MOTH IIITNTINO. ' 87 



new species; and expected from the enchanting beauty and stillness of the 

 night to have procured many more. But no! 



Doubtless you have heard the old adage, and may perhaps know some- 

 thing of it experimentally yourself, that "the course of true love never did 

 run smooth." Now there is nothing more applicable to those in pursuit of 

 Nature than this. I have experienced it often, and that tco^ although 

 not at the time running after or hunting any of the fairest and sweetest 

 gems which ever smiled on man, or creation ever exhibited upon on this low 

 earth, and so it happened again that evening. 



Stepping slowly but watchfully along, and whistling, or rather croning 

 to myself, "There 's nae luck about the house," etc., rejoicing, as it were^ 

 over my good fortune, and with hat in hand ready for another swoop, 

 when something large, very large, and tremendously long, on the path right 

 in front, and coming in my direction, caught my astonished sight. Well, 

 if every limb did not shake like an aspen leaf, and every bone in me did 

 not crack and quake with downright fear, as I beheld the hideous-looking 

 beast. The whistling, as you may easily guess, instantly ceased, and coming 

 to a stand-still, I could not help wondering as I beheld the moving mass 

 drawing slowly it is true, yet steadily, towards me, what in the world the 

 creature could possibly be; what grizzly apparition, or midnight monster, 

 or unearthly thing it was, and how, or by what strange means it had come 

 there. No, I am sure, positively sure, I had never seen such, or anything 

 like such, a creature in all n)y life before. How long, how dreadfully long, 

 it looked, and how shaggy. Why the great, big, and now in some measure 

 common, though I am inclined to doubt fictitious, Sea-Serpent, seemed 

 nothing at all to it in length and bulk — and still progressing towards me. 

 What was to be done? or what could I do? I was totally unarmed — not 

 so much as a sixpenny blade upon me. 'T is quite true I possessed a good 

 piece, but what of that? it was, and unluckily too, nearly two miles off, 

 and could not, therefore, be called to my aid. 



Pondering, being puzzled and almost bewildered what to do, and the 

 monster still advancing, fear at last came to my aid, by whispering in 

 my ear, "Fly, fly," an advice which I was about to put into execution, 

 when courage, not being altogether dead, shouted, "No, no, stand like a 

 man, and a true naturalist, and see the last of it." Aye, thinks I to 

 myself, stand, and for aught I know, be worried alive, insects, box, and 

 all, or perhaps torn to pieces, just according to the caprice of the brute. 

 Well, no, I did not exactly faint, for if I had, I most assuredly should 

 have been gone; but I freely confess I felt a little squeamish. It was now 

 all but dark — dark for that time of the year— and I was still unarmed, 

 and help, why help was entirely out of the question; so that if I did 

 stand, and a hand to hand, or rather a hand to paw affair take place, I 



