202 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



catching. It has the same habit as the swallows of dipping 

 into the surface on warm evenings as it flies along. Its flight 

 lasts the whole night through, even when the darkness of 

 August nights has settled down. Many times I have known 

 it caught by anglers when fly-fishing at night, as it dashes at 

 the artificial flies very readily. It roosts in the hollows of oak- 

 trees and in the roofs of out-buildings and in ruinous places, 

 but I have not found it except in the near vicinity of consider- 

 able pieces of water. When a colony is disturbed they almost 

 invariably forsake the spot for at least several months. [There 

 is another large dark-coloured Bat that I have noticed on 

 several occasions near Dumfries. It flies very high early in 

 the evening, almost before daylight has begun to wane. It is 

 probably the same as Sir Wm. Jardine referred to when he wrote 

 in the "Statistical Account, 1835" (parish of Applegarth and 

 Sibbaldbie, p. 1 7 5) : " The Great Bat has been seen flying about 

 the river Annan with a rapid and powerful flight, and must 

 rank as a very rare animal." It may also have been the same 

 mysterious species that was seen farther up Annandale by Dr. 

 Walker as quoted in Fleming's " British Animals," p. 6. But 

 as it has not yet been procured, there can only be speculation 

 as to its identity.] 



HEDGEHOG, Erinaceus Europaus. Everywhere very common. There 

 are certain families of tinkers a class of degenerate gypsies 

 who wander through the south-western counties that find in 

 the Hurcheon, when roasted, a gastronomic dainty that is 

 greatly appreciated by them. The same taste also exists 

 amongst many of the itinerant showmen. 



MOLE, Talpa Europcea. Of general distribution, and too common in 

 most places. It occurs on the tops of hills over 2000 feet in 

 elevation. The so-called Albino Moles are of varying shades of 

 fawn, or pale cream, or buff, sometimes with more or less of a 

 rusty red on snout and under the breast and throat and along 

 the middle line of abdomen. They are not at all uncommon, 

 and the mole-catchers assert that they are confined to certain 

 farms or districts. It may be of interest to note that mole- 

 catching as a regular trade first began in the south of Scotland 

 on the Duke of Buccleuch's lands in 1797. 



COMMON SHREW, Sorex vulgaris. Abundant and of general distri- 

 bution. I have a fine pale cream-coloured skin of this species 

 taken on Glenlee. 



LESSER SHREW, Sorex minutus. I have taken the Lesser Shrew in 

 many parts of Kirkcudbrightshire, and it is probably of general 

 distribution over the remainder of our area. 



