146 The Scottish Naturalist. 



character. In both cases they are near the tops of hills, but in 

 one the altitude is about 2000 feet, and in the other, 600 or 

 700, above sea level. In both the bottom is stony, with little 

 or no vegetation, and in to and out of neither of them flows any 

 conspicuous stream, consequently perhaps no fish inhabit them. 

 In the Strathglass loch the Dytiscus occurred to me only in one 

 comer, where, upon the only muddy part of the loch, rested 

 some large stones. On or under these stones the beetles rested, 

 betaking themselves to the deeper water when disturbed ; and 

 as they seemed to be very easily alarmed, repeated visits to the 

 loch resulted in the capture of about a dozen specimens only. 



Much bolder or less cunning were the Mull individuals. The 

 margins of the loch where they occurred are thickly strewn with 

 rather large loose stones, and amongst these, and close to the 

 margin of the loch, the Dytiscus may be seen slowly paddling 

 about, perhaps hunting for food, or making his way from one 

 hiding-place to another. At first I made frantic endeavours to 

 secure with my water-net the specimens thus seen ; but after 

 losing several, I found that the best way to get them was to go 

 to work quietly with the hands, turning over the stones and 

 picking up the beetles when found. So unsophisticated were 

 they that unless alarmed by a too vigorous onslaught, they made 

 no endeavour to escape by swimming into the deep water, but, 

 like the ostrich, thought that when they had hid their head 

 under a stone, they were quite safe. Though a few were seen 

 in about two feet depth of water, most of those observed were 

 in places where the depth would not be more than five or six 

 inches, and one individual was secured when taking a promen- 

 ade on a dry stone. 



Though when out of water, and more especially when dead, 

 Dytiscus lappouicus is rather a dingy-looking creature, being 

 blackish-brown, with the margins of the pronotum paler, yet, 

 when in his " native element," few of our indigenous beetles sur- 

 pass him in beauty. His colour is then a pale brown, with re- 

 splendent green reflections, and numerous fine pale yellow longi- 

 tudinal lines. Alas ! when taken from the water most of this 

 beauty vanishes, and all that is left is a rare beetle ! 



Along with the perfect beetle were a good many specimens of 

 the larva. These are of the usual Dytiscus form, and are pale 

 brownish-grey in colour, with darker markings. The larvae 

 move slowly about amongst the stones, or else grasp the edge of 

 one of them by their legs, the hinder part of their body floating 



