APRIL, 1882. 163 



took the shell for a mussel, but there is a fine specimen 

 of lima, with its splendid show of crimson ciliae, the first 

 of its kind also we have ever had the opportunity of 

 dragging to light from Loch Creran. What a mass of 

 colour, and what an interesting creature it is, but we should 

 think its means of defence are few, and chances of injury 

 numerous, for the hand brushing lightly against it brought 

 away the touched ciliae clinging like little suckers to the 

 skin. We have not yet exhausted that last tub, but could 

 we exhaust even a lima itself in a pamphlet much less a 

 letter ? 



From the first of the month the sheep are returning 

 from their wintering grounds to their companions left 

 among the hills ; and very loath they are, even in this 

 mild season, to go back to hard rambling among the 

 rocks in place of being able to gain a comfortable liveli- 

 hood in the richer nooks lower down. So now commences 

 the troubles of the shepherds and the various Highland 

 railways. It is an interesting fact that for six months 

 after the opening of the Callander and Oban Railway the 

 damage to fencing by sheep, and the number of sheep 

 killed by the trains, was very great, but thereafter kept 

 constantly decreasing with the increasing knowledge of 

 the various flocks. Periodically, however, with the return 

 of the young sheep from the Lowlands, an excess of the 

 average destruction follows, until the damage by the trains 

 to unsettled sheep with visions of recent plenty is lost sight 

 of in a new danger of even a more pressing and less easily 

 obviated character. This is the inquiring nature of the 

 playful lambs now appearing, who soon discover the 

 sweeter qualities of the forbidden fruit inside the wires, 

 and wriggle through accordingly. This is bad ; but if the 

 mothers remained outside, their youngsters would answer 



