i895'9 6 -] Notes on Morvern, Argyllshire. 191 



are well known to the natives as one of the sights of the 

 district. I found their nest under a shady clump of birch 

 trees almost hidden from sight by an undergrowth of brackens. 

 In bulk one of these nests would fill an ordinary farm-cart, 

 being at least 4 feet in height, and wide in proportion. For 

 some distance back from the nest there are numerous well- 

 beaten tracks covered with thousands of these busy little 

 workers, some returning to their houses laden with spoil and 

 others setting out on a foraging expedition. 



Turning to the animal life of the district, Morvern is more 

 remarkable for the absence of some of our commoner species 

 than from any rarities to be found in it. There is not a 

 water-vole to be found in the whole district. The bank-vole 

 is not recorded, but I think is there, although I never was able 

 to capture one. I had the pleasure of adding the water-shrew 

 to the fauna of the district, there being no record of its capture 

 in Mr Harvie-Brown's book. The individual specimen I refer 

 to will be found in the collection in the Edinburgh Museum. 

 The squirrel is unknown in Morvern, but its recent appear- 

 ance in the neighbouring parish of Ardnamurchan is recorded 

 in the last number of the 'Annals of Scottish Natural History.' x 

 There is one hedgehog in Morvern, but that is kept as a pet. 

 It was brought from the South country some years ago, and 

 at one time escaped and roamed at liberty for two years. It 

 was captured ultimately some miles from the spot where it 

 had been confined. The true wild cat, after an absence of 

 sixteen years, made its appearance in the winter of 1894-5, 

 when two specimens were killed near the ruins of Ardtomish 

 Castle. This was coincident with the appearance of the wild 

 cat in Ardnamurchan and other places in Scotland, where it 

 was not supposed it would ever be seen again. The long- 

 eared bat and the Pipistrelle both occur in the ruins of old 

 Loch Aline Castle. No record is given in Mr Harvie-Brown's 

 book of the long-eared bat. In warm weather the common 

 lizard is occasionally to be seen sunning itself in some cosy 

 corner, but it is not easily captured. The slow-worm or 

 blind-worm I found to be comparatively common. To the 

 natives it is known as the hazel serpent, and they firmly 

 believe it to be poisonous. I made a point of handling every 



1 See ' Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist.,' Jan. 1896, p. 58. 



