384 FRAGMENTS. 



of observing these " fish without fins," since the banks 

 have been cleared and cultivated; but to this day Inch 

 Tavannach and Inch Connachan are much infested by 

 them, and indeed all the islands which grow copse and 

 heather. I had a narrow escape near the top of Inch 

 Tavannach rock, when after blackcocks one burning day 

 in September. I heard the creature's malignant hiss 

 close to me, and struck it on the head with the butt of 

 my gun. It appeared stupified ; and I was in the act of 

 tying a string round its neck, when I espied another 

 coiled up within a yard of my hand, but quite still. I 

 stepped back for a stick, and gave him a smart rap, which 

 appeared to have put him also beyond further mischief, 

 tied the other end of the string round his neck, and lifted 

 both into my game-bag. I had no success with the old 

 cocks, so soon rowed home. My brother was standing 

 on the quay, and bantered me about coming back with 

 an empty bag. I denied the charge, and, in proving 

 my point, out jumped the two adders quite alive among 

 our fingers. We were close together at the bag-opening, 

 but when my scaly game made its appearance, there was 

 a clear space of ten yards at two bounds. The adders 

 were between two and three feet long. 



We chanced on another very large fellow, one hot July 

 day, basking on Inch Moan, just where the shore and 

 heather join. I cut him in two with a blow of my stick, 

 and he had a frog in his stomach, which he must have 

 sucked down head foremost like a boa-constrictor. I have 

 little doubt they destroy quantities of young game in the 



