SPORT IN BUTE. 187 



One of my abodes, the romantic old Castle of Kames in 

 Bute, supplied me with an interesting field of amusement and 

 research in the study of that island, chiefly by noticing the 

 absence of birds and creatures familiar enough in many of my 

 other quarters, or the presence of some rarely met with in 

 rougher districts, but tempted to a summer sojourn in this 

 genial clime. 



One of my previous shooting-quarters having been in Mull, 

 a comparison of the two islands was a natural and interesting 

 subject of thought ; for although both were situated on the 

 west coast, and flanked by mainland mountains which wooed 

 the Atlantic mists, there was yet a very perceptible difference 

 of climate, which the zoology of the islands quite bears out. 



To begin with the lowest order of animal life, I was much 

 surprised never to have encountered one adder in Bute during 

 the whole period of my lease. In Mull these reptiles perfectly 

 swarm ; and during the dog-days I have counted half-a-dozen 

 in the course of a single forenoon. They seem to thrive as 

 well as multiply many which I stumbled on along the shores 

 of Loch Baa being of immense size. One of these monsters 

 took possession of a dry drain flanked by a stone dyke close to 

 Glenforsa House. It had been attacked several times, but 

 always contrived to glide into the wall. If the day was warm 

 and sunny, there was the adder on the bank ; but it became so 

 wary, after having been occasionally pelted with stones, that 

 on hearing the lightest step it slipped out of sight like magic. 

 I desired my people, by taking a circuit, not to disturb it for 

 a few days, and on a sultry morning crouched noiselessly to 

 the spot. The creature was coiled up asleep, but the moment 

 I raised my stick it darted for the wall. I struck just as its 

 head entered the hole, and stunned it. When carrying it 

 home alive by the tail, it disgorged a full-grown field-mouse. 

 On telling some neighbours what a capacious gorge this adder 

 had, they capped him with another killed on the opposite 

 coast of Morven the year before, of most prodigious length and 



