130 Highland Insects. 



It appears to be common in Sweden, where, from its wood- 

 frequenting habits, it is called " timberman " by the country- 

 people, according to Linnseus ; and it is exceedingly curious 

 that several of the dwellers in Oamachgouran also call it by 

 the very same name. The insect is not known to be found in 

 any other part of Great Britain (save accidentally ; as, for 

 instance, when a live specimen — a very Triton among the 

 minnows of London beetles — was found in the courtyard of 

 the British Museum, whither it had been conveyed under the 

 bark of a stout larch pole, brought with others for scaffolding) ; 

 so that the coincidence of name is very curious, for I imagine 

 that the works of the learned Swede have not yet become 

 household words amongst an isolated community whose sole 

 literary wealth (crede experto) consisted of a Gaelic Bible and 

 a copy of Bunyan's " Pilgrim/ s Progress " (original edition). 



It should be observed, however, that the parallel between 

 the Swedish and Highland fauna is so marked that the student 

 derives great assistance, when working in this district, from 

 the works of Gyllenhal and Thomson ; a clue to many of the 

 species recorded by those authors, and already recognized as 

 British, though very rare, being afforded by their notes as to 

 habits and times of appearance, which also assist in the dis- 

 covery of species new to our lists. 



Another common insect at Kannoch, Trichius fasciatus, a 

 Lamellicom allied to the rose-beetle, is interesting, not only 

 on account of its excessive rarity elsewhere, but also through 

 its mimetic analogy to the common humble-bees, Bombus m/m- 

 corum and B. lapponum, found in its company. It is bright 

 yellow, with interrupted velvety black bands on the elytra, and 

 covered with dense long yellow downy hairs, and delights to 

 settle on thistle flowers ; being, indeed, known to the villagers 

 as the " bee-beetle." This unwonted appreciation by common 

 people of the peculiarities of animals usually so despised as 

 insects, is doubtless owing to their familiarity with collectors, 

 and is possibly tinged with the suspicion of attachment of a 

 pecuniary value, as the first visitants to Rannoch were dealers, 

 who obtained a large price in London for insects then consi- 

 dered of great rarity, and therefore could afford to employ all 

 the "young barbarians " to collect these really common things 

 for "bawbees." Another conspicuous beetle, Lamia textor 

 (which derives its specific name from a recorded habit of 

 weaving osier-leaves together, after the manner of a tailor- 

 bird, as a nidus) was formerly common here, but has been 

 nearly exterminated by the " penny a-piece " system of col- 

 lecting, the insect being easily seen on the willow-trees through 

 its large size, cumbrous build, and deep black colour. It 

 occurs also near Bristol. Very different from this is the deli- 



