EXCURSIONS. XX1ll 
impelled by hunger, wage incessant war on the 
insect world; insects draw their sustenance mostly 
from plants; all the phases of animal life are 
mutually interdependent. 
EXCURSIONS. 
No doubt all botanists who ever shouldered a vas- 
culum can recall many pleasant walks in the fields 
and many delightful incidents, which still fire the 
imagination—new flowers added to the herbarium, a 
long-looked-for friend found, or a curious abnormity 
discovered. Probably one of the greatest pleasures is 
to get into a well-sheltered crannie with an abundance 
of ferns. Plants and grasses hide among the ferns ; 
smaller and more delicate ferns among the more 
robust, and behind all tender flowerets almost afraid 
to open their eyes on the blaze of the blighting sun. 
I shall make my meaning more real if I describe 
one or two pleasant botanical trips. One of these I 
have reason to remember on account of the fatigue 
of the long walk, as I had only recently recovered 
from a severe attack of influenza. An excursion to 
Rousay by steamer was advertised. Pyrola rotwndi- 
folia was the object of attraction, which hitherto I 
had sought in vain. I passed up the burn near 
Trumland House (then the residence of the late 
General Burroughs), on the grounds of which several 
interesting plants are to be seen. Out on the peat 
moor in the valley I encountered a pair of long- 
eared owls which were seized with paroxysms of 
distress, or, more probably, ill-temper, at unwonted 
