82 THREE DAYS IN CAEnNARVONSHIRE. 



Crossbill, (Loxia curvirostra.) — Being on a visit to Keith, T called on 

 Mr. J. Clayton, Druggist, who employs his spare hours in bird-stuffing; and 

 in his collection found two Crossbills that had been shot near Keith. They 

 are rather plentiful near Dufftown, and they have been observed near Banff, 

 so that Banffshire may be set down as well supplied with thena. 



Nightjar, (^Capi'imulgun Fniropceus.) — Well do I remember the occurrence 

 of this bird near Keith, many years ago, when I was a boy. In the still 

 evenings, when out at play, suddenly wonld the jar of the bird startle me, 

 and bring a sort of fear over me; and I can look back with a kind of 

 pleasure on the superstitious dread I had of it. From what T felt then 

 I can form a notion of hovr the bird has been elevated to so high a place 

 in popular superstition. 



Unicorn Moth, {Sphinx convolvuli .) — A specimen of this Moth was caught 

 by Dr. Bidie, Cullen, in one of the windows of the F. C, School, Port- 

 nockie, about the end of August. Another was caught about the same 

 time in Macduff, and is now in my incipient collection, of which, perhaps, 

 more afterwards. 



Macduff, January l^tJi., 1856. 



THREE DAYS IN CAERNARVONSHIRE. 



BT J. H. DA TIES, ESQ. 



A Paper read before the Thirsk !N"a:tural History Society, 



(Conduded from page 64.^ 



.Returning to our inn, we engaged a gnide to take tis up Snowdon at 

 an early hour the following morning. The morning arrived, and the guide 

 awoke us at the appointed time. I looked out of the window, but where 

 we bad hoped to see golden Aurora fringing the eastern hills with the 

 glorious beams of her brightness, were huge clouds of mist, choking up the 

 valleys, and concealing the mountains from view. At seven o'clock it was 

 the same, with the addition of a thick drizzly rain, and we were reluctantly 

 forced to give up the idea of the proposed ascent; but we thonght of the 

 pass of Llanberis, which otherwise we should have missed, and were con- 

 soled. A month might very well be spent in exploring the rocky moun- 

 tains of the vicinity. 



At the end of Llyn Peris a quantity of Dicranum squarrosum was 

 noticed in addition to that foimd in the other locality. By the time we 

 reached here the rain had ceased, and when we arrived at the antique 

 village of Llanberis, the sun broke out from its covering of clouds, and 

 ■under these favourable auspices, we entered the Pass, It i» a perfect chaoa 



