388 NETHER LOCHABER. 



care that could foe bestowed upon it, it passed into Mr. Snowie's 

 hands. (2.) Wild cat, stuffed, an excellent specimen, with very 

 prominent markings, trapped at Fasnakyle, on The Chisholm's 

 estate. (3.) A white blackbird, and an albino bunting, both shot 

 by Mr. T. B. Snowie near Inverness. (4.) Snipe and other marsh- 

 bird skins, shot by the same. (5.) Two small hares preserved 

 in a bottle ; taken out of an unusually large-sized female shot at 

 Dochfour in September 1875 ; a very interesting preparation. 

 (6.) Head of otter, trapped on the Eiver Peffer in 1876. (7.) Owl 

 (Strix flammea, Linn.), shot in October 1877 by Mr. T. B. Snowie. 

 (8.) Egg of golden eagle ; this last, perhaps, the most welcome 

 gift of all, as eagles' eggs are now become so rare as readily to 

 command prices ranging from 5 to 10 each. Attached to the 

 museum proper there is a fresh-water aquarium. In one of the 

 tanks, in which several fine pike are "interned," we noticed that 

 one of the largest, who advanced to the front of the tank, in order 

 to examine as closely as possible a slip of paper which we were 

 trailing along the glass by way of bait, had his muzzle, more 

 particularly the anterior part of the upper jaw, seriously disfigured 

 by a fungoid growth of jelly-like appearance ; and calling the 

 curator's attention to the fact, we made the remark that the poor 

 pike seemed too seriously diseased to live long. We were sur- 

 prised when told that the fish was none the worse for his 

 fungoid moustache ; that it had been long in that way, and that 

 all that was needed was an occasional cleansing of the muzzle, 

 as you would wipe away a clot of jelly that had accidentally fallen 

 on your knife-handle at dessert, and the fish then seemed all right 

 enough until it grew again to such a size as to be an incon- 

 venience. 



Leaving the museum, we had but barely sufficient time for 

 dress and dinner before proceeding to take the chair at the 

 Gathering of the Clans in the City Hall, and a very splendid 



