The Scottish Naturalist. 187 



ing to be going up and never down, while occasionally a Lizard 

 {Zootoca vivipard) may be seen on the hillside. It is rather 

 curious that this Lizard should, in north Scotland, be more fre- 

 quently seen on the mountains than on the lower ground, which, 

 considering that farther south (for example, in the south-west of 

 of Scotland), it is much more abundant, and that from its habits 

 it seems to be a creature that enjoys warmth, would seem a more 

 congenial habitat. It is true that throughout Europe it seems 

 almost confined to hilly countries, ascending to even 10,000 feet 

 on the Alps ; but still there seems something curious in its local 

 distribution in north Scotland. I do not think that this peculi- 

 arity is by any means confined to the Lizard, for there is more 

 than one insect which, though a little farther south common in 

 the low country, in north Scotland is not common, or does not 

 even occur at all, except on or near the hills. To those who 

 have studied insects in England, Lowland Scotland, and the 

 Highlands, instances of this will at once suggest themselves. 



INSECTS. 



In noticing the insects of Glen Tilt, I will confine myself, on 

 the present occasion, almost entirely to the Lepidoptera, for the 

 very satisfactory (or rather unsatisfactory) reason, that, of the 

 other orders, I know very little of the species that inhabit the 

 glen. It seems, however, probable, that they are not nearly so 

 well represented as the Lepidoptera. One thing is certain, and 

 that is, that not very much attention has been paid to any of the 

 Glen Tilt insects excej^t the Lepidoptera. 



There can be no doubt but that the glen is remarkably rich in 

 the last-mentioned order, and this is the more curious, because, 

 except in the lower part, it is almost destitute of trees, and the 

 accompanying sylvan vegetation. One summer it happened that 

 I spent a few days in the neighbouring Glen Bruar, and then 

 crossed the hills to Glen Tilt. In Glen Bruar — a heatheir-clad, 

 sheep-grazed countiy — scarcely an insect was to be seen ; in Glen 

 Tilt w^hat a difterent state of matters was presented ! One day 

 last August I walked down Glen Tilt, and I think that I never 

 saw so many butterflies at once before. They were all of one 

 kind, the dark brown Erehia ^Ethiops (Blandifia), a northern 

 species and rather local. For several miles, turn which way one 

 liked, there was always to be seen a multitude of these butterflies 

 flitting about over the grass. At first I was much interested, 

 soon I loathed the very sight of them. The monotony of seeing 



