COLEOPTEliA. 289 



mishap to his cycle made it necessary for Mr. Donisthorpe to take a 

 seat in the mail cart also. Crossing the lonely moor which lies between 

 Struan and Rannoch, and where the steepness of the road compelled a 

 general dismount, we turned over stones by the wayside, but nothing 

 beyond Harpalns latits, L., and a few other common things rewarded 

 our efforts. After breakfast, at the Bunrannoch hotel (which was our 

 headquarters during our visit), much relished after the two hours' ride 

 across those fresh and breezy moors, we started out and devoted the 

 rest of the day to the mountains south of the village. The lower 

 slopes yielded nothing, but on the higher levels under stones we 

 obtained the following — Nebria gijllenhcdii, Sch., Calatlms melanoccphalus 

 var. nubigena, Hal., Pterostichus vitreus, Dej., with quite black aberra- 

 tions, Patrobus assimilis, Chaud., Tachinus elongatus, Gyll., Bradycellus 

 placidas,, Gyll., B. collans, Payk., B. cor/natits, Gyll., Patrobus septen- 

 trionalis, Dej., this last insect was very difficult to secure; in fact, 

 collecting these hill-frequenting Carabs is very hard work and requires 

 an unlimited stocli of patience. One scrambles painfully up through the 

 heather, breaks one's back and tears one's fingers turning over stones, 

 often deeply imbedded, and in nine cases out of ten without finding a 

 single insect to reward one for the labour of lifting them. Coming 

 down from the higher levels we found our way back through a lovely 

 glen, with very steep birch clad sides, here we beat off the birches 

 Elater nigrinus, Hbst. (taken again later on close to the lake side), 

 Deporaus megacephalus, Germ., AntJtophagus testaceus, Gr., and other 

 commoner things. The 24th opened very inauspiciously, pouring wet 

 and very cold, but as time was limited we determined to venture out 

 and to make our way to the famous Black Wood. We of course cycled 

 there, and, on the way, just past Carie glen, noticed a new pine post 

 wire fence on the lake side of the road. On this fence the keen eyes of Mr. 

 Donisthorpe spotted an Astynomus aedilis, L., as we rode by, so Ave at 

 once stopped and carefully searched the fence from end to end, it proved 

 very productive, not only on this occasion, but during the rest of our 

 stay, for we never failed to pay one or more visits every day, in fact, 

 but for this fence, we should have come away without several of the 

 Rannoch specialities vve were most anxious to secure. On it, besides 

 Astynomus, a fair number (though the local people told us the insect 

 was over and that we should get none), we got Asemum striatum, L., 

 Fihagium indagator, L., in great numbers, Pissodes pini, L., Clerus 

 formicarius, Ij., Corymbites cupreus,YSbX. aeruginosus. Germ., C. impressus, 

 ¥., and others. In'the woo^l we got very little, as everything was soaking 

 with wet, but managed to find under lichen, on a fallen tree, Prjtho 

 depressus, L., and in a rotten log under the bark, PJiyncotus ater, L.,in 

 plenty, with the dark var. of Quedius cruentus, 01., and Liodes glabra, 

 Ivug., with plenty of Quedionuchus laevigatas, Gyll., under bark of all 

 the fallen logs. The 25th, Monday, was another dull day with showers, 

 we tried first some felled pine trees in a field close to the village, here 

 under the bark w^e got Ips quadripnstulatus, ¥., Rhizophagus nitidulus, 

 ¥., Pl. dispar, Pk., Nudobius lentus, Er., Tomicus aciiminatus, Gyll., 

 Homaliwn pineti, Th., and Trypodcndron lineatiim, Er., in profusion. 

 This latter insect required no digging out of the hard wood, as is 

 supposed ; it occurred in plenty in its burrows in the bark itself, and 

 was therefore easily obtained by breaking the latter up. In addition, 

 Epurea aestiva, L,, and K. angustula, Er., and other things turned up 



