62 Recent Work by Dr J. M. Macfarlane. [Sess. 



Following them downwards, they crossed and recrossed, and 

 sometimes for a considerable distance disappeared at places 

 where the otters had been in the water. After following the 

 tracks for a couple of miles, I lost them altogether. Proceed- 

 ing to the deep corrie burn, I at once got the tracks of two 

 other otters ; one of them had travelled both up and down, 

 and the other up only. Knowing that the best chance would 

 be up, I started to follow the trail. Before going half a mile, 

 the track led among some boulders of stones, where the re- 

 triever, in an excited state, began smelling all round. On 

 examining the place, I found where the " varmint " had gone 

 in, and at once thought of going back to the kennel for the 

 terriers. On second thoughts, however, I was afraid it might 

 escape in my absence. What was to be done ? I would have 

 tied the retriever at the place till I returned, but had not the 

 means of doing so. I therefore resolved to remove some of 

 the stones, but first took the precaution to have the gun cocked 

 and close at hand in case of a " bolt," it being within twenty 

 yards of the water. After removing more than a ton of rock, 

 &c, I was just about to give it up, when lo ! out bolted an 

 otter. Quick as lightning I seized the gun, and before it got 

 to the brook rolled it over with an ounce of No. 4. It was 

 a female, and a beautiful specimen, though not so large as the 

 one got on the preceding evening. 



After two additional days spent in the moorland in quest of 

 my ornithological specimens, I returned southwards, highly 

 gratified with my winter's ramble, and proud of the splendid 

 specimens which I had been fortunate enough to obtain. 



XI.— RECENT WORK BY DR J. M. MACFARLANE. 

 By Dr WILLIAM WATSON. 



(Read Jan. 27, 1893.) 



Dr Macfarlane, one of the most enthusiastic members this 

 Society has ever had, has, as most of you know, left his native 

 land, and become Professor of Biology in the University of 



