84 
ANIMAL LIFE ON THE 
become as plentiful as of yore ; and the sportsmen on the 
upper reaches of the river's banks would, as of old, return 
to the fishing-rod with the zest of old Izaak Walton, and 
the practical fishermen of the lower reaches of the Firth, 
with- their legitimate nets and lines, would be able to 
maintain themselves and families in a far greater degree of 
comfort. 
CHAPTEE X. 
ON THE CARRICK-CASTLE SHORE. 
J UNE has come round again. The hedgerows are ablaze 
_ with the fragrant hawthorn blossom, the blue-bell 
and campion in opposing colours deck the shady nooks of 
the green lanes, the whin and broom paint the braes with the 
liberal spread of their golden blossoms, and the lovely woods 
everywhere resound with the songs of the full-throated 
warblers. 
Carnival days of the botanist scouring the woods and 
glens with light step and eager eyes, and returning with 
joyful heart through the trophies of a well-filled satchel. 
But the pleasures of the botanist in these lovely days are 
no more intense than that of the zoologist of the shore. 
Come, then, my readers, and through our favourite study 
let us endeavour to cull a pleasant hour or two from the 
weary round of worldly care. Our chosen place of research, 
on this occasion, is the shores of Carrick-Castle on Loch Goil. 
Our point of embarkation again is Gourock. Boarding, then, 
our steamer, we are soon skirting the pleasant shores of 
Kilcreggan and Cove, and stretching across the mouth of 
