COLEOPTERA. 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 hes 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 Harpalus latus, 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 followine—Nebria gyllenhalii, Sch., Calathus melanocephalus 
var. nubigena, Hal., Pterostichus vitreus, Dej., with quite black aberra- 
tions, Patrobus assimilis, Chaud., Tachinus elongatus, Gyll., Bradycellus 
placidus, Gyll., B. collavis, Payk., B. cognatus, 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 stock 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., Anthophagus 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. Onthis fence the keen eyes of Mr. 
Donisthorpe spotted an Astynomus aedilis, L., as we rode by, so we 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 we 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., 
Rhagium indagator, L., in great numbers, Pissodes pint, L., Clerus 
formicarius, i., Corymbites cupreus, var. aeruginosus, Germ., C. impressus, 
f’.,and others. In the wood we got very little, as everything was soaking 
with wet, but managed to find under lichen, on a fallen tree, Pytho 
depressus, L., and in a rotten log under the bark, Rhyncotus ater, L., in 
plenty, with the dark var. of Guctne cruentus, Oi. and Liodes glabra, 
Kug., with plenty of Quedionuchus laevigatus, 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 we got [ps quadripustulatus, F., Rhizophagus nitidulus, 
Do ile Gigino, Melis. Nadobiis lentus, Er., Teries acuminatus, Gyll., 
ielomalirnp pineti, Th. sy cuaKol SAE ayoolemalror lineatum, Tir., 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 L. angustula, Er., and other things turned up 
