2i 4 LOCH C RERAN. 



where the cormorant was perched a dozen small crabs 

 were lying with the carapaces broken through. We are 

 not aware that cormorants are eaters of Crustacea, and 

 are more inclined meantime to suppose that some gull 

 or other had borne the crabs thither. 



The wild bees were very numerous on the island, but 

 we did not see a byke, and believe these to have come 

 from the island of Lismore, as no sooner did they suck 

 around a little than they dashed oif at a tremendous 

 speed to some other distant ground, a mode of proceed- 

 ing that no local bees with a limited pasturage would ever 

 adopt. Those we saw were the white-ended bees the 

 strongest of the wild bees, and we should think the most 

 capable of flight. Grasshoppers were quite plentiful, and 

 must have been local, while butterflies were represented 

 by one white that we could not capture, and a great 

 number of a small yellow, that found abundant facilities 

 for hiding among the heath. The caterpillars of the tiger 

 moths were numerous all over the island, but of the moth 

 itself we saw no example. The most common of our 

 coloured butterflies at present is the northern brown 

 (Ercbia Mtdia), with the meadow brown (Epinephele 

 Janita) among the grassy hills and pastures. These are 

 very sober-tinted, and when they drop to rest with their 

 wings together, are scarcely observable, nor will the sun 

 throw much light upon them, the rays being absorbed, 

 and not reflected. 



" A story of partridges !" said the veteran keeper ; " the 

 strangest I have ever known ! We had brought partridge 

 eggs from the South, and hatched out a young brood 

 under a hen, and these were doing well, and looking 

 flourishing. Well, just the night before the i2th what 

 should appear at the hen's crate but a pair of old partridges, 



