172 THE SEA- SIDE AND AQUARIUM. 



afore ? ' ' Yes, I stayed there last year also.' ' Save 

 us!' said he, looking aghast, ' ye 're no the daft man 

 that was there last year 1 ' ' Yes,' said the Doctor, 

 laughing, ( I am just the daft man.' He looked at 

 him with a very suspicious eye ; but as the meat and 

 drink were very good, and very acceptable on so cold 

 a day, he continued to enjoy the repast, convinced 

 that, though the gentleman might be daft, he was 

 neither unkind nor uncannie" 

 Dr Landsborough then adds : 

 " He is not the only naturalist in the west who 

 has fallen under the suspicion of being rather ' wrong 

 in the mind.' Captain Carmichael, of Appin, being 

 often seen by the country people wandering on the 

 shore, and even wading in the sea, taking up hand- 

 fuls of trashy sea-weeds, and, after examining them, 

 casting them back into the sea, or, what was worse, 

 carefully securing them in a tin box, as if they had 

 been precious treasures, they came to the conclusion 

 that he was decidedly wrong in the head. However, 

 as he was very kind and peaceful, they regarded him 

 with compassion. A stranger, walking on the shore 

 one day with a person belonging to that neighbour- 

 hood, seeing the Captain wading in the sea, with his 

 shoes and stockings in one hand, and some sea-weeds 

 in the other, said to his companion, 'Who is that?' 

 ' Oh,' replied the other, ' that's the Captain. Poor 

 man! He is no himsel; he is far wrang very far 

 wrang to-day, poor man for it is full moon !' " 

 The equipment, to those persons living at the sea- 



