4 Transactions of the [Sess. 



object very soon attained, and the work done as well as if tlie speci- 

 men had been placed in the hands of the most skilful taxidermist. 



Emerging from the wood, we enter upon a stretch of moorland 

 and morass, and here find the Cloudberry {Rubus ChamcBmorus, L.) ; 

 and after a hard walk at last reach Loch Cor Arder, which nestles 

 in a deep dark corrie with tremendous cliffs at its upper end, which 

 vary in height from 1400 to 1600 feet. The whole scene was im- 

 pressive, — the silent grandeur of the mountains that towered above 

 us to such a height, and yet seemed so near ; the dark waters of 

 the loch, the one moment calm, the next furrowed by a sudden gust 

 of wind ; while the breeze wailed as it passed along the face of the 

 cliffs, seeming to betray the presence of some great unseen spirit. 

 The wild flowers that dotted the beach bordering upon the shores 

 of the loch attracted our attention, and the beautiful white blooms 

 of the hairy Alpine Mouse-ear Chickweed [Cerastium alpinum, L.) 

 and the cream-coloured corollas of the Mossy Saxifrage [Saxifraga 

 hypnoides, L.), blending with the darker background of moss and 

 rock, lit up to some extent the sombre picture. 



The time had now arrived for lunch, and appetised by the exer- 

 tions we had undergone, combined with the pure air that acted as 

 the best of tonics, we sat down upon a knoll, the grass on which 

 was interlaced with the trailing stems of the common Club-moss 

 [Lycopod'mm clavatum, L.) ; and as we rested we watched the wary 

 but voracious Trout rising on the surface of the loch, as they pur- 

 sued the unsuspecting flies that either glided along close to the 

 water or rested upon the transparent element, from whose bosom 

 they had so shortly before sprung into life. Our repast ended, we 

 got up our fishing-rod and soon captured some dozens of nice Trout, 

 ■ — very lively on the line, but small in size, most of them averaging 

 about ten to the pound. The best flies, we found, were those with 

 Teal Drake wings and orange worsted bodies, with a spiral band of 

 gold tinsel — hooks ordinary loch size. When we started upon our 

 excursion, it was our intention, after reaching Loch Cor Arder, to 

 return the way we had come, and get the coach back to Moy as it 

 went westwards in the afternoon ; but tempted by the weather, we 

 determined to ascend through a gully named Aberairder Window to 

 the summit of Creag Meaghaidh (pronounced Craig Meggy), a moun- 

 tain 3700 feet in height. To climb this gully — which presents the 

 appearance of its having been the place where two mountains were 

 rent asunder, and the intervening chasm partially filled in with 

 their debris — was rather difficult and dangerous. The ascent is 

 very steep, and over loose rocks that are poised against each other 

 in such a way that to move one caused a sympathetic movement 

 among others ; and one false step might mean broken limbs, or 

 something even worse. But we made the ascent of 1500 feet with- 

 out mishap — the only unpleasant experience met with being the 



