A BOTANICAL SCRAMBLE. 239 



Turtle Dove, (Columba turtur.) — I have only heard of two specimens of 

 this bird being shot in the neighbourhood. The one^ in August, 1849, near 

 Old Aberdeen, was a young bird just beginning to assume the mark on the 

 neck; and the other, in September, 1851, was a younger bird still. They 

 were both shot by Mr. Mitchell, 



Pied Flycatcher, (Muscicapa atricapilla.) — Mr. Yarrell does not mention the 

 occurrence of this little bird in Scotland. I am happy, however, to be able 

 to state that a single specimen was obtained by Mr. Robert Dickie in the 

 wood of Hazlehead, near Aberdeen, about the month of July, 1845. 



Great North American Shrike, (Lanius borealis.) — This bird, though last 

 on ray list is the most important one. A specimen of it was shot (the only 

 one, I believe, as yet obtained in Britain,) by Mr. Thomas Mc' Kenzie in the 

 month of April, 1848. 



I have to record my obligations to Messrs. Mitchell and Mc' Kenzie for 

 many of the foregoing particulars. 



Aberdeen, July Zrd., 1852. 



A BOTANICAL SCRAMBLE ON HELVELLYN. 



At the south-west corner of Helvellyn, and about half-way between Keswick 

 and Ambleside stands the city of Wythburn, composed of about a dozen 

 hind's houses, an inn, and a chapel, said to be the smallest in England: 



"Wythburn' 8 modest house of prayer, 

 As lowly as the lowliest dwelling." 



I cannot go on without noticing the interesting walk, or, as most tourists 

 would make it, drive from Keswick to Ambleside. The distance is about 

 sixteen miles, and embraces no less than five of the English lakes, with just 

 a peep at a sixth. First, at Keswick, we have Derwentwater, surrounded 

 by hills of every variety of outline, and studded with well-wooded islands. 

 Getting a mile or two from town we turn back to "cast one longing, lingering 

 look behind;" and in a rich green valley we have a picturesque little town and 

 two lakes — Bassenthwaite like a sheet of silver in the far north, and almost 

 beneath our very feet Derwentwater rolls, like nothing, save itself; the 

 majestic Skiddaw looks over the whole and nods to his brothers Saddleback, 

 Helvellyn, and Scawfell; all of which are seen from the Castle Rigg, and 

 form a scene of which any country might be proud. Passing on we have 

 Thirlmere, a long stretch of water, on our right and Helvellyn rising at 

 our left; further still we have Grassmere, whose very name bespeaks its 

 beauty; then Rydal, and lastly Windermere, the largest of all the English 

 lakes; which begins to shew lacustrine breadth, and continues full half its 

 length between the counties of Westmorland and Lancashire, and ends in 

 the latter in the River Leven. 



