82 THE kntomologist's record. 



mountains around, resting on and flying over the short turf on the 

 extreme tops. We did actuall}' see A. exiilans alive, as Mr. Mutch 

 still had some living females for breeding purposes, and one of these 

 I brought away as a type, until another visit enables me to take my 

 own series. 



The insect of the visit was Daxi/ilia ohfuscata, and here of course 

 the forward season helped us. Nevertheless, I should gather that it 

 was far more plentiful than usual, and although the slopes of the 

 Invercauld estate were its headqunrter.-^, it also occurred sparingly on 

 the hillside behind the town, and by the llth was just commencing to 

 emerge up Glen Callater. 



Glen Callater (to the south) was another of our favourite grounds, 

 and was distinctly useful in being a week or ten days more backward 

 than the Invercauld Estate. It enabled us to crowd the advantages of 

 a fortnight's collecting into six days, and thereby we both obtained 

 fine series of CociKDu/mpha ti/phoii, which was practically over every- 

 where else. The Glen is very fascinating, the bare and steep boulder- 

 strewn slopes to the east, and the utter absence of tree or shrub giving 

 it a wildness of aspect quite diflerent from the pine and birch-clad 

 slopes of the Dee side. 15ut the most curious thing about the glen is 

 that the burn appears to be flowing up-hill. Entering it at its 

 narrowest part, it stea.dily broadens out as one ascends, and it must 

 be this ellect of broadening instead of narrowing that conveys the 

 irresistible impression that one is descending instead of ascending, and 

 nothing but the evidence of flowing water would have convinced me 

 to the contrary. Here, more than anywhere else, one had evidence of 

 the drought, a large expanse below the loch, which must usually be 

 a peat bog, being bard-baked and cracked. 



All our evening work was done in the upper glade of the birch- 

 wood behind the town and on the hillside above. We treacled every 

 night in this top glade, but only on the 8th did any numbers come, 

 all the nights but this one being clear and somewhat chilly. 



One does not find />. ohfnsrata easily at first, but on getting to know 

 their hal)its they proved to be in astonishing numbers. They sit 

 head downwards on ro3ks, always in the shade, always low down, and 

 are specially fond of overhanging surfaces. They prefer small boulders 

 to sit on, even small stones in the pathways, and are quite conspicuous 

 when once one's eye gets in. They were very restless owing to the 

 unusual heat (we had 85'' in the shade even at Braemar), but the 

 considerable number seen flying were, I believe, only seeking fresh 

 resting places as their own became exposed to the sun. Mr. Galpin 

 preferred striking the stones to searching, and by this means 

 obtained nearly as many as myself. This method, however, has 

 the disadvantage that the older specimens fly off more readily than 

 the quite fresh ones. Moreover, every specimen has to be netted, 

 and generally after a chase, as the species is no mean flyer. It is 

 an extraordinarily difficult insect to get home in quite perfect 

 condition, and although I inuigined I had taken ample for supplying 

 my own wants and those of my friends, I found in the end that I had 

 dillrtcuUy in picking out even one full cabinet row quite without 

 reproach. Probably the extreme heat helped to make them restless, 

 but the number that proved to have in some degree damaged their 

 thoraces and fringes was appalling. They were distinctly scarce on 



