7520 Insects. 



Rannoch, at the foot of the lake, and a small but to erably comfortable 

 one in the village of Ignalin, at the head. 



Grouse, both black and red, were very abundant on the hills, and 

 once a noble capercally was observed sunning himself on a fallen tree, 

 and looking very like a turkey. Gamekeepers were reported to be 

 both numerous and obstructive, but we saw none of them, and roamed 

 over moor and mountain without hindrance or annoyance of any kind. 



The nests of Formica rufa which abound throughout the district, 

 many of them three feet high and eight or ten in circumference, were 

 a source of great interest, not only as wonderful monuments of patient 

 labour, but as containing that singular and local insect Tinea ochra- 

 ceella. I am sorry to say we overthrew many nests, and entailed sad 

 trouble on the industrious owners, before we hit upon the right method 

 of capturing the moth, which, for the use of future visitors and for the 

 protection of the unfortunate ants, I beg to say is to search the stems 

 of grass around the nests late at night with a lantern, or early in the 

 morning before the sun is hot, when the insect may be taken in the 

 greatest profusion, whilst during the day a whole nest may be rooted 

 up and only a solitary specimen disturbed from its recesses. A large 

 Coleopterous lan'a was abundant in the ants' nests, probably Cetonia 

 senea ; this beetle came freely to the sugared trees during the day. 

 Although the end of July snow lay in large patches on most of the 

 hills ; a mass to which one of our party ascended was apparently 

 several acres in extent, and upwards of six feet in depth, and it seemed 

 probable could bid defiance to what remained of the inclement summer 

 of 1860. What is left of the Black Forest is principally composed of 

 pine trees, some of these veritable giants ; the younger plantations 

 are mostly birch and oak ; fern and heath are everywhere. 



The following list includes our principal captures during the five 

 days of our stay at Raunoch. 



Erebia Blandina. Abundant on the heaths. 



Chortobius Davus. Abundant on the heaths. 



Endrorais versicolor. Larvae on alder. 



Cernpacha flavicornis. Larvae on birch. 



Xylophasia polyodon. Black variety not infrequent at sugar. 



Noctua xanthographa. Several specimens closely approaching 

 N. sobriua in appearance. 



N. festiva and N. conflua. Extremely abundant at sugar. The 

 series obtained does not favour the idea of N. confiua being a distinct 

 species. 



Hadena adusta. Abundant at sugar. 



