FEBRUARY, 1883. 279 



been of the most violent and bitter character, and these 

 were accompanied last evening by a short but virulent 

 and brilliant thunderstorm. The sky had cleared and 

 looked favourable, deluding weak mortals out after a 

 tempestuous and bitter day ; when, with a hop, skip, and 

 jump came a black thunder-cloud round the shoulder of 

 Ben Breac and the heights of Ben Lora ; the darkened 

 landscape was lit up with a sheet of lurid flame, and as 

 the hail fell in an almost impenetrable mass, the thunder 

 seemed to shake the hills. Just a hop, skip, and jump, 

 and the storm demon passed over us, sending three 

 blinding flashes at intervals as his heels struck fire from 

 the granite of Ardchattan, the trap of the Scaur, and the 

 white quartz rock of Appin. And to day we feel at 

 peace, although the blast has still a choice selection of 

 Sheffield cutlery, that the rapid extirpation of the African 

 elephant and the consequent advance in ivory has alone 

 prevented it hafting ! 



We have been visited by a flock of interesting 

 bullfinches these latter days in the little plantation along- 

 side, and most charming fellows they are to watch. We 

 fully sympathise with our friend who wept when he slew 

 his first cock bully, and thought it a wonderful chaffinch. 

 Here they come one, two, three flop among the 

 chaffies on the bare larches ; but, unlike the chaffies, 

 they are restlessly active, worrying around heads over 

 heels with the spirit of investigation newly awakened 

 within them ; and we, too, watch them keenly at a few 

 yards' distance. How gay you are in your beautiful 

 waistcoats as you draw your heads on one side and 

 squint sharply at the under side of the branchlets ! 

 Now, what are you after ? We have always considered 

 that bullfinches are not so injurious to a garden as they 



