2oo The Scottish Naturalist. 



many interesting species, including a series of Erupts bilineata Lw. ( = E. 

 punctata P.), a species of the "stercorea" group not previously acknowledged 

 as British, although a re-examination of Curtis shows that his E. punctata 

 was this species, and not trigramma as I thought before. Mr. Vice sent 

 me specimens in May calling attention to their being distinct, and' I expect 

 the species is of northern range in Great Britain, as besides Mr. Vice's 

 specimens I have seen it in considerable numbers in Dr. Buchanan White's 

 collection at Braemar, and one among Mr. T. J. Bold's Diptera ; Curtis' 

 locality is also in Forfarshire. Mr. Vice kindly gave me two pairs for my 

 own collection. 



Saturday morning early saw us on our way to Braemar, by train to 

 Ballater, and then by coach through the lovely valley of the Dee, passing 

 Balmoral on our left, and arriving at our destination soon after noon. Dr. 

 White had kindly secured us apartments, so after calling in at them, we 

 were soon at work again collecting. During our stay at Braemar, we made 

 excursions to Loch Callater, where we became fearfully hungry, and had 

 to besiege the keeper's house for provisions, which consisted of oatcake, 

 milk, and caraway cheese ; then to the Linn of Dee and the Falls of the 

 Garravalt, both of which we tasted mixed with "mountain dew," and 

 finally to Lochnagar, a most profitless excursion for Diptera, though I 

 suppose it would never do for anybody with a useful pair of legs to stop a 

 week in the neighbourhood without paying a visit to "far-famed Loch- 

 nagar." This was the only excursion we were able to make in company 

 with Dr. White, as he was away, part of the time we were at Braemar, 

 botanizing in the mountains with Mr. Roy and Colonel Drummond Hay. 



Braemar scarcely came up to my anticipations as a collecting spot, though 

 I made numerous interesting captures. Of the Syrphidce I caught one new 

 to Britain, Spilomyia fallax L., in a very strange locality, in fact my first 

 recollections on the Tuesday morning were that I was muttering impreca- 

 tions against some "beastie " that was buzzing loudly against my bedroom 

 window, and when I did get up I made for the window to smash the 

 offending intruder, who was, however, forgiven at first sight, and requested 

 to enter my cyanide bottle ; the species seems scattered rarely all over 

 Europe. The next morning about four A. M. there was a still louder buzz- 

 ing, and of course I turned out in a hurry to catch more, but only found a 

 big Bombus, who was evidently jealous of the fuss made about the insig- 

 nificant thing the day before ; he was murdered, but about a quarter of an 

 hour afterwards a second woke up, and woke me up too, wherefore he 

 suffered his predecessor's fate ; and I slept in peace. Of other Syrpkida 

 I saw Eristalis rupium, rather commonly on the banks of the Dee on roses 

 and Carduus helerophylliis, E. horticola in its company, Ilclopliilns pendulus, 

 Sericomyia borealis, common, but all males, .S'. lapponnm (one male), 

 f.t'itcozona lucorum, Syrphits grosstdaruB (one male), ribesii, cinctelhts and 

 cjuipositarum (two near Inverey), JHatychirus pdtatus and albimanus, 

 Cheilosis chloris and antii/ua, Orthoneura nobilis, and Xylota segnis. 



In the Dolichopodidcc I made many useful captures ; after catching and 

 bringing home hundreds of Sympycnus annul ipes from all directions, I 

 found upon examination one specimen of S. cirrl/ipcs, the species I was in 

 search of, also a few of a species that I caught at Rannoch, and which stands 

 in my collection under the M S. name of S. ci-assipes, Dolickopus uncus, 

 plumipeSy vitripennis and atripes were common, longicomis occurred on grassy 



