The Scottish Naturalist. 201 



patches that ran out from the shores of the Dee, discifer abounded at Corrie- 

 mulzie Falls, urbanus, signatus, and rupestris were rare ; Gymnoptemus celer 

 and nigtipennis were caught ; Tachytrcchus notatus and consobrinus were not 

 uncommon on the wet mud in the moor just behind the village, where Hydro- 

 phoi us boreal is ran about on the small pools of water ; close to the keeper's 

 house at Loch Callater a small stream crosses the road, and on it I noticed 

 four or five Hydrophori, one of which after infinite trouble I caught, and 

 when back in London I made it out to be H. bipunctatus, though I am not 

 quite sure about it, as my only exponents of that species are at present in 

 Germany ; Syntormon tarsatus occurred at Inverey, and Campsicnemus 

 eunnpes, with Chrysotus gramineus complete the list of species I noticed. 



In the Empidte I caught one specimen of Phyllodromia vocatoria, not 

 previously recorded as British ; P. melanocephala also occurred, as well as 

 Hemerodromia prcccatoi ia, Microphorus clavipes, Sciodromia immaculate (one 

 male), Empis tessellata,g? isea of Fallen ( —pilipes Mg. ) abundant on Geranium 

 sylvaticum at Corriemulzie, and one male of a small black Empis ; Hilara 

 litorea, chorica ? mairona, quadrivittata, and a species allied to obsacra, were 

 amongst my captures, while near Inverey I found abundantly H. 

 nitidula of Zetterstedt which has not been noticed in Britain before ; 

 Ardoptera irrorata was not rare on a small bank in the Dee a little above 

 Braemar ; Tachista albitarsis of Zetterstedt, whether or not that is only a 

 variety of one of the others, abounded on railings and tree trunks just behind 

 the village, and T. nervosa was also captured ; Tachydromia pallipes and 

 candicans have been worked out in that terrible genus, and a Hybos and a 

 Cyrtoma similar to species caught at Rannoch complete this family. In Dr. 

 White's collection were Empis opaca, with which he supplied my col- 

 lection, and E. bUineata caught at Braemar early in the season. Of the 

 " Blood-suckers " I noticed Htvmatopola pluvialis inconveniently abundant 

 and variable : it puzzle's me how kilts agree with this species ; I did not feel 

 inclined to try myself. They swarmed about Glen Ltd, sitting half-a-dozen 

 .at a time on one's trousers ; Chrysops ccecutiais I only noticed once, while of 

 the three Tabani I caught all were different species, the only one I can 

 identify being T. tropicus. 



Of the Leplidce I observed very brightly coloured Leptis scolopacea high upon 

 Cairn Taggart, settling on the sides of the precipices ; L. tringaria occurred 

 more sparingly near the village, and I caught one Sympheromyia crassicoi nis, 

 a species which abounded at Rannoch in 1870. In the other groups I have 

 only named Omithomyia avicularia (small and dark, like a specimen I 

 caught in Rannoch), Sarcophaga mortuorum, Elgiva dorsalis, Tetanocera 

 umbrarum and punchdata, Limma unguicomis, and Ochthera mantis (in com- 

 pany with the Tachytrecht), and Bibio pomona. 



We caught the coach at 4 A. M. on Saturday morning, which made it 

 quite unnecessary to go to bed on Friday night, as that evening was spent 

 at Dr. White's, enjoying his hospitality and looking at his captures, so as 

 may be supposed we slept peacefully in the train after leaving Ballater ; but 

 our slumbers were rudely dispelled, as a man suffering from " D. T." 

 entered our compartment on the journey, and after singing for 

 some time at the pitch of his voice, opened the window near which 

 I sat, thus putting me in a draught. When he had resumed his seat I 

 naturally raised it again, and held it by the strap, upon which he immedi- 

 ately sent his fist through the thick plate-glass, and then amused himself by 



