformed by high
temperature and pressure during geological burial. But aside from
these, any organic substance which has recently been made by one
organism is likely to be decomposable by some microbe somewhere.

The same can not be said about many of the man-made
chemicals, such as the plastics and the chlorinated hydrocarbons.
Plastic litter on beaches is very much a phenomenon of the last few
decades, and since the non-biodegradability of these plastics is one
of the features which makes them so useful, the only realistic method
of control is to discourage people from scattering them around in
the environment.

The chlorinated hydrocarbons present a series of different pro-
blems. First, they are very resistant to attack by bacteria or fungi.
Second their presence in the environment is not immediately ap-
parent to the naked eye. Third, they are subject to the process of
bio-magnification (Table 3). With DDT, for example, its concen-
tration in a lake or estuary may be only 0.3 parts per billion* (ppb).

Table 3 Biomagnification of DDT

(Adapted from Atlas and Bart ha, 1981)

Localization

DDT concentration in
parts per billion (109

Aquatic environment

0.3

Plankton

30

Small fish

300

Large fish

3000

Osprey

30,000

* American billion, 109

429

This is equivalent to dissolving one level teaspoonful of the substance
in a pool of water 1 metre deep and 85 metres in diameter. As shown
in Table 3, this vanishingly small concentration in a lake or estuary
may be concentrated 100-fold by the plankton and then 10-fold in
small fish, 10-fold again in large fish and a further 10-fold in
predators of these. So that an osprey feeding on large fish as its
sole diet accumulates 30 parts per million (30,000 ppb) of DDT in
its body tissues. DDT at this level is toxic and causes disturbances
in the formation of egg shells which in turn effects the fertility of
the bird and thus threatens the very existence of the species.

Accessibility of substrate to microbial cells

A common method of preventing microbial attack on organic
substrates is to have a microbe-proof barrier. Some natural and ar-
tificial examples of such barriers are: the waxy cuticle of an apple,
the shell of a bird’s egg, the skin of the human hand and the tin
or aluminium can used in the food industry.

Water or moisture available

Microbial growth, and therefore microbial attack on organic
materials requires at least some moisture, if not free water, to be
present. Thus microbial attack is frustrated if the substrate is kept
sufficiently dry. The conversion of a flowering plant into a her-
barium specimen, or of an animal into a stuffed or freeze-dried ex-
hibit, are examples where drying is used to prevent microbial attack.

A visit to the supermarket provides numerous examples of the
use of moisture control as a method of preservation, e.g., the im-
pervious wrappers or containers for tea, biscuits, flour, lentils, dried
milk and instant coffee. All of these foods if wetted or placed in
a damp environment would rapidly be spoiled by microbial growth.

Less obvious as a technique of moisture control is the addi-
tion of sugar to convert fruit into jam or marmalade. The effect
of a high concentration of sugar is to reduce the chemical availability
of water for microbial use, without physically taking it away. The
same result can be achieved by adding sufficient salt. Such items
as cheeses and smoked fish are protected from rapid microbial at-
tack by a combination of low water content, salt and storage at
low temperature. The preservation of Egyptian and other mummies
is partly a matter of storing them in an extremely dry atmosphere

430

and partly due to adding chemical preservatives such as borax or
cedar wood oil.

With modern equipment, museum specimens of such things
as reptiles and fungi can be prepared by freeze-drying, a process
which also occurs in nature, as with the 500-year old Eskimo bodies
found recently at Qilakitsoq in Greenland.

Temperature below freezing

Microbial action is strongly dependent on temperature. Most
microbes work best at a temperature between 10 and 40°C. A few
microbes can grow at extremely high temperatures, such as exist
in boiling hot springs, while many marine bacteria can grow, albeit
slowly, at 0°C. This latter fact restricts how long fish can be kept
fresh even if stored on ice. With codfish for example, the time taken
for bacteria at different temperatures to render the fish inedible is
as shown in Table 4 (Lynch and Poole 1979).

Table 4

Time taken for bacteria to render fish inedible at different

temperatures

Temperature ° C

Days

0

16

5

8

10

4

20

1

Probably the most dramatic example of the protective effect of low
temperatures in preventing microbial attack is provided by the
famous mammoth carcasses found melting out of arctic ice in
Siberia. For an everyday example, one only has to look at the deep-
freeze counter in the supermarket to see how much we depend on
low temperature as a method of keeping the decomposer
microorganisms from going about their normal work.

431

Lack of oxygen

Some microorganisms can grow in the complete absence of oxy-
gen, but their decomposer activities tend to be slower and less com-
plete than those brought about by the oxygen-using microbes. The
whole of the wine and beer-making industry and the fermentation
of grain for spirit making is dependent on this principle. Thus yeast
which has been given sugar and access to plenty of oxygen will break
the sugar down completely to carbon dioxide and water. However
if air is excluded, the breakdown process stops at ethyl alcohol, one
of the great solaces of mankind.

Another widespread fermentation process which is dependent
on exclusion of air is the conversion of grass into silage by the ac-
tion of lactic acid bacteria. The essential features of silage making
are to get the grass well compacted down under a plastic sheet and
then to keep it pressed down by having weights on top to exclude
air. This then permits the lactic acid bacteria, which are naturally
present on the grass, to convert sugar in the plant juices into lactic
acid. This acidity in turn, prevents various spoilage bacteria from
breaking down the proteins of the grass, and the nutritional value
of the herbage is therefore conserved.

The exclusion of oxygen has also a marked effect on the preser-
vation of animal and plant remains after burial in bogs or deep
sediments. Familiar examples are: the old pine stumps which one
frequently sees weathering out of peat cuttings; the body of Tollund
man which was uncovered in a remarkable state of preservation
about 30 years ago in Denmark, after over 1000 years of burial;
the splendid Viking ship which was sealed in a clay mound on
Gokstad farm on the shores of Oslo Fjord and now reposes in the
Viking Ship Museum in Oslo; most recently, Henry VIITs flagship
“Mary Rose” which was excavated from the marine sediments off
Spithead where it had lain buried since 1545. All these examples
illustrate how organic materials can be kept under wet conditions
with abundant decomposer organisms, at least initially, and for long
periods of time. But provided that oxygen is excluded, the plant
or animal tissues will resist microbial attack. In the case of the peat
bog specimens, there is also a beneficial preservative effect of the
acid properties and tanning effect of the bog water. This leads to
the final category.

Use of preservatives

Organic substances that are actually contaminated with mic-

432

robes can be protected from microbial attack, even in the presence
of water, air and suitable temperatures, by the addition of various
preservative substances. For example, the base of a telephone pole
can be protected from the attack of wood-rotting fungi by impregna-
tion with creosote. Leather goods are traditionally preserved by treat-
ment with tannin or with chromium salts. It was probably a com-
bination of tanning and exclusion of air that led to the preserva-
tion of Roman sandals for about 1700 years after they were drop-
ped into a deep well at one of the forts on the Antonine Wall near
to Falkirk. When Tim Severin in 1976 set out to cross the Atlantic
in the oxhide boat “Brendan”, the leather was not only preserved
with oak-bark tannin, but it was sealed with hot sheep’s grease which
would help to exclude both water and oxygen. Without this com-
bination of antimicrobial precautions, the skin of the boat would
have been decomposed by the action of marine bacteria during the
long sea voyage.

Closely akin to tanning, is the use of formalin as a preservative
of pathological specimens. Chemically, this is a kind of tanning pro-
cess in that the proteins of the tissues are protected from microbial
enzyme attack by the cross-linking effect of the formaldehyde
molecules.

Another common way in which proteins are protected against
microbial attack is if they are embedded in a matrix of calcium
phosphate. For this reason bones and teeth are often left as
vertebrate residues long after the soft parts of the carcass have
decayed away.

Chemical preservatives are very widely used in the food industry,
and perusal of the fine print on the packages of the things we eat
nowadays reveal the extensive use of such substances as sulphur
dioxide and acetic, lactic, propionic and sorbic acids. These food
preservatives, while retarding microbial spoilage, do not impair the
nutritional qualities of the food. In some cases, as with acetic and
lactic acids, the flavour is improved.

Conclusions

The invisibility of microbes need not be a barrier to our
awareness of their existence and of their role in natural and man-
made habitats. An understanding of the biodegradative capabilities
of microorganisms is necessary both for a full appreciation of Nature
and of the everyday structure, including our own bodies, in and
on which microbes grow. In the words of Louis Pasteur, “In Nature,
the role of the infinitely small is infinitely great”.

433

References

ATLAS, R. M. and BARTHA, R. 1981. Microbial Ecology. Addison-Wesley
Publishing Company, Reading, Mass.

BURNS, R. G. 1982. Nitrogen transformations in a soil column: In Sourcebook
of Experiments for the Teaching of Microbiology, ed. S. B. Primrose and
A. C. Wardlaw, Academic Press, London : 438-444.

GRAY, T. R. G. and WILLIAMS, S. T. 1971. Soil Micro-Organisms. Oliver and
Boyd, Edinburgh.

LYNCH, J. M. and POOLE, N. J. 1979 Microbial Ecology : A Conceptual Ap-
proach. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.

SWIFT, M. J. 1982 A rapid colorimetric method for the estimation of cellulose
decomposition by microorganisms : In Sourcebook of Experiments for the
Teaching of Microbiology, ed. S. B. Primrose and A. C. Wardlaw, Academic
Press, London : 603-607.

434

Book Reviews

Geology of Scotland
ed. G. Y. CRAIG

Scottish Academic Press. 1983 427pp. many figs., photographs
and maps, £35.00 cased, £17.50 paperback.

This new edition contains a wealth of up-to-date information on Scottish Geology.
It has been published as part of a series of three books together with the ‘Geology
of Ireland’ and the ‘Geology of England and Wales’.

Eighteen years have elapsed since the publication of the first edition of this classic
work and the great advances made in Scottish geology during that period have
necessitated its revision. Plate tectonic theory for example has provided a framework
for the interpretation of Scottish rocks while the discovery of oil and the subsequent
exploration of the continental-shelf has not only added a new dimension to the coun-
try’s economic geology but has also made available a vast amount of information,
particularly on the Mesozoic and Tertiary.

An initial chapter on the growth and structure of Scotland sets the scene for the
more detailed sections dealing in turn with all the rocks and events from the Lewisian
to the Quaternary. The final chapter gives a brief account of the economic geology.
The text is extensively illustrated with excellent photographs, maps, sections, diagrams
and correlation charts. To economise on space many of the illustrations retained from
the first edition have been reduced in size but this has been done without any loss of
clarity. For some reason Suilven has come off badly in the photographs. Fig. 3.2. shows
Ben Eighe and not Suilven while Fig. 2.1. depicting Suilven and its neighbouring Tor-
ridonian mountains has been reversed.

The book is written for ‘senior students of geology and for professional geologists’.
Although a knowledge of geology is assumed there is much information to be gleaned
from the book by anyone with an interest in the classic geology and scenery of this
country. A. H. GUNNING

Scotland’s Environment During the Last 30,000 Years

R. J. PRICE

Scottish Academic Press, Edinburgh, 1983, 224pp., many figs,
and photographs, 1 colour plate, £27.50 cased, £15.00
paperback

This book looks in detail at Scotland from about the time of the formation of the
last Scottish Ice Sheet in late Devensian times (c. 30,000 years ago) to the present day.
This last ice sheet either buried or removed most of the evidence relating to the earlier
ice sheets, which had occurred in Scotland during the Pleistocene Period. Most resear-
chers have therefore studied what remains after the last ice sheet.

Dr Price has brought together all the latest available evidence and theories relating
to the glacial landforms, relative sea level, soils, vegetation, animals, etc. associated
with the major climatic changes which occurred in Scotland during this period. After
a brief look at Scotland before the last glaciation, he examines the last ice sheet of
27,000 - 14,000 years ago and the Late Glacial Period of 14,000 - 10,000 years ago
in more detail, before looking at the Early Postglacial Period and finally the last five
thousand years up to the present day.

The book is well illustrated with photographs and diagrams throughout and there
is a very good bibliography. A glossary would have been useful for those readers un-
familiar with some of the terminology, but even so, on the whole it is a good readable
book for anyone wishing to learn about the effects of the last Ice Age in Scotland.

RICHARD SUTCLIFFE

435

Lepidoptera in Strathclyde 1983

COMPILED BY I. C. CHRISTIE

Gartlea, Caldarvan by Alexandria
Received September 1984

The study of the distribution of Lepidoptera in Strathclyde was car-
ried out in several localities during 1983. The following records are
selected as being of particular interest, concerning new sites, or
species rare in Scotland. A few earlier records are included as be-
ing relevant. Specific names and reference numbers are as in
Bradley, J. D. and Fletcher, D. S. 1979. A Recorder's Log Book
or Label List of British Butterflies and Moths. Curwen Books,
London.

1 Micropterix tunbergella (Fab.), Craig Rostan, Loch Lomond, V.C.86,
4/6/83, ICC.

28 Ectoedemia angulifasciella (Stt.), Taynish National Nature Reserve, Knap-
dale, V.C.101, 20/10/83, ICC, (larval mines in rose leaves).

39 Ectoedemia heringi Toll, Linn Park, Glasgow, V.C.77, 5/1 1/83, RKJ, (lar-
val mines in oak leaves).

45 Trifurcula griseella Wolff, Hogh, Isle of Coll, V.C.103, 2/7/83, ICC.
142 Nematopogon pilella (D. & S.), Torastan, Isle of Coll, V.C.103, 27/6/83,
ICC.

180 Diplodoma herminata (Geoff.), Inch Cailloch, Loch Lomond, V.C.86,
26/6/83, KPB; Mugdock, Glasgow, V.C.99, 28/6/83, KPB.

231 Monopis imella (Hub.), Glasgow, V.C.77, 11/8/83, RKJ.

284 Caloptilia rufipennella (Hub.), Cathkin, Glasgow, V.C.77, 25/9/83, (several),

RKJ.

285 Caloptilia azaleella (Brants.), Garscube, Glasgow, V.C.99, 9/9/83, RKJ.
300 Parornix loganella (Stt.), Taynish National Nature Reserve, Knapdale,

V.C.101, 11/6/83, KPB.

348 Phyllonorycter quinqueguttella (Stt.), Torastan, Isle of Coll, V.C.103,
2/8/83, KPB (larvae in Salix repens ).

392 Glyphipterix schoenicolella Boyd, Isle of Coll, V.C.103, August, KPB &
ICC, (plentiful in Schoenus beds).

394 Glyphipterix forsterella (Fab.), Taynish National Nature Reserve, Knapdale,
V.C.101, 11/6/83, KPB: Queen’s View, Bearsden to Drymen Road, V.C.86,
18/6/83, RKJ.

413 Argyresthia sorbiella (Treit.), Balmaha, Loch Lomond, V.C.86, 25/6/83,
KPB; Rowardennan, Loch Lomond, V.C.86, 28/6/83, KPB.

434 Kessleria saxifragae (Stt.), Mull of Kintyre, V.C.101, 21/7/83, RKJ.

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 5 (1984)

436

821 Scrobipalpa murinella (H.-S.), Torastan, Isle of Coll, V.C.103, 2/8/83,
KPB, (larvae in Antennaria).

843 Aproaerema anthyllidella (Hub.), Rowardennan, Loch Lomond, V.C.86,
24/6/83, KPB; Balmaha, Loch Lomond, V.C.86, 25/6/83, RKJ; Gartlea,
Loch Lomond, V.C.99, 24/9/83, ICC.

845 Syncopacma sangiella (Stt .), Cornaig, Isle of Coll, V.C.103, 4/7/83, ICC.

882 Mompha locupletella (D. & S.), Aber, Loch Lomond, V.C.99, 27/6/83,
KPB; Mugdock, Glasgow, V.C.99, 28/6/83, KPB; Torastan, Isle of Coll,
V.C.103, 31/7/83, KPB.

887 Mompha lacteella (Steph.), Paisley, Renfrewshire. V.C.76, 27/7/83, JM.

898 Limnaecia phragmitella Stt., Possil, Glasgow, V.C.77, (plentiful in July),
RKJ; North Sannox, Arran, V.C.100, 24/7/83, RKJ.

900 Pancalia latreillella Curt., Balmaha, Loch Lomond, V.C.86, 25/6/83, KPB
& ICC.

904 Spuleria flavicaput (Haw.), Barrhead, Renfrewshire, V.C.76, 24/6/83, JM.

924 Hysterophora maculosana (Haw.), Taynish National Nature Reserve, Knap-
dale, V.C.101, 25/5/83, ICC; Ailsa Craig, V.C.75, 21/5/83, ICC.

977 Archips podana (Scop.), Glasgow, V.C.77, 8/7/83 to 29/8/83, (several),
RKJ.

992 Clepsis rurinana (L.) Taynish National Nature Reserve, Knapdale, V.C. 101 ,
18/7/83, ICC.

1089 Apotomis semifasciana (Haw.), Taynish National Nature Reserve, Knap-
dale, V.C.101, 12/7/83, (several), ICC.

1 106 Lobesia reliquana (Hub.), Rowardennan, Loch Lomond, V.C.86, 29/6/83,
KPB.

1222 Strophedra nitidana (Fab.), Inch Cailloch, Loch Lomond, V.C.86, 26/6/83,
KPB; Rowardennan, Loch Lomond, V.C.86, 21/6/79, ICC.

1223 Pammene splendidulana (Guen.), Taynish National Nature Reserve, Knap-
dale, V.C.101, 11/6/83, KPB.

1229 Pammene albuginana (Guen.), Craig Rostan, Loch Lomond, V.C.86,
26/6/83, RKJ.

1268 Cydia coniferana (Ratz.), Barochan Moss, Paisley, V.C.76, 20/6/83, RKJ.

1330 Donacaula mucronellus (D. & S.), Torastan, Isle of Coll, V.C.103, 7/8/83,
KPB; Loch Fada, Isle of Colonsay, V.C.102, 13/7/83, PW.

1336 Eudonia pallida (Curt.), Possil, Glasgow, V.C.77, 14/8/83, (two), RKJ.

1341 Eudonia lineola (Curt.), Mull of Kintyre, V.C.101, 20/7/83, RKJ.

1358 Evergestis pallidata (Huf.), Mull of Kintyre, V.C.101, 23/7/83, RKJ.

1367 Pyrausta cingulata (L.), Balmaha, Loch Lomond, V.C.86, 25/6/83, (many),
PW; Bruach Mhor, Isle of Mull, V.C.103, 29/6/83, PW; Beinn Lora,
Benderloch, Oban V.C. 98, 16/7/83, PW.

1517 Adaina microdactyla (Hub.), Taynish National Nature Reserve, Knapdale,
V.C.101, 27/7/83, ICC, (larvae in Eupatorium ); Kennedy’s Pass, Len-
dalfoot, V.C.75, 20/8/83, RKJ, (larvae).

1597 Inachis io (L.), (Peacock), Botanic Gardens, Glasgow, V.C.77, 27/8/83,
RKJ.

1655 Tethea or (D. & S.), (Poplar Lutestring), Torrinch, Loch Lomond, V.C.99,
9/8/83, ICC, (larvae on Aspen); Arinagour, Isle of Coll, V.C.103, 5/8/83,
KPB, (larvae on Aspen).

1665 Pseudoterpna pruinata (Huf.), (Grass Emerald), Corrie, Arran, V.C.100,
24/7/83, RKJ; Taynish National Nature Reserve, Knapdale, V.C.101,
27/7/83, ICC.

1677 Cyclophora albipunctata (Huf.), (Birch Mocha), Barcaldine, Oban V.C. 98,
8/7/83, JCAC; Taynish National Nature Reserve, Knapdale, V.C.101,
12/7/83, ICC.

1716

1740

1801

1826

1833

1880

1894

1939

1945

1973

2030

2036

2063

2131

2177

2201

2205

2214

2242

2298

2300

2314

2324

2327

2412

437

Rhodometra sacraria ( L.), (Vestal), Arran, V.C.100, 24/7/83, (two), RKJ;
Gartlea, Loch Lomond, V.C.99, 24/9/83, (two), 26/9/83, (two), ICC;
Glasgow, V.C.77, 25/9/83 to 2/10/83, (three), RKJ; Barcaldine, Oban,
V.C.98, 28/9/83, (two), JCAC.

Epirrhoe galiata (D. & S.), (Galium Carpet), Mull of Kintyre, V.C.101,
20/7/83, RKJ.

Perizoma taeniatum (Steph.), (Barred Carpet), Barcaldine, Oban V.C.98,
23/6/83, JCAC, (has been declining at this site: - 1980 - twentyone, 1981
- seven, 1982 - four, 1983 - one).

Eupithecia trisignaria H.-S., (Triple-spotted Pug), Taynish National
Nature Reserve, Knapdale, V.C.101, 8/9/83 ICC, (larvae on Angelica)',
Barcaldine, Oban V.C.98, 4/8/80, (two), JCAC.

Eupithecia expallidata Doubl., (Bleached Pug), Corrie, Arran, V.C.100,
24/7/83 and 25/7/83 (several), RKJ.

Trichopteryx polycommata (D. & S.), (Barred Tooth-striped), Barcaldine,
Oban V.C.98, 27/4/83 to 28/5/83 (three), JCAC.

Semiothisa clathrata (L.), (Latticed Heath), Eilean na Roinne, Isle of Col-
onsay, V.C.102, 12/7/83, PW.

Cleora cinctaria (D. & S.), (Ringed Carpet), Barcaldine, Oban, V.C.98,
13/5/83, JCAC.

Cleorodes lichenaria (Huf.), (Brussels Lace), Dunure, Ayrshire, V.C.75,
13/7/83, JM, (on coastal rocks).

Acherontia atropos (L.), (Death’s Head), Killermont, Glasgow, V.C.99,
27/9/83, Mrs Cole per RKJ.

Euproctis similis (Fuess.), (Yellow-tail), Corrie, Arran, V.C.100, 24/7/83,
RKJ.

Setina irrorella (L.), (Dew moth), Barcaldine, Oban, V.C.98, 17/6/83 to
15/7/83, (four), JCAC.

Diaphora mendica (Cl.), (Muslin moth), Mull of Kintyre, V.C.101, June-
July 1983, (common), RKJ.

Xestia rhomboidea (Esp.), (Square-spot Clay), Taynish National Nature
Reserve, Knapdale, V.C.101, 5/8/83, ICC; Barcaldine, Oban, V.C.98,
8/8/81, JCAC.

Tholera cespitis (D. & S.), (Hedge Rustic), Taynish National Nature Reserve,
Knapdale, V.C.101, 23/8/83, ICC.

Mythimna litoralis (Curt.), (Shore Wainscot), Mull of Kintyre, V.C.101,
18/7/83, (Thirtyeight), RKJ.

Mythimna comma (L.), (Shoulder-striped Wainscot), Glasgow, V.C.99,
5/7/83, RKJ.

Cucullia chamomillae (D. & S.), (Chamomile Shark), Paisley, Renfrewshire,
V.C.76, 25/5/83, JM.

Xylena exsoleta (L.), (Swordgrass), Barcaldine, Oban, V.C.98, 3/6/83 and
9/11/83, JCAC.

Amphipyra berbera Rungs, (Svensson’s Copper Underwing), Glasgow,
V.C.77, 30/8/83, RKJ.

Mormo maura (L.), (Old Lady), Barcaldine, Oban, V.C.98, 10/8/83,
JCAC.

Enargia ypsillon (D. &S.), (Dingy Shears), Glasgow, V.C.99, 10/8/83, RKJ.
Apamea exulis (Lefeb.), (Northern Arches), Barcaldine, Oban, V.C.98,
11/7/83 to 10/8/83, (six), JCAC.

Apamea epomidion (Haw.), (Clouded Brindle), Glasgow, V.C.77 & V.C.99,
July 1983, (several), RKJ.

Eustrotia uncula (Cl.), (Silver Hook), Barcaldine, Oban V.C.98, 6/7/83
and 16/7/83, (two), JCAC.

438

Contributors: -

KPB - Dr K. P. Bland, 35 Charterhall Road, Edinburgh
ICC — I. C. Christie, Gartlea, Alexandria, Dunbartonshire
JCAC - Dr J. C. A. Craik, Grendon, Barcaldine, Connel,
Argyll

RKJ - Dr R. Knill-Jones, 9 Crown Road South, Glasgow
JM - J. Morgan, 35 Penilee Road, Oldhall, Paisley

PW - P. Wormell, 9 Letterwalton, Ledaig, Connel, Argyll

439

Winter Occurrence of Solway
Hydromedusae

T. G. SKINNER

‘Calluna’, Merse Road, Rockcliffe, Dalbeattie,
Kirkcudbrightshire, DG5 4QH

Received February 1984

Hydromedusae, or the little jellyfish, have long fascinated marine
naturalists; their beautiful, glass-like transparency tinted in parts
with delicate colours and their pulsating movements making an ir-
resistible appeal. Although small, the majority when fully grown
range in size from 1 - 30 mm, their study offers much of interest.

They fall mainly into two groups, those which are bell-shaped,
bearing gonads on the walls of the stomach (Fig. 1), and those which

Fig 2.

Fig. 1 Diagram of a typical anthomedusa (from side).

Fig. 2 A typical leptomedusa, Phialidium hemisphaericum
(young preserved specimen , 8/11/75 , from below. Scale line 0-5 mm.)

Labels for Figs. 1 & 2: G - gonad; J - jelly; M - mouth; Mt - marginal tentacle (shown
contracted in Fig. 2); Rd - radial canal; Ri - ring canal; S - stomach; V - velum or shelf.

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 5 (1984)

440

Fig. 3 Life history of Obelia .

441

are more saucer-shaped with the gonads on the radial canals (Fig.
2). The former (Anthomedusae) are stronger swimmers than the
latter (Leptomedusae), the wider velum with the narrower opening
causing a stronger jet of water to be directed backwards every time
the bell pulsates. The tentacles bear batteries of remarkable sting-
ing cells or nematocysts which in essence function as hypodermic
syringes by piercing the skin of the prey and injecting a paralysing
fluid. Usually numerous tentacles are present in the Leptomedusae
but in the Anthomedusae there are rarely more than eight.

According to Russel (1953) the average length of life of the
majority is about two months, by which time most are fully grown
and sexually mature. However, some are also capable of asexually
budding off more medusae from the walls of the stomach e.g. Sar-
sia gemmifera (Fig. 6), Rathkea octopunctata (Fig. 8), or from the
bases of the marginal tentacles e.g. Hybocodon prolifer , so their
presence in the plankton is prolonged. Medusae are either male or
female and fertilisation of the eggs may occur in situ or in the sea.
A typical life-history is illustrated in Fig. 3. Usually a tiny, free-
swimming, ciliated larva (planula) develops which normally settles
on seaweed, mollusc shells or other suitable objects on the bottom
and there it grows into a hydra-like polyp. This buds off more polyps
which remain joined together forming a colony and, in time, a plant-
like structure develops consisting of root-like branches and upright
stems. From this hydroid stage medusae are budded off into the
plankton.

Voraciously carnivorous, preying on a variety of animals in-
cluding young fish, hydromedusae form part of the complex
ecological network upon which our commercial fisheries are
ultimately dependent. At times, some species become exceedingly
numerous (see Table 1 and Skinner 1975) and on such occasions
must have a considerable effect on other planktonic organisms.

This paper discusses the winter occurrence of hydromedusae
in the Solway Firth, so completing an earlier investigation which
was limited to the months of April to October inclusive (Skinner
1975). This time, however, all sampling was carried out in Rough
Firth, an inlet of the Solway, which differs from the previous loca-
tion (off Hestan Isle) by drying out after every tide but which is
much more easily accessible - an important consideration for winter
sampling (Fig. 4).

442

Fig. 4 Rough Firth W = sampling area, 1975-1981
S = sampling area, 1966-1969

Methods

An 0-5m. diameter plankton net, mesh size 287 fim, was towed behind a row-
ing boat from the Rockcliffe shore to Rough Island and back, a total distance
of about 1 km., with a total towing time of about 30 min. Samples were taken
once or twice a month and most were taken on spring tides, each tow usually be-
ing started within one hour of high water to ensure there was an adequate depth
of water over the entire tow. All tows were horizontal, just below the surface.

The catch was preserved at once in about 5 Vo formalin and examined in detail
later. Where the numbers of medusae were high the totals were estimated by sub-
sampling 2. 6 Vo to 5. 7 Vo of the catch, using a 4 mm. bore graduated tube, and
all numbers were standardised for a 15 min. hauling time.

Identifications were made with the aid of Russell (1953, 1970) and Edwards (1964,
1966, 1972).

Nomenclature is that of the Marine Biological Association (1957).

Results

Seventeen species of hydromedusae were recorded over the five winters (Table
1 and text). Notes on these are given below.

443

Fig. 6 Sarsia gemmifera , with buds along the stomach (10/8/75)

Fig. 7 Bougainvillia superciliaris , showing oral tentacles and the stomach
distended by a larval fish (5/3/81)

Fig. 8 Rathkea octopunctata , showing buds on the stomach wall
(5/3/81) (Scale line , Figs. 5-8, 0.5mm.)

444

Table 1. Mean number of medusae per 15 minute haul per month.

1975 1976 1977 1978 1980 1975 1976 1977 1978 1980 1975 1976 1977 1978 1980

-76 -77 -78 -79 -81

S. gemmifera

-76 -77 -78 -79 -81

E. dumortieri

-76 -77 -78 -79 -81

H. prolifer

Nov

2

2

0

1

1

2

1

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

Dec

1

3

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

Jan

0

-

0

0

0

0

-

0

0

0

0

-

0

0

1

Feb

0

0

0

-

0

0

0

0

-

0

0

0

0

-

1

Mar

0

0

0

-

0

0

0

0

-

0

0

0

0

-

0

p.

carnea

p.

borealis

h

u octopunctata

Nov

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

10

0

4

139

Dec

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

6

120

73

50

87

Jan

4

-

1

0

3

0

-

0

0

0

7

-

5

41

14

Feb

2

0

1

-

1

0

0

0

-

2

199

3709

60

-

190

Mar

0

0

9

-

0

0

0

0

-

2

757715866

1788

-

848

B.

ramosa

B. britannica

B. superciliaris

Nov

6

2

0

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Dec

0

5

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Jan

0

-

0

0

0

0

-

0

0

0

0

-

0

0

0

Feb

0

0

0

-

0

1

0

0

-

1

0

0

0

-

1

Mar

0

0

0

-

0

0

1

0

-

1

0

0

0

-

2

L.

octona

M.

brownei

p.

hemisphaericum

Nov

1

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

35

20

6

7

13

Dec

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

16

0

2

5

Jan

0

-

0

0

0

0

-

0

0

0

2

-

0

0

2

Feb

0

0

0

-

1

0

0

0

-

0

0

0

0

-

1

Mar

0

0

0

-

2

0

0

0

-

0

0

0

0

-

1

Obelia sp.

L.

clausa

G. corynetes

Nov

5

0

0

3

5

6

4

0

2

1

0

0

0

1

0

Dec

1

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Jan

7

-

1

0

0

0

-

0

0

0

0

-

0

0

1

Feb

0

0

0

-

3

0

0

0

-

0

0

0

0

-

1

Mar

70

116

0

-

2

0

0

0

-

0

0

0

0

-

1

= no samples taken

445

ANTHOMEDUSAE

Corynidae.

Sarsia gemmifera Forbes (Fig. 6). 15 caught of which 7 were clearly budding.
Largest: ht. 2.1mm. x diam. 2.5mm.

Tubulariidae.

Ectopleura dumortieri (Van Beneden). Total 9, mainly young (one with um-
bilical canal). Largest: ht. 1.3mm. x diam. 1.4mm.

Hybocodon prolifer L. Agassiz. Total 10 of which 8 had buds (December,
January, February). Largest: ht. 1.0mm. x diam. 1.1mm.

Hydractiniidae.

Podocoryne carnea M. Sars (Fig. 5). Total 31 of which 17 had 8 tentacles
and the remainder 4 (2 specimens), 5, 6 or 7 tentacles. Largest: diam. 1.1mm.

Podocoryne borealis (Mayer). Total 10, all juvenile, 4 very young with 8 ten-
tacles only; 4 with developing gonads. Largest: ht. 1.89mm. x diam. 1.63mm.

Rathkeidae.

Rathkea octopunctata (M. Sars) (Fig. 8). Continuously present during the
winter months, the largest numbers occurring in March. Largest: diam. 1.7mm:
maximum number of tentacles observed: P 3333/1 3333 (P = per-radial, I = inter-
radial).

Out of 3 random samples totalling 691 individuals only 4 (0.6%) were found
without buds. Three young specimens were found (26 March 1977) with gonads
as well as buds. In this particular sample Rathkea had obviously been feeding.
The stomachs of 19 individuals were opened and all contained barnacle nauplii,
the faecal material of the latter being visible through the stomach wall. Free nauplii
of the barnacle Balanus balanoides (L.) were present in the sample and 3 nauplii
found inside the stomachs were identified as stages III and IV (Stubbings 1975).
Positive identification was not possible in all cases because of loss of setation etc.
Out of 908 specimens examined only 6 or 0.7% were found to be abnormal.

A note on the occurrence of primary medusae is given at the end.

Bougainvilliidae.

Bougainvillia ramosa (Van Beneden). Total 48 of which only 4 were adult,
7 were newly or very recently released and the remainder were juveniles. Largest:
diam. 2.1mm.

Bougainvillia britannica Forbes. Total 7, all very young or newly released.
Largest: diam. 0.76mm.

Bougainvillia principis (Steenstrup). One specimen in March 1981, ht. 0.59mm.
x diam. 0.59mm: 3 ocelli per bulb. Recently released.

Bougainvillia superciliaris (L. Agassiz) (Fig. 7). Total 10, all young with 5
to 7 tentacles per bulb. Largest: diam. 2.52mm.

Pandeidae.

Leuckartiara octona (Fleming). Total 9, 4 with 2 opposite per-radial marginal
tentacles and 2 opposite per-radial marginal bulbs and therefore recently releas-
ed, the rest a little older with developing inter-radial tentacles. Largest: diam.
1.2mm.

446

LEPTOMEDUSAE

Mitrocomidae

Mitrocomella brownei (Kramp). One specimen, adult female, diam. 5.7mm.
Campanulariidae.

Phialidium hemisphaericum (L.) (Fig. 2). Total caught 339, the great majority
of which were taken in the months of November (Table 2). Recently released stages
(those with 4 per-radial marginal tentacles) were recorded for each winter month.
The majority of adults (those with at least 16 marginal tentacles) had 2 or more
gonads discharged and a number of these adults looked moribund. Out of 339
specimens examined only 5 or 1.5 Vo were found to be abnormal.

Table 2. Phialidium hemisphaericum: occurrence of young and adults.

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Y

A

Y

A

Y

A

Y

A

Y

A

1975-1976

110( 8)

57

0

0

4(1)

0

0

0

0

0

1976-1977

34(14)

5

9

27

-

-

0

0

0

0

1977-1978

11( 6)

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1978-1979

4( 2)

7

1

3

0

0

-

-

-

-

1980-1981

39(31)

3

16(15)

0

4(2)

1

2(1)

0

2(1)

0

Y = Young A = Adults - = no samples taken.
Figures in brackets indicate number of recent releases.

Obelia sp. A total of 98 individuals was examined. During the five winter
seasons investigated adult Obelia were found in November and December only,
totalling 18 for the former month and 4 for the latter. Newly released Obelia were
taken in November, January and March but juveniles were taken in each winter
month and some of these were very young indeed although not qualifying as new-
ly released. (Adults may be recognised by their having at least 64 marginal ten-
tacles and ripe gonads; newly released have 24 tentacles or less and the gonads
are absent or present as traces; juveniles comprise the remainder). Out of 98
specimens examined only 2 or 2Vo were abnormal.

447

Lovenellidae.

Lovenella clausa Hincks. Total 36, half being adults and half juveniles (i.e.
those with less than 16 tentacles) but of the latter, 1 1 or 30.5% of the total number
caught were 4 tentacle stages. Largest: diam. 8.4mm.

Phialellidae.

Phialella quadrata (Forbes). Total 3, taken on one occasion only (13 November
1976). Largest: diam. 3.5mm.

LIMNOMEDUSAE.

Olindiidae.

Gossea corynetes (Gosse). Total 7, all young. Largest: ht. 0.75mm. x diam.
0.96mm.

Discussion

The 17 species recorded appear to fall into 3 categories: —

1 . Species likely to be found in any of the winter months. These
include Hybocodon prolifer , Podocoryne earned, Rathkea octopunc-
tata, Leuckartiara octona, Phialidium hemisphaericum, Obelia sp.
and Gossea corynetes.

2. Species which mark the onset of spring. These include
Podocoryne borealis , Bougainvillia britannica, Bougainvillia super-
ciliaris and Bougainvillia principis.

3. Species found in November and December only, these
months marking the end of their season. These species are Sarsia
gem m if era , Ectopleura dumortieri, Bougainvillia ramosa,
Mitrocomella brownei, Lovenella clausa and Phialella quadrata.

These results are broadly in agreement with the seasonal oc-
currence as given by Russell (1953). However, Hybocodon prolifer ,
stated as first appearing in March, clearly may be found in the winter
months; also Bougainvillia britannica appears earlier than has been
recorded hitherto, e.g. on the nearby Clyde where it first appears
in April (Edwards 1964).

A striking feature of the samples was the high proportion of
young medusae present and this was particularly noticeable when
the samples contained large numbers of Rathkea. As stated earlier
the maximum number of tentacles seen on the latter were P 3333/
I 3333; more usually the inter-radial tentacles numbered two or one.
The absence of adult specimens of Rathkea in this area, which has
also been noted for the other seasons (Skinner 1975), and the gradual
increase in numbers which takes place throughout the winter months

448

suggest that the area under investigation is a breeding centre from
which dispersal continually takes place so that development to
maturity is completed elsewhere in the Solway Firth or Irish Sea.
Presumably this is equally true for other species with similar
developmental rates.

The Solway Firth is a Type D estuary, such estuaries being
characterised by a slow drift to the sea at all depths. It has been
shown that the surface current residuals in the Solway on the whole
show a slow drift towards the Irish Sea although this can be much
influenced by the wind and to a lesser extent by the tide (Perkins,
Bailey and Williams 1964). As Rough Firth dries out after each tide
the population of medusae must come under the influence of this
westward drift and so gradually be carried away to the Irish Sea.
One would therefore expect to find adult Rathkea and more adults
of other species, west of the present area.

The abnormalities observed were variations from the normal
number of radial canals, tentacles and gonads, but an interesting
variation was the eccentrically positioned stomach seen in Phialidium
and Obelia (one specimen of each) which appeared to result from
the imperfect development of one or more quadrants.

The frequency of abnormality was low, especially so in
Rathkea. In the latter species, however, most of the medusae ex-
amined would have arisen asexually and less variation would be
expected.

The occurrence of primary medusae of Rathkea octopunctata

Medusae of Rathkea may be of two kinds, primary and secon-
dary. The former are produced from the hydroid stage whereas the
latter develop from buds on the stomach walls of the primary
medusae and subsequently from the secondary medusae which con-
tinue the budding process. The two kinds of medusae differ mor-
phologically, primary medusae on the whole being taller and thin-
ner whereas secondary medusae are shorter and broader (Werner
1958). As primary medusae are produced once the ambient
temperature falls below 12 - 14°C (Werner 1958) plankton samples
collected during the winter months are likely to contain a mixture
of the two kinds of medusae. It seemed, therefore, that a detailed
examination of the winter samples might be of interest.

Using the 1980 - 1981 results, the heights and diameters of as

449

many medusae as possible were measured and an overall mean
height/diameter ratio was calculated. This was 0.978 (n = 1167).
Table 3 shows the number of individuals with height/diameter ratios
greater than or less than the mean along with spot readings of sur-
face temperatures at the sampling site. A chi2 test shows that the
decline in proportions of the taller individuals through the sampl-
ing period is significant (chi2 = 17.8, 6 d.f., P = 0.01).

If the data are broken down into two groups, 3 Nov. - 18 Feb.
and 5 Mar. - 30 Mar., and compared, the decline shown by March
is significant (chi2 = 12.21, 1 d.f., P = 0.001). That from 3 Nov.
- 18 Feb. however, is not. This suggests, therefore, that produc-
tion of primary medusae falls off markedly at the end of winter,
even before sea surface temperatures begin to rise.

Table 3. Numbers of Rathkea octopunctata medusae with height/diameter
ratios greater and less than the mean and water surface temperatures,

1980-1981.

Height /diameter ratio

3 Nov

21 Dec

20 Jan

5 Feb

18 Feb

5 Mar

30 Mar

Above mean

240

138

20

36

145

95

23

Below mean

120

87

17

25

102

96

23

% above mean

67

61

54

59

59

50

50

Temperature °C

6.1

5.0

4.2

5.5

4.4

3.5

10.2

Acknowledgments

I must express my gratitude to my former colleague, Mr Eric
Door, for valuable discussions on statistical problems, to Dr R. M.
Dobson for advice and encouragement received during the prepara-
tion of this paper, to Dr C. Edwards for help so willingly given
over the identification of many of the young stages, to my former
colleague, Mr G. Dolan, for help with calibration of glassware and
to Dumfries and Galloway Regional Council for the use of
apparatus.

References

EDWARDS, C. 1964. The hydroid of the Anthomedusa Bougainvillia britannica.
J. mar. biol. Ass. U.K. 44 : 1-10.

EDWARDS, C. 1966. The hydroid and the medusa Bougainvillia principis, and
a review of the British species of Bougainvillia. J. mar. biol. Ass. U.K. 46
: 129-152.

450

EDWARDS, C. 1972. The hydroids and medusae Podocoryne areolata, P. borealis
and P. carnea. J. mar. biol. ^Iss. U.K. 52 : 97-144.

MARINE BIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION 1957. Plymouth Marine Fauna. Ed.
3, Plymouth.

PERKINS, E. J., BAILEY, M. and WILLIAMS, B. R. H. 1964. The Biology
of the Solway Firth in relation to the Movement and Accumulation of
Radioactive Materials. VI. General Hydrography. United Kingdom Atomic
Energy Authority. PG Report 604.

RUSSELL, F. S. 1953. The Medusae of the British Isles, Vol. 1. Anthomedusae,
Leptomedusae, Limnomedusae, Trachymedusae and Narcomedusae. Cam-
bridge: University Press.

RUSSELL, F. S. 1970. The Medusae of the British Isles, Vol. 2. Pelagic Scyphozoa
with a supplement to the first volume on Hydromedusae. Cambridge: Univer-
sity Press.

SKINNER, T. G. 1975. Observations on Solway Hydromedusae. Glasg. Nat. 19:
189-197.

STUBBINGS, H. G. 1975. Balanus balanoides. L.M.B.C. Memoirs, No. 37. Liver-
pool: University Press.

WERNER, B. 1958. Die Verbreitung und das jahreszeitliche Auftreten der An-
thomeduse Rathkea octopuntata M. Sars, sowie die Temperaturabhangigkeit
ihrer Entwicklung und Fortpflanzung. Helgolander wiss. Meeresunters. 6:
137-170.

451

Notes on two Lichenophagous Oribatid
Mites from Ailsa Craig (Acari:
Cryptostigmata)

M. J. COLLOFF

Department of Zoology, University of Glasgow
Received August 1984

Introduction

Ailsa Craig (V.C. 100, Clyde Isles) is the smallest and most southerly
of the Clyde Island Series. It lies 14.5 km west of Girvan at the
entrance to the Firth of Clyde. Although only slightly more than
a kilometre in length, the island rises steeply to a height of 338 m.

The geology is unique. Ailsa Craig represents the remains of
a volcanic plug possibly resulting from the Scottish Tertiary activi-
ty. It consists almost entirely of riebeckite microgranite, a rock very
similar to the riebeckite trachyite of Holy Island some 27 km to
the north (MacDonald & Herriot 1983).

The island was visited by a party from the Glasgow Natural
History Society on the 16th June 1984. This expedition provided
the author with an opportunity for collection of lichen material from
a variety of sites and subsequent examination of the oribatid fauna
contained therein.

This paper is the second concerned with oribatids and lichens
of the Clyde Islands; the first (Colloff 1983) dealt with this associa-
tion on Great Cumbrae. It provides notes on the ecology and
zoogeography of Ommatocepheus ocellatus (Michael 1882), a
Southern European montane species, and Ameronothrus lineatus
(Thorell 1871), an arctic/sub-arctic species, both of which are found
living in lichens on Ailsa Craig.

Glasg. Nat. 20 part 5 (1984)

452

Ommatocepheus ocellatus. Dorsal view of adult. Scale bar = 100 fxm.

453

Ommatocepheus ocellatus (Michael 1882) (Fig. 1)

Material examined: 1 female from Parmelia omphalodes (5.7g dry wt), rocks near
North Port (Altitude 2m); 3 females from Parmelia caperata (5.5g dry wt); 9 females
from Cetraria chlorophylla (2.8g dry wt), rocks near Garra Loch (Altitude 247m).
Dimensions: Length 583-620 jim. Breadth 357-395 fim (n = 7).

Distribution (Figs. 3 and 4): This species has only twice previously been reported
from Britain, by Michael (1882) from Xanthoria sp. at Land’s End, Cornwall, and
by Seyd (1981) from lichen material at an altitude of 687m on the summit of The Cnicht,
Snowdonia. The Ailsa Craig specimens represent the first record of the species in
Scotland, extending the northern limit of the known range by about 260km. It is also
a rare species on foreign lists. Willmann (1931) records it from the Taunus Mountains
north of Frankfurt. Bernini (1971) found the species at 1000m on Mt Reatini, Italy.
Mahunka (1974) reports it from another montane site, this time Mt Rudi in Cephalonia,
Greece. Tarman (1973) found O. ocellatus at between 1400 and 1900m in Triglav Na-
tional Park in Yugoslavia. Other records are Perez-Inigo (1975) from Tenerife, Subias
(1977) from above 1200m in the Sierra Guadarrama, Spain, Csiszar & Jeleva (1962)
from soils at 1500m in the Rila Mountains, Bulgaria, and Lions (1978) from leaf litter
in Sainte Baume Forest, France.

The most detailed observations on the habits and local distribution of O. ocellatus
were made by Trave (1963). He found it at 3-400m in the Massane Forest, Pyrenees.
He recovered 71% of his samples from lichen biotopes and found that the nymphs
and adults tended to inhabit the surface layers of crustose lichens especially Pertusaria
albescens. The mites remained inactive in dry conditions, feeding and burrowing only
when the lichen thallus was damp. O. ocellatus would thus appear to be well attuned
to the extremes of desiccation and saturation to which lichens are subject.

There is an apparent correlation between altitude and latitude of the sites at which
O. ocellatus has been found (Fig. 3). The species occurs in high altitude sites at low
latitudes and vice-versa. This type of vertical discontinuous distribution has been
documented previously by Seyd (1979) for the relict ice-age species Calyptozetes sareken-
sis (Tragclrdh 1910). It is unlikely, however, that O. ocellatus is also a relict species
because it has not been found in arctic/subarctic regions. It is probably a European
montane species, having spread northwards from Europe. Thus the inverse relation-
ship between altitude and latitude may be due to optimum temperatures for the life
cycle of O. ocellatus being present at lower altitudes at the northern sites than at the
southern European locations.

Ameronothrus lineatus (Thorell 1871) (Fig. 2)

Material examined: 109 adults, 66 nymphs, 89 larvae from Xanthoria Candelaria
(0.75g dry wt) from the Cairn (altitude 338m); 10 adults from Cetraria chlorophylla
(2.8g dry wt) near Garra Loch. Dimensions: Adult length 771-696 (im. Adult breadth
508-451 urn.

Distribution (Fig. 4): In contrast to the preceding species A. lineatus has an arc-
tic/sub-arctic distribution and the Ailsa Craig records are among the most southerly.
There is one previously published Scottish record, from an unspecified habitat on South
Uist (as A. corrugatus (Mich.)) (Waterston 1981). The species was first described from
Svalbard and has subsequently been reported from those islands on several occasions
(e.g. Trouessart 1894, Hull 1922, Karppinen 1967). Unlike A. nigrofemoratus (L. Koch,
1879), with which it has been confused by some authors (Graverson 1931, Hammer
1937), it has a palaearctic distribution only not a holarctic one as implied by Seyd and
Seaward (1984).

Hull (1916) records A. lineatus from the vicinity of Whitley Bay, Yorkshire, and
notes of it: “Always aquatic, sometimes in freshwater, but never beyond the reach
of sea spring”.

454

Fig. 3

1600

A
!
t
i
t

d 800J
e

(m)

• •

0J-

20

40 * 60

Latitude (°N)

Fig. 3 Graph showing the relationship between latitude and altitude of
sites where Ommatocepheus ocellatus has been recorded.

Fig. 4

Fig. 4 Map showing the distribution of Ommatocepheus ocellatus (dots)
and Ameronothrus lineatus (triangles).

455

He also cites the records of Michael (1888) from Puffin Island, North Wales and Halbert
(1915) from Clare Island, Eire.

The genus Ameronothrus has recently received much attention due to the habitat
preference of several of the species for marine and brackish water sites (Schulte 1976,
Schulte et al. 1975). Schubart (1975) provides a series of records from Norway, Ger-
many, Denmark, Spitsbergen and the most southerly site so far, the Thames at Lon-
don. Schulte (1979) recorded A. lineatus from the north German coast in the lower
supralittoral zone in salinities of less than 10%. This corresponds with the observa-
tions of Halbert, Hull and Michael who all note the presence of freshwater runoff
at the sites where the species was found.

On Ailsa Craig the distribution of A. lineatus at 245-335m from the shore
may be related to its seemingly lower tolerance to salt spray than some of the other
species in the genus. At these higher altitudes less spray would be deposited than
at sea level and the salinity reduced by rainwater.

Discussion

A preliminary classification consisting of three groups of
oribatid species showing differing affinities for lichens was recent-
ly proposed in a major review by Seyd and Seaward (1984) in order
to provide a basis for further research.

They regarded O. ocellatus as a member of group “B”, that
is a species preferring lichens as a habitat and food source but also
found living and feeding on other plants. The only existing records
of feeding are on lichens and most of the non-lichen records report
single specimens which may be “accidentals”.

All the Ailsa Craig specimens contained food balls and faecal
pellets which on examination were found to consist almost entirely
of Trebouxia , the most common unicellular green algal symbiont
in lichens. No fungal hyphae or other recognizable components were
observed. It is therefore suggested that O. ocellatus should be con-
sidered as a member of group “A”, i.e. a species restricted to lichens
as a biotope though occasionally occurring as an “accidental” in
other biotopes.

Ameronothus lineatus is classifed in group “C” which con-
sists of species frequently found on lichens but equally common
in other biotopes. This indeed appears to be the case. Large numbers
of A. lineatus have been reported from crustose algae (Karppinen
1966, Schulte 1976). At the Cairn on Ailsa Craig specimens were
observed moving freely on bare rock and amongst swards of moss
and grasses, as well as on lichens. Schulte (1976) showed that the
mite tended toward a diet of unicellular algae, normally found as
phycobionts of lichens, plus soredia from the lichens Caloplaca
scopularis and Lecanora sp., although it consumed a variety of other

456

foods including yeasts, ascomycete and deuteromycete fungi, and
green and red macroalgae. The Ailsa Craig specimens were found
to contain fungal hyphae in faecal material as well as Trebouxia
indicating a less selective lichenophagy than O. ocellatus.

Acknowledgments

The author wishes to thank Mr D. Macfarlane (Commonwealth In-
stitute of Entomology) for checking the identity of Ameronothrus
lineatus and providing information on this species, and Mr E. L.
Seyd (Oxford) for reviewing the manuscript.

References

BERNINI, F. 1971. Notulae Oribatologicae IV. Contributo alia conoscenza degli
Oribatei (Acarida) dei M.ti. Reatini (Lazio). Lav. della Soc. Hal. Biogeogr.
N.S. 2: 379-400.

COLLOFF, M. J. 1983. Oribatid mites associated with marine and maritime lichens
on the Island of Great Cumbrae. Glasg. Nat. 20: 347-359.

CSISZAR, J. & JELEVA, M. 1962. Oribatid mites (Acari) from Bulgarian soils.
Acta. zool. hung. 8: 273-301.

GRA VERSON, C. B. 1931. Notizen liber Gronlandische Oribatiden. Meddr
Greenland 91: 1-18.

HALBERT, J. N. 1915. Acarinida: II-Terrestrial and Marine Acarina. Proc. R.

Ir. Acad. (Clare Island Survey Part 39 ii) 31: 45-136.

HAMMER, M. 1937. A quantitative and qualitative investigation of the micro-
fauna communities of the soil at Ang-Magssalik and in Mikis Fjord. Meddr
Greenland 108: 1-53.

HULL, J. E. 1916. Terrestrial Acari of the Tyne Province. Trans, nat. Hist. Soc.
Northumb. 4: 381-423.

HULL, J. E. 1922. On some landmites from Spitsbergen and Bear Island. Results
of the Oxford University Expedition to Spitsbergen, 1921. No. 23. Ann.
Mag. nat. Hist. 10: 621-623.

KARPPINEN, E. 1966. Investigations on the oribatid fauna (Acar.) of the seashore
and archipelago of Finland. Suom. hyont. Aikak. 32: 22-43.

LIONS, J. C. 1978. Elementes sur la distribution verticale des Oribates (Acariens)
dans les biotopes edaphiques d’un ecosysteme forestier. Rev. Ecol. Biol.
Sol. 15: 345-362.

MACDONALD, J. G. & HERRIOT, A. 1983. MacGregor's Excursion Guide to
the Geology of Arran. Geological Society of Glasgow.

MAHUNKA, S. 1974. Neue und interessante Milben aus dem Genfer Museum
XII. Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Oribatiden Fauna Griechenlands (Acari). Revue
Suisse Zool. 81: 569-590.

457

MICHAEL, A. D. 1882. Further notes on British Oribatidae. Jl R. microsc. Soc.
(2) 2: 225-251.

MICHAEL, A. D. 1888. British Oribatidae , Vol. 2. Ray Society, London.
PEREZ-INIGO, C. 1975. Acaros oribatidos de la isla de Tenerife (Acari: Oribatei).
Eos 51: 85-141.

SCHUBART, H. 1975. Morphologische Grundlagen fur die Klarung des Verwand-
tschaftsbeziehungen innerhalb der Milbenfamilie Ameronothridae (Acari:
Oribatei). Zoologica, Stuttg. 123: 23-91.

SCHULTE, G. 1976. Zur Nahrungsbiologie der terrestrischen und marinen Milben-
familie Ameronothridae. Pedobiologia 16: 332-352.

SCHULTE, G. 1979. Brackwasser-Submergenz und latitudinale Emergenz
Kiistenbewohnender Milben. In Proceedings of the 4th International Con-
gress of Acarology (Ed. E. Piffl). 61-67. Akademiai Kiado, Budapest.
SCHULTE, G., SCHUSTER, R. & SCHUBART, H. 1975. Zur Verbreitung und
Okologie der Ameronothriden (Acari: Oribatei) in terrestrischen, limnischen
und marinen Lebensraumen. Veroff Inst. Meeresforsch. Bremerh. 15:
359-385.

SEYD, E. L. 1979. The evolution and distribution of Calyptozetes sarekensis
(Acari: Oribatei). Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 12: 1-18.

SEYD, E. L. 1981. Studies on the moss mites of Snowdonia (Acari: Oribatei).

2. The Cnicht. Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 15: 287-298.

SEYD, E. L. & SEAWARD, M. R. D. 1984. The association of oribatid mites
with lichens. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 80: 369-420.

SUBIAS, L. S. 1977. Taxonomia y Ecologia de los Oribatidos Saxicolas y Ar-
boricolas de la Sierra de Guadarrama (Acarida, Oribatida). Trab. Cat. Antn.
Fac. Biol. Univ. Compl. Madr. No. 24: 1-379.

TARMAN, K. 1973. Ecology of Oribatida of the Triaglav National Park. Varstvo
Narave. 7: 51-64.

TRAVE, J. 1963. Ecologie et biologie des Oribates (Acariens) saxicoles et ar-
boricoles. Vie Milieu Suppl. 14: 1-267.

TROUESSART, E. 1894. Revision des Acariens des regions arctiques et descrip-
tion d’especes nouvelles. Mem. Soc. natn. Sci. nat. math. Cherbourg 29:
189-206.

WATERSTON, A. R. 1981. Present knowledge of the non-marine invertebrate
fauna of the Outer Hebrides. Proc. R. Soc. Edinb. 79B: 215-321.
WILLMANN, C. 1931. Moosmilben oder Oribatiden (Oribatei). Tierwelt Dtl. 22:
79-200.

458

Book Reviews

Naturalist’s Handbooks

1. Insects on Nettles, B. N. K. DAVIS

2. Grasshoppers, VALERIE K. BROWN

3. Solitary Wasps, PETER F. YEO and SARAH A. CORBET

4. Insects and Thistles, MARGARET REDFERN

Cambridge University Press, 1983 : each Hardback £8,

Paperback £2.95.

The stated purpose of these books is to encourage and enable sixth-formers and others
to make original contributions to biological research. Whether this object will be achiev-
ed will remain to be seen but any person who, on handling one of these books, fails
to find his interest stimulated, will only have himself to blame.

Within an uniform format of 64 pages, each book packs in an astonishing amount
of information. All have sections dealing with the biology of the organisms concerned
and the techniques required to find and handle them. All have keys with the characters
well explained and illustrated. An additional feature of No. 3 (Solitary Wasps) is a
‘Quick Check’ key and ‘Guessing Guide’ which enables approximate identifications
to be made in the field. The books are lavishly illustrated with excellent black and
white drawings and the 4 pages of colour paintings on the centre pages are clear, ac-
curate and beautifully printed. The bibliographies are full and facilitate the approach
to more advanced studies. Guidance is given on how to obtain the texts cited.

These books can be recommended without reserve. RONALD M. DOBSON

The Macmillan Guide to Britain’s Nature Reserves

ed. R. E. BOOTE and F. PERRING

Macmillan, London, 1984, 717pp., many maps, colour and
monotone plates, £30.

Despite its restrictive title, this comprehensive gazeteer of the cream of wildlife sites
in Britain also covers many non-reserve areas in the 2000 localities described. The layout
includes regional maps, map references to most sites, recommended times to visit, ac-
cess arrangements etc., in addition to the book being undoubtedly the best illustrated
and indexed guide of its kind.

Invariably the first-time browser turns initially to the places selected he/she knows
best, in my own case those that fall within Central and Strathclyde regions. Treatment
of these sites was found to be somewhat varied, ranging from very good (Loch Lo-
mond NNR - two-thirds of a page description plus three photographs) to barely ade-
quate (Possil Marsh - only two generalised sentences on a half blank page). And anyone
who has struggled across to Ailsa Craig in the depths of winter would probably not
agree with its recommendation of being an ‘all year’ spot for the naturalist to visit.
Minor errors have inevitably crept in, and as warden of the Ben Lui NNR I was dismayed
to read that the many hundreds of individual hill-walkers who frequent this popular
mountain each year are requested to notify me in advance. Fortunately, the incorrect
address provided should help keep those unnecessary telephone calls to a minimum.

However, any small criticisms made are insignificant against the compilers’ achieve-
ment in producing such a major reference work - absolutely invaluable to anyone
planning to visit a new and unfamiliar area for the first time. I only wish I could
afford my personal copy. JOHN MITCHELL

459

The Endophytic Diatom, Navicula
endophytica Hasle in Fucoid Algae of
the Clyde Sea Area

V. WARDLAW and A. D. BONEY

Department of Botany, University of Glasgow
Received March 1984

Navicula endophytica (Fig. 1) was first described by Hasle
(1968) from the intercellular mucilage of fruiting receptacles
of Ascophyllum nodosum (L.) Le Jol. collected from Nor-
wegian shores. Baardseth (1969) found the endophyte in
the mucilages squeezed from receptacular regions of Fucus
vesiculosus L., F. serratus L., F. spiralis L. and F. cera-
noides. L., all from Norwegian coastal waters. Baardseth also
demonstrated that the diatom was to be found in apical regions of
Fucus vesiculosus (vesicles and receptacles), and in the older vesicles
and receptacles below the apical region in Ascophyllum , but in both

Fig. 1 Navicula endophytica; Appearance in valve view.
Cell length = 18

algae being present in that mucilage which would swell in the
presence of water. With Ascophyllum the larger numbers of diatom
cells were to be found in the more mature and swollen receptacles.
Taasen (1972) extended the host range to include Fucus distichus
L. subsp. evanescens, and also listed 22 localities worldwide in the
northern hemisphere where the endophyte had been found in species
of fucoid algae, including Fucus vesiculosus and F. serratus from
St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland. The occurrence of TV. endophytica

Glasg. Nat . 20 part 5 (1984)

460

Table 1

Occurrence of Navicula endophytica in fucoid algae from sites in the Clyde

Sea area

+ endophyte present; - endophyte not present; • host plant not collected

Pelvetia

Site Number
(Fig. 2)

1

2

3

4

5

6
7

canaliculata spiralis

Fucus Ascophyllum Fucus Fucus Fucus

nodosum vesiculosus serratus ceranoides

10

•

+

•

11

-

-

•

12,13

• +

+

•

14

• •

-

-

15

• +

+

-

16

• +

•

•

17

• +

+

•

18

• +

+

+

-

19

•

-

-

20,21

• •

•

•

22

• +

•

•

23

•

•

•

-

24

• +

•

•

25

• •

•

+

26

• +

-

•

27

• +

•

•

28

• +

•

•

29,30

•

•

•

31

• •

+

-

32

• +

•

+

-

33

•

•

•

34

• +

•

+

35

+

+

+

+

36

+ +

+

+

+

37

+

+

+

+

38

• •

+

•

•

39

-

+

•

-

40

• +

•

•

•

41

+

+

•

+

461

Fig. 2 A The Clyde Sea Area

B C The occurrence of Navicula endophytica in fucoid algae
at the 41 collection sites (C = Gt. Cumbrae Island enlarged). The
size of the filled circles represents the relative numbers of the diatom
present in all fucoid algae at the site. The open circles show where
the diatom was not found in fucoid algae.

Scale lines: A = 10km, B = 5km, C = 3.2km.

462

as an epiphyte on the apical regions of F. vesiculosus and in plankton
samples from Viksfjorden in Norway has also been reported
(Taasen, 1972). Recently, the endophyte has been found in fucoid
algae collected from one site on Great Cumbrae Island, Firth of
Clyde, being particularly abundant throughout the year in the apical
receptacular regions of fronds of Fucus vesiculosus and F. serratus
(Huang and Boney, 1985). The present paper describes the occur-
rence of the endophyte in fucoid algae from 41 localities on the
shores of the Clyde Sea and Estuary.

2-3 large plants of the fucoid species available at each site were
collected from the mid part of a subzone and both the presence and
the numbers of N. endophytica were noted in sections cut from dif-
ferent regions of the plants mounted in sea water. The identity of
the endophytic cells was confirmed by cell measurements and by
observation on dried and gold shadowed cells using stereoscan elec-
tron microscopy.

Fucoid algae were collected from 41 sites (Fig. 2 B, C), viz.,
the western shore of the landward tip of Loch Fyne (1-4), the nor-
thern and eastern shore of Loch Long down to Barons Point (5-12),
the shores of the Gareloch from Castle Point to Cairndhu (13-15),
and the northern shore of the Clyde Estuary from Helensburgh to
east of Bowling (16-20), and on the opposite shore westward to
Gourock (21-25). A number of sites on the shores of the inner Firth
were also visited from Cloch Point in the north down to North Bay
just above Ardrossan (26-34). Seven sites were visited on Great Cum-
brae Island (35-41). Of these site 35 lies close to that used by Huang
and Boney (1984). Collections were made from November 1982
through March 1983. Due to shore configurations on some of the
sites not all the species of fucoid algae were to be found. Pelvetia
canaliculata was collected from 7 (17%) of the sites, Fucus spiralis
from 29 (70%), Ascophyllum nodosum from 25 (61%), Fucus
vesiculosus from 19 (46%), Fucus serratus from 14 (34%) and Fucus
ceranoides from 3 (7%). The upper shore Fucus spiralis and mid-
shore Ascophyllum nodosum were mainly examined. The occur-
rence of N. endophytica is summarised in Table 1 and Fig. 2. The
endophyte was not found in fucoids collected from sites 19-21 . The
plants here were somewhat stunted, lacking receptacles and in a
region of the estuary subjected to some pollution. The endophyte
was most numberous in fucoids collected from the shores of Great
Cumbrae Island. Of the 41 sites visited the endophyte was found
in host plants from 30 (73%).

463

Hasle (1968) included data on cell sizes of N. endophytica from
Ascophyllum nodosum , with valve lengths from 18-30 ^ , and
widths 5-6 (Jim . The Clyde sea diatoms from the same host plant
were 18-26.3 in valve lengths and 3.3-6 wide. Diatom cells
from Fucus vesiculosus 20-27 nm long and 3. 2-5. 3 fxm wide, whilst
those from F. spiralis were 18.5-29.4 in valve lengths and
3-6.4 (xm wide. Cell sizes were thus of a similar order to the diatom
cell sizes reported from Norway. Taasen (1972), however, gave valve
lengths ranging from 17.6-42.9 jim, and 4. 2-7. 4 wide.

Despite the wide-ranging nature of the habitats and that
transference from one host plant to another appears to be an ex-
ternally mediated process (Taasen, 1972), Navicula endophytica
would seem to be of common occurrence in fucoid algae of the Clyde
Sea area.

References

BAARDSETH, E. 1969. Some aspects of the native intercellular substance in
Fucaceae. Proc. Int. Seaweed Symp. 6 : 53-60.

HASLE, G. R. 1968. Navicula endophytica sp. nov. A pennate diatom with an
unusual mode of existence. Brit. Phycol. Bull. 3 : 475-480.

HUANG, R. and BONEY, A. D. 1985. Seasonal Ecology of Littoral Diatoms
from Great Cumbrae Island, Firth of Clyde. Trans. Bot. Soc. Edinb. in
the press.

TAASEN, J. P. 1972. Observations on Navicula endophytica Hasle
(Bacillariophyceae). Sarsia 59 : 1-6.

'

.

465

Records for "The Flora of Glasgow"

I. Some Grasses and other
Monocotyledons

J. H. DICKSON

Department of Botany, University of Glasgow
Received October 1984

This is the first in a short series of papers over the next few years
to discuss discoveries of noteworthy species found mostly during
excursions held to record the flora of Glasgow. The records are being
compiled in tetrads (four square kilometres) of the National Grid.
In this context Bearsden is near the northwest corner of Glasgow,
Barrhead at the southwest, Blantyre at the southeast and Kirkin-
tilloch at the northeast. More precisely in terms of the National Grid,
Glasgow is the rectangle composed of the two 10 km. squares NS56
and NS66 with the ten northernmost tetrads of NS55 and of NS65
and the ten southernmost tetrads of NS57 and of NS67. There are
in all 90 tetrads within the Glasgow rectangle. Vice-county 77
(Lanarkshire) covers much of the rectangle but there is a substan-
tial part of V.C.76 (Renfrewshire), a small part of V.C.99 (Dum-
bartonshire) and a small part of V.C.86 (Stirlingshire and detach-
ed Dumbartonshire).

Allium paradoxum (Bieb). G. Don Few-flowered Leek

Bothwell Castle; June 1984, JRSL & MMHL, tetrad 65T88, V.C.77. In small
quantity on west bank of the Kelvin in Kelvingrove Park; May 1984, AW et al.,
tetrad 56T66, V.C.77. In shade on west bank of the Kelvin at Dawsholm; May
1982, AMcGS, tetrad 56T48, V.C.99.

The Few-flowered Leek was “very rare” according to Lee who gave no records
from Glasgow where it may now be spreading down the Kelvin and elsewhere.

Allium vineale L. Crow Garlic

South-facing slope below Kelvin Drive; June 1984, JMcK, tetrad 56T66,
V.C.77.

Lee reports no Glasgow localities but Hennedy knew Crow Garlic at Car-
myle. Perhaps it has not been seen in Glasgow since the latter half of the nine-
teenth century.

Glasg. Nat . 20 part 5 (1984)

466

Bromus sterilis L. Barren Brome

Profuse at roadside and field margin, Blantyreferme, Uddingston; May 1984,
GNHS excursion, tetrad 66T80, V.C.77. On heap of soil, Toryglen; June 1984,
JHD, tetrad 66T00, V.C.77. Dry ground beneath Cambuslang Bridge; August 1984,
GNHS excursion, tetrad 66T40, V.C.77. Waste ground, Newton; September 1984,
GNHS excursion, tetrad 66T64, V.C.77.

Hopkirk stated “frequent” as did Hennedy who listed three localities in
southeast Glasgow. Lee’s description “not common” seems apt at present. Bar-
ren Brome may be rare in the north and west of the Glasgow rectangle.

Glyceria declinata Bred. Glaucous Sweet-grass

Darnley Glen; August 1984, GNHS excursion, tetrad 55T28, V.C.76. Bank
of White Cart, Busby; September 1984, GNHS excursion, tetrad 55T66, V.C.77.
Dalton; July 1984, JHD, JRSL & MMHL, tetrad 65T68, V.C.77. Kirkintilloch;
August 1984, JHD, RH & ELS, tetrad 67T42, V.C.77. Hogganfield Loch; August
1984; AMcGS & BHT, tetrad 66T26, V.C.77. Langbank; June 1984, RH, tetrad
57T62, V.C.86. Faifley; July 1984, JHD & RH, tetrad 57T02, V.C.99. Baljaf-
fray; August 1984, JHD, tetrad 57T22, V.C.99.

Glaucous Sweet grass, evidently formerly little known to local botanists (see
BSBI Atlas), can be found easily and is clearly widespread in the Glasgow rec-
tangle. It occurs by slow-flowing streams and often in wet depressions in grazed
fields.

Hordeum jubatum L. Foxtail Barley

Southern verge of motorway M8 at Alexandra Park; August 1982, still there
August 1984, JHD, tetrad 66T26, V.C.77.

This salt tolerant grass was previously reported from two motorway localities
in Glasgow (Silverside 1978).

Koeleria macrantha (Ledeb) Schultes Crested Hair-grass

Abandoned bowling green, Bellahouston Park; August 1983, GNHS excur-
sion, tetrad 56T44, V.C.77.

Presumably brought in with coastal turf, this grass appears unrecorded in
Glasgow previously.

Lagurus ovatus L. Hare’s-tail

In street, Dowanside Road; May 1984, AMMB, tetrad 56T66, V.C.77.
This decorative annual grass has somehow escaped from cultivation. Unmen-
tioned by previous authors for Glasgow, it can be expected occasionally without
lasting establishment.

Luzula luzuloides (Lam.) Dandy & Wilmott

In shade under trees at Rouken Glen; September 1982, GNHS excursion, tetrad
55T48, V.C.76. Under trees, Linn Park near western gate; May 1984, JHD, tetrad
55T88, V.C.76. Under trees, Bothwell Castle; June 1984, JRSL, tetrad 65T88,
V.C.77.

This Woodrush is perhaps widespread but overlooked in well-wooded parks
in the Glasgow rectangle.

467

Milium effusum L. Millet Grass

Linn Park; 1980, RHD, tetrad 55T88, V.C.77. Pollok Country Park August

1983, GNHS excursion, tetrad 56T42, V.C.76. Well-established under trees at Ross
Hall, June 1983, AEC, tetrad 56T22 V.C.76. Near the Peel, Carmunnock; June

1984, GNHS excursion, tetrad 55T86, V.C.77. Cadder Wilderness, July 1984, GS,
tetrad 57T80, V.C.77.

“Not common” according to Lee who gave no records from Glasgow but
Millet Grass is widespread in the southwest of the rectangle.

Platanthera chlorantha (Custer) Reichenb. Greater Butterfly Orchid

Well established in meadow, Darnley; June 1983, RK-J, tetrad 55T28, V.C.76.
One plant in meadow, Hurlethill, July 1984, RK-J, tetrad 56T00, V.C.76. Three
plants, wet sloping ground in Linn Crematorium, July 1984, GNHS excursion,
tetrad 55T88, V.C.77. A few plants on grassy slopes, Faifley; July 1984, JHD
& RH, tetrad 57T02, V.C.99.

This orchid can be expected locally mostly at the margins of the rectangle.
Recent recording has yet to turn up the Lesser Butterfly Orchid.

Poa chaixii Vill. Broad-leaved Meadow-grass

Rouken Glen; September 1982, GNHS excursion, tetrad 55T48, V.C.76.
Necropolis; August 1984, JHD, tetrad 66T02, V.C.77. Bothwell Castle; June 1984,
tetrad 65T88, V.C.77.

These three occurrences are well-established stands in the shade of trees. Ob-
viously now widespread in the Glasgow rectangle, Broad-leaved Meadow-grass
is unmentioned by Lee (1933) and earlier authors but Castlemilk is listed by Lee
(1953).

Poa compressa L. Flattened Meadow-grass

Dalton; July 1984, JHD, RH, JRSL & MMHL, tetrad 65T68, V.C.77.
Newton; September 1984 GNHS excursion, tetrad 66T60, V.C.77.

This grass was well established on the disturbed ground north of the large
pit bing at Dalton and was abundant at two bings near Newton where it grew in
almost pure stands on flat ground. “Very rare” to both Hopkirk and Hennedy
and “rare” to Lee but it was “frequent and well established on dry waste ground
around Glasgow ...” according to Grierson. The plant may have declined since
Grierson’s day or else it has been largely overlooked in recent decades.

Sisyrinchium montanum E.L. Green Blue-eyed Grass

A single plant on an east-facing slope, Dawsholm; June 1982, AEC, tetrad
56T48; V.C.99; still present May 1984.

Though this North American member of the Iris family is well-established
at Williamwood, this is the first locality north of the Clyde.

Trisetum flavescens (L.) Beauv. Yellow Oat

Conspicuous stand in uncut lawn near Museum, King’s Park; June 1984, AEC,
tetrad 56T80, V.C.77.

Rare in the west of Scotland, Yellow Oat has perhaps been overlooked in
the Glasgow rectangle.

Abbreviations: AEC Adult Education Class; AMMB Alec. Berrie; AMcGS Alan Stirling;
AW Agnes Walker; BHT Bernard Thompson; ELS Eric Sharp; GS Graham Steven; JHD
Jim Dickson; JMcK June Mackay; JRSL John Lyth; MMHL Margaret Lyth; MMcKT Pearl
Tait; RH Dick Hunter; RHD Ruth Dobson; RK-J Robin Knill-Jones; TNT Norman Tait.

468

References

GRIERSON, R. 1930. Clyde Casuals. Glasg. Nat. 9: 1-51.

HENNEDY, R. 1865. The Clydesdale Flora. Glasgow, David Robertson.
HOPKIRK, T. 1813. Flora Glottiana, Glasgow, John Smith & Son.

LEE, J. R. 1933. Flora of the Clyde Area. Glasgow, John Smith & Son.

LEE, J. R. 1953. Additions to the Flora of the Clyde Area. Glasg. Nat. 17: 65-82.
SILVERSIDE, A. J. 1978. Adventive Grasses. Glasg. Nat. 18: 430-431.

469

Garden Angelica by the River Kelvin

PETER MACPHERSON

15 Lubnaig Road, Glasgow
Received October 1984

In June 1984 Garden Angelica (Angelica archangelica L.) (Fig. 1) was
seen on the left bank of the River Kelvin just North of the Clydeside
Expressway.

South of the expressway, the last section of the river, before it
enters the River Clyde, had at one time been made into a dock, and
on the broken down piles were many more specimens, amounting in
all to over 100 plants.

Most plants were striking, being five to six feet high and with
basal leaves three and a half to four feet long and up to three feet
wide. The thick stems were unusual in being purplish like Wild Angelica
(A. sylvestris L.) instead of the usual green. The stem colour is given
as one of the distinguishing features.

Herba Angelica - “the angelic herb”, derived its name from its
reputed properties against poisons and pestilence, probably on account
of its fragrant smell and the aromatic taste of the root (Oxford English
Dictionary, 1971). The plant is indigenous to Northern Europe and
has been cultivated in Britain since 1568 for culinary and medicinal
purposes and for the preparation of a confection (Candied Angelica),
the stalks and tender midribs of the leaves being cut in May and June
to make the candied preserve.

The plant is now more or less naturalised on river banks, mainly
the Thames, Mersey and Trent, and their tributaries.

Perring and Walters (1962) give only a pre-1930 record for
mainland Scotland (in the Loch Leven area of Fife) and a record for
the Shetland Isles.

Garden Angelica, but never in the form with purple stems, has
been grown in the Glasgow Botanic Gardens in the herb garden sec-
tion, which is in any case well away from the river (E. W. Curtis per-
sonal communication). There has therefore been some other source
of introduction. Gte Nat. 20 part 5 (1984)

470

Having heard of the Kelvin location, Dr J. H. Dickson was on
the look-out for other sites and in July 1984 saw a further non-
flowering plant on the left bank of the River Clyde in the Braeside
District.

It is likely that the species will extend further down the river as
it spreads by floating seeds. It seems appropriate to make this report
so that others can be aware of the existence of Garden Angelica in
the Clyde area and to include an illustration to help with identification.

471

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to Dr Elspeth L. S. Lindsay for the illustration and to
Prof. T. G. Tutin for confirming the identification.

References

Oxford English Dictionary 1971. Oxford University Press.

PERRING, F. H. and WALTERS, S. M., 1962. Atlas of the British Flora. Thomas
Nelson and Sons, London and Edinburgh.

472

The Holotype of Plumularia but lata
Fleming 1825 = Ba rent si a gorbunovi

Kluge 1946 (Entroprocta: Barentsiidae)
at Glasgow

F. R. WOODWARD

Art Gallery and Museum, Kelvingrove, Glasgow
Received May 1984

While cataloguing the Zoological Collections of Professor John Fleming
(1785-1857) at the Art Gallery and Museum, Kelvingrove, Glasgow a
herbarium sheet preparation, labelled ‘Plumalaria bullata, mihi, Captain
Parry, Hudson Strait 1821’ came to light (Reg. No. NH 1981-83-10).

At first it was thought that, like other members of the genus
Plumularia, this specimen was a colonial hydroid (Phylum Coelenterata)
but Miss Patricia Cook of the British Museum (Natural History), Lon-
don, expressed the opinion that it more resembled a member of the Phylum
Entoprocta.

Fleming (1825 & 1826) described P. bullata as a new species collected
on the Arctic Expedition under Captain Parry in Hudson’s Strait, 1821.
Parry’s marine plants were consigned to the botanist Sir William Jackson
Hooker who was Regius Professor of Botany at Glasgow University
1821-41 and he, in turn, passed the few zoophytes amongst them to
Fleming.

A literary search on Arctic species by Patricia Cook revealed that the
specimen was, in fact, an entoproct, and was identical to Barentsia gor-
bunovi Kluge 1946 which now becomes a junior synonym of Barentsia
bullata (Fleming 1825).

The species has also been reported from the Central Arctic Ocean
and from Alaska by Osburn (1953).

References

FLEMING, J. 1825. Appendix to PARRY, Sir W. E. Journal of a second voyage for
the discovery of a North West Passage . . . performed in 1821-23, in H.M.S.
Fury and Hecla etc. 2 vols. London 1824-25.

FLEMING, J. 1826. Description of Plumularia bullata, a new species collected by the
Arctic Expedition under Captain Parry, in Hudson’s Strait, 1821. Mem.
Wernerian nat. Hist. Soc. 5: 303-6.

KLUGE, G. A. 1946. Kamptozoa from the Arctic Ocean in ‘Report of the Drifting
Expedition of Chief North Sea Routes Department on the Ice-breaker G. Sedov,
1937-1940 \ Vol 3: Biology, 149-157 (In Russian with English Summary - H.
Kluge sic.).

OSBURN, R. C. 1953. Cyclostomata, Ectoprocta and Addenda in Bryozoa of the
Pacific Coast of America, Part 3: Allan Hancock Pacific Expedition 14(3):

759-81 Glasg. Nat. 20 part 5 (1984)

473

Records for "The Flora of Glasgow"
2. Waste Ground at Bunhouse Road

MICHAEL JARVIS, JEAN MILLAR, IRENE
NOVE and AGNES WALKER

University of Glasgow, and Museum and Art
Galleries, Kelvingrove, Glasgow

Received September 1984

While recording for the Flora of Glasgow project, three of us (J.M.,
I.N. and A.W.) found a number of interesting plants on the site
of the demolished Regent Flour Mills in Bunhouse Road, Glasgow,
opposite the Kelvin Hall. (Grid. Ref. NS564664, V.C.77, tetrad
56T66, Dickson 1984). Subsequent visits, including one by the Socie-
ty in conjunction with the BSBI, yielded 127 species, some of which
are of considerable interest and are listed below.

The history of the Regent Mills can be traced to 1568, when
the site was granted by the Regent Moray to the Incorporation of
Bakers of Glasgow after the Battle of Langside (Napier, 1873; Ness,
1959). The grant may have included the mediaeval mill of Partick,
once owned by the Bishops and Archbishops of Glasgow. Alter-
natively, the mediaeval corn mill may still be equated with the nearby
Bishop’s Mills (White, 1903), and the bakers’ wheat mill may have
been the first mill on the Bunhouse Road site in 1568.

The mill remained in the bakers’ hands till 1866, with occa-
sional reconstructions, and was known as the Bunhouse Mill for
much of that period. The name derives from the adjoining ‘Bun
and Yill House’, one of the well-known inns of old Partick, which
the bakers owned and to which they resorted on occasions like the
harvest-time ‘shaking of the pear-tree’ (Taylor, 1902). The mill was
latterly owned by the Co-Op who marketed the well-known brand
of flour called ‘Lofty Peak’. The site is now dangerous because there
are holes in the concrete foundations of the former mill.

The pear trees of old Partick have not survived, nor indeed
have any notable plants from the rural early 19th century flora of
the Partick areas (Leishman, 1841). However, the island between

Glasg. Nat . 20 part 5 (1984)

100 metres

474

Plan of the Waste Ground at Bunhouse Road, Glasgow

475

the mill-lade and the Kelvin - (1) (Fig. 1) - is shown as wooded
in a print of 1840 (Ness, 1959), and by the 1863 Ordnance Survey.
The lower end carries large Osiers (Salix viminalis) to-day. It may
have been little disturbed since the mid- 19th century.

Both the mill-lade itself (2), with prolific Water Forget-me-nots
(Myosotis palustris), and the river bank below (3), where Balsam
(Impatiens glandulifera) is spreading to form almost complete cover,
are now heavily silted.

The flora of the greater part of the site must date from after
the final demolition of the mills in 1978. The ground is on two levels,
corresponding to the main ranges of mill buildings. The concrete
floors of the buildings by the river comprise much of the lower level
(4), which is sparsely vegetated apart from a former open yard (5)
at the SW, apparently a corner of the Bunhouse garden at a much
earlier date (Ness, 1959). This area is of little botanical interest. In
contrast the slope (6) to the upper level is formed from demolition
rubble, with some additional rubbish from elsewhere, and has almost
complete plant cover with Willow (Salix caprea) saplings now grow-
ing through. At the foot of the slope is a group of plants of possi-
ble garden origin. These included two plants of Caper Spurge
(Euphorbia lathyrus) growing on a heap of rubble.

At the top of the slope, and extending sparsely across the gravel
surface of the upper level (7), is a group of aliens, crop plants and
arable weeds including the Melilots (Melilotus officinalis and M.
alba), Treacle Mustard (Erysimum cheiranthoides), Eastern Rocket
and Tall Rocket (Sisymbrium orientale and S. altissimum), Canary
Grass (Phalaris canariensis ), Italian Ryegrass, Barley and cultivated
Brassicas. This group of plants may well be relics from the mill,
but it is also possible that some were brought by pigeons from the
surviving Scotstoun Mills across the Kelvin, or introduced by the
handlers of circus animals who have used the upper part of the site
in recent years.

The future of the Bunhouse Road site is uncertain. Plans to
extend the Kelvin Walkway through it have met with difficulties
over access at the SW end. Until some form of development takes
place, it will be interesting to note how the flora changes and how
many of the casuals persist. It is for this reason that the site has
been described in some detail as it appears today.

476

Erysimum cheiranthoides L. Treacle Mustard

Probably introduced from SE Europe, N Africa and the Near East. Locally
common as an arable or waste-ground weed in S England, but found mainly as
a casual in the Glasgow area, where it was first reported in the late 19th century
(Hennedy, 1891; Grierson, 1931). Recently reported at Hyndland Station (Mac-
pherson & Stirling, 1983).

Euphorbia lathy rus L. Caper Spurge

Perhaps native in a few places in S England but in Scotland found only as
a rare garden escape. Formerly cultivated for its caper-like, but dangerous, fruits.
Recorded near Hamilton by Hopkirk (1813) and Patrick (1831). Later reports
(British Association, 1876; Hennedy, 1878) may perhaps be derived from Patrick.
We are not aware of any record in the Glasgow area since these.

Glyceria plicata Fries Plicate Sweet-grass

Native to the British Isles, but not previously reported from the Glasgow rec-
tangle. Well established by the river. J. H. Dickson expects it to be found elsewhere
in the rectangle, but less commonly than G. declinata. Leishman (1841) commented
on the abundance of G. fluitans and its palatibility to the local cattle; what he
saw may perhaps have included some G. plicata.

Phalaris canariensis L. Canary Grass

Introduced in birdseed mixtures, from N Africa and the Canaries. Recorded
as a casual, mainly on waste ground, in most Glasgow area floras from Hopkirk
(1813) onward.

Sisymbrium altissimum L. Tall Rocket and S. orientate L. Eastern Rocket
Introduced from countries around the Mediterranean. Established as weeds
of waste ground in England but less common in Scotland, particularly in the W.
Not reported in the Glasgow area prior to Grierson (1931), who first saw them
around 1910 and 1915 respectively.

Melilotus alba Medic. White Melilot and M. officinalis (L.) All. Common Melilot
Both of the melilots are native to most of Europe and W Asia but not to
Britain. Not uncommon as weeds of arable and waste land in England, where M.
officinalis was cultivated for fodder in the 16th century, but less common in
Scotland. M. officinalis was first reported in the Glasgow area during the British
Association (1876) meeting. M. alba was not recorded before Grierson (1931) and
remains less common in W. Scotland (Perring & Walters, 1976). Both are well-
established and profuse at Bunhouse Road.

We are grateful to J. H. Dickson and A. McG. Stirling for
plant identifications, to E. King for historical assistance and to J.
H. Dickson for his overall support.

References

BRITISH ASSOCIATION, 1876. Fauna and Flora of the West of Scotland.
Meeting at Glasgow: Blackie.

CLAPHAM, A. R., TUTIN, T. G. and WARBURG, E. F. 1962. Flora of the
British Isles. 2nd edn. Cambridge: the University Press.

477

DICKSON, J. H. 1984. Records for “The Flora of Glasgow” I. Some grasses
and other Monocotyledons. Glasg. Nat. 20: 463-466.

GRIERSON, R. 1931. Clyde Casuals 1916-1928. Glasgow: Robert Anderson.

HENNEDY, R. 1878. Clydesdale Flora. In Memoriam Edition. Glasgow: Robert
Anderson.

HENNEDY, R. 1891. Clydesdale Flora. 5th edn. Revised T. King. Glasgow: Hugh
Hopkins.

HOPKIRK, T. 1813. Flora Glottiana. Glasgow: John Smith.

LEISHMAN, J. 1841. Parish of Govan. New Statist. Acc. Scot. 6 (Lanark).

MACPHERSON, P. and STIRLING, A. McG. 1983. Unusual Assemblage of
Adventives at Hyndland, Glasgow. Glasg. Nat. 20: 375-376.

NAPIER, J. 1873. Notes and Reminiscences Relating to Partick. Glasgow: Hugh
Hopkins.

NESS, J. B. 1959. The Incorporation of Bakers of Glasgow. 4th edn. Glasgow:
McCorquodale.

PATRICK, W. 1831. Indigenous Plants of Lanarkshire. Edinburgh.

PERRING, F. M. and WALTERS, S. M. 1976. Atlas of the British Flora. 2nd
edn. Wakefield: EP Publishing, for BSBI.

TAYLOR, C. 1902. Partick Past and Present. Glasgow: Hodge.

WHITE, J. 1903. The old lands of Partick and the mill thereof. Trans. Glasgow
Archaeological Soc. N S 4: 23-37.

SOCIETY PUBLICATIONS

The Society has the following publications for sale which can be obtained from
the Librarian, Mrs R. H. Dobson, 664 Clarkston Road, Glasgow G44 3YS:

1. The Flora of the Clyde Area by John R. Lee (1933). Unbound copies £2; hand-
bound copies £4; (postage extra 50p per copy).

This is still the only work of its type on the area and is now in short supply.
It contains a list of species found, with descriptions, localities and keys for
identification.

2. The Vascular Plants of Northern Ardnamurchan by Ruth H. Dobson (1983).
75p (50p to members) plus 13p postage.

This is a covered reprint from Glasg. Nat. 20: pp 313-331 and gives a brief
description of the area with an annotated list of plants.

478

Short Notes

COMPILED BY A. McG. STIRLING

Flowering Plants

Two Plant Introductions established near

Milngavie J. H. DICKSON & R. HUNTER

A single clump of the tall herb Veratrum viride Ait. (Indian Poke)
was discovered near Milngavie by Mr F. Burns, shown to Mr R.
Hunter and kept under observation over the last several years. The
locality (Grid ref. NS 537750) is near Douglas Academy on the site
of the former Mains Estate at 325 feet O.D. (97.5m). The clump
is surrounded closely and hidden by a dense thicket of Japanese
Knotgrass ( Reynoutria japonica Houtt.) about 3m high, and a long-
abandoned hawthorn hedge. When examined on 12th August, 1981,
the first year that flowering was seen, the clump consisted of four
fully blooming stems, the tallest 2. 10m long, and six shorter sterile
stems. Small depressions around the clump indicate removal of por-
tions of rhizome.

Though the stature and plicate leaves are striking the flowers
are not very attractive and the genus is not much cultivated. Six
species are listed in the Royal Horticultural Society’s Dictionary,
but Veratrum is rarely mentioned in gardening books and usually
does not appear in county Floras. It seems, therefore, an unlikely
escape from cultivation. It is more probable that either the clump
is in situ having been planted an uncertain but not short time ago,
or that it has become established from discarded rhizomes a similarly
long time ago. The garden escape Polygonatum multiflorum
(Solomon’s Seal) grows only 1m away from the Veratrum and near-
by there are large elder trees ( Sambucus nigra L.) on obviously
disturbed ground. A short distance to the north-west are the ruins
of a house and the walls of a walled garden, formerly part of the
Mains Estate. Some connection between the estate and the Veratrum
seems a very plausible assumption. The clump has been establish-
ed for several years at least. If it was abandoned when Douglas
Academy was built in the mid 1960’s then it is at least 20 years old.
Conceivably it is much older.

Veratrum viride , a native of North America, is similar to the
European V. album (False White Hellebore), but is taller and with
a laxer inflorescence. In its native habitats it often grows in wet

479

soils. The soil at Milngavie is not wet but may well stay moist because
of the heavy shade.

A cultivated Lungwort known as Pulmonaria ‘Mawson’s Blue’
is well established under trees close to a path near the walled garden.
With vivid blue flowers and unspotted leaves it is a striking cultivar
of obscure relationships. A. C. Leslie (BSBI News 25: 16-17, 1980)
lists only a handful of localities in Surrey, Essex and Midlothian.
Like the Veratrum it may well have been established at Milngavie
for many years.

Plant records from Little Cumbrae A. McG. STIRLING

The island of Little Cumbrae (V.C. 100, Clyde Isles) lacks any
significant volume of published botanical records, probably due to
its relative inaccessibility to visitors. This is confirmed by reference
to The Atlas of the British Flora (1968) where it can be seen that
the grid square NS15, in which Little Cumbrae is situated, shows
a distinct paucity of records compared with neighbouring squares.

A visit of approximately five hours duration to the island by
a party of GNHS on 23 June 1984 afforded the opportunity to record
the flowering plants and ferns in some detail. A total of 175 species
was noted, mainly in the southern half of the island, of which 1 1
were unrecorded in the Atlas and 6 were confirmations of pre-1930
records. A striking feature of the island flora was the great abun-
dance of the Wall Pennywort (Umbilicus rupestris).

The ‘new’ records were: - A triplex lit t oralis, Car ex acutifor-
mis, Circaea lutetiana, Conium maculatum, Corydalis claviculata,
Erodium cicutarium, Juniperus communis, Koeleria cristata,
Ly thrum salicaria, Osmunda regalis, Peplis portula, and the follow-
ing were confirmations of older records: - Agrimonia procera,
Asplenium marinum, Carex disticha, Carex laevigata, Raphanus
maritimus and Sagina subulata.

Flora of Glasgow Project - A Local Library’s
Contribution MARGARET M. H. LYTH

As a member of staff of Glasgow District Libraries, I was able to
mount a display of wild flowers in Springboig Library, Glasgow.
This ran from 4 June until 26 July 1984. The specimens were col-
lected by me in connection with the “Recording the Flora of
Glasgow” project organised by Dr J. H. Dickson. Altogether, thirty-
seven different wild flowers were displayed as well as a selection of

480

books on botany, suitable for both adults and children. All the books
are available in Glasgow District Libraries.

The specimens of wild flowers were collected in the study area
and included the rare Sand Leek (Allium scorodoprasum) and the
Common Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) which was the most
popular flower with the borrowers. Different members of the
Geranium family were also shown, namely Cut-leaved Cranesbill
(Geranium dissectum), Wood Cranesbill (Geranium sylvaticum) and
Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum). It was discovered that many
people did not realise that there are different species of geraniums
and they were surprised that they grow in the Glasgow area.

Popular with the borrowers were Meadowsweet (Filipendula
ulmaria) and Pineapple Weed (Chamomilla suaveolens) on account
of their pleasant perfumes, while much interest was shown in a
hybrid of Wood Avens (Geum urbanum) and Water Avens (Geum
rivale). It was discovered that some borrowers did not realise that
wild flowers grow in the Glasgow area, regarding them as weeds
or not noticing them at all. Comments on the display included “I
didn’t realise these weeds were interesting”, “I saw some of these
growing near my home”, “There is some Pineapple Weed grow-
ing outside the library” and “There is a wild flower table in the
Art Galleries”.

I conclude that this venture was well worth while both from
the point of view of librarianship and botany, as several borrowers
who would not normally take out books on botany did so, while
they and others became more aware of the flora of Glasgow. In-
terest was aroused to the extend that several borrowers asked that
another wild flower table be arranged in the library next summer,
and this will be done if possible.

Yellow- wort (Blackstonia perfoliata) in

Dunbartonshire A. McG. STIRLING

Blackstonia perfoliata is typically a plant of chalk and limestone
areas, most frequent in southern England, but occurring as far north
as Northumberland. Although the Flora of the British Isles (1962)
gives Kirkcudbright as a locality no substantiation of this has been
traced and, as far as we have been able to discover, there are no
authenticated records of Yellow- wort in Scotland. It was therefore
with considerable surprise that I learned from Mr C. M. Waltho
of his discovery, in July 1984, of four plants of Blackstonia near

481

Colgrain, between Cardross and Helensburgh. However, a few days
later I was able, following Mr Waltho’s directions, to locate the
plants for myself. They were growing close to the Helensburgh-
Glasgow railway line on rather bare ground which had formerly
been used as rail sidings but which had remained undisturbed for
many years. Accompanying plant species were Linum catharticum,
Hypericum perforatum, Trifolium dubium, T. repens, Plantago
lanceolata, Betula pubescens (seedlings), Dactylorhiza purpurella,
Rhinanthus minor agg., Senecio jacobaea, Hypochoeris radicata,
Leontodon autumnalis, Hieracium spp., J uncus articulatus, Festuca
rubra and Holcus lanatus. Of these associates only Linum can be
regarded as somewhat calcicole or basiphile in its habitat preference.

The status of Blackstonia at this site can surely only be regarded
as that of a casual introduction; but when, and by what means was
it introduced? It is an annual, depending on viable seed produc-
tion to ensure the maintenance of a population in any particular
location. It seems therefore that the plants at Colgrain must be the
result of introduction by seed at some time. Since transportation
of Blackstonia seed by normal means seems unlikely, the explana-
tion would appear to be introduction by human agency at some time,
probably via the railway. This poses the question, is this an isolated
occurrence or are these plants the result of seeding from the previous
season. If the latter is the case the Blackstonia may have been per-
sisting at the site for some years, perhaps since the area ceased to
be used for railway operations.

It will be of great interest to observe if the Blackstonia reap-
pears in the summer of 1985 and in subsequent years. This record
would appear to represent the first definite occurrence of Yellow-
wort in Scotland. A specimen, collected by Mr Waltho for iden-
tification purposes, has been placed in the herbarium of the Royal
Botanic Garden, Edinburgh.

Beaked Hawksbeard in Glasgow P. MACPHERSON

In August 1984 two plants of Beaked Hawskbeard (Crepis vesicaria
subsp. taraxacifolia) were seen growing in short grass in the grounds
of the Southern General Hospital (Lanarks. V.C.77). The usual
orange colouring was noted beneath some of the outermost florets
and, being partly in fruit, the long beaks (from which the plant gets
its name) were evident between the rest of the fruit and the white,
unbranched pappus. This Hawksbeard is common in south and

482

south-east England and is gradually spreading northwards, but in
the Atlas of the British Flora (1962) Perring and Walters give only
one pre-1930 record for Scotland, in Roxburghs., V.C. 80.

Monk’s Rhubarb (Rumex alpinus L.) in Ayrshire J. H. DICKSON

In late August 1983, en route for Ailsa Craig with Mr W. W. Gauld
and Mr T. N. Tait, I stopped at Crossraguel Abbey, south of
Maybole, and noticed a large patch of Monk’s Rhubarb at the road-
side just south of the ancient monument. This Dock often grows
at roadsides and near buildings but it is little known from south-
west Scotland (BSBI Atlas). According to Lousley and Kent (1981)
Docks and Knotweeds of the British Isles y it was planted formerly
for its medicinal and veterinary properties rather than for its leaves
being useful in wrapping butter, the explanation often given in local
floras.

Sand Leek ( Allium scorodoprasum L.) in

Lanarkshire J. R. S. LYTH

While recording for the ‘Flora of Glasgow’ project at Bothwell Cas-
tle I found about fifty plants of Allium scorodoprasum (the Sand
Leek) growing on the bank below the Castle. On a further visit
another colony of about three hundred plants was shown to me by
the workmen repairing the Castle. This second colony was in the
dry moat of the Castle and was flourishing as the normal grass cut-
ting had not taken place due to the work on the Castle walls.

The distribution map in the Atlas of the British Flora (1962)
shows no record for Lanarkshire (V.C. 77) and there is only one
record in Lee’s Flora of the Clyde Area (1933) and that is for Ayr-
shire (V.C. 75), nor is it recorded in Hennedy’s Clydesdale Flora.
The Atlas map seems to show the northern limit of the Sand Leek
in Scotland as following the line of the Highland Boundary Fault
almost exactly.

I had not myself seen the Sand Leek growing at Bothwell Cas-
tle during the last 30 years, but this may be due to the fact that
the plant is inconspicuous except in flower, and flowering is nor-
mally inhibited by annual grass cutting at the site.

Addendum: It has been brought to my notice that there is a reference
to Allium scorodoprasum at Bothwell Castle in the publication On
the Fauna and Flora of the West of Scotland produced by the British

483

Association for their meeting in Glasgow in 1876. In the section
‘Notes on the Flora of Clydesdale’ by James Ramsey the writer com-
ments that a number of plants of rather dubious nativity can be
found around ruined castles and monastic institutions. He
continues: - ‘On and about the walls of Bothwell Castle are found
Parietaria officinalis - an undoubted native, but rare in the west,
Allium scorodoprasum, Ruscus aculeatus, Daphne laureola ,
Scrophularia e hr hard, Scrophularia verna l is and Chelidonium
majus. *

It is perhaps remarkable that this plant has been ‘lost’ for well
over 100 years.

Invertebrates

Grasshoppers on Coll I. C. CHRISTIE

During a visit to the Isle of Coll, Inner Hebrides (V.C. 103), in
August 1984, some attention was given to the local grasshoppers.
The three species Myrmeleotettix maculatus (Thun.), Chorthippus
parallelus (Zett.) and Omocestus viridulus (L.) were found in each
of the grid squares NM15 and NM26. M. maculatus appeared largely
confined to the machair and fixed dunes, while C. parallelus was
the most abundant species on heathery moorland. O. viridulus oc-
curred throughout. Nothing was seen of Chorthippus brunneus
(Thun.) nor of the Groundhopper Tetrix undulata (Sowerby).

Coleoptera from the Hermitage of Braid,

Edinburgh R. A. CROWSON

On the south side of Edinburgh, the Braid Burn cuts a rather deep
gorge in igneous basalt just below Blackford Hill. This gorge car-
ries old mixed deciduous woodland, part of the former estate of
the Hermitage of Braid, now a public park. The trees include many
old beech, sycamore, oak, wych elm, ash, holly and some Scots pine
and there is a varied, locally rich, herb layer. From a couple of col-
lecting visits, the site has proved to be unexpectedly rich in the types
of beetle associated with old woodlands (Crowson, R. A. 1961, £>z-
tomologist’s mon. Mag. 96: 244; 1962, Glasg. Nat. 18: 177; 1964,
Glasg. Nat. 18: 371).

The following is a list of the less common species so far found: -

484

Leiodidae

Agathidium seminulum (L.)

Anobiidae

Ptilinus pectinicornis (L.)

Ptinidae

Ptinus subpilosus Sturm.

Rhizophagidae

Rhizophagus ferrugineus (Payk.)

Endomychidae

Mycetaea hirta (Marsh.)

Coccinellidae

Exochomus 4-pustulatus (L.)

Lathridiidae

Cartodere elongata Curtis
Erotylidae

Triplax aenea Schal.

Mycetophagidae

Mycetophagus atomarius (F.)

Pseudotriphyllus suturalis (F.)

Cisidae

Cis bilamellatus Fowler
Salpingidae

Vincenzellus viridipennis Latr.

Curculionidae

Acalles ptinoides (Marsh.)

Orthochaetes setiger (Beck.)

Pentarthrum huttoni (Woll.)

Scolytidae

Dryocoetinus villosus (F.)

Scolytus scolytus (F.)

The Ptinus, flightless in the female, and the Acalles, flightless
in both sexes, breed in more or less decayed stumps or branches,
and are in Scotland largely restricted to old, ‘primary’ woodland
sites. The occurrence of D. villosus, breeding only in dead or dy-
ing oaks, is unexpected in view of the rather small amount of oak
in these woods. The Vincenzellus seems not to occur north of the
main Forth and Clyde valleys. The Cis and Pentarthrum, probably
also the Triplax and Mycetophagus, would be relatively late im-
migrants to the area.

Of the non-coleopterous insects found, the most notable may
be the Reduviidbug, Empicoris vagabundus (L.), for which previous
Scottish records are few and scattered.

The Clouded Yellow ( Colias croceus (Geoffr.) )

at Gartmore P. BLOUNT

On 22 June 1980 a single female Clouded Yellow was seen at Gart-

485

more, Stirlingshire. It was heading limply north in the direction of
Aberfoyle. George Thomson in The Butterflies of Scotland (1980)
accords this butterfly the status “rare migrant”. In recording the
history of sightings since 1852 Thomson extracted only twenty
records from the literature. As with all migrant butterflies the Cloud-
ed Yellow may be found in any part of Scotland. The Clouded
Yellows appearing in Scotland in June can produce a brood in
August. It is possible that the report by Mitchell ( Glasg . Nat. 20:
181, 1981) of three Clouded Yellows on 31 August 1980 on Loch
Lomondside were part of a domestic brood. Alternatively they may
have been part of a second migrant population in that year.

Recording the Early Moth I. C. CHRISTIE

There are few recent records of the Early Moth ( Theria primaria
(Haw)), family Geometridae, from Strathclyde. This is mainly
because it seldom wanders far from its small scattered breeding sites,
though there is also some evidence that it is attracted to yellow light
rather than ultra-violet. One suspects that it is of widespread oc-
currence, and could be found by adopting unorthodox methods.

The eggs are laid on hawthorn in early spring, the larvae feed
during late April and May, descending to the ground for pupation,
and the adults appear some time in February. Autumn trimming
of hedges has no adverse effect on this species. The wings of the
males are well developed, those of the females vestigial. The males
are in full flight around midnight and to find them one should drive
slowly, with headlights up, along narrow country lanes bordered
on either side by hawthorn hedges. Select the second or subsequent
night of the first warm spell in February, and wait till nearly mid-
night. A calm, overcast night is ideal. When a colony is encountered,
the males will be seen flying weakly across the road at about shoulder
height, going from one hedge to the other. The driver then stops
and the passenger jumps out armed with a butterfly net.

The only species likely to be confused with the Early Moth when
in flight is the Winter Moth ( Operophtera brumata (L.)) which is
about the same size, and a few individuals of which do not emerge
till early spring, but once captured they are easily distinguished by
reference to the published illustrations.

486

Dark Green Fritillary ( Argynnis aglaja (L.))
in Dunbartonshire J. MITCHELL

In a review The Butterflies of Dunbartonshire ( West Dunbarton-
shire Naturalist Report No. 6: 49-52, 1984), the author draws at-
tention to the lack of modern records for the county of the Dark
Green Fritillary. It therefore seems worthy of notice that on 1 August
1984 I came upon an apparently established colony of this butter-
fly in a small glen between 800-1000 feet immediately south of Brown
Hill, now part of a Forestry Commission plantation on the western
fringe of the Kilpatrick Hills, Dunbartonshire. All the fritillaries
seen that day were feeding on the purple flowers of the Marsh Thistle
(Cirsium pa lustre).

Fish

Trigger-fish off Western Scotland JOHN DOBSON

Three Trigger-fish {Batistes carolinensis (Gmelin)), (Fig. 1), were
caught in salmon bag-nets by Fascadale Fisheries off north Ard-
namurchan during the first week of August 1984. Two were near
‘Ardtoe Island’ (NM 527713) and the third was in Fascadale Bay
(NM 497710). One specimen, taken ashore for identification and
later released, was 38cm. long. There are no previous records from
these fisheries.

The Sea Fish Industry Authority Marine Farming Unit at Ard-
toe, 13km. east of Fascadale reports (P. L. Smith, in litt.) that two
examples, each about 35cm. long, were taken in a salmon bag-net
in Ardtoe Bay (NM 6270) on 3 and 11 August 1984 and are alive
in a tank at the Unit. The fisherman concerned was fairly certain
that he had never seen Trigger-fish before in his long experience.
Also, about a week later, a slightly smaller specimen was caught
by hand in very shallow water in the estuary of the River Moidart,
several km. north of Ardtoe, and at the end of August a boat angler
in Ardtoe Bay saw another feeding at the surface.

Editor's comments:- This is a tropical, subtropical and
Mediterranean species which rarely penetrates north of the English
Channel and south-west Irish coast. The Department of Agriculture
and Fisheries for Scotland Marine Laboratory, Aberdeen (G.
Henderson, in litt.) has only the following four records: -

487

1. Machrihanish Beach (W. Kintyre), 14 Nov. 1958 (D. J. T.
Colville). This, the first record from Scottish waters for some 130
years was noted by B. B. Rae & J. M. Lamont, 1962 ( Scott Nat.
70: 102-110) and reported in detail, with a photograph, by D.
Colville, 1974 ( Western Nat. 3: 83-86).

2. Carragrich (E. Loch Tarbert) Harris, 17 Oct. 1971 (J. A.
Macdonald).

3. Shiants Bank (E of Lewis), 13 June 1984 (Nephrops trawler,
Sandy Bay).

4. Between Machrihanish and the Mull of Kintyre, 9 Sept. 1984
(Creel vessel, Sneeker). Report, with photograph in Campbeltown
Courier , 14 Sept. 1984.

Mr G. R. Stenhouse of the Sea Life Centre, Barcaldine, Con-
nel, where a live specimen is exhibited, adds (in litt.) that a Trigger-
fish was seen near Seil Island (Firth of Lome) in August 1983 and
comments that he is always surprised to hear of these fish in N.
British waters because examples on display in temperatures below
15°C become almost dormant. Possibly the hot weather and high
water temperatures of 1983-4 (1-2°C above normal at Ardtoe in
1984) enabled the fish to penetrate further north than usual.

Trigger-fish are named from the structure of the spiny dorsal
fin. The large first spine when erected is locked firmly upright by
a mechanism at the base of the second. Only when this second spine,

488

the ‘trigger’, is depressed can the first be lowered. This device enables
the fish to wedge themselves firmly in crevices.

They feed on shell-fish and corals and have protruding teeth
adapted for crunching hard materials. The captives at Ardtoe kill-
ed two large (lib. +) spider crabs before their destructive powers
were appreciated.

Thanks are due to the correspondents named above for help
in compilation and to Messrs. Macmillan for permission to
reproduce Fig. 1 from A. Wheeler, 1969, The Fishes of the British
Isles and North West Europe.

Duckling cause of Pike death R. A. SMITH

In spite of the fact that fish fry in 1984 were in greater numbers
than for many years, pike were still showing a taste for more ex-
otic foods. A pike of 9 lbs caught on a trout deadbait failed to revive
when returned to the water. An autopsy revealed the cause of death
to be choking on a Mallard duckling. Obviously a coarse fish tak-
ing duck before trout!

Gudgeon and Bullhead in the White Cart Water S. J. EDWARDS

Gudgeon (Gobio gobio) and Bullheads (Cottus gobio) have been
discovered in the White Cart Water at Pollock Country Park (NS
547618). Both species were caught in a hand net on 19 August 1984
by John Paul Gallacher (aged 12) and taken to the Countryside
Rangers’ Interpretation Centre for identification. Both of these small
fish species currently have very restricted distributions in Scotland
and are presumed to have been introduced to the Cart. There is
evidence that Gudgeon are spreading through the Clyde catchment
as the Clyde River Purification Board’s annual report for 1983 notes
that they have been recorded at Strathclyde Park, in the Cadzow
Burn and in the River Clyde by New Lanark.

Compiler's note:- Miller’s Thumb (Bullhead) was reported
as ‘sparse’ in the White Cart at Stamperland, Glasgow (NS 583578)
in 1970 by Livingstone and Wright {Western Nat., 3: 45, 1974).

489

Mammals

Cetaceans off NW Scotland R. SUTCLIFFE

Richard Coomber of Tobermory, Isle of Mull reports having seen
the following cetaceans during a cruise around Coll and Tiree on
1 August 1984: one Sei Whale ( Balaenoptera borealis Lesson) bet-
ween Gott Bay, Tiree and Dutchman’s Cap, Treshnish Isles; six
Whitesided Dolphins ( Lagenorhynchus acutus (Gray)) leaping off
Crossapol, Coll; one Minke or Lesser Rorqual (Balaenoptera
acutorostrata Lacep.) off the east side of Mull either going north
or just swimming around. Another Minke was seen in the same area
but closer to Coll and under 400 metres away from the M.V. Col-
umba on 27 August.

A Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae (Borovski)) was
widely reported after being caught in nets in Loch Duich, Wester
Ross, in August 1984.

Birds

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus (L.) ) at Lesmahagow R. SUTCLIFFE

A juvenile Osprey was handed into Kelvingrove Museum on 28
August 1984, after being found dead near Poniel, Lesmahagow,
Lanarkshire, four days earlier. The bird was found lying under
power lines on the new site of the M74 motorway. It is intended
to make the bird (Museum Registration Number Z1 984-1 52) into
a cabinet skin in due course.

It is interesting to note that power lines cause the death of many
large birds, eagles, swans, herons, etc. every year, but smaller birds
are able to avoid them more easily.

Red-spotted Bluethroat at Strathblane F. R. WOODWARD

From time to time the Museum and Art Gallery, Kelvingrove,
Glasgow receive dead birds from members of the public for their
Natural History Collections. The vast majority of these welcome
donations prove to belong to relatively common British species such
as Blackbirds, Tawny Owls, Kestrels, etc.

On 2 June 1983, however, considerable excitement resulted
from the arrival of a beautiful and brightly coloured bird. It had
been found the previous day by Miss G. Meighan in her garden at
Strathblane near Glasgow. Its chin, throat and upper breast were

490

of a brilliant metallic ultramarine blue relieved by a central spot
of orange-brown and it was identified as a rare visitor, a male Red-
spotted Bluethroat ( Luscinia svecica svecica (L.)). This significant
Clyde record is the first for West Stirlingshire and coincided with
another on Ailsa Craig, at a time when quite a few were being
reported on the East Coast.

Red-spotted Bluethroats originate in the Russian tundras, rang-
ing eastwards to the Yenisei in Siberia and westwards to Finland,
Swedish Lapland and Finmark in Norway. During their autumn
migration, from mid-August to mid-November, a few individuals,
up to forty in any year, reach the eastern coast of the British Isles
while a large number occur in the spring migration between mid-
March and mid- June. These occurrences are principally on the Scot-
tish islands, especially Fair Isle and the Isle of May, whereas Scot-
tish mainland records are chiefly on the eastern coast. Single birds
have been recorded from Carmyle, Lanarkshire, on 19 May 1910;
from Belhaven, East Lothian, in May or early June 1868; The Royal
Observatory Gardens, Edinburgh, from early August to 7 September
1890; and one from 6 miles off Aberdeen on 16 May 1872. The
Strathblane example has been preserved by the Museum taxider-
mists and will be an important addition to the Zoological Collec-
tions (registration number Z-1983-130).

The Natural History Department will welcome any birds or
mammals in reasonable condition as contributions to their collec-
tions and displays on Scottish wildlife.

Aberrrant Willow Warbler C. E. PALMAR

In June 1983 Kelvingrove Museum received from Mr Richard
Coomber of Tobermory, Isle of Mull, a recently fledged juvenile
Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus (L.)) which he had found
on the island. The specimen was extraordinary in that it had only
one wing! Examination showed no evidence whatever of external
injury. When skinned by the taxidermist, it appeared that the wing
bones had not developed on that side. The bird was photographed
and preserved as a cabinet skin (Registered Number Z- 1983- 155)
and its body kept separately in fluid for future reference.

Peregrine attacking Moorhen R. A. SMITH

At the end of May 1984, at the mouth of the River Endrick, Loch

491

Lomond, a Peregrine Falcon was observed attacking a Moorhen
on the surface of the river. The falcon dived repeatedly, but finally
the attack was abandoned and the Moorhen escaped. The incident
is unusual as the Peregrine normally takes its prey on the wing, but
a similar occurrence is reported with a Storm Petrel on the sea off
Sanda, Kintyre {Scot. Birds 12: 118, 1982)

Manx Shearwaters breeding in the Isle of Muck RUTH H. DOBSON

The Small Isles, Rhum, Canna, Eigg and Muck (N. Ebudes V.C.
104) is one of the main breeding areas for Manx Shearwater, Puf-
finus puf finus (Briinnich), in Britain. About 100,000 pairs occur
in the mountains of Rhum (Wormell, P. 1976, Scot. Birds 9:103)
and the basalt cliffs of south Canna support 1000-1500 pairs (Swann
R. L. and Ramsay A. D. K. 1984, Scot. Birds 13:40). Similar cliffs
above Cleadale in north Eigg once supported a large colony but
this is now greatly reduced (Evans and Flower 1967, Scot. Birds
4:404) and now stands at a maximum of about 90 pairs (Anon 1982,
Birds of the Isle of Eigg).

According to Evans P. R. and Flower W. U. (1967)Shearwaters
do not breed in Muck although they are regularly seen off shore.
The Atlas of Breeding Birds (1976) gives no positive records but
admits to the possibility of their breeding on the island.

On my visits to Muck I have often seen rafts of up to 100 Shear-
waters off the east and south coasts in calm weather in summer.
While camping in Camus Mor on the south coast in July of 1979,
1980 and 1981, I heard Shearwaters calling at night and once found
a dead one on the shore beneath the raised basalt cliffs there. These
cliffs are sheer above with steep grass covered slopes beneath, the
junction of the two being at approximately 60-100 feet above sea
level. In July 1981, in one small area of this junction, 7 Shearwater
burrows were found, some of them apparently occupied. In June
1982, 3 occupied burrows were found, one containing an egg, but
in August there was no sign of life, the egg remaining unhatched.
In May 1983, 3 occupied burrows were again found, one contain-
ing an egg. In July 1984, 3 occupied burrows were found, one of
which contained a well grown chick. There were also 9 old burrows
not recently used. It was not possible to investigate the cliffs
themselves but the evidence given establishes the presence of a small
breeding colony on this island.

492

Proceedings 1983

The chairman, place* and number present, lecturer’s name and institution, title
of lecture and note of any exhibits are given for each meeting.

*GMK: Glagow Museum and Art Gallery, Kelvingrove
UGBD: University of Glasgow, Botany Department
UGGD: University of Glasgow, Geology Department
UGBO: University of Glasgow, Boyd Orr Building

7 JANUARY. Mrs A. Craib, UGBD, 25.

A special meeting for the recording of BBC Radio Scotland’s “Nature
Club” with Dr J. H. Dickson, Mr H. Galbraith and Mr A. Watson.

11 JANUARY. With Scottish Wildlife Trust

Mrs A Craib, UGBD, 62.

Mr D. McEwan, Paisley Colour Photographic Club: Nature photographs
from the 14th Paisley International Colour Slide Exhibition.

8 FEBRUARY. Mrs A. Craib, UGBD, 50. 53rd A.G.M.

Reports on activities during 1982 were read, elections were held and ap-
pointments made by Council were announced. The Report of Council
stated that there were 344 members (271 Ordinary members, 30 Family
members, 9 Junior members, 26 School members and 8 Honorary
members). There were 20 excursions during the year (3 Ornithological,

3 Zoological, 2 Geological, 9 Botanical, 1 General, 1 joint Zoological/Or-
nithological and 1 joint Botanical/Ornithological. Two films were shown:
“The Wandering Dunes” and “The Common Cuckoo”.

22 FEBRUARY. Mr I. C. Christie, UGBD, 48.

Dr R. M. Dobson: The Fauna of the Isle of Muck

Mr I. C. Christie: Easy Identification of Bumble Bees

Mr B. Mullins: The Sands of Forvie Nature Reserve

8 MARCH. Mrs A. Craib, UGBD, 51.

Members’ Photographic Night

5 APRIL. Mrs A. Craib, UGBD, 49.

The Local Flora

Mr A. McG. Stirling: Changes since Lee’s Flora
Dr J. H. Dickson: Recording Glasgow’s Flora

14 APRIL. UGBO/UGGD, 80.

Hunterian Bicentennary: Natural Science Joint Symposium. (With
Glasgow Archaeological Society; Geological Society of Glasgow; Socie-
ty for the bibliography of Natural History (Scotland); Royal College of
Physicians and Surgeons, Glasgow; Royal Philosophical Society of
Glasgow). A total of 7 lectures were given on William Hunter and his
collections.

3 MAY. Councillor R. Logan, GMK, 65.

(With Glasgow Art Gallery and Museums Association).
Mr S. Wood: The Bearsden Sharks.

493

10 MAY. Hillhead Library, 100.

(With Royal Horticultural Society and Glasgow and West of Scotland
Horticultural Society).

Mr G. Lucas: World-wide Plant Watch.

21 JUNE. Ross Priory, 36.

Natural History Social Evening

17 SEPTEMBER. GMK.

Annual Exhibition Meeting

Plants of Rouken Glen Dr J. H. Dickson

Geology of Rouken Glen Mr A. H. Gunning

Fungi Mr R. Hunter, Mr I. C. McCallum, Dr A. Walker

Plants of Waste Ground Mr J. R. S. Lyth

“All Things Bright and Beautiful”

(Natural History Postage Stamps) Miss M. M. H. Lyth

Natural History Object Quiz Mr A. McG. Stirling

Glasgow Urban Wildlife Group Mr G. McCreaddie,

Mrs J. Millar

Microscope Slides A

(Glasgow Microscopical Society) ( Natural History

Shells from the Thomas Gray Collection \ Department GMK

Natural History Colour Transparencies J

Society Library Mrs R. H. Dobson, Mrs A. F. Kemp

Christmas Cards (sales table) Mrs A. V. Sutcliffe

Specimens from the summer’s excursions Geology Section

Paintings of Museum Specimens Miss Sandra Morrison,

Miss Mae Morrison

11 OCTOBER. Mrs A. Craib, GUBD, 60.

Mr P. Wormell: The Uninhabited Islands of Argyll.

Exhibits: Stinking Chamomile, Anthemis cotula and

Co tula coronopifolia (Dr P. Macpherson).

8 NOVEMBER. Mrs A. Craib, GUBD, 51.

Members’ Photographic Night.

6 DECEMBER. Mrs A. Craib, GUBD, 60.

Mr B. Zonfrillo: The Isle of May Bird Observatory.

13 DECEMBER. Lome Hotel, 38.

Annual Dinner Dance.

494

President:
Vice-Presiden ts:

Councillors:

General
Secretary:
Treasurer:
Librarian:
Editor:
Conveners of
Sections:

A uditors:
Trustees:

Assistant

Secretaries:

Editorial Board:

Represen tatives:

Officers and Council
SESSION XLXIII 1983

Mrs Agnes Craib, M.A.

Peter Macpherson, M.R.C.P., F.R.C.R.,

D. T.C.D., F.L.S.

Miss Muriel G. Cuthill

Eric W. Curtis, S.D.H., F.L.S.

Mrs Joyce C. Coubrough

Iain C. McCallum

Prof. A. D. Boney, Ph.D., D.Sc.

T. Norman Tait

John R. S. Lyth

Miss Margaret M. H. Lyth

James H. Dickson, B.Sc., M.A., Ph.D., F.L.S.

Robin Knill-Jones, M.A., M.B., B.Chir.,

M.R.C.P., D.Sc.

Mrs Jane Christie

Richard Sutcliffe, B.Sc., A. M.A.

Mrs Elspeth L. S. Lindsay, M.B., Ch.B.

Mrs Ruth H. Dobson, M.Sc.

Eric W. Curtis, S.D.H., F.L.S.

Allan McG. Stirling (Botany)

Richard Sutcliffe, B.Sc., A. M.A. (Geology)
Bernard Zonfrillo (Ornithology)

T. Norman Tait (Photography)

Iain C. Christie B.Sc. (Zoology)

E. L. Sharp, M.A.

E. T. Watt, B.Sc.

Alexander R. Hill, B.Sc., Ph.D.

James H. Dickson, B.Sc., M.A., Ph.D.

Peter Macpherson, M.R.C.P., F.R.C.R.,
D.T.C.D., F.L.S.

Alfred A. Percy (Bulletin)

Miss Muriel G. Cuthill (Minutes)

Iain C. McCallum (Publicity)

Richard Sutcliffe, B.Sc., A. M.A. (Membership)
Mrs A. Craib, M.A. (Social)

The Editor

Alan C. Crundwell, B.A.

Ronald M. Dobson, M.A., Ph.D.

Allan McG. Stirling

James H. Dickson, B.Sc., M.A., Ph.D., F.L.S.
Allan McG. Stirling (Scottish Wildlife Trust)

F. Gerald Rod way (Glasgow Urban Wildlife
Group)

495

Index to Volume 20

Contents are indexed by author, subject and where appropriate, area and Wat-
sonian vice-county. Organisms mentioned in Short Notes are indexed by scien-
tific name, if used, and by common name, if this appears in the title; organisms
mentioned in Papers are indexed only when their names appear in the titles. Figures
in brackets are vice-county numbers.

Acalles ptinoides (80) 369, (83) 484;

A. roboris (80) 369
Acknowledgment of grants 82, 387
Adams, C. E. The Harry Slack
Memorial Collection: a new
resource for Loch Lomondside
401-404

Agathidium nigrinum (89) 368; A.

seminulum (83) 484
Agrimonia procera (100) 479
Agrius convolvuli (87) 369
Agrostis scabra (77) 376
Ailsa Craig (75) Bryological records
252; Mites 451; Storm Petrels 85
Alder, Campsie Fells (86) 333
Algae, Fucoid: endophytic Diatom
459-463

Aliens, Clyde Docks (77) 75
Alisma plantago-aquatica (75) 264
Allium scorodoprasum 480, (77)

482

Alnus glutinosa Campsie Fells (86)
333

A Iona weltneri (77) 25
Ammodytes sp. (75) 258
Amphibia, Clyde Area 211
Anderson, W. Paisley Slide Exhibi-
tion 90, 188

Angelica, Garden by R. Kelvin (77)
469

Anobium punctatum (77) 180
Anthocaris car da mines (77) 83,
(86:77) 181

Apeira syringaria (72:76:77) 257
Aphantopus hyperantus (74) 256
Aplocnemus nigricornis (80) 369
Arctic Charr, food 229, 409
Ardnamurchan, N. (97) Vascular
Plants 313

Argynnis aglaja (99) 486
Argyll (98): Veronica peregrina 71
Aricia artaxerxes (75) 256

Arran, N. (100) Endemic
Whitebeams 59
Arran Whitebeam (100) 185
Asplenium marinum (100) 479
A triplex lit t oralis (100) 479
Auld, A. Lecture 189
Ayr (75): Alisma plantago-aquatica
264; Ammodytes sp. 258; Aricia
artaxerces 256; Bryological
records 252; Carex x beckman-
nii, C. diandra, C. paniculata
374; Coronopus didymus, C.
squamatus (Swinecresses) 263,
264; Crithmum maritimum 87;
Echium vulgare, Epilobium
angustifolium, E. palustre 264;
Erodium moschatum 87; Helian-
themum chamaecistus 256; Hip-
puris vulgaris 264; Hygrobates
pelagicus (Storm Petrel) 85;
Lepidoptera 256; Kilbirnie Loch
7; Mertensia maritima 260;

Moles 171; Myosotis scorpioides
264; Oribatid mites 451;
Polygonum hydropiper 264; Puf-
finus puffinus (Manx Shear-
water) 258; Rorippa sylvestris
264; Rumex alpinus (Monk’s
Rhubarb) 482; Scomber scom-
brus 258; Senecio fluviatilis 264;
Sula bassana 258; Swallow 85;
Vanessa atalanta 256

Bailey-Watts, A. E. et al. 7
Balaenoptera acutorostrata; B.
borealis 489

Baldellia ranunculoides (88) 259
Balistes carolinensis 486
Barker, H. Lecture 266
Beaked Hawksbeard (77) 481
Beetles, Glasgow (77) rare 29
Beilis perennis (77) 262

496

Betula pubescens (99) 481
Beveridge, M.C.M. et al. 383
Bignal, E. The Endemic

Whitebeams of North Arran
(100) 59-64

Birds, Short Notes: 85, 182, 258,
370, 489

Black, J. Lecture 265
Blackstonia perfoliata (99) 480
Blair, A. & Craib, A. Swine-cresses
(Coronopus spp.) in Ayrshire
(75) 263-264

Blount, P. Clouded Yellow (Colias
croceus) at Gartmore (86)

484-485

Bolitophagus reticulatus (89) 368
Bombus hortorum 180; B. jonellus
179; B. lapponicus 180; B.

I u co rum 179; B. lucorum
magnus 179; B. monticola 180;

B. pascuorum 179, 180; B.
pratorum 180, 255; B. terrestris
179

Boney, A. D. Living in Mucilage:
The Saccoderm Desmid Meso-
taenium 237-243; see Clokie, J.

J. P. 133, see Hannah, F. J.

145, see Wardlaw, V. 459
Book Reviews: Butterflies of
Scotland 58; Estuary Birds of
Britain & Ireland, Sketches of
Bird Life 187; Bird Habitats in
Britain, Life of The Meadow
Brown 236; Highland Flora,
Geology of NE England 244,
Green Planet; Story of Life on
Earth, Birds New to Britain and
Ireland 346; Get to Know
Scotland’s Forests, Ecology of
Whales & Dolphins 360; Guide
to Edinburgh’s Natural History,
Barn Owl 378; Collins British
Birds, Garden Bird Book 379;
Enjoying Ornithology, Fair Isle’s
Garden Birds 400; The Puffin
414; Outline of Plant Classifica-
tion, Popular Encyclopaedia of
Plants 420; Geology of
Scotland, Scotland’s Environ-
ment During the Last 30,000
Years 434; Naturalist’s Hand-
books (i) Insects on Nettles (ii)
Grasshoppers (iii) Solitary

Wasps (iv) Insects and Thistles,
Macmillan Guide to Britain’s
Nature Reserves 458
Boyd, W. M. see Dickson, J. H.
249

Brazil, M. Lecture 266
Brown Trout (104) 229, (100) 383
Bryological Records, Ailsa Craig
(75) 252

Bryum cyclophyllum (86:99) 186
Bullhead (77) 488
Burge, M. N. Lecture 266
Bute (100): Plant Records 1981
169, 1982 249, 1983 332; Trout
383

Butterbur (86) 263
Butterflies: Galloway (74) 154

Callitriche sp. (99) 186
Cambuslang (77): Junior Excursion
74

Campbell, R. N. B., The Food of
Arctic Charr in the Presence &
Absence of Brown Trout
229-235; Predation by the Arctic
Charr on the 3-spined
Stickleback and its Nests in
Loch Meallt, Skye (104) 409-413
Campsie Fells (86): Alder 333
Cantire (101): Cicerbita
macrophylla, Crithmum
maritimum 375; Deilephila
elpenor 370; Geranium
sylvaticum, Orobanche alba 375;
Veronica peregrina 259; Zoster a
370

Carduus acanthoides (77) 375
Carex acutiformis (100) 479; C. x
beckmannii, C. diandra (75)

374; C. disticha (100) 479; C.
elongata (72:73:86:99) 65; C.
laevigata (100) 479; C.
paniculata (75) 374; C.
vulpinoidea (76) 88, 184
Cart oder e elongata (83) 484
Cetaceans 372, 489
Chaenorhinum minus (76) 88, (77)
376

Chamomilla suaveolens 480
Charr, Arctic: Food 229: preying
on 3-spined stickleback 409
Chelidonium majus (77) 483
Chenopodium probstii (77) 161

497

Chorthippus brunneus 483; C.

parallelus (103) 483
Christie, I. C. Cuckoo Bees near
Loch Lomond (86:99) 179; Ef-
fect of the Weather on Insect
Numbers in 1982 255; Fox Moth
(Macrothylacia rubi) (99)
256-257; Elephant Hawk Moth
from the Sea (101) 370; lectures
189, 492; Lepidoptera in
Strathclyde 1983 435-438;
Grasshoppers on Coll (103) 483;
Recording the Early Moth 485
Chrysomela aenea (89) 368
Cicerbita macrophylla (101) 375
Circaea lutetiana (100) 479
Cirsium arvense, C. heterophyllum,
(77) 262; C. palustre (77) 262,
(99) 486; C. vulgare (77) 262
Cis bilamellatus (83) 484
Cladocera, Forth & Clyde Canal
361

Clokie J. J. P. & Boney, A. D.
Pollution & Marine Algal Com-
munities in the Firth of Clyde
133-144

Clouded Yellow (86) 484; (86:99)

181

Clyde: Area, Freshwater Fishes 31;
Reptiles & Amphibians 211;

Dock Aliens (77) 75; Firth,
Phytoflagellates in Plankton
145, Pollution & Marine Algal
Communities 133; River 372;

Sea Area, Endophytic Diatom in
Fucoid Algae 459
Clyde Isles (100): Agrimonia pro-
cera, Asplenium marinum,

A triplex lit t oralis 479; Car ex
acutiformis, C. disticha, C.
laevigata, Circaea lutetiana,
Conium maculatum, Corydalis
claviculata, Er odium cicutarium
479; Geranium sylvaticum 375;
Juniperus communis 479;
Koeleria cristata 479; Lichen
mites 347; Loch Fad 383;
Lythrum salicaria 479; Oribatid
mites 347; Osmunda regalis,
Peplis portula 479; Plant records
169, 249, 332, 479; Raphanus
maritimus, Sagina subulata 479;

Sorbus arranensis 261 5. hybrida
185, S. pseudofennica 185, 261,
5. ruficola 261; Trout 383; Um-
bilicus rupestris 479; Whitebeam
59, 185, 261; Woodend Burn
383

Coleoptera (see also Beetles): Her-
mitage of Braid (83) 483
Colias croceus (99:86) 181, (86) 484
Coll, Isle: Grasshoppers (103) 483
Colloff, M. J. Oribatid Mites
Associated with Marine &
Maritime Lichens on the Island
of Great Cumbrae (100)

347-359; Notes on two
Lichenophagous Oribatid Mites
from Ailsa Craig (75) 451-457
Conium maculatum (100) 479
Convolvulus arvensis (77) 375
Coot (77) 183

Coronopus spp., C. didymus, C.

squama tus (75) 263, 264
Corticaria impressa (89) 368
Corydalis claviculata (100) 479
Cottus gobio (77) 488
Council: 1980 190; 1981 267; 1982
382; 1983 494

Craib, A. Dick Prasher’s plants at
Dairy 264; see Blair, A. 263
Crawford, R. M. M. Lecture 266
Crepis vesica ria taraxacifolia (77)
481

Crithmum maritimum (75) 87, (101)
375

Crowson, E. A. & Dobson, R. H.

Orange-tip Butterly (77) 83
Crowson, R. A. Rare Beetles in the
City of Glasgow (77) 29-30; On
the Possible Function of Beetles
other than Scolytidae as Vectors
of Dutch Elm Disease in
Scotland 155-160; Unusual
Beetles in Provand’s Lordship
(77) 180-181; The Wasp Parasite
Beetle in Scotland 181; Old
Woodland Beetles at Kindrogan
(89) 368; Beetles from Jed
Forest (80) 368-369; A Stylopid
in Glasgow (77) 369; Coleoptera
from Hermitage of Braid, Edin-
burgh (83) 483-484
Cuckoo Bees (86:99) 179
Cumbrae, Great (100) Mites on

498

Lichens 347

Cumbrae, Little (100) Plant records
479

Curtis, E. W. Lecture 380
Cygnus columbianus bemckii 371
Cygnus cygnus (76:77) 370

Dactylorhiza fuchsii 480; D. pur-
purella (99) 481
Daniels, T. Lecture 380
Daphne laureola (77) 483
Dark Green Fritillary (99) 486
Davenport, B. Lecture 381
Deilephila elpenor (101) 370
Delphinus delphis 372
Dermochelys coriacea 182
Desmid, Mesotaenium 237
Diatom, Navicula endophytica 459
Dickson, J. H. Bryological Records
for Ailsa Craig (75) 252; Earliest
Record of Whitebeam on Arran
(100) 261-262; lecture 492;
Monk’s Rhubarb in Ayrshire
(75) 482; Plant Records from
Bute (100) 1981 169-170, 1983
332; Recording session 492;
Records for the Flora of
Glasgow, 1 Some Grasses &
other Monocotyledons
(76:77:86:99) 465-468; Veronica
peregrina in Kintyre (101) 259;

& Boyd, W. M. Plant Records
from Bute 1982 249-251; &
Hunter, R. Two Plant Introduc-
tions established near Milngavie
(99) 478-479; & MacDonald, I.
G. lecture 91; & Walker, A.
What is the Scottish Thistle?
101-121, The Scottish & Other
Thistles of the 3rd Earl of Bute
245-248

Disney, R. H. L. Seven species of
Scuttle-Fly from Scotland -
new to the British List 415-419
Dobson, J. Trigger-fish off
Western Scotland 486-488
Dobson, R. H. Eider Duck’s Eggs
in Herring Gull’s Nest (104) 182;
lecture 189; Manx Shearwaters
Breeding in the Isle of Muck
(104) 491; The Vascular Plants
of Northern Ardnamurchan (97)
313-331; see Crowson, E. A. 83

Dobson, R. M. Lecture 492
Doctrine of Signatures 191
Dolichopodidae: Jura (102) 405
Dolphin 372

Doughty, C. R. A Species of
Water-flea new to Scotland (77)
25-28; lecture 189; The
Cladocera (Water-fleas) of the
Forth & Clyde Canal 361-367
Douglas, D. (1799-1834) 122
Dryocoetinus villosus (83) 484
Duckling, cause of pike death 488
Dumfries (72): Car ex elongata 66
Dunbarton (99); Argynnis aglaja
(Dark Green Fritillary) 486;
Betula pubescens 48 1 ;

Blackstonia perfoliata 480;

Bryum cyclophyllum 186;
Callitriche spp. 186; Carex
elongata 66; Cirsium palustre
486; Colias croceus (Clouded
Yellow) 181; Dactylorhiza pur-
purella 481; Elantine hexandra
185, E. hydropiper 185, 186;
Epiphytic Lichens 123; Festuca
rubra 481; Flora, Loch Lomond
NNR 77; Hieracium spp. 481;
Holcus lanatus 48 1 ; Hypericum
perforatum 481; Hypochoeris
radicata 481; J uncus articulatus
481; Lampyris noctiluca 84;
Leontodon autumnalis 481;
Linum catharticum 481;
Macrothylacia rubi (Fox Moth)
256; Me to ecus paradoxus 181;
Neomys fodiens (Water Shrew)
183; Peregrine 389; Plantago
lanceolata 48 1 ; Polygonatum
multiflorum 478; Polygonum
minus 186; Psithyrus campestris
campestris (Cuckoo Bee) 179;
Ranunculus flammula 186;
Reynoutria japonica 478;
Rhinanthus minor agg. 481;
Rhynchosinapis monensis 374;
Salix myrsinites 186; Sambucus
nigra 478; Senecio jacobea 481;
Solanum dulcamara 263; Sturnus
vulgaris (Starling), white 258;
Succisa pratensis 179; Trifolium
dubium, T. repens 48 1 ;

Vera t rum album, V. viride 478;
Veronica peregrina 71

499

Durant, G. P. Lecture 266
Dutch Elm Disease; Possible Vectors
155

Early Moth 485
East, K. et al. 7

Echium vulgare (75) 264, (76) 88
Edmonson, J. Lecture 90
Edwards, S. J. Gudgeon & Bullhead
in the White Cart Water (77) 488
Eider Duck, eggs in Herring Gull’s
nest (104) 182

Elatine hexandra (99) 185, (87) 376,
377; E. hydropiper (87) 86, 376,
377, (99) 185, 186
Elenchus tenuicornis (77) 369
Elephant Hawk Moth (101) 370
Empicoris vagabundus (83) 484
Epilobium angustifolium, E. palustre
(75) 264

Epuraea angustula (89) 368
Erodium cicutarium (100) 479, agg.

(75) 87; E. moschatum (75) 87
Erysimum cheiranthoides (76) 88, (77)
376

Eupelix cuspidata (74) 369
Euphorbia esula 185; E. x
pseudovirgata (77) 184; E. uralen-
sis, E. virgata 185
Exochomus 4-pustulatus (83) 484

Fad, Loch, Bute (100) 383
Falco peregrinus (77) 183
Farrow, G. Lecture 381
Festuca rubra (99) 48 1
Filago minima (74) 184
Filipendula ulmaria 480
Fish: Freshwater, Upper Clyde Basin
31; Short notes 486
Flora of Glasgow (76:77:86:99):
Records 1 Some Grasses & Other
Monocotyledons 465; 2 Waste
Ground at Bunhouse Rd. 473; A
Library’s Contribution 479
Flora: Loch Lomond National Nature
Reserve (86:99), Supplement 77
Fox Moth (99) 256
Fraser, S. M. Additional Records of
Freshwater Leeches (76:77) 179
Freeze-dried Plants and Animals for
Museum Display 253
Freshwater & Terrestrial Fauna of the
Clyde Area: IV Freshwater

Fishes 31; V Reptiles & Amphi-
bians 21 1

Fulica atra (77) 183
Fungi: Skye (104) 269

Galbraith, H. Recording session 492
Galloway: Butterflies (74) 154
Garden Angelica (77) 469
Gartmore: Clouded Yellow (86) 484
Geodia gibberosa 174
Geranium dissectum, G. robertianum
480; G. sylvaticum 480, (101) 375
Geum rivale, G. urbanum 480
Gibson, I. Lectures 265, 380
Gibson, J. A. Reptiles & Amphibians
of the Clyde Faunal Area 211-227
Gilbert, O. L. Lecture 189; & Mitchell,
J. Rossdhu Park, Dunbartonshire
(99) a major Site for Epiphytic
Lichens 123-132
Gimingham, C. H. Lecture 189
Glasgow (76:77:86:99): Building
Stones 1; Flora 465, 473, 479; Rare
Beetles 29

Glasgow Natural History Society,
name change 50

Glischrochilus 4-punctatus (89) 368
Glow-worm (99) 84
Gobio gobio (77) 488
Goodfellow Lecture 421
Goosefoot, rare alien (77) 161
Grasshoppers, Isle of Coll (103) 483
Green-veined White 255
Gudgeon (77) 488

Ffaematopus ostralegus 370
Ffalictophagus curt is i (74) 369
Halliday, S. Lecture 381
Hannah, F. J. & Boney, A. D.
Phytoflagellates in Firth of Clyde
Plankton 145-153
Harper, J. L. Lecture 91
Helianthemum chamaecistus (75) 256
Hemiptera: Reduviidae (83) 484
Hendry, R., see Walker, A. 253
Hennedy, (1808-1876) 388
Herbarium, Glasgow Museum & Art
Gallery 51

Hermitage of Braid (83): Coleoptera
483

Herring Gull, nest with Eider Duck
eggs (104) 182
Flieracium spp. (99) 481

500

Hippurus vulgaris (75) 264
Hopkirk, T. (1785-1841) 228
Holcus lanatus (99) 481
Hooker, Sir W. J. (1785-1865) 24
Hunter, R., see Dickson, J. H. 478
Hunter, W. (1718-1783) 312
Hunterian Bicentennary 492
Hydro bates pelagicus (75) 85
Hydromedusae, Winter Occurrence in
Solway 439

Hylecoetus dermestoides (89) 368
Hyoscyamus niger (77) 376
Hypericum elodes (100) 262; H. per-
foratum (99) 481

Hypochoeris glabra (74) 184; H.
radicata (99)481

Iberis umbel lata (77) 89
Ingham, K., Lecture 91
Insect Numbers: Effects of Weather
on 1982 255

Invertebrates; Short Notes 83, 179,
255, 368, 483

Isoetes lacustris (87) 376, 377

Jarvis, M., Millar, J., Nove, I. &
Walker, A. Records for the Flora
of Glasgow 2 Waste Ground at
Bunhouse Rd. (77) 473-476
Jed Forest (80): Beetles 368
Jones, G. The Herbarium of the
Glasgow Museum & Art Gallery
51-56

J uncus articulatus (99) 481
Juniperus communis (100) 479

Kerr, A. J. & Mitchell, J. Water Shrew
at Rossdhu, Loch Lomondside (99)
183-184

Keymer, R. J. & Mitchell, J. Elatine
hydropiper at Loch Watston, W.
Perth (87) 86

Kibby, M. R. Lepidoptera in 1982
(74:75) 256

Kilbirnie Loch (75): Appraisal 7
Kilmannan Reservoir (86:99) 185
Kindrogan (89): Beetles 368
Kirika, A. et al. 7
Kirkcudbright (73): Carex elongata 65
Knill-Jones, R. & McCreaddie, G.
Apeira syringaria, The Lilac Beau-
ty in Glasgow (72:76:77) 257
Koeleria crist at a (100) 479

Lagenorhynchus acutus 489, L.

albirostris 372
Lampyris noctiluca (99) 84
Lanark (77) Aliens, Clyde Docks 75;
Allium scorodoprasum 482; Alona
weltneri 25; Anobium punctatum
180; Anthocaris cardamines
(Orange-tip) 83, 181; Apeira syr-
ingaria 257 ; Beetles, rare 29; Beilis
perennis 262; Carduus acanthoides
375; Chaenorhinum minus 376;
Chelidonium majus 483;
Chenopodium probstii 161; Cir-
sium arvense, C. heterophyllum, C.
palustre, C. vulgare 262; Con-
volvulus arvensis 375; Cottus go bio
(Bullhead) 488; Crepis vesicaria
taraxacifolia 481; Cygnus cygnus
(Whooper Swan) 371; Daphne
laureola 483; Elenchus tenuicornis
(Stylopid) 369; Erysimum cheiran-
thoides 376; Euphorbia x
pseudovirgata (77) 184; Fulica atra
(Coot) 183; Garden Angelica 469;
Glasgow - see Glasgow; Gobio
gobio (Gudgeon) 488; Hyoscyamus
niger 376; Iberis umbellata 89;
Junior excursions 74, 164;

Lepidium sativum, Linum
usitatissimum, Lobularia maritima
89; Lyctus brunneus 180; Panicum
milliaceum 89; Pandion haliaetus
(Osprey) 489; Papaver somniferum
375; Parietaria officinalis 483;
Ph alar is canariensis 89;
Phymatodes testaceus 180;
Piscicola geometra 179; Polyom-
matus icarus 256; Potentilla
norvegica 376, P. rep tans 375;
Refuse tip flora 165; Rhyn-
chosinapis morensis 374, 376;
Ruscus aculeatuj, Scrophularia
ehrharti, S. vernalis 483; Senecio
squalidus 376; Set aria italica 89;
Silene vulgaris 376; Taraxacum
agg. 262; Trifolium arvense 375, T.
aureum 376; Trocheta bykowskii
179; Water Flea 25
Lawson, J. Building Stones of
Glasgow 1-6; Lecture 90
Leathery Turtle, Clyde Sea Area 182
Leeches, freshwater (76:77) 179
Leontodon autumnalis (99) 481

501

Lepidium sativum (77) 89
Lepidoptera: 1982 (74:75) 256;

Strathclyde 1983 435
Leptusa pulchella (89) 368
Lesmahagow: Osprey (77) 489
Lewis, D. H. Lecture 188
Lichens: Epiphytic (99) 123; Mite
Fauna Gt. Cumbrae (100) 347,
Ailsa Craig (75) 451
Lilac Beauty (72:76:77) 257
Lindsay, E. L. S. Wilderness Excur-
sion (77) 164

Linum catharticum (99) 481; L.

usitatissimum (77) 89
Lizard, Common, Wall 84
Lobularia maritima (77) 89
Lomond, Loch: Clouded Yellow
(86:99) 181 Harry Slack Memorial
Collection 401; National Nature
Reserve (86:99) Flora Supplement
77; & Trossachs Area (86:87:99)
Peregrine Population 1961-1981
389; Water Shrew 183
Lucas, G. Lecture 493
Luscinia svecica svecica (86) 490
Luth = Leathery Turtle 182
Lyctus brunneus (77) 180
Lyle, A. A. et al. 7
Lyth, J. R. S. Sand Leek (Allium
scorodoprasum) in Lanarkshire
(77) 482-483; Baldellia ranun-
culoides at Loch Tay (88) 259
Lyth, M. M. H. Flora of Glasgow
Project - A Local Library’s Con-
tribution 479-480; What is the Scot-
tish Thistle? 262-263
Ly thrum salicaria (100) 479

McCreaddie, G. M. Robins Singing in
Winter 183; see Knill-Jones, R. 257
MacDonald, I. G. Lecture 265; & J.

H. Dickson, Lecture 91
McEwan, D., Paisley Slide Exhibition
265, 380, 492

MacGowan, I. Syrphidae &
Dolichopodidae from Jura (102)
405-408

Macpherson, B. C. M., Plants of a
refuse tip (77) 88-89; see Macpher-
son, P. 165

Macpherson, E. L. S. Junior Excur-
sion Meeting to the Clyde at Cam-

buslang (77) 74

Macpherson, L. M. D., see Macpher-
son, P. 184

Macpherson, P. Beaked Hawksbeard
in Glasgow (77) 481-482;

Chenopodium probstii a rare alien
Goosefoot (77) 161-163; Garden
Angelica by the River Kelvin (77)
469-471; Presidential Address 266;
The Doctrine of Signatures
191-210; Veronica peregrina in the
West of Scotland (76:98:99) 71-73;
& Macpherson, B. C. M. Com-
parison of the Flora of two Refuse
tips (77) 165-168; & Macpherson,
L. M. D. Euphorbia x
pseudovirgata (77) 184-185; & Stirl-
ing, A. McG. Unusual
Assemblages of Adventives at
Hyndland, Glasgow (77) 375-376,
Clyde Dock Aliens (77) 75-76
Macrothylacia rubi (99) 256
Macroglossum stellatarum (74) 256
Maitland, P. S. Freshwater Fishes of
the Upper Clyde Basin 31-49; &
Smith, I. R. , Bailey-Watts, A. E.,
East, K., Morris, K. H., Lyle, A.
A. & Kirika, A. Kilbirnie Loch,
Ayrshire: an Ecological Appraisal
(75) 7-23

Mammals: Short Notes 183, 372, 489
Manx Shearwaters: feeding (75) 258;

breeding (101) 259, (104) 491
Marine Algae & Pollution in Firth of
Clyde 133

Marsh Thistle (99) 486
Meallt, Loch, Skye: Arctic Charr
preying on 3-spined Stickleback
(104) 409

Megaptera novaeangliae 489
Meikle, G. H. et al. 383
Melilotus officinalis (76) 88
Membership 1980 93-100
Mertensia maritima (75) 260
Mesotaenium 237
Metoecus paradoxus (99) 1 8 1
Microscydmus nanus (80) 369
Mid Ebudes (103): Qhorthippus
parallelus, Myrmeleotettix
maculatus, Omocestus viridulus
(Grasshoppers) 483; Phylloscopus
trochilus (Willow Warbler) 490

502

Midlothian (83); Acalles ptinoides,
Agathidium seminulum, Cartodere
elongata, Cis b Hamel la tus 484; Col-
eoptera, Hermitage of Braid, Edin-
burgh 483; Dryocoetinus villosus,
Empicoris vagabundus, Ex-
ochomus 4-pustulatus, Mycetaea
hirta, Mycetophagus atomarius,
Orthochaetes setiger, Pentarthrum
huttoni, Pseudotriphyllus suturalis,
Ptilinus pectinicornis, Ptinus sub-
pilosus, Rhizophagus ferrugineus,
Scolytus scolytus, Triplax aenea,
Vincenzellus viridipennis 484
Mid Perth (88): Baldellia ranun-
culoides 259

Millar, J. Lectures 266, 381 \etal. 473
Mitchell, J. A New Colony of Rumex
aquaticus (86) 260; Clouded Yellow
Butterfly on Loch Lomond-side
(99:86) 181; Dark Green Fritillary
( Argynnis aglaja) in Dunbarton-
shire (99) 486; Elatine hydropiper
at Kilmannan Reservoir (99)
185-186; Female Flowers of Butter-
bur (86) 263; Lecture 266; The
Peregrine Population in the Loch
Lomond-Trossachs Area

1961-1981 - a Review (86:87:99)
389-399; Wheatear entangled in
Wool 370-371; see Gilbert, O. L.
123; see Kerr, A. J. 183; see
Keymer, R. J. 86; & Stirling, A.
McG. Care x elongata in Scotland
(72, 73, 86, 99) 65-70, Flora of
Loch Lomond National Nature
Reserve: Supplement (86:99) 77-81
Moles, abnormal (75) 171
Monk’s Rhubarb (75) 482
Moorhen 490
Morris, K. H. et al. 7
Muck, Isle of (104) 491
Mullins, B. Lecture 492
Museum Display: Freeze-dried Plants
& Animals 253
Mycetaea hirta (83) 484
Mycetophagus atomarius (83) 484
Myosotis scorpioides (75) 264
Myrmeleotettix macula tus (103) 483

Nargus anisotomoides (80) 369
Naturalists in Glasgow: 1 Hooker, Sir
W. J. 24; 2 Douglas, D. 122;

3 Hopkirk, T. 228; 4 Hunter, W.
312; 5 Hennedy, R. 388
Navicula endophytica 459
Neomys fodiens (99) 183
Newbold, C. & Palmer, M. Elatine
hydropiper - a Recent Record for
the Lake of Menteith (87) 376-377
Nicotiana (87) 369
North Ebudes (104): Arctic Charr 229,
409; Eider Duck 182; Fungi, Skye
269; Herring Gull 182; Puffinus
puffinus (Manx Shearwater) 491;
3-spined Stickleback 409
North Perth (89): Agathidium
nigrinum, Bolitophagus reticulatus,
Chrysomela aenea, Corticaria im-
pressa, Epuraea angustula,
Glischrochilus 4-punctatus,
Hylecoetus dermestoides, Leptusa
pulchella, Scolytus ratzeburgi,
(Beetles - Kindrogan) 368
Nove, I. et al. 473

Oenanthe oenanthe 370
Officers: 1980, 190; 1981, 267; 1982,
382; 1983, 494

Omocestus viridulus (103) 483
Operophtera brumata 485
Orange-tip (77) 83, (77:86) 181
Oribatid Mites: Ailsa Craig (75) 451;

Great Cumbrae (100) 347
Ornithopus perpusillus (75) 87
Orobanche alba (101) 375
Orthochaetes setiger (83) 484
Osprey (77) 489
Osmunda regalis (100) 479

Paisley International Colour Slide Ex-
hibition: 90, 188, 265, 380, 492
Palmar, C. E. Aberrant Willow
Warbler (103) 490; Obituary of
Dick Prasher 175
Palmer, M., see Newbold, C. 376
Pandion haliaetus (77) 489
Panicum milliaceum (77) 89
Papaver somniferum (77) 375
Parietaria officinalis (77) 483
Pentarthrum huttoni (83) 484
Peplis portula (100) 479
Peregrine: Attacking Moorhen 490; In
Loch Lomond-Trossachs Area
(86:87:99) 389
Petasites hybridus (86) 263

503

P ha laris canariensis (77) 89
Phillips, M. J., Meikle, G. H.,
Beveridge, M. C. M. & Stewart, J.
A. Rainbow Trout & Brown Trout
in Loch Fad & Woodend Burn,
Bute (100) 383-387
Phocaena phocaena 372
Phoridae: New to Britain 415
Phylloscopus trochilus, aberrant (103)
490

Phymatodes testaceus (77) 180
Phytoflagellates in Firth of Clyde
plankton 145

Pike: death caused by Duckling 488
Piscicola geometra (77) 179
Plant Records from Bute (100): 1981
169, 1982 249, 1983 332
Plantago lanceolata (99) 481
Plumularia bullata: Type & Synonomy
472

Pollution & Marine Algal Com-
munities in the Firth of Clyde 133
Polygonatum multiflorum (99) 478
Polygonum hydropiper (75) 264; P.

minus (99) 186
Polyommatus icarus (77) 256
Porpoise 372

Potentilla norvegica (76) 88, (77) 376;

P. rep tans (77) 375
Prasher, R. (Dick) M.B.E.: Field
Botanist Extraordinary,

Obituaries, 175-178; Erodium
moschatum in Ayrshire (75) 87;
Swallow (75) 85

Proceedings: 1980 188, 1981 265, 1982
380, 1983 492

Pseudotriphyllus suturalis (83) 484
Psithyrus barbutellus 180; P.
bohemicus 179; P. campestris 180,
P. c. campestris (86:99), P. c.
swynnertoni 179; P. sylvestris 180
Ptilinus pectinicornis (83) 484
Ptinus subpilosus (80) 369, (83) 484
Puffinus puffinus (75) 258, (104) 491
Pul monaria (99) 479

Rainbow Trout, Bute (100) 383
Ranunculus flam mu la (99) 186
Raphanus maritimus (100) 479
Red-spotted Bluethroat (86) 489
Refuse tip floras (77) 88, 165
Reilly, M. T. A Specimen of the Com-
mon Porpoise 372

Renfrew (76): Adventive plants 88;
Carex vulpinoidea 88, 184;

Chaenorhinum minus 88; Cygnus
cygnus 88, 371; Echium vulgare,
Erysimum cheiranthoides 88;
Leeches 179; Melilotus officicinalis
88; Piscicola geometra 179; Poten-
tilla norvegica, Reseda lutea,
Sisymbrium altissimum 88;
Trocheta bykowskii 179; Ver-
bascum thapsus 88; Veronica
peregrinalX ; Whooper Swans 371
Reptiles, Clyde Area 211
Reseda lutea (76) 88
Reynoutria japonica (99) 478
Rhinanthus minor agg. (99) 481
Rhizophagus ferrugineus (83) 484
Rhynchosinapis monensis (77:99) 374,
(77) 376

Ridley, G. Lecture 91
Robb, H. Lecture 266
Robin 183

Rock Samphire (75) 87
Rodway, F. G. Butterflies in Galloway
(74) 154; Lectures 91, 188, 381;
Further Sightings of Orange-tip
Butterfly in the Glasgow Area
(77:86) 181
Roff, H. Lecture 266
Rorippa sylvestris (75) 264
Rossdhu Park (99): Epiphytic Lichens
123

Royal Society, grant acknowledged
387

Roxburgh (80): Acalles ptinoides, A.
roboris, Aplocnemus nigricornis,
Beetles - Jed Forest, Nargus
anisotomoides, Microscydmus
nanus, Ptinus subpilosus, Sinoden-
dron cylindricum, Tetratoma an-
cora 369

Ruscus aculeatus (77) 483
Rumex alpinus (75) 482; R. aquaticus,
R. aquaticus x R. obtusifolius (86)
260

Rutherford, A. Colour Forms of
Solanum dulcamara (99) 263

Sagina subulata (100) 479
Salix myrsinites (99) 1 86
Sambucus nigra (99) 478
Sand Leek (77) 482

504

Scolytus ratzeburgi (89) 368; S.

scolytus (83) 484
Scomber scombrus (75) 258
Scotch Argus 255
Scottish Thistle 101, 262
Scrophularia ehrharti, S. vernalis (77)
483

Scuttle Flies new to Britain 415
Sedge, Alien (76) 88
Senecio fluviatilis (75) 264
Senecio jacobaea (86) 179, (99) 481 ; S.

squalidus (77) 376
Setaria italica (77) 89
Short Notes: Birds 85, 182, 258, 370,
489; Fish 486; Flowering plants 86,
184, 259, 374, 478; Invertebrates
83, 179, 255, 368, 483; Mammals
183, 372, 489; Reptiles 84, 182
Sibly, R. M. Lecture 188
Silene dioica (74) 256; S. vulgaris (77)
376

Sinodendron cylindricum (80) 369
Sisymbrium altissimum (76) 88
Skinner, T. G. Winter Occurrence of
Solway Hydromedusae 439-450
Skye (104): Arctic Charr 229, 409;
Fungi 269

Slack (Harry), Memorial Collection
401

Small Mountain Ringlet 255
Small Tortoiseshell 255
Smith, D. C. Lecture 265
Smith, I. R. et al. 7
Smith, R. A. Duckling cause of Pike
death 488; Peregrine attacking
Moorhen 490-491
Smith, R. A. H. Lecture 380
Smith, R. A. R. Lecture 381
Solarum dulcamara (99) 263, S.

dulcamara album 263
Solway: Winter Hydromedusae 439
Sommerville, A. Lecture 188
Sorbus: N. Arran (100) 59 S. arranen-
sis, S. aucuparia (100) 261; “5.
hybrida” (100) 185; S. pseudofen-
nica (100) 185, 261; S. rupicola
(100) 261

South Ebudes (102): Dolichopodidae,
Syrphidae 405

South Perth (87); Agrius convolvuli
(Convolvulus Hawk Moth) 369;
Elatine hydropiper 86, 376;
Peregrine 389

Sponge, type specimen 174
Starlings, white (99) 258
Stewart, D. A. Lecture 188; The
History of Alder, Alnus glutinosa
in the Campsie Fells (86) 333-345
Stewart, J. A . et al. 383
Stickleback, 3-spined: prey of Arctic
Charr (104) 409

Stirling: (86): Alnus glutinosa (Alder)
333; Anthocaris cardamines
(Orange-tip) 181; Bryum
cyclophyllum 186; Carex elongata
67; Colias croceus (Clouded
Yellow) 181, 484; Flora, Loch Lo-
mond NNR 77; Luscinia svecica
svecica (Red-spotted Bluethroat)
489; Rumex aquaticus, R.
aquaticus x R. obtusifolius 260;
Peregrine 389; Petasites hybridus
(Butterbur) 263; Psithyrus
campestris campestris 179; Senecio
jacobaea 179

Stirling, A. McG. Adventive Plants in
Paisley (76) 88; An Alien Sedge in
the Glasgow Area (76) 88; Carex x
beckmanni in Ayrshire (75) 374;
Carex vulpinoidea (76) 184;
Hypochaeris glabra in
Wigtownshire (74) 184; Lampyris
noctiluca (99) 84; Lectures 266,
492; Dick Prasher obit. 176; Rhyn-
chosinapis monensis in Glasgow
Area (77:99) 374-375; Plant records
from Little Cumbrae (100) 479;
Salix myrsinites in Dunbartonshire
(99) 186; Early specimen of an Ar-
ran Whitebeam (Sorbus pseudofen-
nica) (100) 185; Yellow-wort
Blackstonia perfoliata in Dunbar-
tonshire (99) 480-48 1 ; see Macpher-
son, P. 75, 375; see Mitchell, J. 65,
77

Stones: Building, of Glasgow 1
Storm Petrel (75) 85; 491
Stove, W. K. Can Common Lizards
Jump? 84-85

Strathclyde; Lepidoptera 1983 435
Sturnus vulgaris (99) 258; 371
Stylopids (77) 369
Succisa pratensis (99) 179
Sula bassana (75) 258
Sutcliffe, R. Cetaceans off N. W.
Scotland 489; Dolphin in the River

505

Clyde at Glasgow 372; Luth or
Leathery Turtle in the Clyde Sea
Area 182; Osprey (Pandion
haliaetus) at Lesmahagow (77) 489;
Records of Convolvulus Hawk
Moth (87) 369; White Starlings,
Sturnus vulgaris (99) 258
Swallow (75) 85
Swine-cresses (75) 263
Syrphidae (102) 405

Tait, T. N. Lecture 188
Taraxacum agg. (77) 262
Tay, Loch (88) 259
Teesdalia nudicaulis (74) 184
Tetratoma ancora (80) 369
Tetrix undulata 483
Theria primaria 485
Thistles, Scottish etc. 101, 245, 262
Thomas, R. E. Lecture 265
Thompson, B. H. Three Flowering
Plants New to Kintyre (101) 375
Trifolium arvense (77) 375; T. aureum
(77) 376; T. dubium, T. repens (99)
481

Trigger-fish 486
Triplax aenea (83) 484
Trocheta bykowskii (76:77) 179

Umbilicus rupestris (100) 479

Vanessa atalanta (75) 256
Vera t rum album , V. viride (99) 478
Verbascum thapsus (76) 88
Veronica peregrina in W. Scotland
(76:98:99) 71; (101) 259
Vespula vulgaris 255
Vincenzellus viridipennis (83) 484
Viola tricolor curtisii (74) 184

Walker, A., see Dickson, J. H. 101,
245; et al. 473; & Hendry, R.
Freeze-dried Plants & Animals for
Museum Display 253-254
Wardlaw, A. C. Without Water the
Work of Death Would be In-
complete 421-433

Wardlaw, V. & Boney, A. D. The En-
dophytic Diatom, Navicula en-
dophytica in Fucoid Algae of the
Clyde Sea Area 459-463
Wasp Parasite Beetle (99) 181
Water Fleas: Forth & Clyde Canal

361; new to Scotland (77) 25
Water Shrew (99) 183
Watling, R. Fungi of Skye (104)
269-311; Lecture 90
Watson, A. Recording Session 492
Watt, E. Lecture 189
Weir, T. Lecture 189
Westerness (97): Vascular plants, N.

Ardnamurchan 313
West Perth (87): Elatine hydropiper 86
Wheatear (86) 370
Whitebeams: N. Arran (100) 59
White Cart: Gudgeon & Bullhead (77)
488

Whooper Swans (76:77) 371
Wigtown (74): Butterflies 154; Eupelix
cuspidata 369; Filago minima 184;
Halictophagus curtisi 369;
Hypochoeris glabra 184;
Lepidoptera 256; Macroglossum
stellatorum, Silene dioica 256;
Teesdalia nudicaulis 184; Viola
tricolor curtisii 1 84
Wilderness: Junior Excursion (77) 164
Willow Warbler: aberrant (103) 490
Winter Moth 485

Woodend Burn, Bute (100): Trout 383
Woodward, F. Lecture 189; On the
Occurrence of abnormally coloured
Moles in Ayrshire (75) 171-173;
Red-spotted Bluethroat at
Strathblane (86) 489-490; Type
specimen of the Sponge Geodia
gibberosa 174; The Holotype of
Plumularia bullata Fleming at
Glasgow 472
Wood, S. Lecture 492
Wormell, P. Lecture 493

Yellow-wort in Dunbartonshire (99)
480

Zonfrillo, B. A Coot from Finland
(77) 183; Evidence of probable
breeding of Storm Petrels on Ailsa
Craig (75) 85-86; Feeding

Behaviour of Manx Shearwaters on
the Clyde (75) 258; Lectures 189,
265,380, 493; Mertensia maritima
(L.) Gray in Ayrshire (75) 260-261 ;
Rock Samphire in Ayrshire (75) 87;
The Origins of the Whooper Swans
in the Glasgow Area (76:77)
371-372

Zostera (101) 370

'

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•

•

The Journal of the

Glasgow Natural History Society

Volume XX

Parts 1-4 edited by E. W. CURTIS

Part 5 edited by R. M. DOBSON

ISSN 0373-241 X
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND

II

VOLUME XX

DATES OF PUBLICATION

Part 1: pp. 1-100, November 1980
Part 2: pp. 101-190, December 1981
Part 3: pp. 191-268, December 1982
Part 4: pp. 269-382, December 1983
Part 5: pp. 383-505, December 1984

Contents

Building Stones of Glasgow. JUDITH LAWSON 1

Kilbirnie Loch, Ayrshire: an Ecological Appraisal. P. S. MAITLAND,

I. R. SMITH, A. E. BAILEY-WATTS, K. EAST, K. H. MORRIS,

A. A. LYLE and A. KIRIKA 7

Naturalists in Glasgow No. 1: Sir William Jackson Hooker . 24

A Species of Water-flea new to Scotland (Alona weltneri).

C. R. DOUGHTY 25

Rare Beetles in the City of Glasgow. R. A. CROWSON 29

The Freshwater and Terrestrial Fauna of the Clyde Area IV.

Freshwater Fishes of the Upper Clyde Basin. PETER S. MAITLAND 3 1

Glasgow Natural History Society 50

The Herbarium of the Glasgow Museum and Art Gallery.

GWYNETH JONES 51

Book Review: The Butterflies of Scotland: a Natural History.

GEORGE THOMPSON 58

The Endemic Whitebeams of North Arran. ERIC BIGNAL 59

Carex elongata in Scotland. J. MITCHELL and A. McG. STIRLING 65
Veronica peregrina in the West of Scotland. PETER MACPHERSON 70
Junior Excursion Meeting to the Clyde at Cambuslang.

ELSPETH L. S. MACPHERSON 74

Clyde Dock Aliens. PETER MACPHERSON and A. McG. STIRLING 75
The Flora of the Loch Lomond National Nature Reserve: A Supple-
ment. J. MITCHELL and A. McG. STIRLING 77

Acknowledgments 82

Short Notes. Compiled by A. McG. STIRLING 83

Proceedings 1979 90

Officers and Council. SESSION XLIX 1979 92

Membership 1980 93

What is The Scottish Thistle? J. H. DICKSON and AGNES WALKER 101

Naturalists in Glasgow No. 2: DAVID DOUGLAS 122

Rossdhu Park, Dunbartonshire - a major site for epiphytic lichens.

O. L. GILBERT and J. MITCHELL 123

Pollution and Marine Algal Communities in the Firth of Clyde.

J. J. P. CLOKIE and A. D. BONEY 133

Phytoflagellates in Firth of Clyde Plankton. F. J. HANNAH and

A. D. BONEY 145

Butterflies in Galloway. GERALD RODWAY . 154

On the Possible Function of Beetles other than Scolytidae as vectors of

Dutch Elm Disease in Scotland. R. A. CROWSON 155

Chenopodium probstii - a rare alien Goosefoot.

PETER MACPHERSON 161

Junior Excursion to the Wilderness. ELSPETH L. S. LINDSAY .... 164

Ill

Comparison of the flora of two Refuse Tips. PETER MACPHERSON and

BARBARA C. M. MACPHERSON 165

Plant Records from Bute, 1981. J. H. DICKSON 169

On the occurrence of abnormally coloured Moles in Ayrshire.

FRED R. WOODWARD 171

Type specimen of the Sponge Geodia gibberosa. FRED R. WOODWARD 174

Dick Prasher M.B.E. Field Botanist Extraordinary 175

Short Notes. Compiled by A. McG. STIRLING 179

Book Reviews: Estuary Birds of Britain and Ireland, A. J. PRATER and

JOHN BUSBY; Sketches of Bird Life, C. F. TUNNICLIFFE 187

Proceedings 1980 188

Officers and Council. SESSION XLX 1980 190

The Doctrine of Signatures. PETER MACPHERSON 191

The Freshwater and Terrestrial Fauna of the Clyde Sea Area V.

Reptiles and Amphibians of the Clyde Faunal Area. J. A. GIBSON 211

Naturalists in Glasgow No. 3: THOMAS HOPKIRK 228

The Food of the Arctic Charr in the Presence and Absence of Brown Trout.

RONALD N. B. CAMPBELL 229

Book Reviews: Bird Habitats in Britain, R. FULLER; Life of the Meadow

Brown, W. H. DOWDESWELL 236

Living in Mucilage: The Saccoderm Desmid Mesotaenium. A. D. BONEY 237
Book Reviews: Highland Flora, DEREK RATCLIFFE; The Geology of

North East England, ed. D. A. ROBSON 244

The Scottish and Other Thistles of the Third Earl of Bute. J. H. DICKSON

and AGNES WALKER 245

Plant Records from Bute, 1982. J. H. DICKSON and W. M. BOYD 249

Bryological Records for Ailsa Craig. J. H. DICKSON 252

Freeze-Dried Plants and Animals for Museum Display. AGNES WALKER

and RICHARD HENDRY 253

Short Notes compiled by A. McG. STIRLING 255

Proceedings 1981 265

Officers and Council. SESSION XLXI 1981 267

Fungi of Skye. Compiled by ROY WATLING 269

Naturalists in Glasgow No. 4: WILLIAM HUNTER 312

The Vascular Plants of Northern Ardnamurchan. RUTH H. DOBSON 313

Plant Records from Bute, 1983. J. H. DICKSON 332

The History of Alder, Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn., in the Campsie Fells.

DUNCAN A. STEWART . 333

Book Reviews: Green Planet: The Story of Plant Life on Earth,

Ed. D. M. MOORE; Birds New to Britain and Ireland, J. T. R.

SHARROCK and P. J. GRANT 346

Oribatid Mites Associated with Marine and Maritime Lichens on the

Island of Great Cumbrae. M. J. COLLOFF 347

Book Reviews: Get to Know Scotland’s Forests, PETER ROSS;

The Ecology of Whales and Dolphins, D. E. GASKIN 360

The Cladocera (Water Fleas) of the Forth and Clyde Canal.

C. R. DOUGHTY 361

Short Notes compiled by A. McG. STIRLING 368

Book Reviews: A Guide to Edinburgh’s Natural History Habitats and
Walks within the City Boundaries; The Barn Owl, D. S. DUNN,

A. B. WORBURTON and R. D. S. WILSON; Collin’s British Birds,

JOHN GOODERS and TERENCE LAMBERT; The Garden Bird

Book, ed. DAVID GLUE 379

Proceedings 1982 380

IV

Officers and Council SESSION XLXII 1982 382

Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout in Loch Fad and its Tributary,
Woodend Burn, Isle of Bute. M. J. PHILLIPS, G. H. MEIKLE,

M. C. M. BEVERIDGE and J. A. STEWART 383

Acknowledgment: Royal Society Grant 387

Naturalists in Glasgow No. 5: Roger Hennedy 388

The Peregrine Population in the Loch Lomond-Trossachs Area of

Scotland Between 1961 and 1981: a Review. JOHN MITCHELL 389
Book Reviews: Enjoying Ornithology, RONALD HICKLING; Fair Isle’s

‘Garden Birds’, JOHN HOLLOWAY 400

The Harry Slack Memorial Collection: a new Resource for Loch Lomond-

side. COLIN E. ADAMS 401

Syrphidae and Dolichopodidae (Diptera) from Jura. IAIN MACGOWAN 405
Predation by the Arctic Charr on the Three-spined Stickleback and its

Nests in Loch Meallt, Skye. RONALD N. B. CAMPBELL .... 409

Book Review: The Puffin, M. P. HARRIS 414

Seven Species of Scuttle Fly (Diptera: Phoridae) from Scotland - New to

the British List. R. H. L. DISNEY 415

Book Reviews: Outline of Plant Classification, SANDRA HOLMES;

Popular Encyclopaedia of Plants, ed. V. H. HEYWOOD and

S. R. CHANT 420

Without Water the Work of Death Would be Incomplete.

A. C. WARDLAW 421

Book Reviews: Geology of Scotland, ed. G. Y. CRAIG; Scotland’s

Environment During the Last 30,000 Years, R. J. PRICE ..... 434

Lepidoptera in Strathclyde 1983. Compiled by I. C. CHRISTIE 435
Winter Occurrence of Solway Hydromedusae. T. G. SKINNER 439
Notes on two Lichenophagous Oribatid Mites from Ailsa Craig

(Acari: Cryptostigmata). M. J. COLLOFF 451

Book Reviews: Naturalist’s Handbooks, Insects on Nettles,

B. N. K. DAVIS; Grasshoppers, VALERIE K. BROWN; Solitary

Wasps, PETER F. YEO and SARAH A. CORBET; Insects and
Thistles, MARGARET REDFERN 458

The Endophytic Diatom, Navicula endophytica Hasle in Fucoid Algae of

the Clyde Sea Area. V. WARDLAW and A. D. BONEY ...... 459

Records for “The Flora of Glasgow” 1. Some Grasses and other

Monocotyledons. J. H. DICKSON 465

Garden Angelica by the River Kelvin. PETER MACPHERSON 469

The Holotype of Plumularia bullata Fleming 1825 = Barentsia
gorbunovi Kluge 1946 (Entoprocta: Barentsiidae) at Glasgow.

F. R. WOODWARD 472

Records for the “Flora of Glasgow” 2. Waste Ground at Bunhouse Road.
MICHAEL JARVIS, JEAN MILLAR, IRENE NOVE and AGNES

WALKER 473

Society publications 477

Short Notes. Compiled by A. McG. STIRLING 478

Proceedings 1983 492

Officers and Council. SESSION XLXIII 1983 494

Index to VOLUME 20 495

The Glasgow Naturalist

This publication is included in the abstracted and indexing coverage of the
Biosciences Information Service of the Biological Abstracts.

The following back numbers are available for purchase at the prices shown
(plus postage).

Volume II

(1909-10)

Parts 1, 2, 3, 4

\

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(1910-11)

Parts 1, 2, 3, 4

)

Volume IV

(1911-12)

Parts 1, 2, 3, 4

> £1.50 each

Volume V

(1912-13)

Parts 1, 2, 3, 4

)

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(1913-14)

Parts 1, 2, (3 + 4)

Volume VII

(1915)

Parts 1, 2, 3, 4 Q

£1.25 each

Volume VIII

(1916-18)

Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 j

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(1940-44)

Parts 1, 2, 3 J

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(1945-49)

Parts !*, 2, 3

j £1.00 each

Volume XVI

(1951-52)

Parts 1, 2, (3 + 4)

Volume XVII

(1952-56)

Parts 1, 2t, 3, 4, 5, 6

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(1958-71)

Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6§, 7 J
Parts 8, 9

£1.25 each

Part 10

£2.00

Volume XIX

(1973-79)

Parts 1, 2, 3,. 4

£2,00 each

Part 5

£2.50

Part 6

£4.00

Volume XX

(1980- )

Parts 1, 2, 3, 4

£4.00 each

♦Part 1 contains (18pp) The Flora of Easter Dunbartonshire by J. R. Lee.
tPart 2 contains (18pp) Additions to the flora of the Clyde Area by J. R. Lee.
§Part 6 (82pp) is a list of the less common Scottish Basidiomycetes by
D. A. Reid and P. K. C. Austwick..

Of the earlier journals, the only parts available are:

The Annals of the Andersonian Naturalists * Society :

Volume IV Part 3 £1.00

' Proceedings and Transactions of the Natural History Society of Glasgow:
Volume I (1885-86) Part 3

Volume II (1886-88) Parts 1, 2

Volume VI (1899-1901) Parts 1, 2 > £1,50 each

Volume VII (1904-05) Part 3

Volume VIII (1905-08) Parts 1, 2

j

]

Orders for any of the above and for copies of the current and future issues
should be addressed to The Librarian: -

Mrs R. H. DOBSON,
664 CLARKSTON ROAD,
GLASGOW, G44 3YS.

Printed in Scotland by Meigle Printers, Market Street, Galashiels

Contents

400

401

405

Page

383 Rainbow Trout in Loch Fad and its Tributary, Woodend Burn, Isle
M. J. PHILLIPS, G. H. MEIKLE, M. C. M. BEVERIDGE an
STEWART

387 Acknowledgment: Royal Society Grant

388 Naturalists in Glasgow No. 5: Roger Hennedy

389 The Peregrine Population in the Loch Lomond-Trossachs Area of Sco
Between 1961 and 1981: a Review. JOHN MITCHELL
Book Reviews: Enjoying Ornithology, RONALD HICKLING; Fair I
‘Garden Birds’, JOHN HOLLOWAY

The Harry Slack Memorial Collection: a new Resource for Loch Lon
side. COLIN E. ADAMS

Syrphidae and Dolichopodidae (Diptera) from Jura. IAIN MACGOV

409 Predation by the Arctic Charr on the Three-spined Stickleback and its N
in Loch Meallt, Skye. RONALD N. B. CAMPBELL

414 Book Reyiew: The Puffin, M. P. HARRIS

415 Seven Species of Scuttle Fly (Diptera: Phoridae) from Scotland - Ne
the British List. R. H. L. DISNEY

420 Book Reviews: Outline of Plant Classification, SANDRA HOLMES; Pop
Encyclopaedia of Plants, ed. V. H. HEYWOOD and S. R. CHANT

421 Without Water the Work of Death Would be Incomplete. A. C. WARDL

434 Book Reviews: Geology of Scotland, ed. G. Y. CRAIG; Scotland’s Envii
ment During the Last 30,000 Years, R. J. PRICE

435 Lepidoptera in Strathclyde 1983. Compiled by I. C. CHRISTIE

439 Winter Occurrence of Solway Hydromedusae. T. G. SKINNER

451 Notes on two Lichenophagous Oribatid Mites from Ailsa Craig (Acari: C

tostigmata). M. J. COLLOFF

458 Book Reviews: Naturalist’s Handbooks, Insects on Nettles, B. N. K. DA^
Grasshoppers, VALERIE K. BROWN; Solitary Wasps, PETER F. YEO
SARAH A. CORBET; Insects and Thistles, MARGARET REDFERN

459 The Endophytic Diatom, Navicula endophytica Hasle in Fucoid Algae of
Clyde Sea Area. V. WARDLAW and A. D. BONEY

465 Records for “The Flora of Glasgow’’ 1. Some Grasses and o;
Monocotyledons. J. H. DICKSON

469 Garden Angelica by the River Kelvin. PETER MACPHERSON

472 The Holotype of Plumularia bullata Fleming 1825 = Barentsia gorbw
Kluge 1946 (Entoprocta: Barentsiidae) at Glasgow. F. R. WOODWAI

473 Records for the “Flora of Glasgow’’ 2. Waste Ground at Bunhouse Rc
MICHAEL JARVIS, JEAN MILLAR, IRENE NOVE and AGJ
WALKER

477 Society publications

478 Short Notes. Compiled by A. McG. STIRLING

492 Proceedings 1983

494 Officers and Council. SESSION XLXIII 1983

495 Index to VOLUME 20

THE GLASGOW NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY

LIBRARY

LIST OF BRITISH PERIODICALS

2

The Glasgow Natural History Society Library

The library, available to all members on the production of a
current subscription receipt, is now housed on the third floor of
the Mitchell Library. The books have recently been cleaned, put
in order and catalogued, and this seems a good time to remind
members that books and journals may be borrowed by them.
Visitors may work in the library by arrangement or obtain
volumes from the Mitchell Library staff for use in the main
reading rooms.

The library is arranged in three sections; books, British journals
and overseas journals. The books are numbered and arranged
according to the simplified Dewey system which classifies them
according to subject. Both scientific and general readers are
catered for, all branches of natural history are covered and there
are volumes on the natural history of the Clyde area, many parts
of Britain and foreign countries. The Society hopes to build up the
library, particularly with modern books and appropriately quali-
fied members are willing to provide reviews in the Glasgow Natura-
list of new books on aspects of natural history in exchange for a
copy for the library. Donations are, of course, always welcome.

A special feature of the library is the wide coverage of journals
published by British natural history societies and other bodies.
About 30 are currently received regularly for the Glasgow Natura-
list. They contain much up-to-date information on the areas
concerned. About 150 other titles are represented, some by runs
of many years. The policy is to increase the number of journals in
the library and new exchanges for the Glasgow Naturalist will be
welcomed.

The library also contains a large range of journals from overseas
and about 100 are received regularly in exchange for the Glasgow
Naturalist. Many of these are from Commonwealth countries and
the U.S.A. and are written in English, while many foreign ones,
from Europe and further afield, have summaries in English. It is
hoped to list these in the future and to provide photostat copies at
a nominal sum to anyone interested.

Ruth H. Dobson Librarian

March 1982

3

LIST OF BRITISH PERIODICALS

The entries in the following list are arranged in the order in which
the periodicals appear on the shelves in the library. The publica-
tions of the Glasgow Natural History Society are kept in a sepa-
rate section and are entered first. The rest are given for the most
part in alphabetical order of the name or place of the issuing
society, subject or title. Periodicals from the same society are kept
together, even if the name of either is changed, and where neces-
sary cross references are given. These are also given where there is
possible doubt of the correct placing, e.g. “Transactions of the
Edinburgh Geological Society” is placed under “Edinburgh” but
also referred to under “Geological”.

The full title of each periodical and its officially accepted abbre-
viation is given as in the fourth edition of the “World List of
Scientific Periodicals” 1965, and entries not covered by this are
cited from the “List of Serial Publications in the British Museum
(NH) Library” 1968, or more recent sources. Periodicals which
are currently received regularly are marked with an asterisk (*).

“Annals of the Andersonian Naturalists’ Society” Ann. Anderson. Nat. Soc. 1
1893,3 1908.

“Proceedings of the Natural History Society of Glasgow” 3-5 1878-84.
Became “Proceedings and Transactions of the Natural History Society of
Glasgow” Trans. Nat. Hist. Soc. Glasg. 1-8 1887-1911. Became “Glasgow
Naturalist” Glasg. Nat. 1- 1908-
“Advancement of Science” see British Association.

“Annals of Botany” Ann. Bot. 1-50 1887-1936, 1-16 N.S. 1937-52.

“Annals of Scottish Natural History” Ann. Scot. nat. Hist. 1-80 1892-1911.

Became “Scottish Naturalist” Scoff. Nat. 1-72 1912-17, 187-198 1931-32.
Barrow. “Report and Proceedings of the Barrow Naturalists’ Field Club” Rep.

Proc. Barrow Nat. Fid Club 1877-1948 (imp.)

Bath. “Proceedings of the Bath Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club”
Proc. Bath nat. Hist, antiq. Fid Gub. 1-9 1864-1909.

Belfast. (1) “Report and Proceedings of the Belfast Natural History and
Philosophical Society” Rep. Proc. Belf. nat. Hist. phil. Soc. 1871-1902.
- (2) “Report and Proceedings of the Belfast Naturalists’ Field Club” Rep.
Proc. Belf. Nat. Fid Gub 1866-1921 (imp.) Became “Proceedings Bel-
fast Naturalists’ Field Club” Proc. Belf. Nat. Fid Gub 1922-46 (imp.)
Berwickshire. “History of the Berwickshire Naturalists’ Club” Hist. Berwicksh.
Nat. Gub 3-21 1851-1912.

Birmingham. (1) “Record of the Meteorological Observations taken at the
Observatory Edgbaston” Rec. met. Obs. Edgbaston 1902-22.

4

(2) “Record and Proceedings abstracts. Birmingham and Midland Institute
Scientific Society” Rec. Proc. Abstr. Bgham Midi. Inst, scient. Soc.
5-6 1931-35.

(3) * “Proceedings of the Birmingham Natural History and Philosophical
Society” Proc. Bgham nat. Hist. phil. Soc. 2- 1879- (imp.)

(4) “Report. Birmingham Natural History and Philosophical Society”
Rep. Bgham nat. Hist. phil. Soc. 1893-1938, 1947.

Botanical Society of the British Isles.

— (1) “Proceedings of the Botanical Society of the British Isles” Proc. hot.

Soc. By. Isl. 6(3 & 4)-7 1966-69.

— (2) “Watsonia” Watsonia 1 (1) 1949, 6(4)-12 1966-79.

— (3) “BSBI Abstracts” 1-8 1971-78.

Botanical Societies (other than BSBI)

— (1) * “Transactions and Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Edin-

burgh” Trans. Proc. hot. Soc. Edinb. 1- 1840- (imp.)

— (2) “Report of the Botanical Society and Exchange Club of the British

Isles” Rep. botl. Soc. Exch. Gub Br. Isl. 1894-1947 (imp.)

“Botanists’ Chronicle” Bot. Giron. 1863-65.

Brighton. “Abstacts of papers. Brighton and Sussex Natural History and
Philosophical Society” Abstr. Pap. Brighton nat. Hist. Soc. 1894-1938
(imp.). Became “Report. Brighton and Hove Natural History and Philoso-
phical Society” Rep. Brighton Hove nat. Hist. Phil. Soc. 1939-54 (imp.)

* Bristol. “Proceedings of the Bristol Naturalists’ Society” Proc. Bristol Nat.

Soc. 1- 1874-

British Association for the Advancement of Science.

— (1) “Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science”

Rep. Br. ,4ss. Advmt. Sci. 1875-1937.

— (2) “Advancement of Science, London” Advmt. Sci., Lond. 8-118 1942-

67.

British Ecological Society.

— (1) “Bulletin. British Ecological Society” Bull. Br. ecol. Soc. 1-5 1970-74.

— (2) “Journal of Ecology” and “Journal of Animal Ecology” see Journals.
Buchan. “Transactions of the Buchan Club” Trans. Buchan Gub 4-11 1896-

1915, 18(2) 1963-70.

* Buteshire. “Transactions of the Buteshire Natural History Society” Trans.

Butesh. nat. Hist. Soc. 1- 1907- (imp.)

Caradoc. (1) “Transactions. Caradoc and Severn Valley Field Club” Trans.

Caradoc Severn Vail. Fid Gub 1892-97, 1940-42.

- (2) “Record of Bare Facts” Rec. bare Facts Caradoc Severn Vail. Fid.
Gub. 1892-97. 1940-42.

*Cardiff. “Report and Transactions of the Cardiff Naturalists’ Society”
Rep. Trans. Cardiff Nat. Soc. 1-34 1867-1902. Became “Transactions
of the Cardiff Naturalists’ Society” Trans. Cardiff Nat. Soc. 35- 1903-
Chester. “Report of the Chester Society of Natural Science, Literature and
Art "Rep. Chester Soc. nat. Sci. 1875-1929 (imp.)

5

“Conchologist” Conchologist 1891-93, Became “Journal of Malacology”
J. Malac. 3(1-4) 1894.

Cornwall. “Journal of the Royal Institution of Cornwall” Jl R. Instn Corn-
wall 16-48 1874-1902.

^Coventry. “Proceedings of the Coventry and District Natural History and
Scientific Society” Proc. Coventry Distr. nat. Hist, scient. Soc. 1- 1930-

Croydon. “Proceedings and Transactions of the Croydon Natural History and
Scientific Society” Proc. Trans. Croydon nat. Hist, scient. Soc. 1909-11,
1920.

Cryptogamic Society of Scotland. “Transactions of the Cryptogamic Society
of Scotland” 1888-1929 (imp.)

Dorset. “Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field
Club "Proc. Dorset nat. Hist, antiq. Fid. Club 1-4 1877-80.

Dublin. “Proceedings of the Natural History Society of Dublin” Proc. nat.
Hist. Soc. Dublin 4 1862-65.

Dublin. Royal Society of

— (1) “Scientific Proceedings of the Royal Dublin Society” Scient. Proc.

R. Dubl. Soc. 1-7 1877-92, 11-22 1905-39.

— (2) “Scientific Transactions of the Royal Dublin Society” Scient. Trans.

R. Dubl. Soc. 1-8 1877-1905 (imp.)

— (3) “Economic Proceedings of the Royal Dublin Society” Econ. Proc.

R. Dubl. Soc. 1-3 1899-1938.

— (4) “Journal of the Royal Dublin Society” Jl. R. Dublin Soc. 4-10 1 865-

1905.

— (5) * “Journal of Earth Sciences, Royal Dublin Society” J. Earth Sci. R.

Dublin Soc. 1- 1978-

— (6) * “Journal of Life Sciences (Dublin)/. Life Sci. (Dublin) 1- 1979-

* Dumfries-shire. “Transactions and Journal of the Proceedings of the Dum-
fries-shire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society” Trans.
J. Proc. Dumfries. Galloway nat. Hist. Antiq. Soc. 1- 1878- (imp.)

Eastbourne. “Papers (and Annual Report) of the Eastbourne Natural History
Society” Pap. a. Rep. Eastbourne nat. Hist. Soc. 1872-77, 1-4 1882-1910.

East Kent. “Report and Transactions of the East Kent Scientific and Natural
History Society” Rep. Trans. E. Kent scient. nat. Hist. Soc. 1880-86.

Edinburgh (1) “Botanical Society of Edinburgh” see Botanical Societies.

— (2) “Notes from the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh” Notes R. bot.

Gdn Edinb. 1911-18. (imp.)

— (3) “Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh” Proc. R. Soc. Edinb.

15-60 1887-1940 (imp.). Became * “Proceedings of the Royal Society

of Edinburgh B” Proc. R. Soc. Edinb. B. 61- 1940-

— (4) * “Yearbook of the Royal Society of Edinburgh” Yb. R. Soc. Edinb.

1940- (imp.)

— (5) “Transactions of the Edinburgh Geological Society” Trans. Edinb.

geol. Soc. 1-2 1866-69, 6-8 1883-1903.

— (6) “Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh see Royal.

6

“Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine” Entomologist's mon. Mag. 1-25 1865-
1889, 1-25 2nd series 1890-1914, 1-4 3rd series 1915-18, 11-16 1925-30.
Entomological Society of London (Royal). “Transactions of the Royal
Entomological Society of London” Trans. R. ent. Soc. Lond. 1 1864-66,
1878-1923.

Essex. “Transactions of the Essex Field Club” Trans. Essex Eld Cl. 3-4
1883-86. Became *“Essex Naturalist” Essex. Nat. 1-33 1887-1976, N.S.
1- 1977-

Fishery Board for Scotland. “Report of the Fishery Board for Scotland”
Rep. Fishery Bd Scotl. 1885-97.

Freshwater Biological Association. * “Report. Freshwater Biological Associa-
tion” Rep. Ereshwat. biol. 1942-45, 1950-

* “Forth Naturalist and Historian” Stirling Forth Naturalist Historian 1-

1977-

“Geographical Journal” see Royal Geographical Society”

“Geologist” Geologist 2-1 1859-64.

“Geological Magazine” Geol. Mag. 1 1864.

Geological Societies.

— (1) “Transactions of the Edinburgh Geological Society” see Edinburgh.

— (2) “Transactions of the Geological Society of Glasgow” Trans, geol. Soc.

Glasg. 1-25 1860-1964. Became ^Scottish Journal of Geology”&%>ff. J.
Geol. 1- 1965- (imp.)

— (3) “Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London” Q. Jl. geol.

Soc. Lond. 21-35 1865-79.

— (4) “Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association” Proc. Geol. Ass. 2-7

1870-92.

— (5) “Manchester Geological and Mining Society Transactions” see Man-

chester.

“Grevillea” Grevillea 2-5 1873-76,22 1893.

* “Habitat” 12- 1976- (Council for Nature then Council for Environmental

Conservation.)

Hastings. “Hastings and East Sussex Naturalist” Hastings E. Suss. Nat. 1932.

* Hertfordshire. “Transactions of the Hertfordshire Natural History Society

and Field Club” Trans. Herts, nat. Hist. Soc. Fid Cub 1- 1879- (imp.)

Holmesdale. “Proceedings of the Holmesdale Natural History Club” Proc.

Holmesdale nat. Hist. Cub 1888-1910 (imp.)

Hull. “Transactions of the Hull Scientific and Field Naturalists’ Club” Trans.

Hull scient. Fid Nat. Cub 1-4 1898-1919.

Inverness. “Transactions of the Inverness Scientific Society and Field Club”
Trans. Inverness scient. Soc. Fid Cub 1-3 1875-88.

* “Irish Naturalists’ Journal” Ir. Nat. J. 13(1 1)-16(3) 1961-68, 19- 1977-

“Journal of Animal Ecology”/. Anim. Ecol. 1-43 1932-74.

“Journal of Botany, British and Foreign”/. Bot., Lond. 1-7 1863-69, 31-56
1893-1928.

7

*“Journal of Earth Sciences” see Royal Dublin Society.

“Journal of Ecology”/. Ecol. 1-62 1913-1974.

*“Journal of Life Sciences” see Royal Dublin Society.

“Journal of Malacology” see Conchologist.

“Journal of Microscopy and Natural Science” J. Micr. & nat. Sci. 4 1885,
1-7 3rd series 1891-97.

“Journal of Science” / Sci. 4-7 1867-70, 1-2 N.S. 1871-72.

Leicester. “Transactions of the Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society”
Trans. Leicester lit. phil. Soc. 1-3 1886-92, 10(2) 1905, 23-39 1922-39,
60 1966.

Linnean Society of London.

— (1) “Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London”Proc. Linn. Soc. Lond.

-178 1870-1968.

— (2) “List of the Linnean Society of London” List Linn. Soc. Lond. 1892-

1932.

— (3) “Journal of the Linnean Society — Botany” /. Linn. Soc. 8-35 1865-

1904, 1903-32 a few only, 55-61 1955-68. Became *f “Botanical Jour-
nal of the Linnean Society of London” Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 62- 1969-
(imp.)

— (4) “Journal of the Linnean Society — Zoology”/. Linn Soc. 8-47 1865-

1968. Became “Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society of London”
Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 48-67 1969-80.

— (5) *f “Biological Journal of the Linnean Society of London” Biol. J.

Linn. Soc. 1- 1969-

Liverpool. (1) “Proceedings and Transactions of the Liverpool Biological
Society” Proc. Trans. Lpool biol. Soc. 1-59 1887-1953.

— (2) “Proceedings of the Liverpool Naturalists’ Field Club” Proc. Lpool

Nat. Fid Club. 1860-89.

* “London Naturalist” Lond. Nat. 31- 195 1 -

“Magazine of Natural History” Mag. nat. Hist. 4 1831, 7 1834, 9 1836.
Malvern. “Transactions of the Malvern Naturalists’ Field Club” Trans. Mal-
vern Nat. Fid G. 1853-70.

Man, Isle of. “Proceedings of the Isle of Man Natural History and Antiquarian
Society” Proc. Isle Man nat. Hist, antiq. Soc. 1 (3 parts) c. 1900.
Manchester. (1) “Proceedings of the Manchester Field Club” Proc. Manchr
Fid Club 1 1899-1903.

— (2) “Report and Proceedings of the Manchester Field Naturalists’ and

Archaeologists’ Society” Rep. Proc. Manchr Fid Nat. Archaeol. Soc.
1862, 1875-1900, 1907-13.

— (3) “Manchester Geological and Mining Society Transactions” Manchr

geol. Min. Soc. Trans. 7-26 1868-1901.

— (4) “Proceedings of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Manchester”

Proc. Manchr lit. phil. Soc. 5-26 1866-87.

t On permanent loan from Dr P. Macpherson

8

(5) “Memoirs of the Literary .and Philosophical Society of Manchester”
3rd series 4-10 1871-1887. Became “Memoirs and Proceedings of the
Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society” Mem . Proc. Manchr. lit.
phil. Soc. 1-90 1888-1950 4th series.

— (6) “Transactions and Annual Report. Manchester Microscopical Society”

Trans, a. Rep. Manchr microsc. Soc. 1883-1914.

— (7) “Report of the Manchester Scientific Students’ Association” Rep.

Manchr scient. students' Ass. 1862-89.

Marlborough. “Report of the Marlborough College Natural History Society”
Rep. Marlboro. Coll. nat. Hist. Soc. 27-95 1878-1946.

Microscopical Societies.

— (1) “Journal of Microscopy and Natural Science” (Postal Microscopical

Society) see Journal.

— (2) Microscopical Society of London. “Quarterly Journal of Microscopical

Science” Q. Jl microsc. Sci. 9-16 1865-1972.

— (3) “Transactions and Annual Report. Manchester Microscopical Society”

see Manchester.

— (4) “Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society” see Royal.

— (5) “Journal of the Queckett Microscopical Club” see Queckett.

— (6) “Transactions of the Scottish Microscopical Society” see Scottish.
“Natural History Review” Nat. Hist. Rev. 4-5 1864-65.

“Naturalist” Naturalist 9-19 1883-1964.

“Naturalists’ Chronicle and Ornithologist” 3-4 1897-98.

“Natural Science” Nat. Sci., Lond. 1-15 1893-99.

Norfolk. (1) “Transactions of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists’ Society”
Trans. Norfolk Norwich Nat. Soc. 1-9 1869-1914, 13(2)-15(4) 1926-42,
17(3)-20(1) 1951-63 (imp.)

— (2) “Norfolk Bird and Mammal Report” Norfolk Bird Mammal Rep.
1953-1962.

Northamptonshire. * “Journal of the Northamptonshire Natural History
Society and Field Club” J. Northampt. nat. Hist. Soc. 1-29 1880-1938,
31- 1949-

North Staffordshire. (1) “Report. North Staffordshire Naturalists’ Field Club
and Archaeological Society” Rep. N. Staffs. Fid Club 1-20 1869-1886.
Became “Report and Transactions. North Staffordshire Naturalists’ Field
Club” Rep. Trans. N. Staffs. Fid Club 21-51 1887-1915. Became “Trans-
actions and Annual Report. North Staffordshire Field Club” Trans, a. Rep.
N. Staffs. Fid Club. 52-94 1917-1960.

— (2) “North Staffordshire Journal of Field Studies” N. Staffs. J. Fid Studs.

1-15 1961-1975.

(3) * “Transactions. North Staffordshire Field Club N.S.” Trans. N. Staffs.
Fid Club 1- 1976-

Northumberland, Durham and Newcastle on Tyne. (Later Northumbria.)

— (1) “Natural History Transactions of Northumberland, Durham and New-

castle on Tyne” Nat. Hist. Trans. Northumb. 2-15 1867-1913. Became
“Transactions of the Natural History Society of Northumberland,

9

Durham and Newcastle on Tyne” Trans, nat. Hist. Soc. Northumb. 1-17

N.S. 1905-72. Became * “Transactions of the Natural History Society

of Northumbria” Trans, nat. Hist. Soc. Northumbria 42- 1974-

— (2) * “Birds in Northumbria” Birds Northumbria 1971-

— (3) * “Birds on the Fame Islands” 1971-

“Ornithologist” 1896-97.

* Paisley. Newsletters from Paisley Museum Natural History Society. 1-
1972-

Penzance. “Transactions of the Penzance Natural History and Antiquarian
Society” Trans. Penzance nat. Hist, antiq. Soc. 1880-95, 1897-98.

Perthshire. “Transactions and Proceedings of the Perthshire Society of
Natural Science” Trans. Proc. Perthsh. Soc. nat. Sci. 1881-86, 1-9 1893-
1937, 10(3) 1954.

Philosophical Society of Glasgow. “Proceedings of the Philosophical Society
of Glasgow” Proc. phil. Soc. Glasg. 1-32 1841-1901. Became “Proceedings
of the Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow” Proc. R. phil. Soc. Glasg.
33-76 1901-1952.

“Phytologist” Phytologist 4-6 1860-63.

Plymouth. “Transactions of the Plymouth Institution” Trans. Plymouth Instn
1830. Became “Report and Transactions of the Plymouth Institution and
Devon and Cornwall Natural History Society” Rep. Trans. Plymouth Instn
1-22 1865-1956.

“Popular Science Review” Pop. Sci. Rev. 2-4 1863-65.

Postal Microscopical Society see “Journal of Microscopy and Natural Science”

“Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science” see Microscopical Society of
London.

“Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of Glasgow” see Geological
Society.

Queckett — Microscopical Club.

“Journal of the Queckett Microscopical Club”/. Queckett microsc. Club 1-6
1868-81, 1-16 N.S. 1882-1933, 1 series 3 1934-37, 1-31 series 4 1938-68.

Royal Societies. (Other than Royal Society of London)

— (1) Royal Dublin Society. See Dublin.

— (2) “Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London” see

Entomological.

— (3) “Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society” Proc. R. geogr.

Soc. 20-22 1875-78, 1-14 1879-92. Became “Geographical Journal”

Geogrl. J. 1-114 1893-1947, 20(2) 1954.

— (4) “Journal of the Royal Geographical Society” Jl R. geogr. Soc. 45-49

1875-79.

— (5) “Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society” Jl R. microsc. Soc. 3

1st series 1880, 1-64 2nd series 1881-1946.

— (6) “Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh” Proc. R.

phy. Soc. Edinb. 2-29 1859-1960.

10

(7) “Transactions of the Royal Scottish Arboricultural Society” Trans.
R. Scott, arboric. Soc. 8(2) 1878, 1540 1898-1926. Became “Scottish
Forestry Journal” Scott. For. J. 41-60 1927-1946. Became “Scottish
Forestry” Scott. For. 1-3 1947-49.

(8) Royal Scottish Geographical Society. “Scottish Geographical Maga-
zine” Scott, geogr. Mag. 1-85 1885-1969 (imp.)

(9) * “Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh” see Edinburgh.
Royal Society of London.

— (1) “Proceedings of the Royal Society of London” Proc. R. Soc. 50-74

1891-1905, Series B 76-92 1905-1921, Series A 77-81 1906-08.

— (2) “Reports to the Malaria Committee. Royal Society London” Rep.

Malar. Comm. R. Soc. 1899-1903.

— (3) “Reports of the Sleeping Sickness Commission. Royal Society Lon-

don” Rep. sleep Sickn. CommnR. Soc. 1903-05.

— (4) “Report to the Evolution Committee of the Royal Society London”

Rep. Evol. Comm. R. Soc. 1902-09.

“Science Gossip” Sci. Gossip. 15-28 1879-93 (imp.) 1866, 1900 & 1901.

* “Scottish Birds” Scott. Birds 1- 1954-

“Scottish Forestry Journal” and “Scottish Forestry” see Royal Scottish
Arboricultural Society. Became Royal Scottish Forestry Society in 1930.
“Scottish Geographical Magazine” see Royal Scottish Geographical Society.

* “Scottish Journal of Geology” see Geological Society of Glasgow.

Scottish Marine Biological Association. “Report of the Scottish Marine

Biological Association” Rep. Scott, mar. biol. Ass. 1952-53, 1966-74.
Scottish Microscopical Society. “Transactions of the Scottish Microscopical
Society” 1-6 1895-1912.

“Scottish Naturalist” see Annals of Scottish Natural History.

* “Scottish Wildlife” Scott. Midi 10- 1974-

Stirling. “Transactions of the Stirling Natural History and Archaeological
Society” Trans. Stirling nat. Hist, archaeol. Soc. 1880-1912 (imp.)
Swansea. “Proceedings of the Swansea Scientific and Field Naturalists’
Society” Proc. Swansea scient. Fid Nat. Soc. 1 1927-36, 2 1939-52 (imp.)
Watford. “Transactions of the Watford Natural History Society and Hertford-
shire Field Club. Trans. Watford nat. Hist. Soc. 1-2 1875-79.

“Watsonia” see Botanical Society of the British Isles.

Warwickshire. “Proceedings of the Warwickshire Naturalists’ and Archaeolo-
gists’ Field Club” Proc. Warwick. Nat. Archaeol. 1886-88,1895-96.

* West Dunbartonshire. “Report. West Dunbartonshire Naturalist” Rep. W.

Dunbartons. Naturalist 1- 1978-

* “Western Naturalist” W. Nat. 2- 1973-

Wight, Isle of. “Proceedings of the Natural History and Archaeological
Society” Proc. Isle Wight nat. Hist, archaeol. Soc. 1-6 1920-1968 (imp.)
“Yearbook of Learned Societies” 1-12 1884-95.

11

Yorkshire. “Transactions of the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union” Trans. Yorks.
Nat. Un. Botanical. 1873-91, mainly Zoological 1877-90, 1883-90, 1902,
1905.

Yorkshire. “Report of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society” Rep. Yorks, phil.
Soc. 1880-1943.

“Zoological Record” Zool. Rec. 12-20 1875-83.

“Zoologist” Zoologist 19-22 1861-64, 9-11 2nd series 1874-76, 20 3rd series
1896, 1-27 4th series 1897-1916.

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