THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



173 



was helping it to make matters more miserable, so, of course, we did not go 

 to Dana. We put off going till the next day, and on that day the wind was 

 blowing a hurricane, and we have not seen Dana yet, with its adjacent island, 

 notable for its primitive dwellings and curious crosses, and old historical 

 traditions. 



Friday, as I have already mentioned, was a very windy day, but as it was 

 dry and the sun shining, we paid a visit to the moor. In a little patch of 

 heath, near the Loch, we found Bavus rather plentiful, and succeded in nett- 

 ing a few. As it was rather marshy Mr. Stewart and I put off our boots, 

 and found that we could collect much more comfortably in the marshy ground. 

 Between us we took over fifty specimens in a very short time, besides a 

 number of A. fumata, and single specimens of P, intenogationis and gamma. 

 In the afternoon a visit was paid to a part of wooded hillside bodering Loch 

 Sween, by means of a boat, and here we found ferns growing in great luxu- 

 riance. The royal fern, hart's tongue, maiden hair, spleenwort, and a variety 

 of other species could be had in any quantity. A number of very fine 

 specimens of C. propugnata were secured by beating the blackthorn, and some 

 other nice species were taken. In the evening sugar was again tried with 

 great success. We had been in the habit of dropping a little treacle on the 

 tops of thistles, and by this means had taken a number of specimens of 

 Munitata, Immanata, and other species. On our way home, we came to a 

 thistle by the roadside which we had previously treacled, and on examining it 

 with the aid of the lamp, a beautiful Bractea was seen, seemingly enjoying 

 the sweet mixture. It was at once netted, and as the result of ballot it is 

 now possesed by Mr. McGrouther. 1 never heard of any of the Plusia family 

 coming to sugar, except perhaps gamma, and the fact may be worthy of 

 mention. It is possible had we taken this specimen at sugar earlier in the 

 week, we should have tried the thistle heads more extensively, and perhaps 

 taken some more specimens. At least, it is worth while for those who reside 

 in localities where this rare species is known to occur, to give this method of 

 capture a trial. Our boxes this evening were again filled, and as we walked 

 home in the pale moonlight, alongside Barmore Hill, and past the lake, and 

 looked for the last time at the hills, fields, and moors, where we had spent a 

 most enjoyable week's collecting, we all felt sorry that business could not 

 allow our spending a longer holiday in this beautiful and romantic country. 



On the morrow, with many regrets and hand-shakings with kind friends, 

 we left Tayvallich, in the hope, however, that in the course of another year 

 ; we would be back to see them all again, and to make another effort to work 

 1 out the lepidoptera of this remote and almost unknown district. If this 

 paper should appear to some readers unnessessarily long, my only excuse is 



