armour of the foreign ones, they are an insignificant-looking 

 lot ; but what they Avant in size and colour is amply com- 

 pensated for by the beautiful anatomical structure of the 

 small species. Many of the exotic varieties are of great 

 value, and in the beetle market would fetch almost as much 

 as jewellery, to which in beauty, colouring, and delicacy of 

 form and structure they are no mean rivals. The strange 

 uncouth forms, sharp, hornlike, offensive, and defensive 

 appendages, hooked and spiny limbs, were a matter of won- 

 der to all. The party, after looking over numerous boxes 

 and their interesting contents, getting a pretty fair idea of 

 the great assemblage of insects known as Coleoptera, went 

 to see some of the grand old trees which are so profusely 

 scattered around the Mansion-House of Eccles. Prominent 

 among them stands a noble Beech which might shelter a 

 regiment under its wide-spreading branches. Its circumfer- 

 ence round the extremity of the lowest branches is 110 yards. 

 Its trunk at three feet from the ground measures 21| feet in 

 girth. A circle of branches, each of the size of ordinary 

 trees, springs from the main stem at from 4 to 7 feet from 

 the ground, with an average girth of 7 feet. The number of 

 cubic feet of timber must be enormous ; but owing to the 

 want of time no calculation was made. Another tree that at 

 once commands attention is a Walnut,* now sadly riven by 

 many a winter's storms, but enough of it I'emains in health 

 and vigour to make it one of the largest of its kind. Dr 

 Sharpe stated that he had seen very few to equal this one in 

 size, even in Spain, its native country. On the right of the 

 avenue a very fine Roman Camp was visited. It is of the 

 usual square form, and the ditch or fosse is m a very good 

 state of preservation. It is worthy of remark that, contrary 

 to the case in regard to other Roman Camps in the district, 

 no relics of its founders have been found near this one. A 

 short walk further brought the party to Nith Bridge, where 

 Dr Grierson told the story of its erection. It appears that 



* It li to be regretted that this noble tree fell a victim to the great storm of 

 14tb October, X877i 



