68 LOCH CRERAN. 



over the many ascidians, and detach one beautiful trans- 

 parent specimen, and admire the perfect purity of the 

 gelatinous body ; some delicate foreign matter apparently 

 moves inside, or is it merely the natural flow of liquid 

 from the entrance to the exit moving some portion of 

 the organism ? A more careful inspection discovers a 

 most interesting fact, that inside this simple organism, by 

 some means or other, a fragile specimen of the mantis- 

 like crustacean we have formerly described (Leplomerd) 

 was circulating. The ascidian itself had grown to its 

 present dimensions in a few months at most, even if de- 

 posited so soon as the box was sunk ; so if the crustacean 

 was drawn into the orifice as spawn, it must have matured 

 rapidly ; while if it entered accidentally there was nothing 

 to prevent its exit when it pleased. On the whole we 

 are inclined to suppose that this extremely fragile and 

 delicate creature sought shelter within the secure and 

 tender body of the lower organism, whose constantly 

 circulating water supply brought to the parasite the 

 necessary nourishment; as the larger and coarser ascidians 

 shelter, and apparently provide for, the embedded mussels 

 so frequently found in them. Is it not possible that these 

 ascidians may yet prove admirable hunting grounds for 

 various classes of sheltering creatures, as an entomologist 

 exults over a toad that has made a heavy mear upon rare 

 nocturnal insects ? 



Like those suddenly stricken with fear or sorrow, our 

 mountains have turned grey in a night, and this morning 

 the snow is creeping down the heights, and peeping into 

 the gullies all around us. To-day, although Loch Creran 

 is " folding her arms across her breast " and composing 

 herself, she showed another sight yesterday, with the 

 whole waters curled into foam, and the bursts of sleet 



