294 LOCH C RE RAN. 



We have had a very striking onslaught of measles in 

 Benderloch, so peculiar as to be worthy of note. On 

 the Saturday, the pupils of Ledaig school were all 

 present without a case of the disease apparent among 

 them, while by Monday the children of 30 families were 

 laid up. The attack was so sudden and so general as to 

 appear to be almost atmospheric, just as the blight falls 

 on the potato under certain climatic conditions. No 

 doubt the disease has been in the surrounding districts 

 for some time, but it is not supposed to be a class of 

 disease whose germs can be conveyed except by contact. 



APRIL, 1883. 



When at the Black Island three weeks ago, our 

 companion fired at a raven that was nesting on the usual 

 raven's clifF. On finding itself an object of undue 

 interest, the female set off with the utmost speed for her 

 companion, and shortly afterwards made her appearance 

 with her indignant lord. The result of his indiscreet 

 valour was a rapid descent with a broken wing, after a 

 most gallant struggle in mid air with his manifest destiny. 

 He proved to be a noble specimen, with his glorious 

 blue-black uniform and intelligent bearing, and we felt 

 exceedingly sorry that his habits were really so extremely 

 repugnant to our modern ultra humanitarianism that we 

 could not plead for his life. We did not know in time 

 that the female was sitting on eggs, else we should have 

 made an effort to descend the cliff; so no doubt she will 

 succeed in introducing her young family into an 

 unsympathetic world. It is only three years since the 

 same nest was turned into a tomb, the mother and family 



