IN SEARCH OF ZYGHNA EXULANS. 22) 
palustris, it is very unlike that plant. What surprised me 
ereatly was to come upon quite a bright patch of the common 
sea-thrift, Statice armeria; curiously, this was the only spot I 
noticed this plant in the district. On our journey back, for a 
short time, insects began to fly pretty freely, and we netted 
Larentia salicata, Acidalia fumata, Hupithecia nanata, &c., but rain 
coming on, we had eight or nine miles to trudge in the wet. 
Thursday, 15th.—It poured with rain and blew half a gale, 
so we had to content ourselves with setting up all our previous 
captures. 
Friday, 16th.—The wind was still so strong and cold that 
collecting in such a mountainous district was almost impossible, 
so that we went off on a botanical excursion to the station of one 
of our prettiest and rarest plants, Astragalus alpinus, which 
erows on a grassy hillside some seven miles out of Braemar. 
Our path for a mile or so ran by the Dee-side. Here we noticed, 
flying about, a number of the pretty oyster-catchers. They 
nest here, as does the curlew; both species evidently had 
young ones near. The first plant new to us observed was Pyrola 
rotundifolia, not yet in bloom, and P. secunda occurred farther 
up the glen. We found Astragalus in splendid condition and in 
some plenty, but extremely local. Dryas octopetala was found, 
but very little bloom; plenty of plants. Habenaria viridis was 
fairly common in one spot, whilst a few plants of Sausswrea 
alpina and Saxifraga hypnoides, var. platypetala, were collected 
from some cragey rocks near. One could scarcely believe it was 
mid-July, as it was so cold our finger-tips fairly ached, and the 
lobes of my ears were graced with two fine chilblains. A few 
good Coleoptera were picked up as we retraced our steps; and 
from the bottoms, on the mosses, we boxed off a few Canonympha 
typhon, at rest. We felt we had not wasted our day, as we had 
collected quite a lot of good alpine plants. 
Saturday, 17th, proved fine and hot, so we were soon wending 
our way for Zygena exulans. We worked all day very hard for 
this local species; very little else was to be obtained on the ground. 
Mr. Gibb was fortunate enough to net afemale Pachnobia hyperborea 
(alpina) flying in the afternoon sunshine. We had hoped to have 
met with Crambus furcatellus, but did not; and although we 
searched very closely, we only found one pupa-case of Z. eaxulans, 
and that was attached to the underside of a branch of crowberry. 
