1070 The Zoologist — February, 1868. 



until he disgorged his hardly-earned meal, which fell to the share of 

 this filibustering knave. 



Cuckoo. — Cuckoos were not very numerous : I saw a young flyer on 

 the 28lh of July. 



Fungi. — Among the Fungi now out were early specimens of the 

 beautiful Agaricus muscarius, together with Hydnorum repandum, 

 H. zonatum and Lactarius deliciosus. I may here mention an ad- 

 venture I had with Agaricus muscarius. Knowing that the Siberians 

 use this fungus in the preparation of one of their beverages, I was 

 anxious to verify or not its reputed intoxicating properties. I con- 

 sulted Lightfoot, who misled me by staling that two or three speci- 

 mens might be eaten with impunity. Having boiled a few I par- 

 took of little more than a whole specimen : this was about five 

 o'clock in the afternoon ; by 7 p. m. 1 noticed symptoms of slight 

 giddiness, which gradually became more and more apparent until 

 half-past nine o'clock, when the intoxicating effects increased to such 

 an extent that I began to be alarmed : however, 1 went to bed at 

 ten, and slept for a few hours, and awoke quite free from any trace 

 of its effects. I mention this as a warning to future rash experi- 

 menters. 



By the end of July the heavy rains in the mountains had filled the 

 burns, and I often filled my basket with fine river trout. 



On the 10th of August 1 again visited the Culbin Sands and the 

 little fishing village of Findhorn. I saw plenty of "grayling" butter- 

 flies on the sand-hills. I took my gun to the coast, and soon saw a 

 fine pair of Lestris parasitica: the adult male, with a black cap and 

 yellowish cheeks, I killed at a long distance, when the female, in her 

 uniform brownish garb, flew circling round her fallen mate : a second 

 shot procured me this likewise. I also shot a young roseate tern. 



August 26. "Red Admiral" butterflies are now appearing, but no 

 Cynthia Cardui, although my friend Dr. Innes informs me that it was 

 common enough last season. 



Cossus ligniperda. — Near the lime-kilns at Cothall I found an old 

 birch tree completely riddled by the larva? of Cossus ligniperda: the 

 juice had run down the trunk, making the whole vicinity smell like a 

 distillery, and collecting hundreds of wasps by its vinous odour. 

 I dug into the tree, and took out at least fifty larvae. In the rotten 

 wood of the tree were many Coleoptera of two species, Soronia punc- 

 tatissima and Synodendron cylindricum. The woods of Altyre and 

 Darnaway are much infested with the goat moth larvae, for in driving 



