,.****Hi^»^ U ' ' "Hi ' y.^ V?- ^ '>^:>^^. -rfP' ^* !*^ K^ ^M} W<^,^ '^tWY 'Si*. ■ ^ # V 4:'rM^ r > ** ^' ^^' r f-.y^ THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST; ^ JHagannc of Natural J^fstorg. EDITED BY F, BUCHANAN WHITE^ M.D,, F.LS. VOLUME V. "Omnes res creatse sunt divinse sapientise et potentlse testes, divitiae felicitatis humanae ; ex harum usu bonitas Creatoris ; ex pulchritudine Sapientia Domini ; ex oeconomia in Conservatione, Proportio7ie, Re7iovatio7ie, potentia Majestatis elucet.' Earum itaque indagatio ab hominibus sibi relictis semper sestimata : a vere eruditis et sapientibus semper exculta ; male doctis et bar- baris semper inimica fuit." — Linn^us. WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS, EDINBURGH AND LONDON. 1879-1880. INDEX. PAGE PAOH Genejal Index iii New Species— Species specially noticed— - Animals viii Animals — Plants . viii Birds . vi New British Species— • Insects, &c. vi Animals . viii Plants — Floweiing Cryptogamic vii vii Plants . Reviews viii ix Galled . vii List of Contributors . ix Families included in In- Illustration X secta Scotica . vii Errata X GENERAL INDEX. Acherontia atropos, Capture of larva; of . . . .36 Ancient Surface-features of the Country, On the value of the names of places in indicating ..... 279,326 Auriferous Quartz of Wanlockhead . . . , .183 Birds' -nesting ....... 49 Birds of the Basin of the Tay and its tributaries . 56, 105, 241, 295, 337 Birds that have occurred near Stanley, in Perthshire, Notes on : 255 Birds, The migration of . . . . . . 309 Boldness of the Common Tern ..... 346 Books, New ....... 94, 235 Botany of Loch Lindores, Fifeshire, Notes on the . Bryology, Recent advances in British .... Canoe in the old alluvium of the Tay at Perth, Discovery of an ancient ........ Capercaillie in Scotland, The ..... Capture of larvx of Acherontia atropos .... 125 I 289 36 IV Index. Chserocampa nerii in Scotland, Capture of . . . . . 346 Changes of Climate in Post-glacial Times . . , , 193 Club-root Fungus, The ...... 209 Coleoptera of Scotland . . 44, 137, 188, 237, 285, 311, 332, 371 Collembola and Thysanura in Scotland in 1876 . . . 204 Cryptogamic Society of Scotland . . . 17, 136, 236, 331 Cryptogamic Society's late Exhibition, Report on the scientific por- tion of the ....... 20 Curlew, Esquimaux ....... 36 Deiopeia pulchella in Scotland, Occurrence of Description of a new Phloeothrips Descriptions of new Scottish Lichens Discovery of an ancient Canoe in the old alluvium of the Tay at Perth ........ ;io 16 Effect of the late storm on our Wild Animals in the north-east of Scotland, The ....... 84 Effects of the past winter and present summer on hard-wooded Plants ....... 162, 221 Effects of the past winter in the south-east of Scotland, Notes on the 81 Esquimaux Curlew ....... Falcon in Mid-Lothian, Iceland ..... Food-plant of Gelechia acuminatella ..... Fungi found at the Forres meeting of the Ciyptogamic Society of Scotland, New and rare ..... Fungi found within the province of Moray, Supplementary list of . II New and rare British ...... II of Perthshire, Preliminary list of 36 203 118 II The Club-root Gaelic names of Plants, The . Gall Insects, The natural history of . Galls, Scottish Glen Tilt ; its Fauna and Flora 234 8,93 234 i73» 270, 320, 361 209 119, 167, 228, 262, 312, 351 27 213 85 Hard-wooded Plants, Effects of the past winter and present summer on ...... . 162, 221 Hawthorn, Unusual blooming of the Hymenoptera of the district surrounding Dumfries, The Aculeate Iceland Falcon in Mid-Lothian In Memoriam — Sir Thomas Moncreiffe, Bart. Jottings from my Note-book — Lepidoptera . II II II II 234 63 203 145 116 Lepidoptera in the spring of 1879 . . . . ' . 115 Notes on ...... 160 of Britain : their distribution and its causes. The . 97, 149 of Moncreiffe Hill, The. . . 24,69, 117, 118 of Scotland, Tlie ..... 39 Index. V Lichens, Descriptions of new Scottish . . . . i6 II New and rare Scottish , . . ,217 Moncreiffe, Bart., In memoriam — Sir Thomas . , . 145 New and rare British Fungi ...... 234 II Fungi found at the Forres meeting of the Cryptogamic Society of Scotland .... 234 II Scottish Lichens . . . . .217 New Books ....... 94, 235, 367 Notes of the spring of 1879 . . . . . .132 II on Birds that have occurred near Stanley, in Perthshire . 255 II on Lepidoptera . . . . . .160 II on the Birds of the Basin of the Tay and its tributa- ries . . . . .56, 105, 241, 294, lyj II on the Botany of Loch Lindores, Fifeshire . . . 131 II on the effects of the past winter in the south-east of Scotland 81 II on * The Lepidoptera of Moncreiffe Hill ' . . 117, 118 M Various . . . . . 135, 236, 331, 370 Obituary Notices : — Robert Hislop . . . . . . -331 Sir Thomas Moncreiffe, Bart. . . . . .145 Thomas Chapman . . . . . . 236 Occurrence of Deiopeia pulchella in Scotland ... 36 II White's Thrush in Scotland .... 78 On the value of the names of places in indicating the ancient Surface- features of the Country ..... 279, 326 Phloeothrips, Description of a new ..... 310 Postal Microscopical Society . . . . - 1^ Post-glacial times, Changes of climate in . . . -193 Preliminary list of the Fungi of Perthshire . . 173, 270, 320, 361 Printed number-labels . . . . , .136 Recent advances in British Bryology . . . .125 Report on the scientific portion of the Cryptogamic Society's late exhibition . . . . . . . 20 Scottish Galls . . . . . . .213 Snowdrops and the frost ...... 94 Spring of 1879, Notes of the . . . . .132 Stock-dove breeding in Scotland . . . . .36 Supplementary list of Fungi found within the province of Moray . 8, 93 The Aculeate Hymenoptera of the district surrounding Dumfries . 63 The Auriferous Quartz of Wanlockhead .... 183 The Capercaillie in Scotland ..... 289 The Club-root Fungus . . . . ' . . 209 The Coleoptera of Scotland . . 44, 137, 188, 237, 285, 332, 371 VI Index. The effect of the late storm on our Wild Animals in the north-east of Scotland ....... 84 The Gaelic names of Plants . . -119, 167, 228, 262, 312, 351 The Lepidoptera of Moncreiffe Hill . . . . . 24, 69 II Scotland . . . • • 39 The migration of Birds ...... 309 The mountain Lepidoptera of Britain : their distribution and its causes ........ 97, 149 The natural history of Gall Insects . . . - . .27 Things to be observed in 1879 ..... 80 Thysanura in Scotland in 1876, Collembola and . . . 204 Trametes pini in Morayshii^e ..... 132 Unusual blooming of the Hawthorn Various notes Water-spider in Scotland II near Aberdeen . 234 135' 236, y:y\, 370 311 261 SPECIES MORE SPECIALLY NOTICED. {See also Nexu, and Neiv British Species. ) ANIMALS. Birds. ^gialitis hiaticula Alca torda . Bernicla canadensis Carduelis elegans Columba oenas Colymbus septentrionalis Common Tern Dafila acuta P'uligula cristata II ferina II marila Gecinus viridis Iceland Falcon Lanius excubitor Numenius borealis Picus major . Spatula clypeata Tringa alpina Turdus varius Yunx tor([uilla 258 258 259 256 36 258 346 260 261 260 261 256 203 255 36 256 260 257 78 257 INSECTS, ETC. Co leapt era. Magdalinus atramentarius . 3" Collembola. Lepidocyrtus lanuginosus 206 Macrotoma plumbea 206 Diptera. Cecidomyia destructor 31 Hymcnoptcra. Crabro dimidiatus var. 64 Neuroterus fumipennis . 29 , 34 II lenticularis 30 II numismatis 30 Rhodites rosce . 29 , 32 Spathegaster albipes 29 , 35 II baccarum 30 II vesicatrix 30 Lepidoptera. Acherontia atropos . .36, 161 Chxrocampa nerii . 346 hidex. vu Deiopeia pulchella . 36 Grimmia contorta 131 Gelechia acuminatella 118 Hypnum elegans 125 Hybernia nipicapraria 117 Seligeria acutifolia . 130 Thecla rubi . 117 It diversifolia 130 Spiders. Lichens. Argyroneta aquatica 261, 311 Peltigera canina 88 PLANTS. Fungi. Flowering Plants >. Hypomyces chrysospermus Milesia polypodii 234 234 Littorella laciistris . 132 Peziza ammophila 22 Naias flexilis 131 II axillaris 89 Typha angustifolia . 131 II strobilina 234 Cryptogamic Plants. Physarum sinuosum . 234 Plasmodiophora brassicee 208 Mosses. Polyporus reticulatus 234 Aulacomnium turgidum 129 Rhytisma empetri 234 Campylopus brevifolius 128 Trametes pini 132 II brevipilus, var. Vibrissea margarita . 90 auriculatus 130 II paradoxus 127 Galled Plants. II Schwarzii 126 Acer pseudoplatanus 214 II setifolius 127 Cakile maiitima 213 Cynodontium virens, var. Lonicera periclymenum 215 compactum . 131 Populus nigra 217 II virens, var. ser- Pmnus avimii 215 ratum 128 Ribes nigrum 215 II virens, var II rubrum 215 Wahlenbergii 131 Senecio aquaticus 216 Dicranum elongatum 129 II Jacobaea 216 Didymodon gemmascens 130 Stellaria holostea 213 Encalypta streptocarpa cfr. 86 Tilia europjea 214 Grimmia commutata . 131 Ulmus montana 217 FAMILIES INCLUDED IN INSECTA SCOTICA. Loieoptera. Anlhicidoe 45 j^epiaopiera. {^Additions to the folloT.ving Families. ) Cantharidge . 47 Acronyctidae , . 41 Curculionidae 47 Amphidasid?e 42 Melandryadge 44 Arctiidae 40 Mordellidae . 46 Boarmiidae . 44 Pyrrochroidae 46 Catocalidae . 42 Rhipidophoridse 47 Cymatophoridae 41 Scolytidce 336 Eugoniidas . 43 Vlll Index. Fidoniidae 43 Lithosiidse . 41 Geometridee . 43 Lycsenidce 40 Hadenidoe 41 Nymphalidre 39 Hypenidse 42 OrthosiidDe . 41 Larentiidae . 44 Pieridae 40 Liparididae . 40 NEW SPECIES AND VARIETIES Described in this volume. ANIMALS. Insects. Collembola. Anurida crassicornis L. & O. M. Reut. . . . 208 Isotoma coeca L. & O. M. Reut. . . . 207 Sminthurus niger Lubb. var. 206 Thysanoptera. Phloeothrips setinodis Reut. . 310 PLANTS. Lichens. Endococcus exoriens, Stirton 220 Lecanora exomila w 217 Lecidea amphiplecta n 219 II dascea n 219 Lecidea filamentosa, Stirton 218 II fucata 16 II hypocyanea 218 II ilyophora 220 II insita 17 11 mersata 219 II mucosa 17 II prostratula 218 II recensa 2J9 II sanguinaria (L.) *sub- sanguinaria, Stirton 218 Opegrapha mirifica, Stirton 17 Pannaria melantera II 16 Verrucaria addubitans II 220 II explicata Fungi. II 220 Trichobasis Balfouriana B. W. 19 NEW BRITISH SPECIES Brought forward in this volunie. ANIMALS. Insects. — Collc7nbola. Achonites viaticus Tullb. Isotoma crassicauda Tullb. . Lepidocyrtus cyaneus Tullb. Macrotoma vulgaris Tullb. . Sminthurus lineatus Reut. PLANTS. Flowering Plant. Ranunculus confervoides (?) . Lichen. Lecidea arceutina f. diminuta Fr. 220 208 Fungi. 207 Agaricus (Crepidotus) calo- 206 lepis P"r. . 21 206 Craterium Friesii Rost. 21 205 Helvella infula SchrefT. 234 Hydnum scabrosum Fr. ' . 234 Ilypomyccs violaceus Tul. , 234 Polyporus spongia Fr. 21 350 Ustilago succisne Moeg. 234 Itidex. IX REVIEWS AND NOTICES OF BOOKS. ' A Monographic Revision and Synopsis of the Trichoptera of the European Fauna.' By R. M'Lachlan .... By Dr Prantl. English ' An Elementary Text- Book of Botany Edition. Edited by Dr Vines .... Brooke's ' Popular Botany.' Part. I. . . . * Charles Waterton.' By James Simson * European Butterflies and Moths.' By W. F. Kirby Excavation of a Crannog at Lochlee. By Dr Munro Fifth and Sixth Annual Reports of the Dundee Naturalists' Society ' History of the Berwickshire Naturalists' Club, 1876-78' ' Le Naturaliste ' . By Rev. J. Stevenson ' Mycologia Scotica ' Nature Novitates * Nature Cared for Hearts of Men. the Result upon the and Nature Uncared for By Dr Hewetson 'Notes of Observations of Injurious Insects. Report 1878' By Miss Ormerod ..... ' Ornithological Journal. ' By J. A. Harvie Brown . ' Proceedings of the Natural History Society of Glasgow ' Report of the Botanical Locality Record Club ' ' Report on the Migration of Birds in the Autumn of 1879.' By Messrs Cordeaux & Harvie Brown 'The Capercaillie in Scotland.' By J. A. Harvie Brown . ' The Fauna of Scotland ' — 'Mammalia.' By E. R. Alston ' Fresh and Brackish Water Ostracoda. ' By D. Robertson 'The Geological Antiquity of Insects,' and three other Papers on Fossil Insects. By H. Goss ' The Great Atlas Moth of Asia.' By P. H. Gosse ' Transactions and Journal of the Proceedings of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Scientific, Antiquarian, and Natural History Society' ....... ' Transactions of the Natural History Society of Aberdeen, 1878 ' 370 370 367 95 369 236 236 136 235 135 136 125 370 38, 368 94 235 369 369 368 136 96 37 LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS. Barrett, C. G. Bissett, W. . Boswell, J. T., LL.D., F.L.S. Brooke, A. B. Brotherston, A. Brown, J. A. Harvie, F.Z.S. Cameron, J. . Campbell, J. M. 117 234 3" 36 81 289 119, 167, 228, 262, 312, 351 ^11 Index. Douglas, D. . Drummond Hay, Colonel H Fergusson, Rev. J. Geikie, J., LL.D., F.R.S., F.G.S Marker, Allen Keith, Rev. J., A.M Lindsay, W. Lauder, M.D., F.R.S.E., F.L Marshall, T. . Milroy, Rev. A., D.D Moncreiffe, Sir Thomas, Bart Raynor, G. H. Renton, R. Renter, L. Renter, O. M. Service, R. Sharp, D., M.B. Sim, G. Stevenson, Rev. J. Stirton, J., M.D., F.L.S. Sturrock, A. . Trail, Professor J. W. H., M.A., M Traill, W. . White, F. Buchanan, M.D., F.L.S. Wilson, A. Stephen . 203 M., C.M.Z.S. 56, 105, 162, 221, 241, 295, 337 125 • I, 193 49 8, 93, 132 . 183 • 36, 255 279, 326 24, 36, 69, 94, 115, 118 346 116, 160 204 204, 310 63 44, 137, 188, 237, 285, 332 ,371 . 36, 84 . 20, 234 . 16, 217 347 D., F.L.S. . . 213, 261 346 39, 85, 97, 118, 131, HS. 149, 173 234, 270, 320, 361 209 ILLUSTRA TION. Sir Thomas Moncreiffe, Bart. to face p. 145 ERRATA. Page 36, line 7 from bottom, for "anas" read "oBnas." -. 36, 11 6 It II ''anas" ''cenas:' '• 133, II 6 M II '' Seggidm'' '' Seggiedm." II 166, No. 54 t II '' cyprms'^ '^ ladanifertis.'" " 275, line 18 from top, II ' ' vernicosttm ,, ''vei-j-ucosum." •• 321, II 24 II bottom, II "Sk" "Lk." THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST. VOLUME THE FIETH. GEOLOGY. DISOOVEEY or AIT AITOIENT CANOE IN THE OLD ALLUVIUM OP THE TAY AT PEETH. By JAMES GEIKIE, LL.D., F.R. S., F.G.S. IN July last a friend informed me that what was supposed at the time of its discovery to be an old canoe had been dug up a number of years ago at the Friarton Brick-works, Perth. I visited the clay-pit a few days afterwards, in company with Dr Buchanan White and Mr John Young, C.E., when we learned from Mr Wood, the lessee of the clay-workings, that no special care had been taken of the canoe, but that it had been laid aside on a bank, where, having been long exposed to the weather, it had to a considerable extent mouldered away. Upon searching the spot where it had lain so long, however, we were pleased to find that earth, clay, and rubbish had gradually accumulated about it, with the result that a considerable portion still remained in a tolerable state of preservation. With the help of Mr Wood's workmen, we had the " wreck " lifted and carefully examined. It proved to be a veritable old ''dug-out" canoe, and although one of its sides had been almost entirely consumed, yet enough remained to enable us to ascertain the general proportions of the old craft. The fragment measured only lo feet in length, but both ends were considerably decayed, and Mr Wood assured us that the canoe was not less than 15 feet in length when it was first uncovered in the clay-pit. The wood was Scotch fir, and A 2 The Scottish Naturalist. the trunk in its original condition could hardly have been less than 4 or 4^^ feet in diameter. The canoe seems to have measured originally 3^ feet across, and from the top of the gunwale vertically to the bottom we found was 3 feet. The dug-out cavity was 6 feet long by 2 feet in depth. At its bottom it measured i j^ foot in breadth ; and if both sides sloped upwards at the same angle as the remaining one, the cavity must have had a breadth between the gunwale of 3 feet. The gunwale was 3 inches thick at the top, but as the wood had decayed, the sides probably rose originally a little higher. Owing to the wasted condition of the two extremities we could not tell whether or not the " dug-out " part was midway between stem and stern. Both side and bottom of the cavity showed evident marks of the action of fire — the wood being distinctly charred in some places. We made several incisions through the charred portions, and found the wood at the depth of a few lines singularly firm and sound — the colour resembling that of a recently-felled tree, but being a somewhat darker red. We had no doubt that the cavity had been excavated by the old canoe-maker in the usual way — the wood had been alternately charred and scraped, until the re- quisite capacity had been obtained. As far as I know, this is the first recorded instance of the discovery of a canoe in the old alluvial deposits of the Tay; and therefore a few geological notes on the nature of these deposits, and the exact position in which the canoe was found, may not be without interest. The section at the brick-works is as follows : — oil I}* • • • • • ■ • • Clay, ......... Peat, ..... .... Fine yellowish white sand, ..... Gravel, not passed through, . . . . . — — These deposits form what I shall call the second alluvial terrace of the Tay. In the immediate neighbourhood of Perth, there are three such terraces. The first, or that which occupies the lowest level, is the modern alluvial accumulation of the river. It forms the wide flats of the North and South Inches, and by far the larger part of the city is built upon it. Its upper surface seldom exceeds 20 feet above mean-tide level, such parts of the old town as are a few feet higher owing their increased height probably to the superficial accumulation of rubbish. In the immediate neiglibourhood of the river the surface of this terrace Ft. In. I 0 10 0 0 6 12 0 The Scottish Naturalist. 3 does not average more than 12 or 14 feet above mean-tide mark. Here and there along the course of the river there are patches of alluvium at lower levels, but these are all of very recent formation, and need not at present be considered. The deposits of which the first terrace is composed consist of silt, sand, and gravel. The second terrace is not less well marked than the first. The latter cuts into it, as it were, so as to form a more or less con- spicuous bank. Thus the lower flat is almost everywhere bounded by the truncated edge of the second terrace. The upper surface of this second flat rises from 25 feet or so, up to 45 feet or thereabout. At many places, however, where it abuts upon the lower terrace, its surface is as much as 10 or 12 feet above the latter. In the immediate neighbourhood of the city its average level cannot be less than 38 or 40 feet above the sea. The highest terrace in the vicinity of Perth is not so well marked as either of the lower flats. It ranges from 50 to 90 feet in height above the sea. But it has evidently suffered extreme denudation, so that its terrace-like aspect is conspicuous only here and there. It is composed for the most part of sand and gravel, but now and again is largely made up of fine clay. The deposits at Friarton Brick-works belong to the second terrace, and are of a fluviatile or estuarine character. The lowest beds consist, as we have seen, of gravel and sand. The only fossils that I have met with at this horizon are fragments of land-plants, and these occurred in the sand. Some of them appeared to be roots, others were twigs which had evidently been floated from some little distance. The sand, however, as a rule, is unfossiliferous. The bed described as peat is of variable thickness. It consists of a mass of vegetable matter — the principal or most conspicuous components of which are the leaves and stems of reeds. The peat is considerably com- pressed, and splits up into laminae, on the surface of which many small seeds may sometimes be detected. Amongst the vegetable debris twigs and fragments of pine are not uncom- mon, and now and again bits of birch may be detected. But the whole is so much decomposed that the original character of the vegetation is not easily made out. Lying upon and in the peat, and sometimes partly penetrating the sand below, occur mow and again trunks of trees, which have all the appearance of having been drifted into their present positions. Many of these 4 The Scottish Naturalist. have been laid bare during the working of the clay. When we visited the clay-pit, we saw several fragments of this drift-wood which had been taken out from the very bottom of the clay. One of the fragments (a mere stool) appeared to be rooted in the sand-bed, but of this we could not be certain. It is quite possible that it, too, may have been drifted, and the heavier end sinking first, may have become buried in sand so as to simulate the appearance of having grown in situ. Unfortunately, the workmen had dug all round it, with the intention of taking it out, so that we were not able to form any definite opinion upon the subject. As showing the condition of these "trees," I may mention that the workmen usually cut them up and take them home for firewood. Those that we saw appeared to be all pine — probably Scotch fir. I have no doubt that this peat-bed, with its accompanying " trees," is the same as that which occurs in a similar position under the silt and clay of the old alluvium of the river Earn,^ and which is likewise conspicuous here and there on the same horizon in the Carse of Cowrie. Of this ancient vegetable de- posit I hope to give a detailed account elsewhere, and will there- fore mention here only a few of the general results of my observa- tions. The peat represents, I think, an old land-surface, clothed with a kind of marshy vegetation, and resembling in almost every particular those stretches of flat reed-covered ground that border the Tay in the Carse of Cowrie. The remains of trees associated with the peat, which are often extremely abundant, were pro- bably in most cases drifted down tlie river, but here and there, of course, it may well have been that the low banks themselves supported an arborescent vegetation. The old canoe occurred on the same horizon as the drifted trees at Friarton. It lay upon the peat and sand, and was buried underneath the whole thickness of the overlying clay and silt. The size of the tree out of which the canoe was fashioned is quite in keeping with what we know of the buried trees in the val- ley of the Earn, and the lower reaches of the Tay itself. Some of these^ attained a size which none of our trees in those neighbour- hoods can now rival. Mr Wood informed me that the canoe was resting on its bottom when it was laid bare by his wprkmen. 1 In this peat-bed, Dr Buchanan White and I detected some insect-remains, which my friend has under examination. - The trees referred to nro often rooted in their old soil, showing that they grew in sittt. llie Scottish N'aturalist. 5 From its association with the drifted trunks it is perhaps most probable that it too was floated from a distance. It is not neces- sary to suppose, however, that the water in which it sank was deep. It is much more hkely that the canoe was stranded on a low sandy beach, where eventually it became silted up. Indeed it is not impossible that it may have been drawn up on the old beach by its owners, and there abandoned. The clay is a somewhat tough, dark-greyish deposit, which does not show any distinct lamination. In its lower portions it here and there contains a good deal of vegetable debris. Higher up, however, it is singularly free from such impurities. Now and again one may detect in it a few small stones, which occur quite sporadically. I have never met with any trace of shells in it. The overlying silt is a kind of loamy clay, of a darker colour generally than the underlying deposit, but often hardly to be dis- tinguished from it. It closely resembles the silt and loam which are being now accumulated upon the flat shoals in the lower reaches of the Tay. At Friarton it is only i foot thick, but in other places it swells out to several yards. The highest terrace — that, namely, which has its upper limits at 90 feet, or thereabouts, above the sea-level-— belongs to late glacial times ; for as it is traced up the valley towards the Grampians, it passes into kames and regular drift-gravels. I believe it represents the upper limits reached by the enormous torrents and floods that inundated the low grounds of Perthshire during the final melting of the glaciers and snow-fields of the last cold epoch of the glacial period proper. The same terrace may be traced up the valley of the Earn. It gradually rises to a height of nearly 200 feet, before it merges with the tumul- tuous gravels at the foot of the mountains. When the deposits of the second terrace began to be laid down, glacial conditions appear to have passed away. The gravel and sand underlying the peat-bed resemble ordinary river- accumulations, while the vegetation of the peat indicates a climate not unlike that of our own day. It is quite clear, how- ever, that when the plants of which that peat is largely com- posed were growing, the land stood relatively to the sea at a higher level than now, — but how much higher, the local evi- dence hardly enables us to say. There can be no doubt, how- ever, that the peat is of the same date as the similar accumula- tions with buried trees that occur in many other places at and below high-water along our coasts. It is extremely probable, 6 The Scottish Natwalist. therefore, that the old canoe at Friarton floated on the river Tay at a time when our shores stretched much further out to sea — at a time, indeed, when Britain is beheved to have formed part of the Continent. The clay and silt above the peat-bed point to a succeeding period of submergence, when the sea rose upon the land to a height of 30 feet, or thereabout, above its present level. The raised beaches that appear along the sea-coast in Fifeshire and Forfarshire at that height are the representatives of the estuarine clay and silt, which, in the valleys of the Earn and Tay, reach to a somewhat higher level. These latter deposits, which rise to a height sometimes of 20 feet above the old sea-level, bear evidence to former very considerable inundations, when the Tay swelled in flood and covered wide tracts of low ground, depositing upon these its fine mud and loam. At tKat date all the area upon which Perth is built was permanently below water; so that the Tay at Perth was fully a mile in breadth, and the tide must have flowed up to and beyond Stanley. Where the old estuarine flat contracts, we find that the character of its deposits changes ; the clay and silt become more and more mixed up with sand and gravel, until the whole accumulation passes into fluviatile beds of the kind that is most commonly met with along the course of our Scottish streams and rivers. The level of the flat also gradually rises as we follow it up the valley. Thus, in the Carse of Gowrie its upper surface averages about 40 feet or so above the present mean tide. At Perth, its limits are about four or five feet higher, while at Lun- carty it reaches a height of rather more than 50 feet. There is, in short, a gradual passage from marine into estuarine, and from estuarine into fluviatile deposits. It is highly probable that when the estuary of the Tay" ex- tended up to Perth, local glaciers existed in many of the upper glens of the Highlands; and I am inclined to think that no in- considerable portion of the fine brick-clays of the second terrace represents the "flour of rocks" formed by the grinding of the glaciers of that period, and carried down by the streams and rivers. These fine clays are overlaid by the loamy silt already described, — a deposit of precisely the same character as the loamy silt which is being carried seawards by the Tay in our own times. Its superposition to the brick- clays would seem to indicate that the snow-fields and glaciers finally disappeared while the second terrace was still covered by the waters of the estuary. The brick- clays above the peat-bed contain, as I have said, a The Scottish Natwalist. 7 few sporadic stones. Perhaps these may have been carried down by shore-ice, or even by ground-ice. With the possible exception of these scattered stones, we have no other evidence of the former presence of floating-ice. But the generally unfossiliferous char- acter of the brick-clays is quite in keeping with the view that the estuary of the Tay was fed by large muddy rivers, flowing from glacier-valleys — such as the Tay, the Isla, the Almond, the Earn, and others. We can understand how, under such condi- tions, the upper waters of the estuary would be unfavourable to life, and how shore-ice, and even ground-ice, might now and again freeze up and transport gravel-stones and shingle. At a subsequent period, when the sea had retreated to its present level, the Tay cut its way into the deposits of the second terrace, and gradually formed that succession of alluvial plains which are now seen skirting the river at various heights, from twenty feet or so down to a yard or less above its bed. M ^^^^^^M 9 mmm^m. ^^^^^ PHYTOLOGY. SUPPLEMENTAEY LIST OF PUNGI rOUND WITHIN THE PEOVINOE OP MOEAY. By the Rev, JAMES KEITH, A.M. {Contijmed fi'ojn vol. iv. p. 348.) CERATIUM, A. and S. 831. Hydnoides, A. and S. On rotten wood. Kinrara, &c. Aug. PACHNOCYBE, Berk. 832. Grisea, Berk. On decaying cabbage-stalks. Greeshop. Aug. Veri- fied by Berkeley. STILBUM, Tode. 833. Orbiculare, B. and Br. On Lindbladia effusa. Rothiemurchus. Sept. Ann. Nat. Hist., Jan. 1878. VOLUTELLA, Fr. 834. Ciliata, Fr. On potatoes. Sanquhar. April. 835. Setosa, Berk. On decaying thistle-stems. Alvie. Aug. FUSARIUM, Link. 836. Rhabdophorum, B. and Br. On Valsae on sticks. Forres. Ann. Nat. Hist., Feb. 1876. 837. Pezizoides, n. s. Ph. in litt. On decaying fir - leaves. Grantown. Aug. ILLOSPORIUM, Mont. 838. Roseum, Fr. On a Parmelia on an elder-tree in churchyard of Dallas. Feb. SPOROCYBE, Fr. 839. Nigrella, Berk. On dead Carex-leaves. Greeshop. May. HELMINTHOSPORIUM, Lk. 840. Folliculatum, Cda. On cabbage-stalks. Greeshop. April. 841. Tilice, Fr. On lime-branches. Greeshop. March. 842. Delicatulum, Berk. On stems of Umbellifers. Greeshop. MACROSPORIUM, Fr. 843. Chciranthi, Fr. On sweet-william and stock stems in Manse garden. April. The Scottish Naturalist. 9 HELICOMA, Cda. 844. Mulleri, Cda. On Bird-cheiry stick. Dunphail. Dec. POLYTHRINCIUM, Kze. 845. Trifolii, Kze. On Trifolium pratense. Duthil. Sept. CLADOSPORIUM, Link. 846. Epiphyllum, Nees. On oak-leaves. Autumn. Common. GONATOSPORIUM, Cda. 847. Puccinioides, Cda. On Carices. Grantown. Aug. PERONOSPORA, De By. 848. Parasitica, Pers. On turnips. Common. STYSANUS, Cda. 849. Stemonitis, Cda. On decayed herbaceous plants. Greeshop. April July. FUSIDIUM, Lk. 850. Flavo-virens, Fr. On oak-leaves. Cluny Hill. Nov. 851. Griseum, Lk. On beech-leaves. Greeshop. Nov. SPOROTRICHUM, Lk. 852. Aurantiacum, Grev. On old floor-cloth in cellar. De MENISPORA, Pers. 853. Lucida, Cda. On stick. Waterford. March. 854. Ciliata, Cda. On broom-stick. Sanquhar, May. SEPEDONIUM, Lk. 855. Roseum, Fr. On decaying Agaric. Edinkillie. Aug. FUSISPORIUM, Lk. 856. Aurantiacum, Lk. On decaying cabbage-stalks. Greeshop. April. Verified by Berkeley. EXOBASIDIUM, Wor. 857. Vaccinii, Wor. Abundant on leaves of Vaccinium vitis-idsea wher- ever it occurs. ZASMIDIUM, Fr. 858. Cellare, Fr. Wine-cellars in Forres. ACROSTALAGMUS, Cda. 859. Cinnabarinus. Only the conidiophorous state, Verticillium lateritium. On cabbage-stalk. Greeshop. Verified by Berkeley. PERISPORIUM, Fr. 860. Vulgare, Cda. On a piece of straw in old dog's dung. Rothiemur- chus. Aug. PHYLLACTINIA, Lev. 861. Guttata, Lev. On birch-leaves. Kinrara, &c. Autumn. lo The Scottish Naturalist. UNCINULA, Lev. 862. Adunca, Lev. On willow-leaves. Greeshop. Sept. 863. Bicornis, Lev. On sycamore-leaves. Greeshop. Sept. SPH^ROTHECA, Lev. 864. Castagnei, Lev. On meadow-sweet and hop leaves. Common. Autumn. PODOSPH^BA, Kze. 865. Kunzei, Lev. On Prunus padus leaves, Rothiemurchus ; and Sorbus leaves, Grantown. Autumn. 866. Clandestina, Lev. On hawthorn-leaves. Invererne. Sept. ERYSIPHE, Hdw. 867. Martii, Lk. On leaves of pea, trefoil, Umbelliferse, &c. Common. Summer and autumn. 868. Lamprocarpa, Lev. On plantain-leaves. Sanquhar, &c. Sept. -Oct. 869. Linkii, Lev. On mugwort. Invererne. Sept. 870. Montagnei, Lev. On burdock. Cothall. Aug. 871. Horridula, Lev. On S3-mphytum leaves. Invererne, July. EUROTIUM, Link, 872. Herbariorum, Lk. On dried plants in my herbarium. 1 VIBRISSA, Fr. ^TZ' Guernisaci, Crouan. On willoAv and alder sticks in wet places. Sanquhar, Greeshop, St John's Mead. Spiing. GEOGLOSSUM, P. 874. Hirsutum, P. Altyre garden. Nov. RHIZINA, Fr. 875. Undulata, Fr. In abundance during the wet autumn of 1877 on a piece of sandy ground beside the railway, two miles south of Forres, where a young plantation had been burnt down. No trace of it in the same spot in 187S. PEZIZA, L. 876. Reticulata, Gr. On the ground in a fir-wood. Rafford. May. Rare. 877. Badia, Pers. Grassy places in and about woods. All through the district. 878. Rutilans, Fr. On the ground among mosses. Common. 879. Melaloma, A. and S. On spots where brushwood has been burned, at Dalchairn, Duthil. Sept. 880. Subhirsuta, Schum. On refuse from a flour-mill. Forres. Oct. 1 Mr Phillips of Shrewsbury has kindly examined and identified many specimens of Elvellacei for me, which I was unable to determine with confi- dence myself, and many of the following species are given on his authority. I am under similar obligations to Messrs Currey, Cooke, and Plowright, for aid in identifying Sphceriacei. The Scottish Naturalist. 1 1 881. Bovina, n. s. Phillips in litt. On cow's dung, Grantown. Aug. 882. Cervaria, n. s. Phillips in litt. On roe-deer's dung. Grantown. Aug. 883. Keithii, n. s. Phillips in litt. On horse-dung. Waterford. Sept. 884. Fascicularis, A. and S. On mountain-ash at Kinrara, and very fine on Prunus padus at Grantown. Winter. Not common. 885. Melastoma, Sow. On a fallen oak-branch. Damaway. April. Very rare. 886. Hirta, Sch. On a stump at Edgefield. Oct. 887. Clandestina, Bull. Plentiful on raspberr>'-stems in Greeshop wood. Spring. 888. Palearum, Desm. On stems of grass. Grantown. Aug. 889. Corticalis, Pers. On ivy-fibrils at Sluie. June. 890. Crucifera, Ph. Gard. Chron., 1878, p. 397, fig. 71. On twigs of Myrica gale, lying among the grass beneath the bushes. G^anto^^•n. Aug. This curious species was discovered by Mr Phillips in Eng- land, who gave me a hint where to look for it. I found it in con- siderable abundance. 891. Apala, B. and Br. On rushes and on Eriophorum leaves. Greeshop, Manachie, and Grantown. April, May, and Aug. 892. Versicolor, Desm. On Pteris leaves. Altyre. June. 893. Acuum, Fr. On damp, decaying leaves of Scotch fir. Grantown. Aug. 894. Rufo-olivacea, A. and S. On whin-sticks often, and once on broom. In various places about Forres. Spring. 895. Flammea, A. and S. On dead branches of Salix aurita at Alvie, Aviemore, and Dunphail. All the year. 896. Sulphurea, Pers. On stems of Umbelliferse, Greeshop. April. 897. Escharodes, B. and Br. On bramble-stems. Greeshop wood. March. 898. Ilicinicola, B. and Br. On holly. Dunphail. Nov. Apparently very rare. 899. Hyalina, Pers. On decorticated fir-sticks. Frequent. Aut. -spring. 900. Variecolor, Fr. Var, albo-lutea, Pers. On stumps at Edgefield and Sanquhar. All the year. 901. Aurelia, Pers. On an oak-stick in Damaway Forest. April. 902. Rosae, Pers. Var. prunorum. On sloe. Sanquhar. All the year. 903. Polaris, Batsch. Abundant on dead twigs of one holly-bush in ravine below the Castle of Dunphail. Nov. 904. Solani, Pers. On withered potato-stems in many places. 905. Clavata, Pers. On Pteris stems. Altyre. June. 906. Concoloi-, n. s. Ph. in litt. On a hard stick in wood at Suspension Bridge. April. 907. Vexata (De Not. ) On stems of gi'ass. Manachie. July. 908. Elaphines, B. and Br. On Heracleum stems in Greeshop wood. March. 909. Ulmarise, Lasch, On dead stems of Spiraea ulmaria in damp places. Greeshop, Spring. 910. Foecunda, n. s. Ph. in litt. On Eleocharis at Aviemore and Grantown. Aug. -Sept. Abundant. 12 The Scottish Naturalist. 911. Erumpens, Grev. On sycamore petioles in Gieeshop wood. Spring, 912. Melatephva, Lasch. On Carex. Grantown. Aug. 913. Atrovirens, Pers. On a stick at Loch-an-Eilan. Aug. 914. Excelsior, Karst. On Arundo-stems. Grantown. Aug. 915. Pulla, Ph. On Poa fluitans at Loch Baladren, Aviemore. Sept. 916. Litoralis, Ph. On a bleached stick thrown up from Loch Alvie. Aug. 917. Arenivaga, Desm. On bent at Findhorn and Waterford. June. 918. Compressa, A. and S. On holly. Sanquhar. Jan. 919. Connivens, Fr. On a stick at Dunphail. Feb. 920. Resinse, Fr. On resin on larch. Rothiemurchus. Sept. HELOTIUM, Fr. 921. Aciculare, Fr. On a stump. Sanquhar. Nov. 922. Buccina, Pers. On the stump of a small fir-tree in Greeshop wood. Nov. 923. Claro-flavum, Berk. On decayed sticks. Kinrara and Dunphail. Autumn. 924. Pruinosum, Jerd, On Diatrype stigma. Sanquhar. July. 925. Fagineum, Fr. On beech-mast. Greeshop. Oct. CENANGIUM, Fr. 926. Laricinum, Fckl. On larch. Greeshop. 927. Prunastri, Fr. On sloe and bird-cherry. Sanquhar and Greeshop. Winter. 928. Rubi, Fr. On raspberry-stems, Sanquhar. Spring. ASCOBOLUS, Tode. 929. Vinosus, Berk. On rabbit's dung. Sanquhar. Sept. 930. Immersus, Pers. On cow's dung. Grantown, Aug. 931. Neglectus, Bond. On cow's dung. Grantown, Aug. 932. Cookei, Crouan, On dog's dung. Forres. Winter, 933. Granuliformis, Crouan. On cow's dung, Grantown. Aug. 934. Argenteus,' Cur, On cow's dung. Alvie. Aug. 935. Carneus, Pers. On cow's dung. Rothiemurchus. Sept. BULGARIA, Fr. 936. Inquinans, Fr, Sent me from Gordon Castle by Mr John Webster, Oct, AGYRIUM, Fr. 937. Rufum, Pers, On decorticated fir-sticks. Aviemore, Aug. STICTIS, Pers. 938. Seriata, Lib. On Carex ampullacea. Mannchie. June. Phillips. 939. Parallela, Fr. On fir-sticks, Rothiemurchus, Aug, 940. Phacidioides, Fr, On bearberry-leaf, Grantown. Aug. ELAPHOMYCES, Nees. 941. Variegatus, Vitt. Found by Klotzsch at Aviemore, vSee Eng, Fl., vol. v. pt. ii, p, 307, and compare with Cooke's 'Handbook,' p. 749. TJie Scottish Naturalist. 13 PHACIDIUM, Fr. 942. Pini, Schum. On Scotch fir. Kinrara. Aug. 943. Vaccinii, Fr. On leaves of bearberry, Aviemore. 944. Coronatum, Fr. On dead leaves of oak and beech. Altyre. Sept. 945. Repandum, Fr. On woodruff-leaves. Cothall. May. 946. Trifolii, Boud. On clover-leaves. Cromdale. Aug. HYSTERIUM, Tode. 947. Xylomoides, Chev. On hawthorn-leaves. Waterford. May. 948. Eriophori, n. s. Ph. in litt. On Eriophorum leaves. Grantown. Aug. 949. Arundinaceum, Schrad. On Arundo stems. Dalvey and Aviemore, Var. gramineum, B. and Br. On leaves of grass. Greeshop Ann. Nat. Hist., Jan. 1875. LOPHIUM, Fr. 950. Mytilinum, Fr. On fir bark and wood. All the year. Rothiemur- chus and Altyre. 951. Mytilinellum, Fr. ? On damp, decaying leaves of Scotch fir. Gran- town. Aug. I have submitted specimens of this plant to Mr Plow- right, who says, " The Lophium is very interesting. I suppose it is Fries' L. mytilinellum, as you suggest ; but I have never seen an authentic specimen, or heard of its fruit being described." The fruit in my specimens is well developed. EUSTEGIA, Fr. 952. Arundinacea, Fr. On Arundo stems. Grantown. Aug. HYPOCREA, Fr. 953. Gelatinosa, Fr. On fir-sticks at Loch-an-Eilan. Aug. 954. Rufa, Fr. Conidia, Trichoderma viride. On oak. Darnaway. Ascophore. On birch. Darnaway. Sept. NECTRIA, Fr. 955. Cucurbitula, Fr. On Prunus padus. Sanquhar. 956. Keithii, B. and Br. On cabbage-stalks. Greeshop. Ann. Nat. Hist., Feb. 1876. 957. Albertini, B. and Br. On a damp, rotten fir-stump. Clunyhill. Sept. 958. Umbrina, Fr. On nettle-stems. Thornhill. Dec. XYLARIA, Fr. 959. Carpophila, Fr. On beech-mast. Greeshop wood. Winter. USTULINA, Tul. 960. Vulgaris, Tul. At the base of a plane-tree in churchyard of Crom- dale. Winter. POLYSTIGMA, Pers. 961. Fulvum, D. C. On Prunus padus leaves. Grantown. Sept. 14 The Scottish Naturalist, DOTHIDEA, Fr. 962. Angelic9e, Fr. On Angelica leaves. Banks of Finclhorn. White, Scot. Nat., Jan. 1875. 963. Rosse, Fr. On rose-stems. Frequent. 964. Filicina, Fr. On stems of Pteris aquilina. Common. DIATRYPB, Fr. 965. Quercina, Tul. On oak-branches. Dunphail. 966. Favacea, Fr. On birch. Greeshop. 967. Incequalis, Curr. On furze. Altyre. 968. Badhami, Curr. On furze in Greeshop wood. 968^. Coramblycola, B. and Br. On cabbage-stalks. Ann. Nat. Hist., Jan. 1878. F. B. Greeshop. April. MELANCONIS, Tul. 969. Lanciformis, Tul. On birch. Greeshop. April. 970 971 972 973 974 975 976 977 978 979 980 981. 982. 983. 984. 985. 986. 987. 988. 989. 990. 991. 992. VALSA, Fr. On larch. Mondole. March. On elm. Altyre. Oct. On apple. Greeshop. On willow-branches. Common. On alder. Greeshop. June. Leiphemia, Fr. On oak. Sanquhar. May. Tihce, Tul. On lime-twigs. Altyre. Nov. Stilbostoma, Fr. On hazel. Kinrara. Aug. Thelebola, Fr. On alder. Greeshop. April. Platanoides, Berk. On sycamore. Greeshop. Vestita, Fr. On sloe. Sanquhar. April. Kunzei, Fr. Dissepta, Fr. Ambiens, Fr. Salicina, Fr. Suffusa, Fr. March. MASSARIA, De Not. Bufonia, Tul. On oak-sticks. Sanquhar. May. LOPHIOSTOMA, De Not. Macrostoma, Fr. On decorticated branches of Salix aurita. Alvie. August. Frequent. Angustilabra, B. and Br. On furze-branches. Balnageith. Dec. Arundinis, De Not. On stems of Arundo. Kinrara. Frequent. SPH^RIA, Hall. Racodium, Fr. On a stick in Darnaway Forest. June. r.rassicas, Klotsch, On cabbage - stalks. Greeshop and Cothall. Oct. -April. Canescens, Pers. On beech-stick, Darnaway. June. Collabens, Curr. On Salix. Aviemore. Aug. Epochnii, B. and Br. Only the Conidia, Sporidesmium atrum, Grev. On a Corticium. Altyre. Nov. Nigerrima, Blox, On Eutypa lata. Darnaway, Dunphail, &c. 01>litcrans, B. and Br. On fir. Rothiemurchus. Aug. Culmifrnga, Fr. On stems of grass. Greeshop, &c. The Scottish Naturalist. 15 993. Nardi, Fr. On Nardus leaves in various places. 994. Pilifera, Fr. On a fir board lying on the ground in a cold frame in my garden. No asci or sporidia. May. 995. Livida, Fr. On Salix aurita at Kinrara. Aug. 996. Melanotes, B. and Br. On a stick. Dunphail. March. 997. Hypotephra, B. and Br. On oak. Sanquhar. June. 998. Apiculata, Cur. On a paling-bar. Grantown, July. 999. Inquilina, Fr. On cabbage-stalks. Greeshop. April. 1000, Phomatospora, B. and Br. On decaying stems of wallflower. Waterford. May. looi. Salicella, Fr. On willow. Greeshop. April. 1002. Revelata, B. and Br. On a stick. Brodie. May. 1003. Vepris, De Laert. Sp. rubi, Cur. On bramble-twigs. Greeshop. 1004. Rubicunda, Nies. On a stick at Suspension Bridge. April. 1005. Infectoria, Fckl. On withered grass. Waterford. 1006. Rubella, Pers. On stems of Umbelliferoe, and on cabbage-stalks. Spring. 1007. Herpotricha, Fr. On grass. Greeshop. June. 1008. Nigrans, Desm. On grass. Greeshop. July. 1009. Sabuletorum, B. and Br. On bent. Findhorn. loio. Coryli, Batsch. On living hazel-leaves. Grantown. Aug. SORDARIA, Winter. loii. Merdaria, Awd. On rabbit's dung. Grantown. Aug. 1012. Fimicola, Rob. On dog's dung. Aviemore. Aug. 1013. Microspora, PI. On cow's dung. Rothiemurchus. Sept. Grev., vol. vi. p. 28, t. 94, f. 3. 1014. Discospora, Awd. Rabbit's dung. Sanquhar. Aug. 1015. Platyspora, PI. On horse-dung. Aviemore. Grev., vol. vi. p. 28, t. 94, f. 2. 1016. Humana, Awd. Ad merdam humanam, Grantown. Aug. 1017. Fimiseda, Ces. de Not. On cow's dung. Rothiemurchus. Aug, lOiS. Coprophila, Ces. de Not. On cow's dung. Alvie, &c., Aug. 1019. Curvula, De By. Forma-conica. On cow's dung. Forres. April. DILITSCHIA, Awd. 1020. Winteri, Plow. On rabbit's dung in many places. Grev., vol. vi. p. 29, t. 24, f 5. 1021. Minuta, Fckl. On sheep's dung. Aviemore. Sept. 1022. Bisporula, Hans, On horse-dung. Forres. Grev,, vol. vi. p, 28, tab, 94, f. 4. SPORORMIA, Awd. 1023. Minima, Awd. On grouse-dung. Aviemore, Sept. 1024. Intermedia, Awd. On rabbit's dung. Common. 1025. Megalospora, Awd. On horse-dung. Aviemore. Sept. 1026. Octomera, Awd. On grouse-dung on hill above Craigellachie, Avie- more. Sept. Grev., vol. vi. p, 29, t. 94, f. 6. 1027. Pulchra, Hans, On cow's dung. Aviemore. Sept. ( To he ccntiiutcd. ) rooV* ^•-*- ■A'»-\ [uj L I B R A R Y 33 i6 The Scottish A^atiiralist. DESCRIPTIONS OP NEW SCOTTISH LICHENS. By JAMES STIRTON, M.D., F.L.S. Pannaria pielantera, sp. nov. — Similis P. dolichoter^e (Nyl.) sed sporis longioribus, .03-.045 x .0045-.005 mm., 1-3-septatis vel simpHcibus. Thallus niger effusus profmide et late diffractus vel potius squamosus, squamis crassiusculis minute papulosis infra nigro-coerulescentibus ; apothecia sessilia nigra plana vel convexiuscula margine nigro nitido cincta, parva (latit. .5-. 6 mm.); paraphyses articulatae crassiusculae (latit. .003-.004 mm.) apicibus clavatis coerulescentibus ; hypothecium fuscescens. lodo gel. hym. coerulescens, thecae fulvescentes. Ad saxa micaceo-schistosa, Ben Lawers. The thallus is abundantly supplied with gelatinous nodules (as in Nostoc), containing gonimia. These are of various colours, as red, yellow, fulvous, &c. Sirosiphoid filaments are also pres- ent. Other gonimia in groups are noticeable, many of which in an active state of development by fission. No true gonidia have been detected. Such a conglomeration of the so-called lower algae I have seldom or never seen. A rather puzzling problem for solution is here presented to the believers of the algo-mycological theory of lichens — viz., what relationship subsists between these algae and the apothecia? Is it necessary to the full development of such apothecia that such a conglomeration and no other should be present as a nidus ; or are several merely accidental, and therefore unnecessary? I have examined different parts of the thallus (which is widely extended on the rock), but the same conglomeration occurs throughout. Lecidea fucata, sp. nov. — Thallus cinereus granulosus, vix ullus visibilis ; apothecia nigra rotunda vel oblonga vel nonnihil irregularia convexa et immarginata, intus tota intense violacea, iodo vix mutata, K coeruleo-virescentia ; sporae (i-3)n3e incolores ellipsoideae vel oblongo - ellipsoideae, episporio crasso pellucido, .032-.048 x .0T5-.022 mm. ; hypo- thecium incolor. K protoplasma sporarum maturarum nigro fulvaceum. Ad lignum decorticatum prope Tyndrum. Forsan affinis L. melinae. Tlie paraphyses are rendered distinct by K, and are thickish and somewhat irregular. The intense violaceous colour of a section of the apothecia is a well-marked character. The Scottish Naturalist. 17 Lecidea iiisita, sp. nov. — Parasitica supra thallum Peltigerce aph- thosae. Apothecia nigra parva (latit. .2-.3 mm.) convexa immarginata saepius fere sphaerica, intus rnfescentia ; sporae (12-16) nae incolores simplices sphaeroideae, diam. .005-. 0065 mm. ; paraphyses distinctae graciles filiformes in gelatina firma involutae apicibus rufis vel fere incoloribus ; hypo- theciiim rufum vel in lamina crassiuscula visum rufo- nigrum, lodo gel. bym. intense ccerulescens dein intense vinose rubens. Affinis (forte nimium) L. geophanae. Apud Craig- na-Lochan. Lecidea 7?i7(cosa, sp. nov. — Thallus fulvus gelatinosus vel vix uUus ; apothecia fusca vel fiisco-nigra, planiuscula, convexa aiit fere sphaerica, parva (latit. circ. .25 mm.), intus fuscescentia ve pallide fuscescentia; spor^ 8nae incolores simplices ellip- soideae, .0075-.01 x .004-.0055 mm.j paraphyses conglutinatae indistinctse apicibus incoloribus non clavatis ; hypothecium fuscum. lodo gel. hym. ccerulescens dein sordida. Ad lignum putridum prope Ben Doran. Opegrapha 7?iirijica, sp. nov. — Thallus albidus vel albido-cinera- scens crassiusculus, minute rimulosus, interdum fere granu- losus, nonnihil farinaceus (K — C erythrinosus, sed C seorsum — ); apothecia nigra sessilia mediocria (latit. .2-.^ mm.) rotunda vel oblonga, sparsa vel aggregata, epithecio caesio-pruinoso vel nudo, primum concaviusculo et tunc acute marginato, demum piano, saepe (vetustate) convexiusculo et immarginato ; sporae Suae incolores oblongcC vel obtuse fusiformes 3-septatae, .014-.021x.0035-.0045 mm.; para- physes irregulares non discretce saepe discontinuae apicibus nigricantibus clavatis; hypothecium nigrum vel fusco-nigrum crassum. lodo gel. hym. vinose rubens (praecedente coerule- scentia nulla). Saxicola in Insula Cumbrae. This puzzling lichen seems rather referable to the Opegraphae than to the Lecideae. OEYPTOaAMIO SOCIETY OF SCOTLAND. THE Fourth Annual Meeting of the Scottish Cryptogamic Society was held at Edinburgh last October, under the presidency of Professor Balfour, and was successful in every way. Cryptogamic botanists from the other side of the Tweed were well represented ; but from one reason or another, several of the B 1 8 The Scottish Naturalist. Scottish Fellows of the Society, who should have been present, were conspicuous by their absence. As one chief object that our English friends have in view in coming north is to see and exchange ideas with their Scottish brethren, it seems a pity that some of the latter did not make greater efforts, even at a little personal inconvenience, to attend the conference. Some were, we know, to their own great regret, unavoidably prevented from taking part in the proceedings. By the kind permission of the President, the business-meeting and show were held in the Royal Botanic Gardens. The conference was opened on Wednesday, October 9th, by the President delivering his inaugural address, which was chiefly de- voted to a review of the life and works of the celebrated Scottish cryptogafiiic botanist I)r Greville — a very appropriate subject, and one which could not fail to be full of interest, especially as coming from one of Greville's most intimate friends. In illustra- tion of Greville's works, a large number of his original drawings — in the possession of Professor Balfour — were exhibited, and elicited universal admiration from their beauty. It was unanimously resolved that the next annual conference should be held at Forres, under the presidency of the Rev. James Keith, than whom no one has done more to elucidate the mycology of the north of Scotland. It was also arranged that the conference should take place at an earlier season of the year than the previous ones — probably not later than the middle of September ; so that, with the fine scenery and cryptogamic riches of Forres, as well as its accessibility by rail, a good meeting may be expected. Though no public show is to be held, there will probably be a private exhibition. Amongst others, the following papers were read at the meet- ing : Professor Balfour exhibited specimens, and gave notes upon certain new and rare fungi that have appeared in his official resi- dence, Inverleith House. The house had been partially burned, and allowed to remain roofless and exposed to the weather for several months, the consequence of which was, that a large crop of fungi — chiefly Pezizce (including P. adce, Sadl., a beautiful violet-coloured species, named in honour of Miss Ada Balfour, P. cretea, Cke, and P. tectoria, Cke.) The house was not yet free from fungi ; but the species were not of so great scientific interest. On behalf of Dr Moore, of Glasnevin Botanic Garden, speci- mens of an Jsoetes, from Upper Loch Bray, county Wicklow, Ireland, were exhibited. This species, which is remarkable for TJie Scottish Naturalist. 19 its long, slender, setaceous leaves, frequently floating on the surface of the water, was at one time referred to Isoetes setacea^ Bosc, but has now been described (' Journal of Botany,' Decem- ber 1878) as a new species, under tlie name /. Morei Moore, in honour of Dr Moore's fellow-worker Mr A. G. More. Dr M. C. Cooke read a paper upon the species of Corticiiim and Stercum, of which he had been examining the minute struc- ture. He described characters which he thought warranted the generic separation of several of the species ; and he proposed to establish a new genus — PeniopJiora. It is questionable if the char- acters pointed out by Dr Cooke are of more than subgeneric value; but of this an opinion can be better formed when the result of his investigations has been published. Dr I. B. Balfour made some interesting remarks on the light thrown on several genera of the Myxomycetes by his discovery of a new species — Cribraria Balfoiiri, De By. — which unites several genera. Mr Sadler read a paper on Agaricus Sadlcri ; and Dr B. Carrington described and showed specimens of several new Scot- tish HepaticcE. Dr Buchanan White read a paper on the Altitudes above Sea- level attained by Fungi in Scotland, and gave a brief description of a supposed new fungus he had found upon the leaves of Ery- throxylon coca — the cuca-leaves of commerce. This he proposed to call Trichobasis Balfouriana^ in honour of the President of the Society. It may be described thus: " Sori hypophyllous, small, subrotund, rather scattered, but often two or three together, epi- dermis ruptured ; spores often obscurely pedunculate, pyriform, pale brown, epispore finely tuberculate." Specimens and a sketch of the spores were exhibited. Dr Parsons (of Goole) called attention to a scheme for inves- tigating the geographical distribution of mosses in the British Isles. Botanists desirous of helping may comnmnicate with Dr Parsons (Goole, Yorkshire) or Mr C. P. Hobkirk (Hudders- field). Mr C. B. Plowright (of King's Lynn) presented a copy of his 'Sphseriacei Britannici ' (three centuries) to the Society, and re- ceived a hearty vote of thanks for his valuable donation. In the evening the annual dinner of the Society took place, and on the following day an excursion was made to Penicuik woods, under the guidance of Mr France, forester to Sir George Clerk, who kindly threw his grounds open to the Society. A 2 0 The Scottish Naturalist. great number of fungi were collected and catalogued, though the absence of the larger Hymenomycetes was very noticeable. On Friday and Saturday, October nth and 12th, the Society's public show was held in the Royal Botanic Garden, and was visited by large numbers of people. The show chiefly consisted of fungi, though mosses and Hepaticie were not unrepresented, Dr Parsons superintending the former and Dr Carrington the latter. In the Herbarium Hall the fungi were arranged specially with a view to scenic effect, though many of the specimens were named. This part of the show was very popular with the public ; and some of the English botanists, who had previously been sceptical as to the desirability of arranging fungi in this manner, admitted that it had its advantages in attracting the attention of the public. In this hall also was a beautiful collection of named specimens of Myxomycetes, shown by Dr I. B. Balfour. The other portion of the exhibition was held in the glass structure known as the Winter Garden, and consisted of an extensive array of named and classified specimens, due chiefly to the labours of Messrs Phillips (Shrewsbury), Plowright (King's I.ynn), Perceval (Bristol), and Rev. J. Stevenson (Glamis). At our request Mr Stevenson has prepared a report upon this part of the exhibition, which is given below. The meeting, altogether, was a memorable one,' which was due in great measure to the efforts of the President and his son, Dr I. B. Balfour, and to the energy shown by the Local Secretary, Mr John Sadler, who, in his desire to make it successful, unfortunately overworked himself, and, instead of enjoying the sight of the happy termination of his labours, had to retire to bed with a sharp attack of illness. The great hospitality shown to members from a distance by the President and other members of the Local Committee will always be remembered by their guests. KEPOET ON THE SOIENTIFIO POETION OF THE ORYPTO- GAMIO SOCIETY'S EXHIBITION, At Edinburgh, on October ii, 1878. By the Rev. J. STEVENSON. IN addition to the general collection, which was arranged in groups with a view chiefly to artistic eftect, separate tables were devoted to a scientific arrangement of species in tlie sequence of genera; and, considering the l)rief time whicli could The Scottish Natiwalist. 21 be devoted to the subject, a wonderfully representative collection was produced. It contained about 200 difterent species, chiefly Hymciioinycetcs. It may be interesting to notice a few of the rarer species contained in this collection. During the excursion at Penicuik, on the day previous to the public exhibition, Mr C. B. Plowright was fortunate in gathering a new species of Paiius^ which has yet to be described. It will be recorded by the Rev. M. J. Berkeley, who determined it, in the forthcoming "Notices of British Fungi" in the 'Annals and Magazine of Natural History.' In a brief notice of the Society's meeting, contained in the last number of ' Grevillea,' Dr Cooke mentions, as probably new, a species of JVectria, which was growing in large patches on the naked ground at Penicuik. Of species which have not previously been recorded as British, we have to notice Ag. (Crep.) calolepis, Fr., a very pretty little agaric; Polyporus spongia, Fr. {P. Herbergii, Rost.) and Crater iimi Friesii, Rost. The latter was found by Mr W. Phillips at Haw- thornden. It is the same as Crateriuui nutans, Fr. (Syst. Myc, iii. 151), and has been figured in " Myxomycetes" (fig. 105). The following were of special interest, as new to our Scottish Flora : Ag. inania'nns, Fr., Ag. brevipes, Bull., Ag. d7yi?ius, P., Ag. alveolus, Lasch., growing on oak-bark; Ag. Phillipsii, B. and Br., a very delicate little species, growing on dead grass, which was identified by the discoverer, Mr W. Phillips; Ag. inujidus, Fr., Cortitiarius decoloratus, Fr., Russula Queletii, Fr., Hygrophorus russo-coriaceus, B. and Br., a species which may be easily mis- taken, but which is readily recognised by its distinctive odour of Russian leather; Cynophallus caninus, Fr., frequent in some parts of England ; Peziza theleboloides, A. and S., a remarkably pretty yellow species, growing in clusters on leaf-mould ; Nectria Rous- seliana, Mont., an inconspicuous species on dead leaves of Box; and Nectria Albertini, B. and Br., remarkable for its tomentose subiculum, but not new to Scotland. The latter species was gathered by j\Ir Plowright in Hawthornden. Some other species of particular interest remain to be men- tioned : notably three which were sent for exhibition by the Rev. M. J. Berkeley, — a new and very pretty species of Hygro- phorus from Coed Coch, which was exhibited also at the Here- ford meeting, and which he has named H. Wynnice ; Hygro- phorus turundus, Fr., var. mollis ; and Hygrophorus lacmus, Fr., a variety of H. subixidiatus, Schum. H. turundus, which Mr 2 2 The Scottish Naturalist. Berkeley found at Coed Coch in 1869, and in subsequent years, has been gathered in several localities in Scotland. In 1874 I found it at Glamis. In 1877 I gathered the typical form on Farragon, in Perthshire, growing on peat soil at an elevation of 2000 feet;. and in September last I found the variety at Loch Maree in Ross-shire. It has also been gathered by Dr Buchanan V/hite in the neighbourhood of Perth. H. lacmiis I gathered also at Loch Maree in September. The stem is remarkable for its yellow base. The Rev. M. L. Anderson exhibited Peziza ammophila^ D. R. and Lev., a striking stipitate species, and Morchella deliciosa, Fr., both species having been discovered by him at St Andrews as new to Britain, the latter in May 1878. A curious circumstance connected with Peziza ajumophila is worthy of notice. Agaricus ammophiius, Mont, and Dur., and Peziza ammophila, D. R. and Lev., have both been discovered by Mr Anderson at St Andrews, growdng together in sand on the sea-shore. Previously they were known only in Algeria, and there also they were found growing together. Two species, which I discovered some time ago as new to Britain, may also be mentioned, as they have not yet been de- tected elsewhere than at Glamis : Ag. scobinaceus, Fr., resembling in some respects the rare Ag. cap ut-Med usee, Fr., which I found also at Glamis during two successive seasons, and which was exhibited at South Kensington and at Perth ; and Polyporus roseus, Fr., remarkable in the earlier stages of its growth for the delicacy of its rose-coloured bloom. I have already, in a pre- vious article,^ referred to Ag. scobinaceus in describing a plant which was exactly intermediate between Ag. caput-Medusce and Ag. scobinaceus. The specimens shown at Edinburgh were scarcely of the typical form of Ag. scobinaceus, but were much nearer to it than the plant referred to. Hydjiuni i7nbricatum, L., and Hydnum fragile, Fr., were for- warded by the Rev. J. Keith from Morayshire. These are worthy of note as not having been met with farther south than Rannoch in Perthshire, where they have been gathered by Dr Buchanan White, the former abundant and very large. The old pine-forests of the North seem to be peculiarly the Scottish homes of the larger Hydna. In the general collection I observed some fine specimens of Nidularia; but on inquir}', I have been informed by Mr J. ^ Scot. Nat., vol. iv. p. 20. The Scottish Naturalist. 23 Anderson-Henry of Woodend, that they appeared in the soil of a wardian-case which he had from New Zealand ; so that, though interesting, they cannot be regarded as native. The following may be mentioned as hitherto less commonly found in Scotland. Several of them may be regarded as fre- quent, but local : — Ag. (^Amanita) patiiherinus, D. C, Ag. {Lepiotd) rachodes^ Vitt., Ag. {Ar7?iillaria) miicidiis, Schrad., very infrequent during most seasons, though abundant in some localities during 1878; Ag. {Tricholomd) equestris, Linn., resplejidejis^ Fr., first found in Britain at Forres by Mr Keith, but since gathered in several localities in England and in Wales ; Columbetta, Fr., stdphureiis, Bull., niidusy Bull. {Lepista 7iuda, Sm.), Ag, {Clitocybe) 7tebt/laris, Batsch., Ag. (Colly bia) stipitarius, Fr., Ag. [Mycena) galopus, Pers., Ag. {Ento- loma) Jubattis, Fr., Ag. (Pholiota) caperatus, Fr., fine specimens; Ag. {Flammula) conissaiis, Fr., Ag. {Naiicoria) aicumis, Pers., Cortinariiis glaucopus^ Schaeft'., aerulescens, Fr., casta?ieus, Bull., Hygrophorus calyptrceformis^ B. and Br., a pure white variety of which also was gathered at Penicuik ; Fistulina hepatica^ Huds., Polyporus Schweifiitzii, Fr., intybaceiis, Fr., sidphureus, Bull., chioneiis, Fr., ladeus, Yx.,fragilis, Fr., applajiafiis, VQrs.,fojnenta- rius, L., Dcedalea qtiercina, L., Merulius pallcns, Berk., Sparassis crispa., Wulf , Clavaria amdhystina, Pers., very large fine clusters ; fumosa^ Pers., Typhula erythropus, Bolt., Treviella epigcea, B. and Br., Lycoperdoii giga?iteinn, Batsch., a very large specimen; Cra- teriiim mimitiim, Fr., Piicdnia chrysosplenii, Grev., Urocystis porn- pholygodes, Schl, Anthina flammea, Fr., Hdvella crispa, Fr., lacimosa, Afz., unusually large specimens ; Mitrula cucullata, Fr., found previously in Scotland only by Greville, and recorded in his 'Flora Edinensis ;' Peziza cerea, Sow., Helotiiim daro-flavum, 'BQxk.,pallescens, Yx.,Hypoviyces rosdlus^TvA., Xylaria polymorpha, Grev., Sphceria ostrutliii, Fr. ZOOLOGY. TH-E LEPIDOPTEEA OF MONOKEIFIE HILL. By Sir THOMAS MONCREIFFE, Bart. [Conthmedfro/n Vol. IV. p. 340.) TiNEINA. Exapate cojigelatella. — Not a common insect here. [Very plentiful in the young Scots-fir plantations with heathtr under- growth, on the Logiealmond range of hills to the west of Dun- keld.] CJiimabacche phryganella. — A common autumn insect at Mon- creiffe. Does not appear to vary. Cfagella. — Very plentiful in March and April. Especially attached to beech here. I have taken one male, the wings of which are yellowish-wiiite, and quite destitute of markings ; the body, head, and thorax yellow. Semioscopis avellanella. — Common in March and April among birch. I. have taken this insect on the wing freely at night with the lantern. Diplodoma viargiiiepunctella. — I have rarely met with this in- sect. As there are plenty of fungi, it is probably more common than is supposed. OchsenJieimeria birdella. — The only specimens of this insect I have taken were crawling up the grass-stems on a rough bank near the river. I have never seen it on the wing. It ai)pears in July. O. hisontdla. — Common, particularly on an open flat at an elevation of 500 feet. Ti?iea 7-iistkella. — This insect must feed on other things than cloth, as althougli I take it in the house and in tlic outhouses, I also take it freely in my garden of an evening, and on Moncreiffe Hill up to 700 feet. Those I take at a high elevation are T/w Scottish Naturalist. 25 much darker, stronger made, and more strongly marked insects, than those I take about the house. They probably feed on skins, feathers, &c. T. tapetzclla. — A pest in a harness-room or farm -stable, if the horse-collars, saddles, &c., are not properly attended to. T. granella. — Not uncommon, but not such a common insect as T. doace/ia, which is abundant everywhere. T. inisella. — Common, and generally distributed. All the insects belonging to this family which we have here may be net- ted on the wing in the evening twilight, and most of them come to light. T. fuscipunctella. — I have only one specimen of this insect, taken in an outhouse here, in July; but I may have overlooked it. T. pellio7iella. — Common, and generally distributed. T. lapella. — Also a common summer insect. T. biselliella. — Thank goodness, I have scarcely been able to procure a set of this insect here, as it is one of the most destruc- tive to furniture that we have. T. se7nifulvella. — This pretty insect is common along the wood- sides here. Mr Stainton does not mention upon what the larvae, feed ; probably rotten wood. T. bistrigeila. — This pretty little insect, which always strikes me as being unlike its congeners, is not very common here. I have beaten it off birch in June. • Lamprojiia 7'ul)iella. — Locally common among raspberry- bushes. Is very noticeable where it occurs, flying about the food-plant in the evenings early in June. Ificurvaria inasciiklla. — Common among birch. /. pedinea. — Not so common as the last, and appears somewhat earher in April and May in the same locality. Neinophora stvainmerdamdla., and N. Sdiwarziella. — Both these insects occur here commonly in the month of May. Adda fibidella. — Plentiful wherever I have observed it; par- ticularly so amongst a large bed of Hypericum, the flowers of which appear to have a great attraction for it. May and June. A. viriddla. — Plentiful among Vaccinium myrtillus under scat- tered birches in the month of May. Mic7'opteryx calthdla. — Plentiful in May among meadow-hay near my house, and otherwise distributed. M, seppella. — Plentiful in the same locality. 26 The Scottish Naturalist. M. allionella. — Plentiful on heather and Vaccinium among scattered birches at an altitude of 600 feet. I have observed the heather-blossoms perforated by some small larvae in that neigh- bourhood, but have failed to trace them. M. piirpurella, M. semipurpiirella, M. iinimaculellay and M. sparmanella, may all be beaten off birch at all altitudes in April and early in May. M. suhpurpiirella. — Plentiful on oak. In windy weather I have seen the grass below the oak-trees alive with specimens. Swammerdamia apicella. — Not uncommon in June. From the localities in which I find this insect, I presume it feeds on blackthorn as well as on plum. S. ccBsiella. — Not uncommon near old thorn-trees and hedges. S. griseocapitella. — Common among birch through the summer months. Hypotiomenta padellus {variabilis). — One of my sons beat a specimen of this insect off an apple-tree in my orchard in August 1876. No other specimen has been observed here before or since. H. padi {eiionyjfiella). — This insect occurs in one locality here, where I have beaten it off bird-cherry, and taken it on ragwort- blossom. Prays airtiselliis. — Plentiful among the ash-trees. I have never heard of the dark variety being taken here. Plutella critciferaruin. — Plentiful everywhere. Varies con- siderably in size and in the colour of the dorsal streak. Those I take at the higher altitudes among the heather are larger and more richly marked — i.e.^ more rosy — than those that frequent the fields below, which usually have white or yellowish dorsal mark- ings. It appears in May, and is flying still in numbers, Oct. 19, 1878. P. porreddla. — Plentiful among a large bed of Hesperis mat- ronalis, which grows on and under the rocks on Moncreiffe Hill. Flies in May and on through the summer. P. dalella. — Common and generally distributed. I presume this insect hybernates, as I have taken it at sallow-blossom in the month of April. Cerostoma vittella. — C om m on. C. radiatclla (variclla). — This common insect may well be called variella, as it varies here from black to white, brown and yellow, and the markings are just as variable as the ground colour. The Scottish Naturalist. 27 C. costdla. — Frequent but local. May be beaten off birch at the higher altitudes in July. It varies considerably in the size and brilliancy of the costal streak. C xylostclla {harpella). — Not uncommon. May be easily bred from honeysuckle in spring. Does not vary. Dcpressaria costosa. — Common, particularly at the higher alti- tudes, wliere the furze is most abundant. August, &c. D. liturella. — Locally common. The larva may be taken full fed in the rolled-up leaves of Centaurea nigra at the end of May and beginning of June, and the. imago .on the flowers in the evening and after dark with a lantern in August. D. umbellana. — Common in the same localities as costosa, in August, &c. D. assimilclla. — Common among broom in the month of June. D. arenella. — Common in autumn among thistles and knap- weed. D. ajigelicelia. — To be taken also in several localities in August. B. ci}iifloiiella. — Mr. Herd has taken this insect on Moncreiffe Hill. I have never met with it. D. applajia. — Abundant everywhere. I have taken this insect, as also costosa and unibellana, in February and March, frequent- ing the Cupressi in the evenings. D. ciliella. — I have beaten this insect from thatch in winter. D. pulcherrimella. — I have only one specimen, captured in August in front of my house. As, however, the food-plant is common, I presume I have overlooked it, although I have failed to notice the larvae at work. D. nervosa. — The larvae are common in the stems of CEnanthe crocata, and emerge in August in the imago state. D. heracliana. — The same as £>. nervosa, except that the food-plant is Heraclium sphondylium. TEE NATURAL HISTOEY OF THE GALL-MAKING OYNIPIDH. ABOUT a year and a half ago, we briefly noticed (Sc. Nat., IV. p. 117) the curious and interesting discovery of an alternation of generations in the gall-making Cynipidae made by Dr Adler of Schleswig. Mr Peter Cameron subsequently pub- Hshed a paper (Sc. Nat., IV. p. 152) entitled ''Does Alternation 2 8 The Scottish Naturalist. of Generations or Dimorphism occur in European Cynipidae?" in which he argued theoretically against the existence of such an alternation of generations ; but since then he has admitted that he "attached too much importance to mere negative observa- tions;" and is "very glad to say that I have this spring made some observations on Neurotenis lenticidaris which confirm those of Dr Adler" (Entom. Month. Mag., XV. p. 13, June 1878). In 'The Canadian Entomologist' for May 1878 (Vol. X. p. 85), Dr H. Hagen has reviewed the whole subject; and as the magazine in which his paper appears is probably not seen by a majority of our readers, we will reprint most of the article. We may mention that several other entomologists have been suc- cessful in repeating Dr Adler's experiments. Dr Hagen writes as follows : — " The natural history of the interesting gall-insects is still some- what mysterious. A large number of observations have been made here and in Europe by prominent entomologists ; nevertheless, a careful study of the most detailed papers always gives the impression that something is still wanting to explain the various facts related by the authors. Among the Hymenopterous gall- insects important progress was made in the discovery, by the late B. Walsh, of the dimorphism of C. q. spongifica and C. q. acicii/ata, the latter one a parthenogenetic species. But even here new observations are wanted to fill some gaps in the history of those species. Mr W. F. Basset, of Waterbury, Conn., draws my attention to the fact that in a letter in the Proc. Entom. Soc. Lond., April 1873, p. xv, he 'did state most emphatically his belief that all one-gendered gall-flies were the alternate of a two- gendered brood from galls of a different form.' " Two papers by Dr Adler, from Schleswig — ' Contributions to the Natural History of the Cynipidae,' and ' On the Ovi- positor and on Oviposition of Cynipidce,' in ' Berlin Entom. Zeitschr.,' vol. xxi., 1877, Dec. — which have just arrived here, are prominently remarkable. I believe the way so long sought for is found, to understand the complicated relations not only of the Hymenopterous gall-insects, but probably of all other gall- insects, and perhaps, also, of some other insects not gall-pro- ducing. These papers are equally remarkable botli vby the manner of the experiments, the judicious conclusions drawn from them, and the clear and plain description of what he has observed. Dr Adler has raised the species through several years. In Cynipidae the raising is less difficult, as the eggs are The Scott is Ji Naturalist. 29 mature the moment the insect has passed its last transformation : the females are usually disposed to lay the eggs directly, and are, at least many of them, not disturbed by observation ; therefore the experiments with them followed through several years be- come more reliable. " The parthenogenesis of Rhodites ivsae was proved by direct raising through three years. The fact is, indeed, more remark- able as males exist in a very small number, about one to a hundred females : but a copulation was never observed. The females carefully separated after their transformation, laid the eggs in confinement. Moreover, a number of females were dissected and showed always the recej^taculum seminis empty, therefore proving that the eggs were not hnpregnated. " Other series of observations lead to the interesting discovery of alternating generation by a number of species, which were considered to belong to different genera, but are now proved to be the winter form and the summer form of the same insect. ^^ Nemvte?'ns fumipennis w^s raised from the galls, the imagines placed on oak-buds, the oviposition observed, and the plants isolated. The galls originating from them were entirely different from those galls out of which N. fiwiipeiinis was raised. By further growth they proved to be the well-known galls of Spathe- gastcr albipes, which species was raised from them in due time. These two Cynips belong to two different genera, and differ in size. Neuroterus^ the winter form, is agamous, only females known, and the receptaculum seminis was always empty ; the eggs are laid deep in the buds. Spat/iegaster, the summer form, is bisexual, males and females in regular proportion and copu- lating ; the receptaculum seminis of the egg-laying females being always filled with spermatozoa. The eggs are laid on the leaves. To complete the cycles, Spathegaster galls carefully confined were raised, and gave in due time Neuroterus. Tlie experiment was made repeatedly on a large scale and with excellent precau- tions, so that no doubt is possible. Now, as the fact is known, it is rather remarkable that it was not sooner discovered, as it is entirely impossible for Spathegaster 2iX\Aior Neuroterus to produce the galls out of which they are always raised. Spathegaster pos- sesses a short and somewhat degraded ovipositor, just fit to injure the superficies of a leaf and to lay the egg; Neuroterus possesses a long, bent and complicated ovipositor, able to per- form the rather difficult act of entering the bud and laying the eggs in the basis of the bud, but would be scarcely able to injure 30 The Scottish Naturalist. the superficies of a leaf in the same manner as Spathegaster. I think this admirable discovery is of the greatest importance for further observations. If we find again a species with an oviposi- tor not fit to make the galls of the species, we are justified in pre- suming a similar alternating generation with some other species. '' The difficult question how the eggs of Cynips are able to pass through the comparatively small ovipositor, is described with much detail and acumen. The observation was only possible by the ingenious device of chloroforming the insects in the act of oviposition, and making an anatomical investigation of the parts. By repeating the observation many times in different stages of the act, a full series of observations, one completing the other, gav^e a clear and satisfactory result, and at the same time the place was ascertained in which the egg was laid. A large number of other interesting details concerning the formation, structure, and the growth of the galls, are given, which must be studied in the original paper. I may only add the sur- prising fact of the continuous rotation of the embryo in the ^gg, till it is hatched. The rotation is not made as in molluscs, by vibrating cells, but by the alternate contraction of long spindle- shaped cells, which are attached to the hypodermis. " Similar experiments with similar results followed also through the whole cycles, proved that Ncurotenis lenticidaris is the winter form of Spathegaster baccarum, and N. nuviismatis the winter form of Sp. vesicatrix. Dr Adler adds that experiments with all three species are not very difficult, and he believes that every student will be able to repeat them. " It seemed to the author more than probable that such alternating generation would not exist alone in Neuroterus. Similar observations and experiments followed through all the cycles proved that Dryophanta sciitellaris is the winter form of Trigonaspis cnistalis, and Dryopha7ita longiventris the winter form of Spathegaster Taschenbe?'gi ; but for the last species only half the cycles was till now ascertained. " Direct observations proved that the egg of Dryophanta is laid with the egg-body downwards and the stem of the egg upwards. The situation is just rtversed \n Neuroteri/s : and as the egg is always hatched through the hind portion, the larva of Dryophanta is obliged to make its galls downwards in the cambium, and the larva of Neuroterus upwards on the leaves. " Another agamous genus, Aphilothrix, possesses an ovipositor similar to Neuroterus^ and it seemed impossible that the large The Scottish JVatura/ist. 31 galls out of which it develops could be made by such an ovi- positor. Similar observations gave the result that ApJiilothrix radicis is the alternating generation of Andriais uodiili, and Aphilothrix Sieholdii of Audricus tcstaceipes. Neither Aphilothi'ix nor Andriais develop in the same year ; each of those genera needs two years for its development ; therefore the whole cycle runs here through four years, and till now only half the cycle of Ajid7'icus bred from Aphilothrix galls has been ascertained by observation. " I think there can be no doubt that the agamous C. q. acicu- lata is the winter form of the bisexual C. q. spongifica^ just as Neu7-oterus and Dryophanta ; but here both species have the same kind of gall, and both species are less different than those above quoted. " The remarkable success of Dr Adler's experiments with the Hymenopterous galls induced me to compare the rather large collection of Dipterous galls from Europe and America belonging to the Museum. I found directly some forms entirely similar and corresponding to the alternating galls of Cynips ; but the collection is rather poor in bred specimens of the insects. Just in the presence of the judicious and sober observations of Dr Adler, it would not be proper to say more than that it is not difficult to point out galls of Cecidomyia similar to both forms of the alternating Cyjiips galls. It is to be presumed that in Cecidomyia, as well as in Cynips, the form of the ovipositor will be different; but such investigations can scarcely be successful with dry specimens. '■'- 1 may add one observation, made by myself, by which it is at least probable that bisexual species of Cecidomyia may also pro- pagate by parthenogenesis. Some twenty years ago, occupied with the study. of insects obnoxious to agriculture in Prussia, I had stalks w-ith cocoons of Cecidomyia destructor in corked glass tubes. In one of them I raised a single female, and was sure that no other cocoon was present. The female laid a number of eggs on the glass, which, after a few days, began to develop so far that the embryo and the segmentations of it were clearly visible. By some mischance the glass tube was left in sunlight and the development stopped. Though I have not been able since to repeat the observation, I am sure that I was not mistaken. I think it is justifiable to presume a possible parthenogenesis for Cecidomyia, which, if proved, may lead to successful results con- cerning the destruction of this dangerous pest. 32 The Scottish Naturalist. ''After having studied Dr Adler's papers, I remembered di- rectly some similar facts given by Mr Lichtenstein in Stettin. Entom. Zeit, 1877, on the Hemipterous genus Phylloxera; the alternation is here very remarkable. The bisexual form origi- nates from pupae, which are produced by larger-winged forms, which possess no external sexual organs, and can therefore not copulate. j\Ir Lichtenstein calls this form of propagation antho- genesis. A certain similiarity with Cynips consists in the fact that the different forms of Phylloxera emigrate in spring and re- turn in the fall. So the well-known Ph. vastatrix emigrates from the leaves to the root of the same plant, and needs therefore no special winged forms for the purpose of emigration. But Ph. qiiercus changes to another tree, and needs therefore two winged forms, which are different one from the other. One partheno- genetic form brings the summer colonies from Ilex to Pobur, and another anthogenetic fall form brings them back from Rohir to Ilex. The fact that some species possess two different winged forms will probably reduce the number of the described winged species. Till now it is only known that Ph. Iichte?isteinii is the anthogenetic form of Ph. quercus, and Ph. Signoretii probably the same form of Ph. flo7'e7itijia. Mr Lichtenstein presumes that many Pemphigus and Adelges will possess similar forms, and ob- servations made by myself on one species in the last year seem to favour his opinion. " Such alternations stated without doubt for Hymenoptera and some Hemiptera, and probable by analogy for some Diptera, will certainly not fail to occur in other orders, and are probable in some Lepidoptera heterocera. " A paper by Mr P. Cameron, in the ' Scottish Naturalist ' for October 1877, the substance of which is incorporated and fully approved in the President's Address to the Entomological Society of London, arrives at conclusions entirely unfavourable to Dr Adler's memoir. To corroborate my views about the memoir I wish to give a few statements. " Dr Adler gives the facts upon the discovery ' of the Parthen- ogenesis of Rhodites rosae' on ten pages, about two-thirds of the first part of his memoir. ''In May 1872, Rh. rosae in large numbers was gbserved ; some few males appeared, which were put, together with several females, in the breeding cabinet ; but no copulation was observed. For further experiment were chosen females appearing later, of which, by careful observation, it was certain that none of them The Scottish Naturalist. 33 had been with any male. Those females were put on bushes of Rosa canina: on May loth, 12 wasps ;^ May 13th, 16 wasps; May 26th, 10 wasps ; June 2cl, 6 wasps, — together, 44 wasps. Of those 26 wasps were observed in the act of oviposition, and the twigs were marked with a thread around each. The first formation of a gall was observed June 5th, and in all only nine twigs formed galls ; giving the positive result that unimpregnated eggs had developed. The experiment was tried again for the purpose of having surer results by repetition, and to investigate why the first experiment was without result in so many cases. In 1874 there were put, June 2 2d, on rose-bushes 8 wasps, 4 of which were observed in oviposition, none producing galls ; June 23d, of 10 wasps, 4 ob- served in oviposition, 2 producing galls ; June 27th, of 12 wasps, 5 were observed in oviposition, producing 3 galls. '^ Of the 13 wasps observed in the act of oviposition, 4 were dis- sected, and the receptaculum seminis stated to be entirely empty (without spermatozoa). Every one of the wasps spoken of was carefully observed and not lost sight of till the wasp had begun the oviposition, in which act some persevered for more than 24 hours. Of course observation was not followed through this whole time, but every few hours it was again observed that the wasp was continuing the oviposition. The five produced galls were in November preserved for the experiment of the following year. In the spring of 1875 there were raised from them 35 wasps, all females, and a large number of parasites. These wasps were put again on rose-bushes as soon as they appeared on May 26th, June 2d, 5th, 7th, and oviposition observed on 1 1 twigs. After II days some of the eggs were examined, and the embryo found in different stages of development (more details are given). Of the 1 1 twigs 6 produced galls, out of which were raised in spring, 1876, 28 wasps, all females. Those wasps were put on rose- bushes June 26th, July 2d, July 4th, and oviposition observed on 13 twigs, which produced 8 galls. Therefore, through three years parthenogenetic propagation was observed. The objection that in experiments thus made in the open air oviposition could have been made on the same twigs by other wasps, cannot be refuted directly; but if it has been noticed so many times that only galls were produced in the observed and marked places, I believe it is allowable to conclude that none except the observed oviposi- tion had been made. 1 "Wasp" is used here to designate the perfect gall-insect or fly, and is not restricted to a species of Vespa as is usual amongst us. — Ed. ' Sc. Nat.' C 34 The Scottish Naturalist, " The other question, if the unimpregnated eggs are regularly developed, was answered in the affirmative by repeated experi- ments, which are very simple and very easy to be repeated. I put female wasps, raised by myself, which had not been with a male, on shoots of rose put in a jar in water. As soon as the wasps began oviposition the shoot was placed in a breeding cabinet. After oviposition had ended, the wasp was examined anatomically, and the vesicula seminalis found to be empty. The eggs were examined after 12 hours, and the peripherical layer of cells around the dark yolk was seen ; in the following days the development advanced in the regular manner. " Dr Adler gives on five jDages more the most interesting de- tails upon the formation and growth of the gall. As Ji'h. rosce is common here, this part of the memoir is of great value for American students. If we look in Mr P. Cameron's paper, we find about this matter on p. 156, as follows : — " ' With the bisexual Cynipidae the males are in some species nearly as common as the other sex; in others, as in Rhodites, they are very rare.' That is all ! " On the alternation of generations in Cynipidae the first part of Dr Adler's memoir contains only (6 p.) the beginning of the experiments with Neiwoterus fumipennis. The second part (24 p.) was published three months later than Mr Cameron's paper, which contains, nevertheless, some of the names of the species (5 out of 7) treated in the second part, probably out of a pro- visionally published notice, unknown to me. **' Dr Adler having raised in 1874 out of all Nacrotenis finni- pennis galls nothing but Spathegaster albipes, decided to observe them more exactly. The experiments with Newotents fiimi- pe7inis were made in 1875 i^^ the following manner: — " The galls were collected in the autumn before. When the wasps began to appear, they were put on a small oak-tree in a tub in a cool room. When a wasp began oviposition, each twig was enclosed in a glass tube, after the bud had been marked with a thread. There were marked INIarch 14th, 12 buds; March 19th, 10 buds; March 24th, 8 buds; March 26th, 6 buds — in all, 3i6 buds. Besides those, other wasps were put on cut oak-twigs placed in damp earth or sand (in which manner the twigs keep well three weeks and longer as good material for observing the eggs), and after oviposition was observed, the iso- lated twig was covered with a glass bell. The wasps were ex- amined after the oviposition, and the receptaculum seminis found TJie Scottish Naturalist, 35 to be empty. The receptaculum is in the agamoiis species always somewhat atrophied ; in the bisexual species the external membrane is pigmented, and even if empty, forms a ball. " Besides those experiments, others were made at the same time in the open air. The oviposition was observed March 31st on 5 buds, April ist on 7 buds, April 2d on 12 buds, April 7th on 12 buds, April loth on 40 buds, April 12th on 38 buds; al- together on 114 buds. A curious fact is related, that in 42 buds the ovipositor of the wasp Avas found left in the bud. " The results of the different experiments were as follows : The small oak-tree in the tub was kept in the room, and began to bud in the beginning of May, and the leaves were developed enough. May 14th, to see if galls were forming. Of the 36 marked buds, 13 had no galls produced; on the others, in all 36 galls were counted. It is to be remembered that here oviposition was made and observed in the room, the twigs carefully isolated by glass tubes, and kept in the room till the tree began to bud. Therefore it is impossible that eggs could have been laid by other wasps. The galls were those of Spath. albipes. Concerning the experiments in the open air, the leaves of the tree were. May 20th, so far developed that the formation of galls could be ob- served, and again the galls were those of Spath. albipes. Out of the 144 buds marked, galls were found on 6d>, with about 300 galls. The oak chosen was a small shrub four to five feet high, easy to be examined, and showed nowhere any other galls. " Out of the collected galls a large number of Spath. albipes was raised in the first half of June, and were put in a breeding cabinet with a small oak-tree. As no copulation nor oviposition was observed, Dr Adler decided to try observation in the open air. He succeeded, June 3d, in finding several females of Spath. albipes in the act of oviposition, and secured six wasps, several leaves, and marked four leaves on which he had observed ovi- position with a thread. The lens showed that an egg was de- posited. The secured wasps were put on the small oak in the" breeding cabinet, and now the wasps were observed ovipositing on two leaves. The next day the wasps were examined, and showed the receptaculum seminis full of spermatozoa. On June 5th and 6th several more wasps in the act of oviposition were observed, and six leaves marked. In the first fortnight no change in the leaves was seen ; in the third week the substance of the leaf where the egg was deposited was visibly thickened — the larva had left the egg, and the formation of the gall began. 36 The Scottish Naturalist. Then the progress was very slow ; after four to five weeks, in the beginning of July only a very small hairy disk was seen, and only in the end of July the galls could be recognised with certainty as those of Netiroto'us fumipeiniis. On all ten leaves such galls were produced. "1 have given liere the substance of Dr Adler's experiments only for one pair of individuals, but in the same manner the memoir contains them for seven pairs." Occurrence of Deiopeia pulchella in Scotland. — Mr W. J. Kerr has sent me a specimen of the rare and beautiful moth, Deiopeia pulchella, which has not, I think, been previously recorded as a native of Scotland. Mr Kerr writes: "When fishing on the Teviot between Kelso and Rutherford, I took Deiopeia pulchella, either in August or September 1876. The insect was sitting upon a blade of grass ; and though I searched carefully, I could only- find the one specimen." — Thos. Moncreiffe, Moncreiffe House, Bridge of Earn, Nov. 20, 1878. Capture of Larvae of Acherontia atropos.— I had three caterpillars of the Death's-head Hawk-moth brought to me lately. The first was found in a field of potatoes on the 28th ult., and the other two were found in a heap of stones about the beginning of this month. They were not found at the same place, the first mentioned being found some two miles from the other two. — .Thomas Marshall, Stanley, Perthshire, Sept. 17, 1878. Esquimaux Curlew. — A fine specimen of the Esquimaux Curlew {A^uf?ienius borealis) was shot by Mr W. Ramsay on the estate of Slains, on Saturday, 28th September last. The bird, which proved a male, was in good condition. The stomach was crammed with crow-berries (Knouperts), amongst which were several flies and one caterpillar. Extent of wings, 25^ inches, length from point of beak to end of tail, 13^ inches ; length of beak, measured over ridge, 2 inches ; tarsus, 1 3^ inch ; wing, from carpel joint, 7% inches ; weight, 8 ounces. This is the second of this species on record for Scotland, the first having been shot on the estate of Durris, Kincardineshire, on the 6th September 1855. The one now obtained answers well with the description of the first as given in 'The Naturalist,' vol. v. p. 265 ; as also with Swainson's description of the species. Wilson, in his ' American Ornithology,' describes a bird as N. Iwrealis, of proportions so different from the testimony of all other authors with which I am acquainted, that it is evident he has made a mistake in the bird's identity, or the others have. — George Sim, Aberdeen. Stock-dove (Columba anas) breeding in Scotland. — I have much pleasure in recording the fact of a pair of Stock-tloves {C. anas)hvi\\wg bred this season on a rocky hill at the back of this house — this being, so far as I am aware, the first recorded instance of their having nested in Scotland. I first discovered the nest after some difficulty on the 28th June, and it then con- tained two young birds nearly hatched. The old birds were very shy, and although I spent many hours watching for them, could rarely catch them The Scottish Naturalist. 37 coming to their nest. They apjieared to feed the young chiefly early in the morning, or very late in the evening, just before dark. I had several oppor- tunities of identifying them satisfactorily, as they sat on the rocks a couple of hundred yards off, and I might frequently have shot them. When the young were fully fledged, I took one, and kept him in a cage for a week, but he eventually escaped ; and I have since seen him, or some of his i-elations, more than once flying about the hill. The nest was built in a hole in a cleft of the rocks, and the entrance to it entirely concealed by overhanging heather. In the last number of the ' Ibis,' p. 382, there is a note of three specimens having been shot in Scotland early in the summer. There is no doubt these birds would have bred if they had been left alone. — A, B. Brooke, Cardney, Dunkeld. REVIEWS. Transactions of the Natural History Society of Aberdeen, 1878. 8vo, pp. 98. — The Natural History Society of Aberdeen (the third of that name) was instituted in 1863 ; but though its meetings have been regular, and its life apparently altogether healthy, this is the first volume of Transactions that it has published. Not, however, the first of its publications, as from time to time several excellent papers, which had been read at the meetings, were printed and circulated. The present volume, after a brief sketch of the work of the existing Society and its predecessors, commences with a paper on the " Progress of Zoology in Aberdeen and its Neighbourhood," from the pen of Professor J. W. H. Trail. Zoology, it seems, has been much less a field-study in Aberdeenshire than Botany. Consequently it has been thought desirable to devote the greater part of the first volume of Transactions to that department of Natural History, with the view especially of showing what is the present state of knowledge x-egarding the local fauna, and of pointing out what remains to be done in the future. The four following papers ai'e also by Dr Trail, and include "Introductory remarks on the Entomology of 'Dee,'" and lists of the Insects, of the Spiders, and of the Galls and their Makers that have been found in the district. The zoological province or district "Dee," as defined in this Magazine, is adopted by Dr Trail, and divided into seven sub-districts, which he describes and illustrates by a map. Then follows a pretty extensive list of the Lepi- doptera (to the end of the Tortrices), with their sub-district destribution as far as known. This list contains the names of 455 species. Of some of the other orders of Insects, short lists are given ; but, as in most parts of the country, comparatively little attention has yet been paid in Dee to the "neglected orders." The list of the Araneid?e or Spiders is more fully worked out, and is rather extensive. All the species were collected by Dr Trail himself who gives some excellent hints on the best methods of collecting spide.s. ;^S The Scottish Naturalist. The article that follows is the longest in the volume, and is also by Pro- fessor Trail, The subject is, "Galls and their Makers in 'Dee,'" and is treated at great length. Dr Trail, as our readers know, interests himself very much on the subject of galls, and has contributed many notes thereon to our columns. These notes he has rearranged into systematic form, and now republishes with considerable additions. After giving a sketch of the classification of galls, proposed by Frauenfeld and expanded by Schenck, Dr Trail gives a list of the galls of Dee, according to the plants on which they occur, with description of each gall and name of its maker. He next gives a list of the insects that make the galls, with the plants galled by them, and concludes with an analysis or summary of the galls and the gall-makers. Up to the present time he has found 27 natural orders and 96 species of plants bearing galls of 155 kinds in "Dee." By far the greater number are made by the gall-midges (Cecidomyidae). The article will altogether be found to be very valuable and interesting. Mr George Sim follows with a list of the Crustacea of the north-east coast of Scotland, and, in connection with the late Dr Dyce, with a catalogue of the "Fish found in the Vicinity of Aberdeen." In this list the scientific, " English," and local names are given. Of the latter, some are very curious. The volume concludes with remarks on, and a Synopsis of the British species of, the genus Sphagiinm (bog-mosses), by Mr John Sim. Proceedings of the Natural History Society of Glasgow, Vol. III. Part III. Pp. 221-360. 1S78. — As usual, these "Proceedings" contain many valuable papers treating of all depai'tments of Natural History, and for the most part relating to the Fauna and Flora of the west of Scotland. Space will not permit us to notice this part at greater length — at least just now. We have also received from the same Society "A Catalogue of the British Tenthredinidce," by Mr P. Cameron, which, like all the other publi- cations of the Society, is well got up, and likely to prove valuable. We have been asked to call attention to the "Postal Microscopical Society," which exists for "the circulation, study, and discussion of micro- scopic objects, and for the general advancement of microscopy and the natural sciences amongst its members." This is acomplished by the circu- lation by post of microscopic slides, with notes, &c., amongst the members, and appears to work well. It is now proposed to add to the objects studied by the Society "a special series of Histo- and Patho-logical slides," to circu- late almost exclusively amongst the medical members. Persons desirous of further information regarding this Society may get it from the Secretary, Mr Alfred Allen, i Cambridge Place, Bath. INSECTA SCOTICA, THE LEPIDOPTEEA OF SCOTLAND. {Continued fro?/i Vol. IV. p. 321.) Edited by F. BUCHANAN WHITE, M.D., F.L.S. DURING the seven years that have elapsed since this list was commenced, the study of the geographical distribution of the Scottish Lepidoptera has received a considerable impulse. Many new workers have arisen, and, as a natural consequence, our knowledge of the distribution in Scotland of species already known as Scottish has not only been very much increased, but several species — some of them very unexpected — have been added to our list. It is chiefly in the south of Scotland that this good work has been done, as it is in that part of the country that most of the new workers have appeared. Regarding the Lepidoptera of the north and of the north-west, a great deal re- mains to be learnt. In the following series of papers I purpose giving — istly, The additions (some of which require corroboration) to the list of species; 2dly, The additions to the district distribution; ^Pi^ t #s^3^ 3dly, A summary of the chief features of the distribution 90^^jj_k^/(i Scottish Macro-lepidoptera. /Ovo^^^ ^^ I. Additional species : — / / RHO PALO CERA. IujILIBRAR NYMPHALID^. \^\ VANESSA Fab. > POLYCHLOROS L. Very rare Distribution — East. Tweed Forth [Tay] Dee 0000 West. 00000 Lat. 56°-57°. Range in Europe. Nearly throughout. Type. European. Type in Britain. English. Time of Appearance — Imago. July, August-May. Larva. June, July. Food-plant. Elm. As only one or two specimens have been taken or seen in each of the dis - tvicts indicated, it is possible that this species is not really established in Scotland. 40 The Scottish Naturalist. PIE RID ^. KJwdocera Rhavini L. A single specimen taken in Forth (Fife) by Dr Power (Scot. Nat. II. 20). LYC^NID^. LYC^NA Fab. ASTRARCHE Bgstr. (1779); ^/^(fj-^/j-Hh. (1793.) Local. Pascual. Distribution — East. 00000000 West. Solway 0000 Lat. 55 ^ Range in Europe. Nearly throughout. Type. Territorial. Type in Britain. English. Time of Appearance — Imago. June-August. Larva. July-May. Food-plant. Erodhim cicutarimn. Mr Robert Service, to M'hom I am indebted for information regarding most of the additions in the Solway district, writes that this species is or was common at Mabie, in the neighbourhood of Dumfries, but that the var. Artaxerxes is very local in the district. Mr Service has kindly sent for my inspection a specimen of each form. The Dumfries Astrajxhe (to judge from the specimen) is nearly half-way between the south English insect and the usual Scottish one {Ariaxe^'xes) ; and the specimen sent as Artaxerxes agrees very well with the description of the north English form, Salmacis Stph. Though now considered to be but varieties of one species, Asirarche, Salmacis, and Artaxerxes were thought, not very long ago, to be all good species, but if a number of specimens from various localities between the south of Europe and central Scotland are examined, a series can easily be selected showing the gradations between the southern Astrarche and the northern Artaxerxes. HBTEROCEIIA. LIPARIDID^. Orgyia ptidibiinda L. has been taken once in Solway (by Mr Service), and possibly in Tay (by Sir T. Moncreiffe), but is probably only an acci- dental introduction. A R 0 T I I D ^. DEIOP.T3IA Steph. PULCHELLA L. Very rare. Distribution — East. Tweed 0000000 West. 00000 Lat. 55° 40'. Range in Europe. South; sporadic in central. Type. Meridional. Type in Britain. English! Time of Appearance — Imago. July-October. Larva. July. Food- plant. Myosotis, &c. A single specimen taken near Kelso by Mr W. J. Kerr (Scot. Nat., v. 36) has been seen by me. The Scottish Naturalist. 41 LITHOSIID^. LITHOSIA Fab. COMPLANA L. Not common. Distribution — East. 0000 [Moray] 000 West. Sol way 0000 Lat. 55°. Range in Europe. Nearly throughout. Type. European. Type in Britain. English. Time of Appearance — Imago. July. Larva, May, June. Food- plant. Lichens. OYMATOPHORID^. Asphalia dilnta F. Admitted to the list as a doubtful native ; seems really indigenous in Solway, and is also reported from Clyde. ACRONYCTID^. ACRONYCTA Ochs. TRIDENS Schiff. Not common, or overlooked. Distribution — East. Tweed § §00000 West. Solway § 000 Lat. 55°-56^. Range in Europe. Central and northern. Type. Centro-septentrional. Type in Britain. English. Time of Appearance — Imago. June. Larva. August, September, Food-plant. Plum, &c, ORTHOSIID^. T(eniocampa nmnda Esp. Doubtfully admitted hitherto ; is indigenous in Solway. HADENID^. HADENA Tr. TRIFOLII Rott. (1776); chenopodiiY. (1787). Distribution — East, o [Forth] o Dee o West, o [Clyde] o Lat. 56°-57^ Range in Europe. Throughout, ritorial. Type in Britain. English. Time of Appearance — Imago. June, July. Larva. Food-plant. Chenopodiinn. Professor J. W. H. Trail tells me that this species has really been taken in Dee, but whether it is indigenous is doubtful. The ab. Iwicbergensis Frr. of Epumia lutulenla has occurred in Argyle (Cooke), and Dee (Trail). 0 0 Type. 0 0 0 Ter- July, August, 42 The Scottish Natui-alist. CATOCALID^. CATOCALA Schrk. FRAXINI L. Very rare. Distribution — East. Tweed o o o o o o o West. o o o o o Lat. 55° 50'. Range in Europe. Central (to S. Finland). Type. Central. Type in Britain. English. Time of Appearance — Imago. August-October. Larva. June, July. Food-plant. Ash, poplar, and aspen.' For the discovery of this and the following species we are indebted to Mr W. Shaw (Scot. Nat., vol. iv. p. 12). NUPTA L. Very rare. Distribution — East. Tweed 00000 West. 00000 Lat. 55° 50'. Range in Europe. Central (to South Sweden). Type. Central. Type in Britain. English. Time of Appearance — Imago. July, August. Larva. May, June. Food-plant. Willow and poplar. HYPBNODES On. COST^STRIGALIS Stph. Rare. Distribution — East. 00000000 West. o Clyde 000 Lat. 56^ Range in Europe. West central. Type. Occi- dento-central. Type in Britain. English. Time of Appearance— Imago. July. Larva. . Food- plant. On the authority of Mr T. Chapman. AMPHIDASIB^. AMPHIDASIS Tr. STRATARIUS Hufn. (1769) ; //'^^;w;/^;7^ Schiff. (1776). Rare. Nemoral. Distribution — East. 00000000 West. Sol way 0000 Lat. 55°. Range in Europe. Central. Type. ^ Central. Type in Britain. English. Time of Appearance — Imago. March, April. Larva. June- August. Food-plant. Oak and birch. Taken by Dr Sharp and Mr Service. The Scottish Naturalist. 43 EUaONIID^. EUGONIA Hh. FUSCANTARIA Hw. Not common. Nemoral. Distribution — East. 00000000 West. Solway 000 Lat. 55°-56°. Range in Europe. West central. Type. Oc- cidental. Type in Britain. English. Time of Appearance. — Imago. August, September. Larva. June, July. Food-Plant. Ash. I have seen a specimen taken by Mi- Service. EURYMENB Dup. DOLABRARIA L. Rare. Nemoral. Distribution — East. 00000000 West. Solway 0000 Lat. 55°. Range in Europe. Central and northern. Type. Centro-septentrional. Type in Britain. English. Time of Appearance. — Imago. June. Larva. August, September. Food-plant. Beech and oak. QEOMETRID^. NEMORIA Hh. VIRIDATA L. Rare. Nemoral. Distribution — East. 00000000 West. Solway 0000 Lat. 55°. Range in Europe. Nearly throughout. Type. European. Type in Britain. English. Time of Appearance. — Imago. May, June. Larva. August, Septem- ber. Food-plant. Bramble and hawthorn. FIDOlSrilD^. ASPILATES Tr. OCHREARIA Rossi (1794); citraria Hh. (after 1797). Not common. Distribution — East. 00000000 West. Solway 000 Lat. 55°. Range in Europe. South and west-central. Type. Meridional. Type in Britain. English. Time of Appearance— Imago. May, June. Larva. July, August. Food-plant. Low plants. Taken by Messrs Service (who has kindly let me see a specimen) and Len- 44 The Scottish Naturalist. # non near Dumfries. It has also been reported from Skye, where so southern an insect is scarcely likely to occur. In England oc/wearia has not, I think, been recorded as occurring north of Suffolk and South Wales. Hence its occurrence in Scotland is of much interest. BOARMIID^. BOARMIA Tr. ROBORARIA Schiff. Rare. Nemoral. Distribution — East. oooooooo West. Sohvay o o o o Lat. 55". Range in Europe. Central (to Finland . Type. Central. Type in Britain. English. Time of Appearance. — Imago. June, July. Larva. August-May. Food-plant. Oak. Hetnerophila abniptaria Thnb. has been taken in Dee (Trail), but was probably an accidental introduction. LARENTIID^. ASTHENA Hubn. SYLVATA Hh. Rare. Nemoral. Distribution — East. oooooooo West. Sohvay 0000 Lat. 55°. Range in Europe. Central (to Finland). Type. Central. Type in Britain. English. Time of Appearance. — Imago. June, July. Larva. August. Food- plant. Alder. Eupithccia plmpindlata Hh. is recorded — with some doubt — from vSol- way (Service). THE OOLEOPTEEA OP SCOTLAND. {Contmued from Vol. IV., p. 364,) Edited by D. SHARP, M.B. MELANDBYAD^. TETRATOMA Har. FUNGORUM Fab. Rare. Distribution — East. Tweed o o o o ^o o o West. 00000 ANGORA F. Scarce. About Scots fir. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth Tay Dee Moray o o o West. Solway Clyde 000 ♦ The Scottish Naturalist. 45 ORCHESIA Har. MINOR Walk. Rare. On flowers of mountain-ash. Distribution — East, o o Tay Dee Moray o o o West. o o o o o HALLOMENUS Har. HUMERALIS Panz. Rare. In Trametes pini^ &c. Distribution — East, o o Tay Dee o o o o o West. o o o o o ABDERA Har. TRIGUTTATA Gyll. Rare. Distribution — East. o o o Dee Moray o o o West. o o o o o FLEXUOSA Payk. Rare. In Polyporus radiatus on alder. Distribution — East, o o Tay o Moray o 0*0 West. Solvvay 0000 ZILORA Har. FERRUGINEA Payk. Very local. In Polyporus ahiefinus on dead Scots fir. Distribution — East. 000 Dee Moray 000 West. 00000 XYLITA Har. L^VIGATA Hell. Rare. Highland. Distribution — East, o o Tay Dee Moray 0000 West. 00 o o o LAQHIID^. LAGRIA Th. HIRTA L. Very local. Distribution — East. §000 Moray 000 West. §0000 AISTTHICID^. NOTOXUS Th. MONOCEROS 1>. Local. Maritime. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth 2 West. § g 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o o 0 0 o § 0 o o Dee o 0 o o I^lyde o o o 46 The Scottish Naturalist. ANTHICUS Th. FLORALIS L. In rubbish-heaps. Distribution — East. § Forth West. g SCOTicus Rye. Very local. Distribution — East. o Forth West. § PYROCHROID^. PYROCHROA Th. PECTINICORNIS L. Local. Highland. In birch stumps. Distribution — East. 000 Dee Moray 000 West. 00000 MORDELLID^. ANASPIS Th. FRONTALIS L. Common in flowers. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth § g g o o o West. Solway g o o o RUFiLABRis Gyll. Common. In flowers. Distribution — East. g g Tay Dee Moray 000 West. Solway §000 FASCIATA Forst. Not common. In flowers. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth g g g o o o West. Solway g o o o RUFICOLLIS Fab. Occasional. Distribution — East. g Forth 000000 West. Solway g o o o THORACICA L. Rare. Distribution — East. 00000000 West. Solway 0000 MELANOPA Forst. Common. In flowers. ■East, g Forth g AVest. Solway goo Distribution — East, g Forth g g g o o o o The Scottish Naturalist. 47 RHIPIDOPHORID^. MBTCECUS Redt. PARADOXUS L. Parasitic in wasps' nests. Very rare. Distribution — East. o Forth 000000 West. o Clyde 000 CANTHARID^. MELOE Th. PROSCARABCEUS L. Not common. Lowland. Highland. Distribution — East, g Forth Tay Dee Moray 000 West. Solway Clyde 000 VIOLACEUS Marsh. Rare. Distribution — East. 000 Dee 0000 West. o o Argyle 000 CURCULIONID^. OTIORHYNCHUS Th. TENEBRICOSUS Hbst. Very rare. Distribution — East, o Forth 0000000 West. Solway 0000 I have never seen a specimen found in Scotland of this species, and record it on the authority of Murray's Catalogue. EBENINUS Schon. Distribution — Unknown. " A few specimens taken in the West of Scotland. Mr R. K. Greville." Murray Cat. ATROAPTERUS de G. Local. On sandy coasts. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth § Dee Moray o o Shetland West. 8 o ^ o o LIGNEUS 01. Not common. In sandy places. Distribution — East. § §000000 W^est. Solway Clyde 000 SEPTENTRIONIS Hbst. Highland. Local. Distribution — East, o o Tay Dee Moray 00 o 000 West. o o 48 The Scottish Nattu-alist. MAURUS Gyll. Sub-alpine. Scarce. Distribution — East. § § Tay Dee Moray o o Shet- land West. Solway Clyde o o o BLANDUS Schon. Sub-alpine. Common. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth Tay Dee Moray Suther- land o Shetland West. g o o o o o o 0 PICIPES Fab. Very abundant. Distribution — East, g Forth Tav Dee Moray g o o West. Solway o o o o o 0 SULCATUS Fab. Rare. Distribution — East, g Forth Tay 0 0 0 0 o West. g o o o RUGIFRONS Gyll. Not common. Distribution — East. g g Tay o o o o o 0 o West. Solway o c o 0 0 AMBIGUUS Schon. (fide Rye). Distribution — East. o o Tay 0 0 0 o 0 West. o o o 0 0 OVATUS L. Common. Distribution — East. g Forth . Tay o o o o o 0 o West. Solway Clyde o o o MUSCORUM Bris. Not rare. Distribution — East, g Forth o o Dee 0 0 0 0 West. Solway o o o o 0 O. scahrosus Marsh, is recorded in Murray's Catalogue from " Dollar, Ber- wickshire, East Lothian, &c. ; " but I have never seen a specimen found in Scotland, and conclude the record must be erroneous. OMIAS Seid. MOLLINUS Boh. Rare. Distribution — East. Tweed o Tay o o o o o West. g o o o o ( To be continued. ) ZOOLOGY. ^ ^^C^ BIEDS'-NESTINa. By ALLEN MARKER. [;jj( LIBRARY ^AS^ AS the time of year again comes round when the nesting o\ tions of birds begin, it may not be unseasonable to make to our readers some plea on behalf of our native birds, and to indicate to all who may have influence to exert, or authority to exercise, on the question of birds'-nesting, methods by which alike the study of Ornithology and the interests of our bird population may be best served, and their preservation insured. Surely of all God's creatures which delight us, those which give us the purest, most unalloyed pleasure, are the >^ " Feather'd songsters of the grove'"! How much of the charm of English or Scottish landscape, of deep wooded lane and open breezy heath and common, is due to the presence of ever active, ever musical bird-life, may be best appreciated by a visit to countries where the birds are songless, or where, as in many parts of the continent, for great stretches of country, scarce a bird is to be seen. Such a visit could not fail to impress the lover of nature with a sense of his duty to use his endeavours to preserve from the dull monotony of a birdless country, the melodious fields and hedgerows of rural England. It is not solely on behalf of the birds themselves, and their nests and eggs, that it seems desirable to awaken greater interest and action, but also in favour of a more systematic and accurate study of the subject, combined with a true scientific use of the knowledge thus obtained — knowledge which is now in a purpose- less manner allowed to become lost. The building of a bird's nest, the choice of site, the selection and gathering of materials, the deft skill that carries on and per- fects the work ; the number, size, and colour of the eggs, their variations, the period of incubation, the sex of the incubator, the D 5© The Scottish Naturalist. condition of the new-born young, their growth and first essays at independent flight — these are events in the natural history of the bird, no less interesting or important to the ornithologist than its anatomy, its distribution, or any other of the chapters in its life- history. But in addition to their interest to the ornithologist, these events have ever possessed a special charm and interest for the young of all ranks of life. The beauty of the nest, and the beauty of form and colour of the egg, accompanied, too, by the novelty of finding such a treasure, combine to present a tempta- tion to the finder too strong for any schoolboy to resist. The desire of possessing coloured and shining objects, which he pos- sesses in common with the savage, whose adult condition of mind he represents, leads to the destruction by him of a vast number of eggs and nests ; for the youth, having taken the prize, speedily tires of his acquisition, and the eggs are soon broken, and new " sensations " sought for. Most people will agree that such wanton destruction is to be deplored; but for ages birds' -nesting has been the schoolboy's licence, and while most parents disapprove of it, few go the length of absolutely prohibiting it — still fewer use it as a means of im- parting that pleasing knowledge of the natural history of birds which would soonest cure the propensity, and teach the youth at once humanity and zoology. That some efficient protection should be given to eggs and nests is the unanimous feeling of naturalists. At present, the parent birds themselves are protected during the season of nesting by a somewhat imperfect — but still, as far as it goes, a very beneficent — Act of Parliament; but it need hardly be pointed out that if a female bird is not allowed to rear any young, the chances against it (personally or by its oftspring) surviving the winter, or, if it is a migratory bird, of returning in the following spring, are increased by as many times more as the number of young it might be supposed to rear; and in this way persistent and injudicious birds'-nesting may soon diminish the number of birds in a given area. And that birds'-nesting has this effect will not be doubted by any one whose study of the subject has led him to remark the diminution of small and rare birds in particular districts, or by one who has had opportunities of know- ing what immense numbers of birds' eggs are annually destroyed by marauding youths. There are always at work enougli of causes — some natural, some artificial — wliich are not preventible, tending to diminish I The Scottish N'aturalist. 51 the numbers of our birds, more especially of our smaller song birds, either by cutting off their food supplies or by destroy- ing their nesting grounds. Every ifield, marsh, or swamp that is drained, lessens the supply of insect life on which a great majority of small birds live; every piece of land that is reclaimed from waste, robs the ground or low bush nesting birds of their habitat. Every wood that is cut down, every gorse-patch that is burned — in short, every advance of cultivation — drives before it some species of birds. It was my fortune to revisit, after a lapse of ten years, a part of the country where some of my earliest birds'-nesting exploits had been carried out. "High-farming" had taken the place of a more primitive agriculture ; the thick high hedges where red- backed shrikes, bullfinches, linnets, and long -tailed tits were wont to nest, were supplanted by neat trim-cut hedges three feet high, and not thick enough to offer cover for the smallest of birds. The deep ditches with high grass-grown banks, once the haunt of wood-wren, lesser whitethroat, or whinchat, had dis- appeared, and patches of gorse and heather, where redpole and linnet once dwelt, had been burnt and stubbed out long ago. These causes, which for the birds' sake we may deplore, we can- not nor should v/e wish to prevent ; and even consolation is to be found in that while one species of bird may be driven out, another suited to the new condition may follow and take its place. The richest arable lands are especially the resort of the lark, who dispels the monotony with his "sweet jargoning." It is rather with preventible causes that we have to deal; and to the indiscriminate and utterly wanton birds'-nesting, for no intelli- gent or intellectual aim or object, which goes on in every parish in the country, a check must be applied. Here it is that the authority of parents and schoolmasters should come into force. It is in most cases due as much to ignoj'ance as to wantonness or destructiveness, that the youthful birds'-nester takes eggs for which he has no use — no idea of use, in fact; they serve to gratify his instinct for finding and possessing pretty objects, and then are strung on a string as an orna- ment, or made cock-shies of as an amusing pastime. Had he been taught anything of the importance of the nest and eggs to the continuance of the parent birds; or had any facts of their history, as of how birds differ from other animals, or how in a sense a nest and eggs are as much a part of the mother as the embryos of viviparous animals, — his nesting for pure wanton 52 The Scottish JVatiira/ist. destruction of his spoil would at least be checked ; or if he proved not amenable to such reasoning, should be forcibly pre- vented and heavily punished. But a remedy for checking birds'- nesting in the intelligent boy who wishes to avoid wantonness, but at the same time claims a right to make his collection of eggs as much as another collector has one to make his of butter- flies or birds, must be sought in another direction, and is worth the consideration of lovers both of birds and of intelligent and inquiring schoolboys. In passing it must be remarked that schoolboys alone are not to be blamed for purposeless birds'-nesting, and it would be unfair to pass over as great a culprit — the amateur adult collector, whose condemnation should be as much greater as is his opportunity of knowing better. It has been well remarked that few, if any, advances have been made by human beings in their history but have been accompanied by a concomitant development of special vices, originating in a perverted application or use of the benefits gained by the advance. The form which this aberration assumes in connection with the rise and progress of Biological science is as a mania for amassing large collections of animal structures, whether shells or birds' eggs, or the animals them- selves, without any reference whatever to their structure or history, or to the educational purpose they might serve, when this latter exists at all. When you see in the drawers of a col- lector of birds' eggs a long series of the eggs of the kingfisher or a wild duck, not one egg in each series differing in any way from another, the inane purposelessness of the thing — not to use any stronger term — is evident. No clearer proof could be given that the great majority of egg-collecting — that is, by others than school- boys— arises from a barbarous desire of possession alone, than that it is seldom if ever accompanied by the collecting of birds* Jiests, from which probably much more is to be learned of bird history than from the eggs. I need only refer to the learned observations of Pouchet on the changes which he remarked in the building of the nests of species of Hinindo^ to instance the interesting and important results which a study of nests might lead us to. Compare the nest of a chaffinch with those of its congeners the greenfinch or the bullfinch, or that of a sedge warbler with that of the wood-wren : how totally different they are, one feels inclined to say, — comparing incom parables, more different than the birds themselves. Or to go further, compare one chaffinch's The Scottish Naturalist. 53 nest with another, and note the variety in material, and even in construction, adapted to some peculiarity of situation or sur- roundings. Here is a field for observation and comparison by means of which the philosophical student may hope to catch some glimpses of the working of the laws which have taught birds, as they must in time have been taught, to build nests in endless variety of form and material. Little, if anything, has been wTitten beyond mere speculation on this subject, which presents so much scope for investigation. In spite, too, of all the vast collections of birds' eggs which have been made, we are still almost entirely in the dark as to any theory, even, of the causes which have tended to produce such infinite variety of form and colour for what is really but for one and the same end. The method of at one and the same time limiting the ten- dency to purposeless egg-collecting, and systematically extending our knowledge of the whole subject, which it is the purpose of this paper to suggest, is the formation in connection with local museums, or, where these do not exist, with larger schools, of com- plete educational collections of birds' nests and eggs. Under the judicious guidance of the head-master, this might be done with but a minimum of wrong to the parent birds in at most three years, and the eggs and nests which would be required to complete such a collection would be many times fewer than what are annually destroyed in the same area, and would, by being carefully housed and attended to, obviate, as I shall endeavour to show, the necessity for repeated nesting in time to come. Many years ago I assisted at the formation of such a collection for a small country museum, and our method of preserving and displaying it to the best advantage being devised chiefly with a view to economy of space and material, it may be useful to briefly describe it. We took our nests generally before any eggs, or but the first, had been laid, and binding them carefully with tape or cord we saturated them or sprinkled them with some preservative liquid (methylated spirits and corrosive sublimate solution is best), to kill any vermin and keep away moths in the future, and then dried them and packed them in drawers or boxes. The eggs we got when we could. Our collection being nearly complete, we had a wall case about 5 feet high and 12 inches wide made, with shelves sloping at an angle of 45°. On the bottom shelf we placed the large nests, such as those of the crow, rook, jackdaw, magpie, &c., putting into each nest 54 The Scottish Naturalist. the number of eggs usually laid, not necessarily, and indeed sel- dom, taken from that particular nest. On the second shelf, such nests as consist of little more than a few reeds or grasses or a mere hollow scraped in earth were contained in round card-board boxes to hold the materials to- gether. These included the nests of the curlew, sandpiper, gulls, coot, water-hen, ducks, grebes, &c. Smaller boxes held the collection of bones on which the kingfisher lays its eggs, the few grasses that the skylark lines a hole in the soil with, and so on. Upper shelves held the smaller nests ; and when they had been built in holes of trees we cut away the branch, where pos- sible. In time we had not only a very complete collection, but an additional case of such eggs as vary from a common type, and our little museum was the favourite resort of all the school- boys in the district ; and it is certain that much less bird-nest- ing for mere nesting's sake was one outcome of our efforts. Sometimes we had brought us varieties which were not found in our cases, — a result which was most desirable and pleasing, as it evidenced an intelligent appreciation of the uses of a collection. A schoolmaster who will but inaugurate such a collection, will certainly be conferring a lasting benefit on his pupils, and sparing many a nest from careless destruction. Certain it is, too, that if every country town and village had its small, well-ordered, local museum, where the common objects of animal and plant life, which ever will possess an absorbing interest for the young, were displayed in such a manner as to convey some intelligent ideas of their life-history, and relation to each other, among the innu- merable benefits which would accrue, one of not the least would be that there would be created a sympathy between the animals and their keen-eyed observers, and the wanton destruction of myriads of them would be diminished. One of the most pleasant recollections of a short residence in a French country town is associated with its admirable museum, and the character of its visitors on Sunday afternoons. On week-days the students from an ecole de medecine shared with me the examination of its well-arranged cases ; but on Su\iday after- noons troops of peasants and their families took the place of the systematic student, — the husband in his clean blouse, the wife in clean starched cap of marvellous and stupendous proportions, and the children in clean Sunday best. The shouts of the youngsters at the wonders of strange foreign bctcs were only sur- The Scottish Naturalist. 55 passed by their delight at the discovery of old friends like AT. Crapaud ox les pctites papillo?is bleus ; while older schoolboys con- ferred together over cases of beetles or bottles of reptiles, or related, in audible whispers, exploits with beast and bird which the pre- served specimens recalled to mind. For two or three hours the rooms were filled with these happy-faced students of zoology ; and the remembrance of Sunday afternoons nearer home, spent by British peasants in less creditable ways, rose, not unnaturally, in the mind, with the reflection that '' they manage these things better in PYance." In forming such a collection of birds' eggs and nests as I have described, with the desire, at the same time, to collect with such discrimination and judgment as to limit to a minimum, if not to avoid entirely, cruelty or injury to the birds, there are certain broad maxims which must be held in mind; and it is these which it is niy object to strongly impress. It is well established by experience that many birds will go on laying eggs in the same nest after the loss of their first eggs ; and, physiologically, there exists the most ample provision in the mother bird for such a contingency. Others will build new nests again and again after the destruction of their first efforts j but manifestly there is a limit, if only in point of time and season, to these persistent eftbrts at propagating their kind. No egg collector should, there- fore, ever take eggs or nests after a certain date — say, first of June — except in the case of very late migrants. This limiting date should, of course, vary with different species of birds, and in different parts of the country, but should be fixed and rigidly adhered to. A second maxim should be, that no collector should ever take partially-incubated eggs, or disturb the nest in such case ; and lastly, that he should never take any ^gg or nest at all that is not intended to form part of some new public collection, or to supply a blank in such already-established one. The common possession of a perfect collection, which might thus be speedily formed, would not only have the influences which experience has proved similar ones to have on schoolboys, but with " schoolboys of a larger growth " birds and their nests and eggs would become more familiar and interesting objects, and the ranks of orni- thologists be swelled by new and devoted students. Further- more, with such opportunities of comparing observations and discovering variations in habits of nesting, or in the phenomena connected with birds' eggs, the study of birds' nests and eggs 56 The Scottish Naturalist. might in time be raised to the dignity, which it scarcely at pre- sent occupies, of a science. Vast as is the number of facts which we are in possession of regarding the subject, the time scarcely seems to have arrived when these may be formulated, and a theory of birds' eggs be established. The interesting researches of Mr Sorby into the nature and composition of the colouring matter of birds eggs belong rather to the sciences of chemistry and spectroscopy than to those of oology or animal physiology. What has been done towards an elucidation of the subject may form matter for future consideration. If this appeal should in- duce one lover of birds to take any steps to form a permanent and accessible record of their habits of nidification, it will have more than served its object. NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF THE BASIN OP THE TAY AND ITS TEIBUTAEIES. By Colonel H. M. DRUMMOND HAY, C.M.Z.S., B.O.U., &c. I, Aquila chrysaetos, Briss. (Golden Eagle.) Notwithstanding the almost total extermination of most of our birds of prey, the Golden Eagle, we are happy to say, may still be seen soaring over the shoulders of Ben Aldar on Loch Ericht, as well as some of the higher peaks in Athole and Breadalbane ; and were the good examples of some noble proprietors, who allow it to breed unmolested in their deer-forests, a little more followed by others, this fine species might still long be preserved to be an ornament to our mountain sides, and to enhance the interest of our Highland scenery. 2. Haliaetus ALBiciLLA, Cuvicr. (Earne or Sea Eagle.) Though more generally an inhabitant of our sea coasts, this species has for long been known as a resident in the neiglibour- hood of the larger lochs in the district; but I fear, with the ex- ception of a straggler or two from the Continent, and those in the immature plumage, the bird is now scarcely ever seen. Mr James Stewart, who has had long experience as head-keeper on the Earl of Mansfield's grouse-shootings, informs me that some years ago, when in charge of his lordship's shootings in Rannoch, a pair of Sea Eagles, called by the people there the Water Eagle, had their nest for several years in an old fir-tree in a corner The Scottish Naturalist. 57 of the Black Wood by the loch side, and that an old keeper of Struan's told him that he had often seen these water eagles dart down from a great height, and catch the trout in the loch. From the minute description Mr Stewart gives me, I am well satis- fied that these birds were no other than the true Sea Eagle, and not the Osprey. He further tells me that one year there was a pair of what he describes as " light blue eagles, just as near the colour of the Wood Pigeon as can be," which had a nest in an old poplar-tree on an island in Loch Lydon, and that when the eaglets were nearly fledged, they were taken and pegged down in a solitary part of Rannoch Moor, where they were fed by the parents. The old birds were afterwards trapped, but most unfor- tunately were not preserved. When the young eagles were ready for an eagle-house they were both sent to Scone Palace. One of these birds, which lived for many years there, and was afterwards accidentally poisoned, I had frequent opportunities of examin- ing ; this was doubtless a true Haliaetus albicilia, but the whole plumage was of a whitish colour, and it was evidently an albino. Many birds, from certain constitutional causes, attain a bluish, whitish, or even pure white plumage ; but I am not aware that there is any record of this in the Sea Eagle. What may be con- sidered singular in this instance, is not that the young birds were each of a light colour, but that the parent birds should have been exactly of the same bluish ash or dove-coloured plumage. The Common Buzzard is the only one of our raptorial species in which, as far as I am aM^are, there are any great variations of colour in the plumage other than that of the regular changes according to age, and which thus exhibit variations subject to no fixed law. 3. Pandion haliaetus, Cuv. (Osprey.) The Osprey, once, no doubt, a denizen of all our larger lochs and streams, may now, from its wanton destruction, be looked upon as only an occasional visitant. It is said to have bred regu- larly in former times on Loch Rannoch, and probably had its eyrie also on Loch Lydon. Mr Malloch, bird-stuffer, Perth, tells me that a fine specimen of this species has been killed lately on Loch Tay. 4. BuTEO VULGARIS, Bcchst. (Commou Buzzard.) This bird, formerly so abundant in many of our Highland dis- tricts, is now, like most of our beautiful raptores, thanks to strych- nine and pole -traps, become so rare, that were it not for the 58 The Scottish N'aturalist. few which find their way over from the Continent every year on their way south, it might ahiiost be looked upon as nearly extinct. Up to the years 1832-33 they were numerous in many parts; and at that time, within the Dunkeld grounds, where they bred regu- larly, I have noticed them sitting for hours on some exposed branch of a tree. 5. Archibuteo lagopus. Gray. (Rough-legged Buzzard.) Though not nearly so abundant a bird in former times as the above, the Rough-legged Buzzard was always a regular visitant in the Highlands, frequenting for the most part the open moors ; and not further back than the year 1856, numerous individuals were trapped every spring on the Ballyouchan shootings near Pitlochry ; but of late years, I understand, both there and else- where, they have all but disappeared. 6. Pernis APivoRUS, Cuv. (Honey^Buzzard.) Several instances occur of the Honey-Buzzard having been captured from time to time in various parts of the district, chiefly birds in the chocolate-coloured plumage of the first year, but no notice has come across me of its nesting with us, though it does so frequently in many parts of England. These birds, therefore, may possibly be only passing stragglers from the Continent. 7. AcciPiTER Nisus, Pall. (Sparrow-Hawk.) Notwithstanding the great persecution the Sparrow-Hawk undergoes (for should he escape trap or poison, he is ruthlessly shot at whenever a chance occurs), he has, with all this, held his own in the district, perhaps better (with the exception of the Kestrel) than any of his congeners. Many of these, however, may be foreigners, or birds from a distance not bred in the district. 8. Falco peregrinus, Gmel. (Peregrine Falcon.) The Peregrine Falcon was once well represented throughout the whole district, for there was not a rock or cliff suitable for the purpose of nesting or rearing its young wliere a pair of Fal- cons did not take up their quarters, and would still do so were they allowed. Thus, Craig-y-barns at Dunkeld, KinhouU and Moncreifife cliffs, and many other places, each had their oc- cupants; but though these are all now tenantless, it is satisfactory to know that there are still in some of the remoter and less frecpiented parts of the district a few breeding places yet re- The Scottish Naturalist. 59 maining, otherwise this noble bird would be lost to us, like many others, from the mania of over game-preserving and over- stocking. 9. Falco ^salon, Gmel. (Merlin.) Not uncommon throughout the district, but more frequently seen in the autumn months, and then chiefly in the plumage of the first year. 10. TiNNUNCULUs ALAUDARius, Viell. (Kcstrel.) Like the Sparrow-Hawk, the Kestrel has held its own perhaps better than most of the tribe, but no thanks to gamekeepers, who, failing the deadly pole-trap (that most iniquitous of all inventions, as no perching bird of sufficient weight is safe from it), shoot down every Kestrel they see. Had keepers a little more knowledge of ornithology and a little more observation, they might more likely be able to distinguish friend from foe. The Kestrel is almost exclusively a mouse-feeder,^ but to impress such a fact on most keepers would be a difficult matter, for were he told that not only do some hawks feed on mice, but some on frogs, some on beetles, and some even on the larvae of bees and wasps, he would simply look upon you as fairly demented, and possibly make the same reply as that which has more than once been made to the writer, "All I ken is, a haak's a haak, an' au haaks are vermin, an' au vermin must be killed ! " And this, I fear, is the fate of all our owls as well as hawks ; for though the former are mostly mouse, rat, and weasel catchers, they come under the same category in the eyes of the keeper, without a moment's thought or observation. Even the White or Barn OavI, I am quite aware, has the character of taking young rabbits ; but this bird being essentially a night-feeder, if young rabbits choose to be out after hours, along with rats and mice, they must just take the consequences, and no blame to the owl. II. MiLVUS REGALis, Kaup. (Kite.) The Salmon-tailed Glead, as this beautiful bird was familiarly called when once common in all our glens and hill-sides, but which is now all "but exterminated, has still, I am glad to say, a few breeding spots in some of the remoter parts of the Highlands ^ See note on the Nesting of the Kestrel at Murthly Asylum, by XV^^Jf^r: p j-"<^^ M'Intosh, M.D., 'Scot. Nat.,' April 1877, p. 56. /Cw*^'^^ [uj LIBRARY 6o The Scottish Naturalist. where they can rear their young undisturbed ; otherwise it, like the falcon, would ere this have been entirely lost to us. 12. Circus ^ruginosus, Sav. (Marsh Harrier.) An occasional visitant in the district, and, before the extensive drainage throughout the country, was probably not unfrequent. It may still possibly be found in some of the wilder parts of Rannoch Moor, the very home for such a bird, but even there the inevitable pole-trap would make short work of it. A very fine specimen, in full adult plumage, which was shot recently in the district, was shown to me in the flesh by Mr Malloch, bird- stuffer, Perth. 13. Circus cyaneus, Boie. (Hen Harrier.) In the days before keepers vied with each other in making the largest collections of haaks, hoolets, and huddie craws, and nail- ing them to their kennel doors, the Hen Harrier was far from being an uncommon bird, either on the hill-side or the low grounds ; and I have often in the Carse of Cowrie sat down and watched a pair hunting a field, and a most beautiful sight it was to see them working and quartering their ground like a brace of thoroughbred pointers. But since about the year J 832 or 1833 they have got scarcer and scarcer till they have almost totally disappeared, at least in the Lowlands. The female and young were known as the Ring-tailed Hawk, and to the uninitiated passed for a different species. 14. Strix flammea Linn. (White or Barn Owl.) This beautiful and intelligent bird, so useful in the destruction of mice, insects, and reptiles, more than counterbalances, as Mr Gould very aptly remarks, any slight damage it may do by the good it effects in the destruction of obnoxious animals. Though strictly a nocturnal species, it has in common with many others one great enemy, " the keepers' pole-trap," by which means, within the last very few years, it has been, "shame to say," all but exterminated. As a mouser, the wonderful quickness and dexterity it displays cannot be excelled even by the cat, to which I can well testify, as many years ago, when quartered on the island of Vido, in the Ionian Islands, a young white owl was brought to me from the nest. It was fed daily on mice, and was never kept in confinement ; and when fully fledged, used to take up its position on the back of a chair, or on the top bar at the The Scoiiish Naturalist. 6 1 back of the bedstead, wliere it sat motionless all day, occasionally giving vent to its curious snoring note. In the course of a few weeks it became perfectly tame and familiar, and readily re- sponded to call, and every evening at feeding-time was all life and excitement. On liberating a live mouse from the trap, let it attempt to escape ever so nimbly, either under chair or table, even at the further end of the room, " owl " was after him in a moment, and never failed silently but surely to seize his prey, and in a few seconds to return to his favourite stance, when mousey was at once devoured. It may be that his supply of food was not considered sufficient, for shortly he took to hunting for himself, generally disappearing from the room immediately after dusk, and never failing to return about ten o'clock, or after an absence of three or four hours, when a slight tap would be heard at the window, which, on being opened, in would fly owl, and go straight to his perch, give two or three loud snores, and then remain quiet for the night. A small silver plate, with name and regiment engraved on it, was attached by a ring to the leg above the tarsal joint : this never seemed to incommode him. Many months passed, when, having to leave the islands, owl was consigned to the care of a friend who remained behind. Whether not approving of the change of masters, or that he betook to the rearing of a family of his own, is not recorded; but the fact re- mains that, becoming more irregular and longer in his returns, he eventually stayed away altogether, and the last that was heard of poor owl was that, some three years afterwards, he was shot by a sergeant of artillery in mistake for a wild one, the silver plate being still attached. I will now only ask. Can nothing be done to obviate the wholesale slaughter of all our most interest- ing birds? If the hawks must go, at least save our owls. 15. Syrnium aluco, Cuv. (Tawny or Brown Owl.) , Of all our Owls, perhaps the Brown is the most common, and its lively hoot may be heard more or less in all our woods. He bears, however, and I fear with some justice, rather a bad char- acter, as it must be admitted that he has frequently been found guilty of treating his young brood now and then not only to young rabbits, but to young partridges and pheasants, and, strange to say, has even been detected occasionally capturing a trout or two from some neighbouring stream. But the damage he may inflict by his poaching habits is much more than com- pensated by the number of brown rats and weasels he will 62 The Scottish Naturalist. destroy in a season, which, had they been permitted to live, would have been far more destructive to the young game than the owl. Therefore let the sportsman save his shot, and desist from firing at some poor owl which, half-asleep and stupid, is suddenly driven out of some thick tree during cover-shooting, affording an easy and unfailing shot even to the tyro, — a practice which I fear is far too common. 1 6. Bubo maximus, Sibb. (Eagle Owl.) One shot near Pitlochry was a bird escaped from confinement. See ' Scottish Naturalist,' ii. 58, and iii. 359. ] 7. Otus vulgaris, Flem. (Long-Eared Owl.) The Long-Eared Owl, though found at most seasons in our woods, is far more abundant in the autumn months, when large accessions to its numbers reach us from the Continent ; and a very striking instance of this was mentioned to me- by Admiral Maitland Dougal, who, when shooting some covers near Scots Craig on the borders of the lower part of the Tay, in the month of October two or three years ago, in company with some other guns, fell in with a large flock of birds, numbering, as far as he could judge, about seventy, which suddenly rose off the trees some little distance before them. Some shots were fired at them by the party, supposing them to be woodcock. Several of them fell, which, on being picked up, proved to their great surprise to be Long-Eared Owls. This occurring close to the coast, they had no doubt but recently arrived, and had not had sufficient time to disperse. 18. Brachyotus palustris, Bechst. (Short-Eared Owl.) The Short-Eared Owl, which is more diurnal in its habits, fre- quents the more open ground on moors and marshy places, and never in woods, like the Long-Eared. It is rather a scarce bird in the district, but every now and again it is met with, though, as far as I can learn, only in the autumn, when on its passage. It is not at all unlikely, however, that it breeds on some of the more retired parts of the moors, as it is known to do in several places, both in England and Scotland. ( To he continued.) The Scottish Naturalist. 63 THE ACULEATE HYMENOPTEKA OF THE DISTRICT suEEOumi^a dumeries. By ROBERT SERVICE. SO few local lists of Hymenoptera have been published, that the following list of the Aculeates taken in this locality may not be without interest. It must not be regarded as being complete, as my opportunities of day - collecting have hitherto been rather limited, and I anticipate a number of additions to the list when I can manage to go over a wider district. The species enumerated have all been taken by myself, and the great majority within a radius of six or seven miles from Dumfries. The nomenclature and arrangement is that given by Mr Frederick Smith in the ' Catalogue of British Fossorial Hy- menoptera, Formicidae, and Vespidse,' 1858, and 'Catalogue of British Bees,' 2d edition, 1876. I cannot refrain from here expressing my great obligations to Mr E. Saunders of Holmesdale, Tooting, for much assistance on my commencing the study of this deeply interesting Order; and I am sure Mr Saunders will be well pleased to extend to others, becoming collectors of Bees, the same generous assistance. Formica cunicidaria. — Occurs at several localities, but is not so common as the following two species. F. fusca. — Very abundant on the hill-sides and dry hedge- banks and fields. F. nigra. — Very common ; it is also frequently found in hot- houses. Myrmica riiginodis. — As yet I have only found this species at three places in the district — Goldielea, Burnside, and Woodhead — and there it is abundant on flowers in the evenings. M. scabrinodis. — Swarms everywhere, being the commonest Ant of the district. M. Iceviiiodis. — Also very common. M. (yLeptothorax) ace7-voruin. — Single specimens have been met with in various localities, but I have not yet found its nest. Tiphia miiuita. — I took one ? specimen on the flowers of Goutweed {Aigopodiiun podagraria) at Mabie last August. Pompilus plumbeiis. — Seems to be scarce. I saw a few of it near Lochaber in July last, at the foot of a steep thorny bank, and within a few feet of me. I managed to capture one, but 64 The Scottish Naturalist. the others refused to come within reach of my short - handled net, and eventually they dispersed amongst the surrounding brambles. P, {Frioc?ie?niis) sepicola. — Was not uncommon at Burnside in June 1876, but I have not seen it since. Gorytes mystaceiis. — Common. I have taken it several times with the green larva of the "cuckoo spit " (or "gowk spittle" as it is termed here), and once noticed it pulling out the larva, and, after settling on a neighbouring twig, set to work and clean off the adhering frothy substance with its anterior legs. Mellimcs arvensis. — Common everywhere. The sides of Potato furrows seem to be favourite situations for its burrows. M. sabulosiis. — One taken on Gout weed flowers. Crabro dimidiatiis. — I took a Crabro in August 1878, which, on being referred to Mr E. Saunders, was returned as a " curious variety" of this species. It is a ^ and differs from the type in being wholly black, with the exception of a thin line on the basal segment of the abdomen and a spot on each side of the third segment, which are yellow. All the tarsi and a short line on the underside of the tibiae are also yellow. The specimen is also more slender in its proportions. C. pallidipalpus. — Very common ; wherever there is a clump of tangled briars it may be found running on, and flying about the leaves, busily engaged catching small Diptera. C. cribrarius. — Very abundant in August on the flowers of Goutweed. C. patdlatiis. — Not unfrequent in company with the preceding. C. palmipes. — While capturing C. pallidipalpus in June, I found what at the time I thought was a pair of that species /// coitu. However Mr E. Saunders states that the $ of the pair in question is C. palmipes. C. chrysostomus.' — A $ specimen at Burnside in July 1878 on Goutweed. Mimesa bicolor. — Found at same time and place as last, and also on the flowers of Goutweed. Odynerus pariettim. — Very common, especially in thick old copsewoods. Vespa vulgaris. — Common. V. german ica . — Common. V. rufa. — Also common. The past year wasps of these three species were in most unusual numbers, doing great damage to ripe fruit. In several places here the crop of grapes in the The Scottish Nattn-alist, 65 vineries was made almost useless before any serious damage was suspected. The males also were very numerous on the flowers of Eupatorium and Goutweed, and so lethargic as scarcely to move when touched. V. sylvestris. — I have met with this species several times. V. norvegica. — Last spring (1878) a nest of this species was found hanging to one of the lower branches of a dwarf rhododen- dron. I intended taking the nest and contents one day at the beginning of August, but on going to it I found only two males in it, although a day or two previous the nest seemed to have a strong population. I have found the nest occasionally in similar situations, but never noticed that the inmates died off so early in these cases. Colletes succincta. — I have two specimens taken on heath in Lochar Moss last August. Colletes fodiens. — Only once met with, in September 1876, on rag^vort bloom. Sphecodes gibbiis. — Common. I have found it at its burrows and on ragwort flowers. These burrows were on a hard garden- walk; and as bearing somewhat on the supposed parasitism of the genus, I may add that, so far as I could find, no other species of bees were burrowing anywhere near the place. S. rufiventris. — Several found last July on dandelion. S. ephippius.- — Common on ragwort. Andrena albicans. — Very common. Mr Smith says (Brit. Bees, 2d edit, p. 37), "It is commonly found on the dandelion." I have seldom seen it on that flower, but always find the $% numerously at the flowers of Mahonia aqtiifolium in shrubberies, and the ^ s seem specially fond of chickweed flowers. A. gwynana. — Very common ; frequenting crocuses, sallows, and dandelions. In April 1878 I one day had captured a num- ber of this species, placing them in separate pill-boxes. After a while I had a bee in each box, and captured a ^ , which I also wished to keep, and placed him in a box containing a $ . On opening the box when I arrived home, I was surprised to find the pair in coitu. I relate the incident for the purpose of sug- gesting that in some cases this plan might be tried for finding out the species to which the very similarly coloured caesiella. „ semifulvella. 475- jj griseocapitella. „ bistrigella. 476. Hyponomeuta padellus. Lampronia rubiella. 477- » padi. 55 3? 55 76 The Scottish Naturalist. 478. Prays curtisellus. 520. CEcophora subaquilea. 479. Plutella cruciferarum. 521. „ fuscescens. 480. „ porrectella. 522. „ pseudospretella. 481. „ dalella. 523- Endrosis fenestrella. 482. Cerostoma vittella. 524. Pancalia latreillella. 483. „ radiatella. 525- „ leuwenhoekella. 484. „ costella. 526. Glyphipteryx equitelia. 485. „ xylostella. 527. „ fischeriella. 486. Depressaria costosa. 528. Heliozela sericiella. 487. „ liturella. 529- Argyresthia ephippella. 488. „ umbellana. 530. „ nitidella. 489. „ assimilella. 531. „ semitestacella. 490. „ arenella. 532. ,, spiniella. 491. „ angelicella. 533- „ albistria. 492. „ ciniflonella. 534. ,, conjugella. 493- „ applana. 535- „ retinella. 494. „ ciliella. 536. „ dilectella. 495- „ pulcherrimella. 537- ,, curvella. 496. ;, nervosa. 538. „ sorbiella. 497- ,, heracliana. 539- „ pygmaeella. 498. Gelechia cinerella. 540. ,, gaedartella. 499. . , ericitella. 541. ,, brockeella. 500. , , mulinella. 542. Cedestis farinatella. 501- p , longicornis. 543- „ gysselinella. 502. , , terrella. 544. Ocnerostoma piniariella. 503- . , politella. 545. Zelleria hepariella. 504. , , acuminatella. 546. ,, insignipennella. 505- . , artemesiella. 547- ,, fusca. 506. , , senectella. 548. Gracilaria sweederella. 507- , , affinis. 549- ,, stramiiieella. 508. , , confinis. 550- ,, populetorum. 509- ) , rhombella. 551. „ elongella. 510- 5 , proximella. 552. „ tringipennella. 511- , , notatella. 553- ,, syringella. 512- , , humeralis (lyellella). 554. ,, aiiroguttella. 513- , , fugitivella. 555- Coriscium cuculipeniiellum. 514. , , sequax. 556. ,, sulphurellum. 515- , , dodecella. 557. Ornix betulce. 516. , , tenebrella. 558. ,, loganella. 517- , , tenebrosella. 559- Coleophora limosipennella. 518. Ch elaria hubnerella. 560. „ lutipennella. 519. Pic :urota bicostella. 561. „ fuscedinella. The Scottish Naturalist, 77 562. Coleophora gryphipennella. 582. Lithocolletis pomifoliella. 563- alcyonipenella. 583. faginella. 564- albicosta. 584. vacciniella. 565- annulatella. 585. quercifoliella 566. murinipenella. 586. messaniella. 567- c?espititiella. 587. klemanella. 572. albiirontella. 573- luticomella. 574. nigrella. 575- obscurella. 576. rufocinerea. 577- q^gnipennella, 568. Batrachedra praeangusta. 588. Lyonetia clerckella. 569. Chauliodus chaerophyllelus. 589. Cemiostoma spartifoliella. 570. Laverna hellerella (atra). 590. Bucculatrix aurimaculella. 571. Elachista apicipunctella. 591. „ ulmella. 592. „ demariella. 593. Nepticula betulicola. 594. ,, tityrella. 595. Trifurcula immundella. 596. Platyptilus dichrodactylus. 597. „ gonodactylus. 578. Tischeria complanella. 598. ,, acanthodactylus. 579. Lithocolletis cramerella. 599. ,, cosmodactylus. 580. ,, heegeriella. 600. Pterophoms fuscus. 581. ,, ulmifoliella. 601. Alucita polydactyla. Addenda. 602. Ennomos tiliaria. 603. Simaethes pariana. The total number of Lepidoptera recorded in these papers, as having been captured in the space of a square mile at Moncreiffe, is therefore 603. It will be observed that I have, as yet, paid little attention, comparatively speaking, to breeding by collecting the larva. There is, therefore, no doubt that many species among the microlepidoptera will still be added to the list. To all but one or two I can speak from my own personal knowledge, as having taken them myself since January 1872; and the few which I cannot personally speak to have been vouched for by Dr B. White and Mr Herd, both reliable authorities. There are prob- ably few places in Scotland where so varied and interesting a collection could be made within the same space. However this may be, it has given me much pleasure to search out their habi- tats, and to watch their manners and customs, as also to en- deavour to support those who have given their time and labour towards carrying on ' The Scottish Naturalist,' by adding my mite to its contributions. I trust that, in this respect, my example may be followed by others of my countrymen. Moncreiffe, February 1879. 78 The Scottish Naturalist. First occurrence of White's Thrush ( Turdns vaj-his, Pallas = T. IVhitci, Eyton) in Scotland. — In the last week of December 1878 a specimen of this very rare and beautiful Thrush was shot by Mr Forbes Burn at Hardacres, in Berwickshire. Not being aware of its rarity, unfortunately only a portion of the bird was saved — the head and wings unskinned, with part of the skin of the breast and back — and forwarded to me on January 22, 1879, to preserve as an ornament for a lady's hat. I immediately took the necessary steps to try and secure what was left of it for the ornithological collection of the Kelso Museum, which were successful, the owner very promptly and kindly present- ing it to that institution. The relative lengths of the prima,ries may be inter- esting, as they differ from Yarrell's measurements of the original British specimen, which was shot by Lord Malmesbury in Hampshire, January 24, 1828, and named after White of Selborne by Mr Eyton, who was not aware that it had been previously named T. varius, and described by Pallas as an inhabitant of Siberia. Length of wing from carpal joint 6^ inches ; first feather very short, iX ^nch ; the second feather in the right wing is ^ inch (probably not being full grown) ; and in the left about y% inch shorter than the fourth. (The second and fourth in Lord Malmesbury's specimen were equal.) The third is the longest in the wing, being about y% inch longer than the fourth. Length of bill from gape, one inch four lines. The marking on the head is also different. Yarrell says : " The feathers on the upper part of the head and neck, yellow-brown, tipped with black." In this specimen these feathers are black (becoming lighter on the basal half as they go backwards), with a yellow-brown spot about one-sixteenth of an inch from the tip. In other respects it agrees with his description so far as can be seen. I believe another bird of the same kind was seen on January 19th by Mr A. Steel. It was feeding on a bare sandy spot, under some large willow- trees, at the south end of Kelso bridge. He had an excellent view of it before it took flight ; and after seeing the remains of the Hardacres specimen, he is convinced that it belonged to the same species. Both birds were solitary. In Yarrell's lifetime there appears to have been great confusion between the true T. varms and other allied species. Professor Newton, who has seen and examined this specimen, has very kindly communicated a large amount of interesting information concerning these birds, especially to those who have not seen his edition of Yarrell's 'British Birds' (1872). I there- fore give the following extracts from his letters : "At least nine examples of tliis bird have been before now killed in Britain. They are — 1. Christchurch, Hai.ts^ 24th January 1828. 2. Ban don, Cork, December 1842. 3. Welford, Warwickshire, 261)1 January 1859. 4. ])allymahon, Longford, 1867. 5. Ilestercombe, Somerset, January 1870. 6. Langsford, Somerset, 6t]i January 1871. ^ 7. Hickling, Norfolk, loth October 1871. 8. Castle Eden, Durham, 31st January 1872. 9. Probus, Cornwall, early in January 1S74." After mentioning the example said to have been killed in the New Forest, and another example recorded as having been killed near Huddcrsfield, wliich, he thinks, wants confirmation, Professor Newton says : "I have heard also of three otlicrs having been seen — one in Kent, one in Yorkshire, and The Scottish Naturalist. 79 one in Durham." So this is the tenth authentic instance of White's Thrush having been killed in Britain. " On comparison with a specimen that has been long mounted, the fresh beauty of the colours in yours is very decidedly marked, yet I fear that no- thing can be done to preserve its tints, and that when as many years have elapsed their riclmess will have disappeared. I have wholly failed to find any indication that would enable me to determine the sex or age of your bird. There is no question about its being the true Turdtis varhis of Pallas, though the tail is wanting — an unfortunate thing, as therein lies one of the most curious characters of this species— one that is possessed, so far as I know, by only one other species of Thrush —the presence of fourteen instead of twelve rcctrices. " The real White's Thrush, T. varius, Pallas, was first described as an inhabitant of Siberia, to which country, and to the N.E. of Asia {i.e., China and Japan), it is now known to be a regular summer visitant. Owing to causes which I cannot attempt to explain, a small number of examples seem yearly to migrate "cvcstivard in autumn, and to come into Europe, where they occur as stragglers ; but the majority, no doubt, retire more or less due southward, for they have been obtained in winter in the Philippine Islands, and suchlike places. " In Java there is a Thrush to all appearance extremely like the true T. varius, even to the curious character of having fourteen tail-feathers. This Javan bird was described by Horsfield under the name of T. varius, he being ignorant (it would seem) that Pallas had previously applied the same specific name to another species. But the Javan species appears to be a resident in that island, or at any rate not to possess the migratory habits of the East Asiatic species, and accordingly the Javan species has a comparatively short and rounded wing, in which the second primary is considerably shorter than the sixth, and all the quill-feathers are much broader. This Javan bird is now usually known as Turdus (or Oreocinda) horsjiddi. In India, Ceylon, and Australia are other species with much the same colouring as that of T. varius and T. Jiorsfieldi, but they have all only twelve tail-feathers, while the two above mentioned have fourteen. There are, however, other characters by which they may be distinguished, though these require some knowledge of the subject to detect them ; and I am sorry to say that, both in this country and on the Continent, persons have been found unscrupulous enough to try and pass off examples of the Indian and Australian species for those of the true T. varius. Over and over again have I seen in collections the Australian bird personating the true T. varius. No one who knows the difference can fail to detect the difference directly ; but there is a large number of persons who are deceived, and it is clear that Mr Yarrell himself was one of them, for his description of the specimen shown to him, and said to have been killed in the New Forest, proves to have belonged to the Australian bird ; and indeed, I have since been told by Mr Gould, who perfectly recollects the circum- stance, that it was stuffed with Australian wool ! " — Andrew Brotherston, Shedden Park Road, Kelso. 8o The Scottish Naturalist. THINGS TO BE OBSEEVED IN 1879. CONSIDERING the most unusual character of the winter which we have just endured, it seems extremely desirable that observations should be made (and recorded) of many natural phenomena. Such observations are not only interesting in themselves and beneficial to the observer, but have a much greater value in assisting to throw light on the causes of some facts in the geographical distribution of species. We may point out a few of the things to be observed. The Ornithologist will have of course been very much con- cerned about the hardships that his favourites have undergone, and the havoc that the scarcity of food has made in their ranks. At the same time he will have been on the look-out for any unusual visitors, as well as observant of any temporary changes of habits or forced migrations on the part of the non-migratory birds. The coming spring and summer will show what species have suffered most, and it will then be interesting to observe how the numbers are recruited, and what effect, if any, the severe weather has had upon the arrival and departure of the spring migrant, the times of nesting, &c. Observations of a similar character should be made on the mammalia, amphibia, reptiles, and fishes. To the Entomologist a wide field of observation is open. The effect of the long- continued cold upon the vitality of the species, and the state of development in which such species are — /.(?., whether the ^gg, larva, pupa, or perfect insect is best fitted to resist the cold ; the abundance of individuals of those species {e.g.^ Vanessae amongst the butterflies) which hibernate in the perfect state ; the times of appearances, more especially of the spring insects, in comparison with the dates of former years ; and especially, the degree of colour-variation in different species, and whether this variation, if it exists, tends to melanochroism or leucochroism (more intense or more dilute coloration). Observations should also be made on the effect of the severe winter upon terrestrial and aquatic mollusca, &c. Many things may be observed by the Botanist : the dates of the flowering of plants and of the leafing of the deciduous trees ; the effects of the cold upon indigenous and introduced plants, &c. If any of our readers will favour us with notes, few or many, on these or similar observations, we will be happy to give them place. The Scottish Naturalist. 8i Notes on the Effects of the Past Winter in the South-east of Scotland. — The extreme seventy and the long duration of the winter of 1878-79 will be long remembered, and notes of its effects in different localities will be in- teresting. Judging from newspaper and other reports of the numbers of birds that have died from starvation in various parts of the country, this district, so far as my experience goes, has suffered comparatively little. Although the frost was not so severe, or the snow so deep, as in some localities, still it was very hard, the thermometer, in the vicinity of Kelso, falling on two nights to 3° below zero. The effect on different species and genera of birds has been very different. The great majority of those that I have dissected have been in excellent condition : " pined " birds are the exception. Indeed, I have had more very fat bii'ds, with fewer ' ' pined " birds in proportion, during the past winter, than any previous one that I can remember. The fat appears to be a provision of nature to protect them from the cold. Fieldfares and Redwings felt it most : they suffered severely in the early part of the storm ; but very few of them died while they remained with us, which was not long after the storm commenced.^ I believe they would either go farther south or take up their quarters on the coast, where thei'e would be something turning up for them after every tide. Wood-pigeons, for the most part, fared badly; but some were to be had in good condition throughout the whole winter. In the second week of February I saw numerous Cole- Tits (no Blue Tits : most pi'obably they had migrated southwards) flying and searching about for insects or their larva on the trees and hedges, in their usual active manner. Chaffinches, Bramblings, Sparrows, and other hard- billed birds, have, to all appearance at present, come through the ordeal with very little loss. About the usual numbers are to be seen in their regular haunts, which, to the farmer and gardener, is rather unfortunate. What with the destruction of birds of prey, protective laws, &c., the great increase in the number of the hard -billed birds in many parts of this district has become a perfect pest. The following notes are from birds dissected during the winter: — Hawks (Sparrow and Kestrel) were very fat ; Owls also, especially the Tawny Owl, exceedingly fat. The only substances found in their stomachs were the remains of mice and a few rats. The Creeper and the Skylark were in fair condition in the middle of February. In the beginning of the same month, a pair of Siskins, which had been feeding on the seeds of the alder, were in excellent condition. Rooks generally are in fair condition. Some of them commenced nesting at Ednam, Edenhall, and other places in this neighbour- hood, in the end of February — the usual time — which, if they had been hard up, would not have been the case until later in the season. Kingfishers, of which I had four during the storm, were all fat. They were obtained on the smaller burns and streams that were not frozen over. The cold does not seem to have any bad effect upon them, unless, as sometimes happens, they get frozen to their perch. Grouse — both black and red — in February, though not fat, were in fair condition ; one, a grey hen, was obtained in the beginning of the month on Tweedside, a few miles below Kelso — a long way from its natural haunts (the Lammermoors, on the north— or the Cheviots, to the south). It seemed to have eaten any green thing that came in its way. The crop was distended with a large quantity of newly-swallowed leaves and ^ Some of them have now returned (March 10). — A. B. ^'"y \ C>4 / *^'-°'^.^'^k\'. The Scottish Naturalist. 83 a number of feathers in its stomach. I may here mention, that on the same day that the Great Crested Grebe was shot, I received a beautiful adult male Glaucous Gull in full winter plumage, which was shot on the Magdalene Fields, Berwick. Three Little Auks were captured during the winter ; all were very much emaciated, being little more than skin and bone — one of them was found fully fifteen miles from the sea. The various species of Gulls were very fat. Several of them, in the very depth of the winter, were fatter than any birds that I had previously seen. Judging from the contents of their stomachs, it is difficult to say what they had been feeding upon — a few small fish ; but chiefly, I think, the carcases of animals and dead fish which have floated down the river. Any Squirrels that I have had were also fat. The Squirrel by some is supposed to lie dormant during frost, but I am con- vinced that such is not always the case, as I have seen them when it was very hard. The Rabbits, especially in the upland districts, suff"ered very severely ; whilst in some parts, where they had access to the turnips — which were a splendid crop — they fared better. Much damage has been done by them in young plantations by barking the trees. The Field Vole (Arvicola agrestis) has also been very destructive (on one estate, at least, that I have seen) ; but their work is not so apparent, as their operations were confined to bark- ing the young trees just above the surface, where it is hidden by the withered grass and other herbage. From the above notes it will be seen that there are many birds which, instead of having been starved with cold and hungei", were the opposite. Their natural instinct came to the aid of those which felt it most, taking them either to the sea-shore or to warmer climates, where suitable food and shelter would be more easily obtained. Now that the winter is past, the small birds, instead of being all but annihilated, as many writers prophesied, are still to be seen in about their usual numbers. It is impossible as yet to judge, with any degree of certainty, the effects of the winter on plants ; but, so far as 1 can see, it will not be so destructive as that of 1860-61, when most of the Laurels (both Portugal and Bay) in this district were either killed to the ground or so seriously damaged that they had to be cut over. The little damage they have sustained is chiefly confined to gross young shoots — the result of severe pruning — or to half smothered plants, from which sufficient light and air is excluded. The previous summer and autumn have much to do with the manner in which such plants stand the succeeding winter. If the young growth is well ripened, they can resist a much greater degree of frost than when they make a late ill-ripened growth. If last winter had followed the summer and autumn of 1877, there would have been a different tale to tell. I may mention the effects on a few well-known plants. Araucarias are for the most part unhurt, but some are very brown. The leaves of many Hollies, especially the variegated varieties, are seriously damaged. Rhododendrons (A', ponliciun) and Aucubas are unscathed.^ Lau- restinus is much cut up, the flowers all destroyed. Garrya elliptica, which usually stands the winter well, is very much damaged. I may say the same of Cotoneastcr microphylla. Pentstemons, Antirrhinums, Wallflower, &c. : many killed. Spring flowers are late. I have seen only one Daisy. Snow-drops, Winter Aconites, Christmas Roses, Hepaticas, and Bnlbocodium vcrmii?t, are ^ I have since seen some plants of Aucuba which were transplanted late in the spring that are much cut up.— A. R. 84 The Scottish Naturalist. now in flower ; but Crocuses are not yet out, though pushing up rapidly for a week past. — Andw. Brotherston, Shedden Park Road, Kelso. The Effect of the late Storm on our Wild Animals in the North-east of Scotland. — Considering the length and severity of the storm we have just passed through — a storm the like of which has not been known, I believe, within the memory of any one living — doubtless a few notes as to its effect on our wild animals may not be out of place in the columns of the ' Scottish Naturalist.' Truly, the marks left by the storm upon these creatures are such as must continue to be seen for some time to come. Partridges in this part of the country have been almost annihilated, hundreds of them being found dead or dying ; and even in this famished condition they have been sent to the various game-dealers in town. Many of the birds I have seen, and it may be safely said that most of them had not an ounce of flesh on the whole body. Many gamekeepers also, to whom I have spoken on the subject, say that there is but little chance of partridge-shooting for next season at least ; and on some estates they already speak of giving the birds a season or two's rest. Grouse, in the more exposed districts, have also perished in considerable numbers ; as have also Pheasants on estates where these birds were not regu- larly fed. Wood-pigeons have been seen in some districts lying dead in dozens in the turnip -fields, evidently unable to pick from the frozen bulbs, where such might chance to be exposed, a morsel sufficient to sustain life. One gentle- man tells me he saw on his estate some of this species feeding on a dead companion. Woodcock have also suffered considerably, some I have seen being mere skeletons ; — whilst many of our song and other small birds — such as Thrush, Blackbird, Redwing, Lark, Greenfinch, Linnet, &c. — in some instances boldly forced their way among the poultry at the farmyards, endeavouring to share in what might be given there, but too often failing to obtain even there a picking, were driven to seek rest on the house-tops or some neighbouring tree, ultimately to succumb to the pangs of hunger, dropping lifeless on the snow beneath ; and over the breadth of the country they have perished in thousands. Deer have also been in great straits. On many estates efforts have been made to relieve the poor animals by supplies of hay, straw, and turnips being carried to their haunts. Beans and oats have also been laid out for their benefit ; but in such forests where this has not been done, hunger has com- pelled them to break through the fences and wander over tlie country, often to fall a prize to some sportsman on whose land they are not seen in ordinary seasons. Hares and rabbits, too, have also suffered sorely ; the latter being so thin that for a considerable time I saw one game-dealer ofl'ering them at twopence each, the usual price being, when skinned, is. 2d. to is. 4d. each. As to rarities among the feathered tribes, they Iiave been conspicuous by their entire absence. Not one have I seen or heard of all the winter, and every one to whom I have spoken on the subject has given a similar answer. Truly, the severity of the past winter has been such upon every creature, from man downwards, that few will wish to see a repetition of it for many a year to come. — George Sim, Aberdeen. PHYTOLOGY. aLEN TILT: ITS FAUNA AND TLOEA. By F. BUCHANAN WHITE, M.D. F.L.S. ( Coiitimied from vol. iv. page 304. ) THE CRYPTOGAMIC FLORA. TO compile a tolerably perfect list of the flowering plants of a district, a few well-planned visits of not more than four or five' days each is all that is absolutely necessary, but it is far otherwise with the cryptogamic flora. To become acquainted with the mosses and liverworts, the fungi and lichens, the desmids and diatoms, the botanist must spend summer and winter, spring and autumn, in continued search. Nor will one year be sufficient for his purpose : a lifetime is scarcely enough. Year after year may be spent in examining a single copse or plantation ; each square foot of ground may have been repeatedly gone over; and when the patient searcher has almost made up his mind that there is nothing left for him to discover, lo ! some fine morning he beholds the well-known ground covered with a beautiful agaric that has never gladdened his eyes before, and which may not be seen again till after the lapse of a human generation. And so it may happen with the other grou])s. Not that they are so uncer- tain in their times of appearances as the fungi, but many are so minute and so restricted in their localities, as well as variable in quantity, that species may elude observation year after year. Therefore, until that happy time, when Glen Tilt possesses resident botanists qualified to reveal its hidden treasures, the cryptogamic flora must remain comparatively, though, thanks to various explorers, not absolutely unknown. S6 The Scottish Naturalist. MOSSES. Of all the cryptogams — that is to say, all except the ferns and their allies which have already been discussed — the mosses of the glen and its vicinity are the best known, thanks to the labours of Miss M'Inroy of Lude. One of the first mosses recorded from Glen Tilt was Dicraiium Grevilleamivij which was found " upon the ground in an old neglected road at the foot of Een-y-Gloe" by Messrs Greville, Arnott, and Hooker, in 1823, and which was not found again for many years. Miss M'Inroy rediscovered it in Glen Tilt, and it has also been found elsewhere. Another very interesting moss discovered by the same lady is the little Seligeria tristicha. Two other species of the genus, S. piisilla and S. recurvata, both scarce species, also occur, as does the still rarer allied species, Anodiis Doniaims. In our visits to Glen Tilt, I have not been able to pay very much attention to the mosses. Amongst the species I have noticed are Eiicalypta streptocai'pa, not an uncommon moss in many districts, but very rarely fruiting. On an old wall near Blair Castle I have never failed to find capsules, and this is the only locality where I have found them. Tortula princeps grows on rocks a little further up the Tilt ; and on Craig Mhor Anacalypta latifolia was found rather abundantly by Mr Roy and myself. Professor Barker has also found the same moss in Glen More, one of the valleys running into Glen Tilt. In damp crevices of rocks on Ben Chat, OLdipodiiun Griffithia- ?iu/n, a curious moss, almost or quite confined to Britain, is not uncommon ; and in woods near Blair Castle the beautiful Hyp- mun crista-castrensis may be found. On Ben Ghlo probably many of the alpine species occur. It is one of the oldest localities for Catoscopiinn nigrittun. In a deep rocky hole amongst the heather, high up on that hill, I was surprised to find the pretty Nookeria lucefis, a moss I never have seen else- where in so alpine a situation. Weissia vei'ticillata is very abundant on the drij)ping limestone rock opposite the Falls of Fender^ Amongst the rarer mosses found by Miss M'Inroy in Glen Tilt or its neighbourhood are : Dicrajiuin fa/cattan, Anacalypta tanceo/afa, Tortula 7'igida, Encalypta rhal)docarpa^ Grimviia Don- iiiana^ Qj'thotrichitm tenclluin^ O. Brrtchii, Lcptohrynm pyriformc^ Bryum Zierii, Aml)lyodon dcalbatns^Pterogoniiun fdifonne^Hypnuni Sonuncrfcldiii\ //. syh'aticani, &c., &c. The Scottish Naturalist. 87 Altogether, about two hundred species of mosses are known from Glen Tilt, and careful searching would probably result in considerable additions to the number. LICHENS. Of these I personally know very little, and therefore cannot say much regarding the Glen Tilt species. The Rev. J. M. Crombie has devoted a good deal of attention to the lichens of Blair Athole, and though most of his ''finds" in that district are from localities beyond our bounds, yet there are enough to show that it is not poor in rare and interesting species. The following may be noted : Callclum citrhiiivi, on walls in Glen Fender ; Alectorla nigricans, plentiful on Ben Ghlo ; A. lariata, and its variety parmelloldes , near the summit of Ben Ghlo ; Placodliiin calloplsmtun, var. pllcatum, on a wall near the village ; Lecldea leucophcea, var. conglobata, near the summit of Cairn Gowar ; Z. epanora, Glen Fender ; L. liiclda, Glen Fender ; Z. tu7'gldiila, var. pltyophlla, Glen Fender ; Z. met amor phea, very rare in Glen Fender ; Z. sublatypea, Glen Fender ; Z. llfuosa, near the sum- mit of Cairn Gowar; Z. sllacea, Glen Fender; Z. plana, Glen Fender ; Z, sarcogynlza, near the summit of Cairn Gowar ; Z. siibfwva, Glen Fender; Z. nlgro-glomerata, Z. Gevrensls, and Z. deparcula, near the summit of Cairn Gowar ; Z. liigubrls, Glen Fender ; Z. atrobadla, Cairn Gowar ; Llthographa tesserata, Cairn Gowar, extremely rare. The above are extracted from a paper by Mr Crombie, " On the Rarer Lichens of Blair Athole," in ' Grevil- lea,' vol. i., p. 170. In concluding the paper, Mr Crombie says : " My attention was directed chiefly to those localities in which primary limestone is associated with mica, slate, and quartz — a geological combination which always yields the lichenist every- where throughout the Grampians a rich and rare harvest — e.g., Ben Lawers, Morrone, Craig Guie, &c. Many other interesting species were met wath ; and many which might have been ex- pected to occur, such as Parmelias and Stictas, were but few in number. To those interested in the geographical distribution of our British lichens, I may state that there is a marked contrast in many respects between the lichen flora of the central Gram- pians in Blair Athole, and that of the south-west Grampians in Breadalbane, as also between it and the north Grampians in Braemar." Other species discovered since then by Mr Crombie are : 88 The Scottish Naturalist. < Lecidea dehtitens, summit of Cairn Gowar, 187 1 ; and Pyrenopsis phylUscella, Ben Ghlo, 1870. In concluding this notice of the Hchens, I may mention that Pdtigera canina is used in Glen Tilt as a remedy for distemper in dogs. It was probably on account of this real or supposed medicinal property that Linne gave it its specific name. Some other lichens are used in the glen as dyes. ALG^. All that I can say about these is that Mr Roy, during a few days' exploration of the district, found upwards of eighty-four species of Desmids, a list of which will be found at page 68 of the fourth volume of this magazine, and which need not be re- peated here. Though the district did not turn out so rich as Mr Roy expected, still a more extensive search at a different season of the year would probably add considerably to the list. It is wonderful how many species may be found in a favourable locality and season. I once collected over eighty species in less than half an hour on the Sidlaw Hills, not far from Perth. FUNGI. In Glen Tilt there is much — very much — ground that no mycologist would expect to be very productive, and which, in fact, is not productive, of fungi. So many of these plants are dependent on the conditions afforded by the shelter of woods, so many grow on or near dead and decaying timber, that a wide extent of grassy meadows — rich though such be in certain species — and of heather-elad hills — the least productive of any ground — cannot be expected to produce a great variety. Moreover, it is not every kind of wood that provides the most favourable con- ditions for the growth of fungi. Birch woods, for example, are proverbially unproductive, while, on the contrary, woods of Scots fir or of spruce — more especially if the trees stand so thickly as to prevent or limit the growth of phanerogamous plants on the ground beneath them — aftbrd a rich harvest to the mycophilous botanist. And it is in such woods of natural growth that Glen 'I'ilt is deficient. Here is no such grand assemblage of native firs as that of the Black Wood of Rannoeh, with its grand masses of Hydiium imhricatiun — beautiful in its expanse of rich, brown seal in ess — and H. I(Bvigatiini ; its Tranictcs pini and Polypoi'us Schiveiniizii ; its groups of many species ol Boletus, including the The Scott is Ji Naturalist. 89 rare B. flavidiis, not to mention its myriad Agarics. Instead of this mycological paradise we have a large extent of birch- wood, not indeed altogether barren, but still not very productive ; and though there are plenty of coniferous plantations in the lower part of the glen — for the most part remaining unexplored — they cannot be expected to be very rich. Notwithstanding these drawbacks, I think the list which I give below will show that Glen Tilt is by no means destitute of both rare and interesting species ; and that when its mycology has been more fully investigated, the catalogue of its species will not be a short one. Up to the present moment very little has been done to reveal the riches of the glen. In studying its entomology and its flowering plants, I of course did not altogether neglect to notice the fungi, but they only occupied a very small portion of my attention. In fact, a single day only has been properly devoted to the mycology of Glen Tilt ; and though on that occasion I had the great advantage of Mr Stevenson's companionship, and though the day was a good long one — we worked straight on from 5 A.M. to 5 P.M. — we can scarcely be said to have got further than the title-page of the catalogue of the fungi. In noticing the species observed in the Glen, I shall begin with those that attain the higher altitudes, and thence gradually descend to the lower part of the district. The only Agaric that is at all widely distributed on the hills is Agaricus tunbelliferus., which ascends above 3000 feet, and is very variable in colour. Of a more truly alpine character is Peziza axillajis, which occurs at about 3000 feet on Ben Ghlo, the only place in the district where I have noticed it. In Ran- noch it descends to 900 feet. Between 3000 and 2000 feet a number of species occur, some common, others more or less local. Amongst these I have noticed in Glen Tilt, chiefly on the hill to the north-west of Forest Lodge, Agaricus semiglobatus, Ag. tener, Ag. dryop/iiiiis, Ag. gracillinius (amongst Vaccinium inyrtillus and V, uligino- sum), Russttla enictica, Coprinus 7'adiatus, C. inveus, Marasmius andivsaceus^ Fhragjiiidium obtusum., Puccinia compositanun., P. variabilis, ^cidium compositariim, Uredo vacciiiioi'iim (on Vacci- niui7i uliginostmi), and Piloboliis crystalliims. At about the same altitude on Ben Chat a Puccinia, which seems to be pulvertilenta, grows on Epilobinm alpiniim, var. anagallidifolium ; and Lecythea saliccti, or an allied species, upon Salix hcrbacea. Rhytisma 9© The Scottish Naiuralist. etnpetri grows here and there on Empetrum nigrum. On An Scarsgach, above 2000 feet, Vibrissea inargarita occurred sparingly on dead heather sticks in a spring. It has also been found in Glen Tilt a few miles below Forest Lodge, and is probably not uncommon in springs and small streams. Below 2000 feet, but above 1500, the above species are joined by others, including Aga7'icus rimosuSj Ag. i^tfundibuliformis^ Ag. (Bthiops^ Hygrophorus coniciis, Boletus scaber (amongst the heather near Falar), Fuccinia Andersoni, F. violarum, Uromyces appendiculata (on Lathyrus inacrorhizus — Uredo or obi DC), U. apiculosa (on Tiifolium repens— Uredo trifolii DC), Ustilago urceoloi'uin (on various Carices), Coleosporium pingue, and C. tussilaginis. Most of these occur on the hill above Forest Lodge, where also I have found ^cidiuin orobi on Lathyrus maawhizus, yEc. trifolii repentis Kl. on Trifoliiun .repens, Ustilago utriculosa on Folygofiuni viviparum, and Dactylium spirale on the leaves of the same plant. Near Loch Tilt Venturia atramentaria may be found on dying leaves of Vaccinium iiliginosum ; Fuccinia bistortcB is common on leaves of Folygonum viviparum in many parts of the Glen. Fuccinia luzulce has been gathered very spar- ingly on leaves of Luzula multiflora in one of the ravines of Ben Ghlo, and Isothea rhytismoides occurs on leaves of Dryas on Craig Mb or. From the level of Forest Lodge downwards, fungi increase in numbers. Underneath the shade of the fir-trees that grow near the Lodge, Agaricus vaginatusx^ not uncommon, and Ag. rubescens (a good esculent species) is not rare. The common mushroom {Ag. cainpestris) also grows near the Lodge. On the banks of the Tilt the Mountain Sorrel, Oxyria reniforniis, is not a scarce plant ; and on various tufts of it beween the Lodge and Dal-an- Eas Bridge, the very local and rare Ustilago vinosa abounds. Whether it is always to be found there I cannot say, but I have found it two years in succession. On Galium verum, near the river, I have found ^Ecidium galii in small quantity. Here and there Dactylium modestum is by no means unfrequent on Alchemilla alpina. On a peaty bank near the kennels Agaricus mutilus, a rare and beautiful species, grows in small quantity ; and near the same place various other fungi, including Sphoirothcca pannosa, Ustilago antherarum (on Stellaria graminea)^ Fcziza granulata, Uredo bifrons, Agaricus campanulaitis, Coprinus plicatilis, Cor- tinarius violaceus^ Boletus chrysenteron, Triphragmium ulmaria;, The Scottish Naturalist. 91 Agaricus solstitial is^ Ag. Jiibatiis, &c., grow at about 1000 feet above sea-level. In marshy places ^cidium pedicularis is parasitic upon Pediai- laris paliistris, and Fiiccinia calthcB upon Caltha palicstris. Though the Caltha, in its form viinoi', ascends to a high altitude on the mountains, the Puccinia does not, so far as I have seen, ascend with it. On the grassy slopes the usual fungi that like the '' open " may be found, such as Hygrophorus pratensis, H. pnniceus, Clavaria fragilis, Agaricus lampropus, Lycoperdon gemmatum, and other species already mentioned ; and no great change in the char- acter of the mycological flora is perceptible till we reach the birch woods. Then these pasture fungi begin to give way to the sylvan kinds, which find their special habitats either below the shelter of the trees or upon the dead or dying wood. On the latter we find the large tough white masses oi Polyp orus hetuliiius, which, when dried, may be cut into razor-strops. The entomolo- gist will find bits of this fungus useful for the same purposes as elder or Jerusalem artichoke pith are often used. Also on the dead birches, but in Glen Tilt much rarer than P. bctulinus, the black hoof-shaped P. ing7-tnus grows, and on the stumps the pretty and variable P. versicolor. Near a stump I found a large Agaric, which I thought might be a form of the common Ag. melleus, but which Mr Berkeley was inclined to consider as probably a new species. Consequently I had a search for more specimens a week or two after finding the original ones, but could not discover any more. This fungus, therefore, remains " a thing to be looked for." The brilliant orange-coloured Chantarelle {Cantharellus cib- arius) decorates the ground here and there. This fungus, which has an agreeable apricot scent, is not likely to be mistaken for anything but the False Chantarelle {C. aurantiacus), and a very little experience suffices to enable one to distinguish the two. Next to the common mushroom, the Chantarelle is perhaps the fungus that is most eaten in this country. It is said to be improved if soaked in milk for several hours before it is cooked. Amongst other fungi in or near the birch woods were the handsome yellow variety of Agaricus vagi?iatus, Ag. purus, Ag. fascicularis, Ag. melleus, Hygrophorus chloropha?ius, H. nitratus, Russula rubra, R. cyanoxa?itha, P. foetens, Lactarius blennius, L. subdulcis, Paxillus ijivolutus, Boletus scaber, &:c. ; and amongst the smaller fungi Lccythea li/ii, L. saliceti, Mclampsora tremidce^ 92 The Scottish N'atitralist. M. befuliua, /Ethaliitin sepiicum, Sepedoniiim chrysospermtun, Dothi- dea geranii^ Ti'ichodenna viride, Septoi'ia stachydis, S. scab'ioscecola^ Trtchobasis suaveolens, Epichlo'e typhina^ &c. On a bridge cross- ing a ravine Cystopteris fragilis is abundant, and almost every frond was covered with the rather local Uredo Jiliciim. On Vac- ciniimi vitis-idcEa the curious Exobasidmm vaccinii was not un- common \ and on leaves of Viola sylvatica and Geujn rivale^ respectively, occurred Septoria violcE and S. get. The dark- coloured Agaricus chalybczus was also found near the woods. Still further down the glen, where the woods become of a varied character, there is another change in the fungi; and if these woods were examined at the proper season there is little doubt but that they would be found very prolific. On an oak a magnificent example of the beautiful Polyponis sulphiireus flourished for some time ; and under the shade of the trees various species of Boletus were not uncommon, including B. p achy pus ^ B. la?icinus, B. piper at us, and B. subtomentosus. On the mountain - ash leaves Rcestelia coj'nuta was frequent, and amongst other fungi noticed were Hygrophorus psittacinus, Gom- phidius glutinosus, Russula i?itegra, Aga7'icus laccatus, Lactarius volemen, Marasmius oreades, Asteivnia veronicce (on Veronica officinalis), Sphcei-ella runiicis, Dichcena strobilina, Septoria ulmi, Coleosporiuin campanulce. (on Campanula rotundifolia), Phrag- niidiuni mucronatuin, Dothidea podagra7'ice, Dacrymyces deliques- cens, Asteroma rosce, Erysiphe communis, &c. A few specimens of a pale variety of Peziza cochleata were picked up near the York Cascade, and on the hymenium of one of them was a parasitic fungus, Bactridium acutuni. Passing the Castle, a little time was spent in examining a small wood of spruce and other trees near the highroad. Amongst other finds in this plantation was Phclonitis strobilina on old cones of spruce, Polyporus annosus on fir stumps, Stemonitis fusca and Lycogala epidendrofi, also on stumps; and amongst the lurger fungi Lycoperdon ccslatum, Agari- cus deglubens, Lactarius deliciosus, Phallus impudicus, Boletus edulis, Spumaria alba, &c. In addition to the fungi I have enumerated, some others have been found in Glen Tilt, such as Agaricus ostreatus, which was found by Mr Keith some years ago. I have also omitted to notice in their proper places a few that we found. Amongst these are Paxillus leptopus, considered by some authors to be a variety of P. involutus, Scptonema elongatispora, parasitic on Geranium pratense and G. sylvaticum, Agaricus nigrellus P., Ag. The Scottish Naturalist. ' 93 hiulais, Ag. scaler, Bolbitius titiiba7is, Cortinai'ius torvus, Agariciis Jiffiipittris, Ascobolus fiu-furaceiis, Ustilago longissinia, Peronospora ol)liqua, LeptotJiyriiim fragarice, y^cidiiun crassiun, var. ionicerce^ Uredo confluens, Fuccifiia chrysospeuii, P. galioriun. This is all that is at present known regarding the fungi of Glen Tilt, but it is enough, I think, to show that if the glen was ex- amined more thoroughly, and at the proper season, the list might be easily quadrupled. SUPPLEMENTAEY LIST OF FUNGI FOUND WITHIN THE PHOVINOE OF MORAY. By the Rev. JAMES KEITH, A.M. {Continued froj/i page 15.) SPH^RELLA, De Not. 1028. Pteridis, Desm. On dead fronds of Pteris. Altyre. June. 1029. Brachytheca, Cke. On blistered spots on leaves of Vaccinium vitis- idcea. Aug. Common. Grev, vol. vii. p. 88. VENTURIA, De Not. 1030. Chretomium, De Not. On dead leaves of Carex pendula in Gree- shop wood. April. 1031. Ilicifolia, Cooke. On holly-leaves. Sluie. June. PYRENOPHORA, Fr. 1032. Phceocomes. Fr. On dead Holcus-leaves. Common. CERATOSTOMA, Fr. 1033. Chioneum, Fr. On firrleaves in damp places, Grantown. Aug. 1034. Vervecinum (Desm.) On whin-stumps, Clunyhill. Nov. ISOTHEA, Fr. 1035. Pustula, Berk. On fallen oak-leaves. Common. CAPNODIUM, Mont. 1036. Footii, Berk, and Desm. On laurel and holly leaves. Common. 1037. Sphcericum, Cooke. On leaves of Veronica officinalis. Forres. Jan. Omitted in proper place. 1038. Stereum rufum, Fr. On ash. Sanquhar, Altyre, and Dunphail. Winter. 1039. Typhula erythropus, Fr. On petioles. Greeshop. Oct. 1400. Stemonitis ovata, Pers. On sticks, Greeshop. Oct. ( Concluded . ) 94 The Scottish JSiatin-alisi. Snowdrops and the Frost. — It is interesting to study the tendency of all things in nature to follow out their instincts, if I may so call it. Every one knows that this has been a very severe winter, and yet, as the year rolls on, in spite of climatic influences, the veiy plants which are due in early spring are not to be prevented by the snow and fi;ost, when the routine of life urges them to add their mite to the embellishment of this our earthly paradise, from forcing their way through the icebound crust. Here, at Moncreiffe, after the partial thaw which commenced about the 4th of February, the Snowdrops were to be seen rearing their snow-white blossoms some inches above the surface of the earth. On the 8th of that month, bunches of well- formed flowers were to b^%athered in the garden and in the woods. At that time it required a pickaxe to penetrate to the depth of 16 inches in my garden ; and Colonel Drummond - Hay tells me that about the same time his children gathered Snowdrops beneath where a few days before they had amused themselves by forming a slide upon the ice-covered surface. No doubt, had the absence of snow permitted it, we should have seen them at an earlier date, but they are not so very far behind the usual time of their appearance : in 1870, February 3d ; in 1872 they were about the same stage on January 25th; in 1877, on January 9th; in 1874, on January 3d ; and this year, 1879, February 8th. I have no other dates at hand; but considering the continued snow and frost, and the depth to which the latter had pene- trated, it strikes one as a wonderful natural power in so fragile a stem as that of the Snowdrop being able to force its way through so hard a surface, and, at the same time, to blossom in the face of such intense cold. — Tiios, Mon- creiffe, February 1879. NEW BOOKS. Report for 1877 of the Recorder of the "Botanical Locality Record Club," and A Summary of Comital Plant-Distribution, additional to that detailed in Topographical Botany: being an enumeration of the new County Records, published by the Botanical Record Club, 1873- 1878. To which are added those appearing in the 'Botanical Exchange Club Reports,' 1867 -1877. Compiled by F. Arnold Lees, F.L.S., Recorder to the Botanical Locality Record Club, With the Report for 1877 the Botanical Locality Record Club completes its first volume, which contains the Reports for the five years that it has existed. The Recorder, in his prefatory remarks, briefly notices what has been done by the Club, and what remains to be done. (We notice, inter alia, that manuscript lists of species, personally vouched for from recent observation, are yet lacking for Wigtonshire, Peebles, and West Ross.) Then follow "New County Records," "General Locality List," " Extinctions and Re- appearances," "Aliens, Casuals, and Escapes," and " County Catalogues," &c. In the latter division Professor Babington communicates an article on the Dis- The Scottish Natiwalist. 95 trlbution of the Species of Chara, as shown by specimens in his herbarium. The Report concludes with a ** Quinquennial Appendix," which includes the *' Summary of Comital Plant-Distribution," mentioned above. This portion, which all possessors of ' Topographical Botany ' would do well to obtain, may be had (price 2s. 6d.) from the Treasurer of the Club, Mr T. B. Blow, Welwyn, Hertfordshire. When the Record Club was instituted, we must confess that we did not anticipate that any great benefits to topographical botany would result from the labours of the members. It is therefore with the more pleasure that we acknowledge the good work that has been accomplished. It is, perhaps, a pity that in the "Summary" the rule that no plant should be entered unless vouched for by an actual specimen has not been more rigidly adhered to, even for the commonest plants. At the same time, probably no great, if any, harm has been done. Still, we would recommend for the future an adher- ence to the safer plan of excluding every plant not vouched for by specimen. The Rev. W. A. Leighton informs us that he has nearly completed the printing of a third edition of his Lichen Flora of Great Britain, Ireland, and the Channel Islands. (By the way, why will botanists unite the Flora of the Channel Islands — which is entirely French — with that of Great Britain? zoologists do not so treat the Fauna.) The number of Lichens will, in this new edition, be increased from 1156 to 1706, which shows that the British Lichen Flora is quite on a level with that of any other European country. The additions are chiefly due to the author's own researches in Wales, to those of Mr Larbalestier in the West of Ireland, and of Dr Stirton and Mr Crombie in Scotland. The Irish discoveries are especially remarkable. Mycologists may be interested to learn that M. C. Roumeguere (Rue Riquet 37, Toulouse) has started a new quarterly magazine, entitled the Revue Mycologique, of which we have received the first number, dated Janu- ary I. The subscription is 12 francs a-year. Kirby's European Butterflies and Moths (Cassell & Co.) has now reached its 1 2th part, and retains the favourable opinion we expressed regarding it when we noticed it before. Mr Kirby's instructions for collecting and preserv- ing will be found very useful. A few copies of Mr Blackburn's Outline Description of British Beetles, which appeared some time ago in this magazine, have been published in a separate form, and may be had, price 2s. 6d., from Mr Young, C.E., Tay Street, Perth. Students of British, and especially of Scottish, fresh-water algce, may like to know that Messrs Wittrock (of Stockholm) and Nordstedt (of Lund) have published six fasciculi of dried specimens of algce under the title Algae aquae dulcis exsiccatse prsecipue Scandinavicae, adjectis algis marinis chlorophyl- laceis et phycochromaceis. A few copies of these still remain, "intended exclusively for botanical museums," and may be had for 17s. each fasciculus of 50 species. 96 The Scottish Naturalist. The Transactions and Journal of the Proceedings of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Scientific, Antiquarian, and Natural History Society. Ses- sions 1876-77 and 1877-78. Dumfries : 1879. 8vo, pp. 84. We are glad to find so much energy and activity amongst the south-western naturalists as is evidenced by the contents of this, the first part of the " Trans- actions " of the Society whose headquarters are in that warm little city, " The Queen of the South." The Society was instituted in November 1876, and by October 1878 had a membership of 100, and the very good (we speak with knowledge) average attendance at the ordinary meetings of 27 members. This first part of Transactions contains — ist, An Account of the institution, and the Rules, of the Society ; 2d, The Journal of the Proceedings ; 3d, Re- port of the Field-meetings of 1877 and 1878; and 4th, Eight Selected "Papers" that were read at the Ordinary Meetings, six of these relating to the biology and geology of the Dumfries district. We hope from this that the Society is quite aware what its own peculiar work ought to be — namely, the investiga- tion of its own district. We do not ourselves much care for the combination of natural science and archceology that most provincial societies "go in" for; but we daresay that it would be difficult to keep an association restricted to one or other of these studies going. But why separate "science "and "natural history," as the title of the Dumfries Society implies ? To our mind a better title would have been " Scientific and Antiquarian," or " Antiquarian and Natural History " Society. This, however, is not of much moment. Of greater importance is the use of the recognised scientific names of animals and plants. In several cases we notice that the so-called English names are alone used, and in more than one instance we confess our ignorance of what species is meant. Here we may also notice that the spelling of a few of the scientific names, chiefly of coleoptera, is defective. May we be allowed to suggest a work that seems peculiarly appropriate for the Society to undertake — namely, the compiling and publishing of lists of the fauna and flora of the district. By the district we mean that to which we have applied the name of " Solway " in the catalogue of Scottish insects, at present being published in this magazine, and which includes all tlie country drained by rivers between the Borders and Girvan or Maybole. This district may be divided into a number of sub-districts, and the animals and plants of each carefully catalogued as opportunity offers. With the number of good working naturalists that the Society possesses, no difficulty should be ex- perienced in obtaining at least preliminary lists, which would form a founda- tion hereafter for a more ambitious fauna and flora of the district. One word of advice in compiling such lists. Let not the " common " animals and l)lants be neglected. These are of as much, or perhaps more, importance in throwing light upon the real nature of the fauna and flora as the rarer, and what are often considered more interesting, species. Another important point is, not to enter in the lists any species unless it is absolutely known to occur ill tlie district. In conclusion, we heartily wish that the Dumfriesshire Society may go on and prosper. uj(lIBRAR Y ZOOLOGY. THE MOUNTAIN LEPIDOPTEKA OE BRITAIN : THEIR DISTRIBUTION AND ITS CAUSES. By F. BUCHANAN WHITE M.D., F.L.S. THE distribution of species, either of plants or of animals, is of a twofold character, — firstly, as regards space, and secondly, as regards time, the former of these being again capable of subdivision into latitudinal and longitudinal distribution, and altitudinal distribution ; but between the latitudinal and altitu- dinal distributions a close relationship exists. In ascending a high mountain and observing the various degrees of temperature and climate, with the accompanying vegetation, that are successively experienced as we pass from the base to the summit — the olive-trees and vines, myrtles and oleanders, that occupy the lowest parts ; the chestnuts and oaks that perhaps come next, followed in succession by fir-trees, open pastures, moss and lichen covered soil ; and, finally, at the sum- mit, by eternal snow — it does not require any great stretch of the imagination to fancy that the terrestrial globe resembles in many aspects two great mountains cohering by their bases at the equator, and culminating at the poles in summits covered with eternal ice and snow. As we proceed from the equator to either pole, we pass through zones of climate and vegetation similar to what we did in ascending the mountain, and find that each has sufficiently well-marked limits characterised by special forms of animals and plants. But many mountains have more than one summit or peak, not so high or so extensive as the real or central peak, and on each of these secondary summits we find repeated, though possibly on a smaller scale and in a less degree, the features of vegetation presented by the whole mass. And so it is with the two imagi- nary hills that form the terrestrial globe. They have many smaller peaks (in other words, mountains), each of which pre- G 98 The Scottish Auitura/ist. sents in miniature and in some degree the botanical or zoolo- gical phenomena of the whole terrestrial mass. Each of these summits is a facsimile on a very small scale of the north or south pole, and the base of each is, i?i comparisoji to the apex, a tropical region. Near the arctic (or antarctic) circle a hill of moderate height will present these features, but as we go southwards an ever-increasing altitude is necessary. Thus we find that plants or animals which at the arctic circle are found at the sea-level, do not, in middle Europe, descend below one or more thousand feet above sea-level ; in the Alps or Pyrenees several additional thousands of feet are necessary ; and on hills south of the lati- tude of Europe a still greater altitude. So with species that inhabit the sea-level of northern (but not arctic) Europe ; they, too, when existing further south, keep above a certain altitude, always increasing as the tropics are approached. Some species are very exorbitant in this respect, but others are better able to accommodate themselves to altered conditions, and hence have many advantages in the fight for existence. From all this we may gather the intimate relations existing between latitude and altitude in the distribution of species. From the zones of latitude or altitude inhabited by them, species may be classed in groups. Some are confined to the region within or near the arctic circle, and hence may be called arctic species ; others are confined to the great mountain chains (including the Alps, Pyrenees, and other ranges north, south, east, or west of them), and are termed alpine species ; others occur in both these regions, but not on the intervening lower ground, and to them the title of arctic-alpine species may be given. To one or other of these groups all the species about to be treated of belong. Of the 2000 species of Lepidoptera known to inhabit the British islands, not more than about fifteen can be considered as mountain species — meaning thereby species confined to the higher mountain ranges, and not usually descending below an altitude of about 1500 feet above sea-level. The majority of the species alluded to do not descend as low as 1500 feet, but some, at least in the far north of Scotland, descend much lower. Many other species of Lepidoptera may be frequently found at high altitudes, but as they descend to the low grounds, ihey cannot be considered as mountain species proper; whilst TJie Scottish Naturalist. 99 some others which are confined to mountam districts do not as a rule Hve at a high altitude, so that they also cannot be included in this class. The Lepidoptera which seem to merit the title — in Britain — of mountain species are the following. (The words within brackets show to which of the above-mentioned groups each species belongs.) Ercbia Epiphron, Kn. (alpine); Zygitna exidans, Hchwh. (arctic-alpine) ; Pachiiobia hyperbo7-ea, Zett. (arctic-alpine) ; Ana7'ta inelanopa (arctic-alpine); It cordigera (arctic-alpine); Psodos coracina (arctic-alpine); Scopjtla ttUginosalis, Stph. (alpine); Scoparia alpina, Dale (? alpine) ; II g7-acilalis, Dbld. (? alpine); Crambus fii7'catellus (arctic-alpine) ; Penthina Stamtoniana, Brrt. (alpine); II Grevilleana^ Curt. (? alpine); Sivanwierdajuia nanivoj-a^ Stt. (alpine) ; Zelleria saxifrages, Stt. (alpine); and possibly one or two species of Neptiaila, which I will omit. The distribution of these species in Britain and Europe is as follows : — Erehia Epiphron occurs in the north-west of England, in the north-east and north-west of Scotland, and in the west of Ireland. It inhabits grassy places on the sides of the mountains, and seems to be very local, as I have gone over many parts of the Scottish Highlands which seemed well suited for it, without observing it— as, e.g.^ in Aberdeenshire, eastern Inverness-shire, and Ross-shire. Its most northerly localities in Britain are — so far as our present knowledge goes — Rannoch and western Inverness-shire. Several varieties of this butterfly have received names, and on the Continent these varieties have a rather dis- tinct distribution. Epiphron proper has a more decided band of rufous spots, and in the female the eye -spots have white centres. It is found on the mountains of the Black Forest and of Silesia, and, as far as I can judge, is the form that occurs in Rannoch and elsewhere in Scotland. The var. Cassiope F. has the rufous spots less distinct, and the eye -spots without white centres. This is the most widely distributed form, occur- ring on the mountains of Central Europe so far east as Hungary, and also in Britain. The var. Pyrenaica, H.S., is larger, and loo The Scottish Naturalist. has larger eye-spots. It is the Pyrenean form, but some of our Perthshire specimens resemble Herrich - Schaffer's figures very much. In Scotland, Epiphron does not seem to descend lower than 1500 feet above sea-level, at which elevation I have found the larva. Zygce7ia exulans inhabits grassy places on the mountains of Aberdeenshire, at an elevation of 2200 feet and upwards. On the Continent two forms occur — exulans proper, which is found on the higher Alps and Pyrenees, and is more or less suffused with ochreous ; and the var. vanadis Dalm., which has scarcely any ochreous tinge, and is restricted to the Scandinavian moun- tains and to Lapland. Our form seems to be intermediate be- tween these two, and I have proposed for it the name of var. sichochracea. Pach7iobia hyperhorea occurs on some of the higher mountains of Perthshire and Aberdeenshire — usually on the ridges of the hills. On the Continent it ranges from Lapland to the Swiss Alps, and eastwards to Carinthia (var. caniica) and Hungary. It is a very variable and beautiful insect, and does not in Britain probably descend below 2500 feet or thereby. Anai'ta melaiiopa inhabits the higher parts of some of the mountains of Perthshire, Aberdeenshire, Sutherland, and Zet- land, and has been reported from the west of Scotland. It gen- erally does not descend below 2000 feet, but in Zetland has been taken at about 400 feet. Out of Britain it is almost confined to Lapland, though also occurring in Labrador, and a variety (which I have also seen alive), on the Swiss Alps. A. cordigera is scarcely a true mountain species (as defined above) ; for though it occurs on the hills up to 2200 feet or up- wards, yet it is frequent at as low an elevation as 1000 feet, or even lower, in Perthshire, Aberdeenshire, and Morayshire. On the Continent it occurs in central and north Europe, going as far south as the Alps, and as far east as the Ural. It also inhabits Labrador. Psodos coracina (the trepidaria of British lists) is — so far as my experience goes — confined to the ridges of the higher mountains of the north-east and the north-west of Scotland, not descending below 2000 feet. In Europe it ranges from the , mountains of Lapland to the Pyrenees, going east to the mountains of Galicia, and perhaps reaching east Siberia and the Amur. In Scotland I have almost invariably found it associated with Azalea (or The Scottish Naturalist. loi Loisclcuria) procumbens^ and thought that that plant might be its food, since I have found the spun-up larvae in close proximity to it ; but as the Azalea is not a Pyrenean species, there must be another food-plant. Scopula uliginosalis (the alpinalis of British lists, and perhaps a variety of the true alpinalis Schiff., which is apparently not a British species) inhabits grassy places on the sides of the moun- tains of the north-east and north-west of Scotland, occasionally, but rarely (as in Braemar), descending to 1200 feet, but usually not found under 2000 feet. On the Continent it occurs on the Alps, and on the mountains of Hungary and Galicia. Scoparia alpina frequents grassy and mossy places — often on the ridges — of the higher hills of Perthshire and Aberdeenshire, usually not descending below 2000 feet. It has not yet been found out of Britain. S. gracilalis occurs on the mountains of Perthshire and of Norway ; but as it is the only one of the species of which this paper treats, which I have not personally observed, I cannot give any information as to its habits. Crambus furcatellus most usually occurs on the grassy or mossy ridges of the higher hills of Scotland, north-west England, and Wales ; but, like the other mountain species, it is very local. The lowest altitude at which I have noticed it is about 2300 feet. On the Continent it occurs on the Alps and Norwegian moun- tains, and in Lapland. Penthina Stainto?iiana has been as yet found only in Scotland, where it occurs very locally, in sheltered places on the hills, at or above 2000 feet. P. Grevilleana is also known only as a Scottish species, and one of very great rarity. Though I have taken it, I regret that I am unable to give any account of its habits. Sericoris inigiiana is sometimes considered to be a variety of metallica7ia Hb., but is more of a mountain species than that insect. In Britain it occurs very locally on the higher parts of mountains in the north-east and north-west of Scotland. On the Continent it inhabits the Alps, Norwegian mountains, and polar Norway, as well as the Altai. Swam?>ie?-damia fianiiiora was, till lately, only known from a single specimen found, in the larval state, by me, in east Inver- ness-shire, at an altitude of about 2000 feet. It has lately been taken in Esthonia. Zelleria saxifragce is not uncommon, but rather local amongst I02 The Scottish Natiiralist. saxifrages, on the Perthshire and Aberdeenshire mountains, de- scending as low as looo feet. It also occurs on the Alps. An examination of the distribution given above in detail will show that all the species occur in Scotland ; one (Erebia Epi- phro?i)m Scotland, England, and Ireland; and one {Crambus furcatellus) in Scotland, England, and Wales ; and regarding their exotic distribution, eight species are found in North Europe (seven, if not all, reaching the arctic circle) ; seven are both arctic and alpine ; three are alpine, but not arctic ; and three occur on the Pyrenees (two of these being also arctic); two are found in Ame- rica ; and of four the distribution is imperfectly known. The distribution may be presented in tabular form, thus : — { Scotland, .... all. British distribution -l Scotland, England, and Ireland, . i ( Scotland, England, and Wales, . i Exotic distribution / Arctic and alpine, . . . 7 J Arctic or northern only, . . i Alpine but not northern, . . 3 mperfectly ascertained, . . 4 We are now in a position to inquire. Whence, when, and how did these insects come to Britain ? for I do not suppose that any one entertains the opinion that they (or at least the majority of them) originated in this country. Some conspicuous Lepidoptera are nearly or quite restricted to Britain, and have possibly been evolved from other and alHed species within or near our borders; but the species under consideration, which seem to be confined to this country, probably only appear to be so, because, from their small size and close relationship to other species, they have as yet been overlooked elsewhere. Whence, therefore, or from what direction, did tliese mountain Lepidoptera come ? When or at what period, relatively to the great mass of the native Lepidoptera? How or by what agency and route were they brought in ? These are all questions easier to ask than to answer, and may be best considered together. To them we will add still another, What causes have governed and restricted the distribution? Britain, as every one is aware, did not — apart from the changes wrought by man's agency — always present the same physical fea- tures that it does at the present day. There was once a time, The Scottish Naturalist. 103 and that, from a geological point of view, not very remote, when the greater part of the country was covered by an immense ice- sheet. During that period there was probably no vegetation in any part of these islands, and hence we may be sure that there were no Lepidoptera. This state of matters had existed for many ages before the time I speak of, but not with uninterrupted severity. Warm periods occasionally occurred, when the icy shroud of the country was removed, and the land was clothed with vegetation, varying in its nature according to the character of the climate. Sometimes the plants belonged — as may be learnt from the vegetable remains still preserved in the east of England and elsewhere — to the alpine and arctic groups, in- cluding such species as Betula nana and Salix polaris ; and we may be pretty certain that Lepidopterous larv^ were there to feed on the leaves. It is true that Lepidoptera have not, I think^ been found in association with the plant remains, nor, from their fragile and perishable character, could we well expect them to be ; but the remains of Coleoptera, both herbivorous and carni- vorous, have been found, and it is not likely that other insects were absent. Therefore, though we cannot prove it, it seems very probable that some of the species treated of in this paper were then inhabitants of Britain. But, as I have already said, arctic conditions returned and destroyed all the plants and animals, and those whose descendants we see at the present day must have had a more recent introduction. Two views have been advanced as to the condition of this country during the final stage of the icy or glacial period. The older view was, that most of the country was submerged, and that only the hills remained above water. To these islandrhills icebergs drifted, and deposited their burdens of stones, earth, and other debris^ including seeds of the various arctic-alpine species, which now form part of the flora of many of the high hills. Admitting that the same vehicles might have brought the mountain Lepi- doptera, and that they were able to survive the dashing to and fro, the intense and prolonged cold, and the probable submer- gence in salt water, and that, moreover, there were localities whence it was at all likely that they could be brought, the proofs are wanting that such a condition of the country existed, while many incontestable proofs have been advanced in favour of the other and more modern view, set forth so admirably by Dr James Geikie in his * Great Ice Age,' to which work I refer those desir- ous of examining into it for themselves. 104 T^^^ Scottish Naturalist. This was the state of Britain during the final stage of the glacial period. All Scotland, and the northern half of England, were covered with a thick sheet of ice, pouring down from the mountain-ranges and concealing all the low ground; from the Welsh mountains another ice-sheet descended and joined the northern one ; all the north as well as the centre of Ireland was also covered with ice, and in the mountainous south-west portion of that island were large local glaciers ; the rest of England and Ireland was covered with thick snow, partially melting in summer, and giving rise to great floods; certainly no animal, and probably no vegetable life, existed anywhere in the whole country. On the continent of Europe the same arctic climate existed. All the northern half was covered with an ice-sheet coming from the north, and which, in addition to overrunning the land, filled the bed of the German Ocean, and impinged upon the British ice- sheet. Then from the mountains of central Europe, from the Alps and Pyrenees, great glaciers descended, and spread for hundreds of miles over the low country. Where the ice-sheet did not reach, snow covered the ground in winter and heavy floods inundated it in summer. No plants, no animals anywhere except in the far south, and even there the climate was more of an arctic or sub-arctic than of a temperate nature, as we know from the remains of the plants and animals (including such species as the reindeer, musk-ox, lemming, &c.). But at last a temperate climate began to predominate over a sub-arctic one ; the ice-sheets began to melt and retreat to the north or up the mountains; the snow-fall was less heavy; and the plants and animals seized the ground vacated by the snow and ice, and occupied the territory from which their ancestors had been driven by the ice- sheet in its southward march. In course of time the altered condition of things would be felt in Britain, but the English Channel would as yet cut it off from the advancing tide of life. Still it is probable that the winds and sea-currents would carry thither the spores of mosses, lichens, and other cryptogamic vegetation, and perhaps even the seeds of some of the higher plants, which would find suitable restirig-places out of reach of the great floods which continued to sweep over much of the low ground. Finally, after several variations in the relative heights of the land or sea (the latter being at one time loo feet higher on our shores than it is at present ^), tlie land rose so much that tiie bed ^ About 80,000 years ago. The Scottish Naturalist. 105 of the German Ocean became dry land, and afforded a passage for the great mass of our plants and animals. That they did not cross all at once we may be sure. In the first place, it would be a long time before the soil of that wide plain would be in a fit condition to support plant-life. Probably the great floods that would frequently inundate it — for a large river flowed through it — deposited mud and gravel on which, as it became drier, plants could grow. ( To he continued.) NOTES ON THE BIKDS OF THE BASIN OP THE TAY AND ITS TEIBUT ARIES. By Colonel H. M. DRUMMOND HAY, C.M.Z.S., B.O.U., &c. ( Continued from page 62, ) 19. Caprimulgus europ.eus, Linn. (Night Jar or Goatsucker.) In the lower parts of the district the Night-Jar is now much less abundant than in former years. In the Highland quarter, however, it is still to be found fairly represented ; but from its decidedly nocturnal habits, few opportunities occur of its being observed in broad daylight. Occasionally, however, and especi- ally in autumn, solitary individuals are not unfrequently to be met along the moor-side or other exposed spots, squatted length- wise on some dyke or rail, or jjerhaps seated on the ground motionless — resembling, in this peculiar position and colour of plumage, so much some natural excresence, as not to be easily detected from surrounding objects — till, suddenly rising on the wing, the passer-by is startled by its unexpected appear- ance from almost under his feet. Having always observed these autumn birds to be those of the season, I have been led to believe that the parent birds, though late in their arrival (about the end of May), are among some of the first of our summer visitants to take their departure, leaving their young to follow as best they may. Though never fortunate enough in this district to have come across the two eggs, which the female invariably deposits on the bare ground, without any form of nest, or to have obtained any information as to their breeding in any of the upper parts, yet, I think, from the fact of the young being found in autumn, and the peculiar churring note of the old birds being constantly io6 The Scottish Naturalist. heard during all the early summer months, there can be little doubt but that they breed here regularly. 20. Cypselus apus, Jenyns. (Swift.) Of all our Hirundines,^ the Swift — the last to arrive and the first to depart — is perhaps the most constant, and generally diffused in the district ; for wherever suitable accommodation is to be had for nesting purposes — be it steeple, railway bridge, or old ruin — there he is sure to be found, screeching, and wheel- ing round in a labyrinth of rapid succession of circles, from mor- ning to night. 21. HiRUNDO RUSTicA, Linn. (House or Chimney Swallow.) 22. Chelidon urbica, Boie. (House-Martin.) 23. CoTYLE RiPARiA, Boic. (Sand-Martin.) Of late years — from what cause it is difficult to explain — the above three species have greatly diminished, at least in the lower part of the district, especially the two former ; and it is to be feared that this is pretty general throughout. Mr Brooke of Cardney informs me that about Dunkeld they have become decidedly scarcer, and the House-Martin rarely to be seen. See remarks on Migration, and nesting of the House-Martin on Ben- y-Gloe, 'Scot. Nat.,' July 1878, p. 285. In this present season (1879), with the exception of the Swift, the whole tribe seem to be especially scarce. 24. Alcedo ispida, Linn. (Kingfisher.) Thirty or forty years ago the Kingfisher was a constant resi- dent on the river Almond, and was not unfrequently seen in many other localities, after which it became excessively scarce, and for long disappeared altogether from many of its former haunts. I am glad to say, however, that it seems now to be gradually on the increase. In the 'Scottish Naturalist' for October 1874, ^ niade mention of several examples having been noticed that year, after a long interval, in the Carse of Gowrie. Since then, and especi- ally last season, several others have been observed frequenting ^ Some ornithologists think that the Swift has no other relationship to the llirundines beyond resemblance in form and similarity in habits. They con- sider, and apparently with good reason, that its true affinities are with some groui:)s of the Humming-birds. — El). 'Scot. Nat.' The Scott is Ji Naturalist, 107 their old places of resort; and Mr Malloch informs me that on the Almond he found it to be again breeding there. It is to be hoped, therefore, that this, the most beautiful of all our native birds, may long be allowed to remain unmolested ; and that the morbid desire of seeing it in a glass case, or covered with dust on some cottage chimney-piece, rather than on its native river- side, may become less and less every year. CoRACiAS GARRULA, Liun. (Roller.) Upupa epops, Linn. (Hoopoe.) The visits of both the above species to the district must be looked upon as purely accidental, no other instance that I am aware of having occurred during a lapse of many years than those already recorded. See 'Scot. Nat.,' July 1878, p. 289. 25. Lanius excubitor, Linn. (Great Grey Shrike.) Of late years many instances have occurred of this bird having been shot in the district. Perched for hours, perhaps, on the extremity of a decayed branch, on the watch for some passing beetle, the Grey Shrike, with his breast shining full in the sun, becomes so conspicuous an object that, w^ere it not for his ex- treme wariness, he would stand little chance of escaping from the gun, which, I regret to say, is ever ready to be pointed at him when occasion offers. 26. BuTALis GRisoLA, Boie. (Spotted Flycatcher.) The Spotted Flycatcher, the latest of all our summer birds to arrive, seems to be more frequent in the lowland part of the district than the upper. Mr Brooke informs me that about Dunkeld it is very sparingly distributed, but there are always one or two pairs about every summer. Higher up the country I have never noticed it. Its congener, the Pied Flycatcher (Muscicapa atricapitla, Linn.), I have never observed; but Sir Thomas Moncreiffe some time ago informed me that a bird, which he believed to be this species, was obtained near Moncreiffe, but, unfortunately, was not preserved. From the notice of it in the adjoining county of Stirling, it may possibly be found to occur in the more western parts of the district, but, from its very local habits, I consider this to be somewhat doubtful. io8 The Scottish Naturalist. Ampelis garrulus, Linn. (Waxwing or Chatterer.) There is no record, that I am aware, of this species ever hav- ing been noticed, but as it has frequently been observed in the counties adjoining the district, it may possibly turn out to be an occasional visitant. 27, Parus major, Linn. (Great Tit.) Resident, and common throughout the district all the year, 28. Parus C/Eruleus, Linn. (Blue Tit.) This is also common, and resident in most parts of the district. During autumn it resorts in large numbers to the extensive reed- brakes on the lower parts of the Tay, where all day long it may be seen in small companies actively ascending and descending the reed stalks, peering and prying into every leaf-joint in search of insect food, and often clinging to the pendent seed-tufts, the grain of which they possibly extract, though I have never actu- ally detected the fact. 29. Parus ater, Linn. (Coal Tit.) Another resident species, common at all seasons, and which possibly may, on more occasions than one, have been mistaken for the Crested Tit {Far us cristatus, Linn.), which Mr Yarrell quotes, on the authority of F. W. Bigge, Esq., of Hampton Court, as frequenting the Pass of Killiecrankie. Be this as it may, it is a spot which I am well acquainted with, and one most unlikely to find it in. The locality most suited for it in the district is the Black Wood of Rannoch, where I have made repeated search for it, but have never found it there, nor in any other part of the district. The nearest point to the Pass of Killiecrankie in which I have observed it, was many miles across the boundary march on the watershed of the Spey, in the old fir forest of Rothie- murchus, near Aviemore. 30. Mecistura caudata, Gould. (Long-tailed Tit.) Though breeding and resident throughout the year, it is not so much observed in the summer months, when busily engaged in nesting employments, as it is in the autumn, winter, and early spring, when at that time they wander through the country in small trips, and in families, flitting across from one spot to another, where, meeting with some oak or other tree of their choice, they cling and hang among its branches in every attitude, TJie Scott is J I Naturalist. 109 till summoned by the call-note of the leader, when off go the whole troop in search of further discovery. 31. TuRDUS MUSicus, Linn. (Song Thrush.) ■ The Song Thrush, which abounds during all the summer months throughout the district, from long observation I fully believe to be migratory, and, though not leaving our islands, that it generally retires during the winter months to warmer spots ; and the same fact has been commented on by Professor Newton, as noticed by him in Norfolk.^ It is curious, therefore, that this should be one of the birds recorded by Mr Geo. Sim as suffering from the effects of cold during the past winter in Aberdeenshire,^ proving the Thrushes of the valleys of the Tay and the Earn to be more provident than those of the Don or the Dee, the former having wisely left for Torquay and other more genial parts of the country early in November before the cold weather set in, and not returning this year until a month later than usual — viz., the 6th of March, on which day they were noted to arrive in considerable numbers both on the banks of the Earn and the Tay. Last year (1878) the day of arrival was the 7th of February, and the year before that the first of that month, being the earliest date I have known them to appear. 32. TuRDUS viscivoRUS, Linn. (Missel-Thrush.) The Missel-Thrush, now so numerous, and one of our greatest pests, robbing us of all our berries, even the very Pyracanthus at the window-side not being safe from his depredations, every berry being cleaned off long before Christmas, was within my own recollection unknown to the district, where now it abounds, or rather did so till this spring, — for though the strongest-look- ing and most robust of all our Thrushes, it seems to be one of the most delicate, as this last severe winter has doubtless proved, for in the space of several miles round I have as yet only ob- served one pair. This, however, may not generally be the case in all parts of the district. With regard to this seeming delicacy in the Missel-Thrush, Mr Gould remarks " that he has known Rooks, Starlings, Blackbirds, Thrushes, Fieldfares, and Redwings to suffer severely in a hard winter, but knows no species to suc- cumb to the rigours of the season so completely as the Missel- Thrushes."^ And yet these birds usually remain with us all 1 'Ibis,' i860, p. 84. - 'Scot. Nat.,' April 1879, p. 84. '^ Gould, ' Birds of Great Britain,' vol. ii. no The Scottish Naturalist. winter, whereas the Thrush, as stated above, is partially migra- tory. 33. TuRDUS TLiACUS, Linn. (Redwing.) 34. TuRDUS piLARUS, Linn. (Fieldfare.) Both the above species reach us from their summer quarters in the north about the end of October, the Redwings seeming to prefer woody places and shrubberies about dwellings, while the Fieldfare, a much shyer bird, keeps to the fields and more open ground during the daytime. The Redwing, which seems to be rather a sociable bird, may frequently be heard from some tree or bush near the dwelling previous to its departure in spring, where, assembled in large numbers, they hold a perfect con- cert of voices, warbling out their songs in the sweetest of tones, much in the way that our Brown Linnets do. Whether either of these birds ever breed in the district, or any other part of the mainland of Scotland, I believe has not yet actually been determined, but possibly both species may do so at times. The Redwing I have noticed in the low woods above Pitlochrie as late as the month of June, the very time it is known to be nest- ing in Norway and Iceland ; it is therefore not unlikely that it occasionally does so here, especially as the late Dr Saxby dis- covered the nest in Wales early in May. 35. Merula vulgaris, Ray. (Blackbird.) The Blackbird is perhaps of the whole family the most abund- ant and generally diffused throughout the district during the whole year, and though often a sufferer like the rest in very severe winters, seems to come out of it better than most ; and in this exceptional year of severity, though greatly thinned, it is not nearly so reduced in numbers as many of the others. The Field- fare and the Redwing, which left us to a bird, I have not noticed to return at all this spring, and consequently, I fear, large num- bers of them must have perished. 36. Merula torquata, Boie. (Ring-Ouzel.) The Ring Ouzel, which I have never noticed in any part of the lower section of the district, even during its migration in autumn or spring, seems to confine itself entirely to the upper part among the hills, arriving in April, when it immediately com- mences breeding ; and up in Athole and other parts of the High- The Scottish Naturalist. 1 1 1 lands, where it abounds, in the autumn months, previous to their departure, they descend in large numbers to the gardens, attack- ing the cherry and geane trees with such pertinacity that the gun has frequently to be brought into play, and even after being repeatedly fired at they will return to the same spot the moment a person's back is turned. These I have found to be all young birds, the parents probably having taken their departure. 37. CiNCLUS AQUATicus, Bcchst. (WaterOuzel or Dipper.) Frequent on most of our streams and rivers, and would pos- sibly be more so were it not for the bad name he has obtained. Being constantly noticed on the salmon spawning-beds, where he may be seen plunging into the rapid stream, he has got the credit of destroying the spawn, and consequently most unjustly becomes a prey to the gun, for on examination it has been proved that, instead of devouring the spawn, it is the very creatures which feed upon it (the larvae of numerous water beetles and other insects, with which the gizard will invariably be found to be crammed) that he has been in search of, showing that the Water- Crow, as he is more familiarly called, should be treated rather as a friend than as a foe. -^Z. Saxicola cenanthe, Bechst. (Wheatear.) About our earliest bird to arrive, the Wheatear has a wide range, — from the mouth of the Tay, where in the months of May and June it is to be found breeding abundantly in the old rabbit burrows about the sand-hills, to the very furthest end of the dis- trict, becoming however more scattered, and confining itself to the hills and rocky places, from whence it descends in the autumn, and is then occasionally to be seen in the lower grounds, on the dykes about road-sides, &c., on its way to the coast. The old birds have then assumed a more dingy dress, similar to that of the young, in exchange for the bright costume in which they came. It is singular how little the general public know of the Wheatear, for many a time I not only have heard it de- scribed, but had it brought to me in one of its different stages of plumage, as some wonderful and curious bird. 39. Pratincola rubetra, Koch. (Whin- Chat.) 40. Pratincola rubicola, Koch. (Stone-Chat.) Both of the above species are not uncommon, and about equally spread throughout the district, frequenting for the most 112 The Scottish Naturalist. the same sort of ground among whins and brush on the hill-sides. The Whin Chat, however, is perhaps the more frequently seen of the two, as he often descends to the lower grounds, where he nests. This applies, however, only to the interior, for on the low- lying districts at the mouth of the Tay, wherever suitable ground occurs, both species may be found the whole summer through. In the autumn both species frequent the fields, especially among peas and beans ; but these I have generally noticed to be young birds. The Whin-Chat is strictly migratory, while the Stone-Chat occasionally remains the winter, moving further south should the weather be severe : in England it is quite sedentary. 41. Erythracus RUBECULA, MacGill. (Robin.) The Robin, which is spread over the whole district, is in some seasons much more abundant than in others, probably from ac- cessions it receives from the Continent, where it is migratory. 42. RuTiciLLA PHCENicuRA, Bouap. (Redstart.) Though nowhere very common, it is to be found in many parts of the district : in the Highlands, however, I have not noticed it much further north than Pitlochrie. It seems to be rather local in its habits, preferring certain spots to others, in which it is always to be found more or less every year. 43. Accentor modularis, Bechst. (Hedge-Sparrow^) Common throughout the district, and, like the Robin and the Wren, braving our severest winters. 44. Sylvia cinerea. Lath. (Whitethroat.) This, with the exception of the Willow- Wren, is of all our w^arblers the most abundant, at least in the lower part of the dis- trict, and Mr Brooke assures me that about Dunkeld it is very common, but I have no record of how much higher it extends : I have not noticed it myself in the higher parts of the district. Its congener, the Lesser Whitethroat {Sylvia cnrruca, Lath.), I have never seen in the district, but Sir Thomas Moncreiffe in- forms me that last year he noticed a pair of birds building at Moncreiffe, which, unfortunately, deserted their nest when nearly completed. These, from their general appearance and the form of the nest, he fully believed to be of this species, but could not be certain. These birds having occasionally been observed in Scotland, tends mu<;h in favour of their being found at Mon- The Scottish Naturalist. 113 creiffe, a spot so adapted in all respects for the harbouring and breeding of all our rarer birds. 45. CuRRUCA ATRiCAPiLLA, BHss. (Blackcap.) 46. CuRRUCA HORTENSis, Flem. (Garden Warbler.) Both the Blackcap and the Garden Warbler are to be found in several parts of the district, but of the two the Blackcap would seem to be the more frequent and less local. Probably it may be that, from its not being so shy and stealthy in its habits, it is more frequently noticed than the latter, which if in the slightest degree alarmed immediately places himself on the wrong side of some bush, through which he creeps, defying (especially from the similarity of song) all further identification. Mr Brooke tells me that both species are not uncommon about Dunkeld. The Blackcap I have not seen higher up, but the Garden Warbler I have more than once noticed beyond Faskally, and very possibly both species may extend throughout Strathtay and Strathearn. 47. Troglodytes europ^us, Cuv. (Wren.) 48. Certhia familiaris, Linn. (Tree Creeper.) Both these are resident and common to the whole district, the latter confining itself to the woods and trees along road-sides, &c. ; the little Wren everywhere, from the cottage-garden to the hill-tops. 49. Phyllopneuste trochilus, Gould. (Willow- Wren.) By far the most abundant, and seemingly the hardiest and most generally diffused, of all our summer visitants. This present season, 1879, when others have been conspicuous for their scarcity, the Willow-Wren, though some weeks later than usual, has been fully as abundant as ever. It is said that they do not make their appearance till the apple buds begin to break, and as these have been a month behind time, it may account for their tardiness. Supposing them to be endued with this instinctive knowledge, the question arises, How do they manage to time themselves ? Do they purposely loiter on the road, inundating with their numbers the spots in which they rest on their journey, or do they delay their departure for a whole month, so as to arrive at the proper moment ? These are among some of the mysteries of migration difficult to be solved. Its congener, the H 114 The Scottish Naturalist. little Chiff-Chaff {P. rufa, Bonap.), has never been noticed, that I am aware of, in any part of the district. Though bearing the strongest family likeness to the above, its striking difference of note, were it present, would at once distinguish it.^ 50. Phyllopneuste sibilatrix, Bonap. (Wood- Wren.) Though far more sparingly distributed than the Willow- Wren, the Wood-Wren may be considered to be more local than un- common, confining itself to certain woods and copses of its choice. Without being familiar with its peculiar note or song, which assumes two distinct forms, with a ventriloquising effect, quite sufficient to mislead the uninitiated, and make him suppose that it proceeded from two different birds on two different trees, it would not be easy of detection, and it may thus often escape observation. It is very frequent at Moncreiffe, and some other places in the lower section of the district. In the woods about Dunkeld Mr Brooke tells me it is common, and I have observed it more than once in Faskally. There is no notice of it further up, but it may possibly extend still higher, and also be found to occupy many other parts both in Strathearn and Strathtay. 51, Regulus CRISTATUS, Ray. (Gold-Crest.) Resident and common throughout the whole district, frequent- ing in the autumn and winter months Spruce and Fir plantations, broomy knowes, &c., in company with the whole fraternity of Tits and Creepers. It is then often largely augmented by birds from the Continent : these, however, return in spring ; at which season, and during the summer, so quiet and unobtrusive is the little Gold-Crest, that were it not for the beautiful pensile nest attached to the extremity of some slender branch of the old Yew next the house, which attracts our attention, we might ^ Since writing the above, Mr William Horn, who has devoted some time to the birds of the northern and western part of the district, has drawn my attention to the occurrence of the Chiff-Chaff in Rannoch, as mentioned in llie ' Zooloi^ist,' 1S71, p. 2656. I can scarcely, however, look upon its being found in Rannoch as anything more than merely accidental, for having tra- versed nearly eveiy part of it both before and since the date mentioned, it has never come under my notice. Moreover, were it otherwise, it would be a singular fact that a tender bird like the Chiff-Chaff should pass over the warm sheltered woods and shrubberies of Moncreiffe, a very paradise for birds such as the present, as also the extensive orchards of the Carse of Cowrie and other tempting spots, where, to my knowledge, it has never yet been found, to the colder and more remote parts in Rannoch. — II. M. D. H. The Scottish Natiwalist. 115 have supposed the whole of them long ago to have taken their departure, when all the time there have been several pairs close at hand, which we would never otherwise have observed. The Fire-Crest (^. ignicapiUus, Cuv.) I have often searched for, and though well acquainted with it, have never found it in any part of the district ; but for all that, it may possibly be an occasional visitant. 52. Calamodyta phragmitis, Gray. (Sedge-Warbler.) Frequent among the reeds on the lower parts of the Tay and the Earn, and on some of our loch sides, where in low, damp, bushy places, the passer-by cannot fail to hear its perpetual babbling, scolding notes, which go on all day long, and even sometimes through the whole summer night. Another bird in- habiting much the same sort of locality, only one specimen of which has ever been noticed or obtained in the district (near Methven), is the Grasshopper Warbler {Locustella aviciiia, Ray), mentioned in the 'Scot. Nat.' of July 1878; but as no other instance has occurred, I do not include it in this list. . {To be continued. ) Lepidoptera in the Spring of 1879. — Owing to the severity of the weather, I had no opportunity of making my usual entomological observations in January and February. When the first apparently genuine break in the storm came with the first week of March, some of the early insects began to put in an appearance. I noticed Phigalia pilosaria on March 2d, and for ten days subsequent to that date it was freely distributed in this locality. Of Hybernia leucophea7'ia I saw one specimen on March 3d, and have only noticed about three specimens between that date and April 1st ; on April 24th, however, I took a female off a birch trunk. It is usually abundant here. Owing to illness, I made no observations in the spring of 1878 until May : but in 1877 I have a record of these two insects on February 4th and 8th respectively. P. pilo- saria appeared on February 2 in 1876, and in 1879 on January 31st, and lenco- phearia on February 1 5th. Judging from the above dates, they are both affected by the weather in their time of appearance ; but the former does not appear to be diminished in number by the intense cold of this winter. I have ob- served no difference in depth of colour, or otherwise, from the ordinary type here. The cold has, however, evidently I'etarded their appearance in the imago stage. The hybernated insects, as far as I have seen, have not suffered ; as on the evening of March 7th, which was especially mild, I noticed a number of DepressariiV. and of Gelechia humeralis swarming about a favourite Cupressus in my garden, as also a few specimens of Cerosto?na radiatella. On March 31st I took a specimen of Cymatophora fiavicornis at the back of Moncreiffe Hill, where the snow still lay in places, and where, a fortnight before, it was from 1 1 6 The Scottish Naturalist. a foot to eighteen inches deep. I do not know if this insect had a prescience of the hard winter ; but I took several specimens on April ist, at least 200 feet lower than I could ever find it before, though I have searched carefully for some years. On March 31st I took Tccniocavipa gothica at sugar, and noticed a good many Scopelosovia satellitia and one Calocainpa exoleta. On April ist To7't7'icodes hyemana and Tceniocajjipa instabilis first made their appearance. On April 6th I noticed another T. gothica, reversing the usual order of things here, as the early sallows first showed blossom on April loth. The weather was too wet and cold for me to venture out at night in my then state of health ; but on April 1 6th my son and Mr Herd reported numbers of T. cruda, stabilis, instabilis, and gothica at sallow blossom. The two former were of the usual type, the two latter were more uniformly dark in colour than usual. On the high grounds in the north, probably, insect-life will be more affected than in this neighbourhood — as in the first week of May in Athole Forest the ice was thick enough on Loch Mark for a curling match ; and at the present moment, May 31st, the hills are still covered with snow. As a rule, Chi}?ia- bacche fagella appears here in March ; this year it only appeared in May. Semio- scopis avellanella, usually a common insect, I have not seen at all. I have, as yet, seen only one Tortrix, Cnephasia imisctdana, and a few Lithocol- letidae ; whereas in 1876, for instance, I had S. perlepidana, Coccyx hyrcini- aita, Heusimene fijtibriana, and several Lithocollctis pomifoliella, &c., by the end of April or first week of May. I have noticed few signs of hybernated larvoe, and I should very much doubt if it will be a good season for noctuce. I have not observed that the imagos are affected in shades of colour, except in the case of two or three E-iipithccia abbrez'iata, taken within the last day or two, which are unusually dark, if they are that insect. Such is our season in the north up to June 1st. — Thomas Moncreiffe, Moncreiffe, ist June 1879. Jottings from my Note-Book : Lepidoptera. March 28 — Hybernia rupi- capraria, 28 days later than 1878, and 16 days than 18/7 ; colour is much lighter than in former years. April 21 — Hybernia leiicophearia, 24 days later than 1878, and 26 days later than 1877 ; colour lighter. April 26 — Vanessa urticce. I was well pleased to see this beauty in so fine condition. Having looked in vain all winter for hybernated specimens, I came to the conclusion that the two last wet seasons had nearly exterminated it. Can we not get a back-door for believing that insects have more in- stinct in choosing a place fitting for the coming weather than we are ready to admit ? I was more convinced of the truth of it on April 29th, on finding fifteen urtica in a small place, and where they would feel little of the lianl winter. ^ April 36 — Ta'niocanipa gothica, 18 days later than last year. I got thirty chrysalises on December 13th to try their power in standing the winter. I put ten in below the ground about four inches deep, ten on the outside of the win- dow, and covered them over with moss to protect them from small birds, and kept 10 in the house between April loth and 2Sth. The result was — of those I had in the house, four fine specimens came out first ; of those on the outside of the window five came out, but not so fine ; and eight of those I had below ground came out last, and good specimens, but not so fine as those in the house. April 26 — Tceniocampa instabilis, 17 days later tlian 1877 ; very plentiful. April 2^— Trachea piniperda, the first time I took it. The Scottish Naturalist. 117 May 16 — Scopelosoma salellida, hybernated ; poor specimen. May 23 — Cidaria siiffumata, 4 days later than last two years. May 23 — Pieris rapce, about the same time as formerly, but smaller. May 28 — Fidonia atoinaria, 6 days sooner than in former years ; females appearing two days before the males. June I — Pieris brassiccc, earlier than usual, and smaller. June 1 — Cabera exatitheinaria^ newly out of chrysalis ; two days earlier than last year. June I — Eudidia mi, 7 days earlier than last two years ; in fine condition. June I — Euchlo'e cardamincs. As I only took this for the first time last July, I cannot give its time in former years. This and the last three were seen by me going to church ; but the beauty of cardaniines overcame the sanctity of the day — with hat in hand I captured it. — ROBERT Renton, Fans, Earlston. Notes on ' The Lepidoptera of Moncreiffe Hill.' Thecla rubi. — The diffi- culty about the food-plant is very puzzling. Vacciniiim (blaeberry) seems to me altogether improbable ; and bramble I believe to have been an absolute blunder from the first. Is there no Genista anglica or broom near ? I should think Lotus comiculatiis or L. major not improbable, and even Ornithopus, or any vetch, more likely than Vacciniiim. [Orjiitkopiis is too local a plant in Scotland to be more than an occasional food-plant, if even that ; Genista anglica and broom are often not within miles of the places frequented by Thecla rubi ; Lotus is more likely, but even it is not present always where the insect is. All I can affirm on the matter is that Vaccinium ?fiyrtillus (blaeberry) has almost, if not quite, invariably been pres- ent where Thecla rubi occurred, and been, in fact, the plant of the locality. This is Sir T. Moncreiffe's experience as well as mine. I wish some one who has an opportunity would obtain eggs of Thecla rubi and try the larvae on Vaccinium, Sec. — Editor ' Scottish Naturalist.'] Apamea unanimis. — The late Mr Newman's remark on this being 'larger than geinina ' is evidently a blunder. Miana fascitincida. — It is very curious that the varieties should inhabit distinct localities. Usually they are mixed together, but the paler specimens are frequently females. To find A gratis obeli sea, Noctua depuncta, and N. ditrapezium, all in the same place is really wonderful, and upsets our ideas of distribution a good deal. Anchocelis lunosa comes best to light. Plusia gatnvia feeds up at all times in the autumn and winter, and seems to take the first favourable chance of emerging. I have found a spun-up pupa in December, and the moth has appeared in a fortnight; yet I hardly think the perfect insects hybernate or survive a severe frost, Mr Herd's discovery that Llybernia 7-upicapraria i carries its 9? if not a mistake, is a most interesting one. Is it certain that he did not sweep the pair accidentally from overhanging bushes ? I do not say that it is impossible, but such a circumstance is hardly known in any creature. I have supposed that the larvae of these species with apterous females must sometimes travel, and so distribute themselves. Professor Zeller still doubts the distinctness of Oporabia dilutaria and O. autumnaria, but I think that Dr Buchanan White has proved it. ii8 The Scottish Naturalist. The great point of distinction between Eiipithecia castigata and E. lariciata is the different shape of the fore-wings, and, consequently, of the strigce upon them. E. dodonceata is something like abbrez'iata^ but smaller and more sharply marked, and its fore-wings are more pointed. Serico7-is urticana is very partial to Vacciniiwi here, feeding on it in plenty. Is not the small form of Scricoris cespitana the 9 ? Mixodia pahistrana. — Wilkinson's knowledge of this was derived evidently from some one who had taken it in the Black Wood of Rannoch. It is cer- tainly common there among fir-trees, but only because the tall heather and Vaccinhim among which it flies grow under them. Diplodoma inarginepunctella feeds on the powdery green lichen at the foot ""of old palings and on tree-trunks, but not on fungi, I believe. It eats dead insects willingly. Tinea semifulvella is said to have been reared from birds' nests, so it pro- bably feeds on hair or feathers. I have sometimes brought home old nests of the chaffinch and reared plenty of Tinea lapella from them, and think that in a suitable locality semifulvella might be obtained. It is difficult to find the larva of Dep7'essaria ptilcherimella at work, but it is easily obtained by sweeping. I think that CEcophora fuscescens feeds as a larva on dry vegetable refuse. I once beat it in clouds out of old heather-thatch, and found it always pretty common among thatch of that description. I once found larvae and moths of Argyresthia dilutella in a small bushy juniper growing singly in a garden. I never saw it in the ordinary tall junipers. The moth skulks in the middle of the busli, and is hard to disturb. The larva feeds in the young shoots. — Chas. G. Barrett, Pembroke, May i8, 1879. Id. — I find I omitted in my notice of Eupicilia atricapitana to record a specimen which I took on May 30, 1875. Ragwort and Centaurea nigra were the prominent plants. As a curiosity I append a note of my captures on that day : Lyccsna alsns, Notodonta camelina, Plusia chrysitis, Hepialns lupidinus^ Caradrina ctibicidaris, Hadena glanca, Cidaria cojylata, Halonota sadulana, Plutella criiciferarumy P. porrectella, Mixodia Schulziana, Micropteryx allion- ella, Tinea bisontella, Gelechia acuminatella^ Tinea lapella, Lobophora hexap- terata, Emmelesia alb?ilata, Capua ochraceana, S'Mammerdaviia griseocapitella, Dicj'orampha hcrbosana, Sec. — rather a contrast to the meagre list of May 30, 1879. To-day (June 3, 1879) I took another specimen of E//p. atricapitana. The only other insects I noticed on the same ground on which I observed quite one half of the above list in 1875, were Halonota cirsiana, Micj-opteryx sid>p7irpurella, and Polyommatus Phlceas. This is, therefore, a backward season, but I see that both Wilkinson and Mr Slainton give only July and August for the time of the appearance of the perfect insect. — Tiios. MON- CREIFKE, Moncrciffe, Bridge of Earn. Food-plant of Gelechia acuminatella. — Last summer I found in Glen Tilt some small larvte eating the leaves of the Melancholy Tliistle [Canlnns heterop/iyllus), and have this spring reared Gelechia acuminatella from them. — F. Buchanan White. PHYTOLOGY. THE aAELIO NAMES OF PLANTS. By JOHN CAMERON. GAELIC — at one time the only language of the Celtic inhabitants of the Highlands of Scotland, and still in very extensive use, not only in Scotland but in some of the colonies where Highlanders are numerous — possesses a rich vocabulary of plant-names, and though many of these names are preserved in the literature of the language, others have never been printed, and are in danger of being forgotten — a fate, it is feared, which has already overtaken some of them. With the object, therefore, of preserving these names from oblivion, and of making them accessible to teachers and others interested in the matter, I have occupied myself for the last five or six years, at the suggestion of the Editor of the ' Scottish Naturalist,' in collecting from every available source all Gaelic names of plants, — both those indigenous to the Scottish High- lands, or which have otherwise come under the observation of the Highlanders. Amongst the sources whence I have drawn my information are the works of M'Donald, IM'Intyre, Stuart, Shaw, O'Reilly, Armstrong, Brockie, M'Alpine, M'Leod, and Dewar's Diction- aries, and frequent conversation and correspondence with High- landers in various parts of the country. When possible, the probable meaning and derivation of the Gaelic name has been given, as well as quotations showing its use : while for purposes of comparison, many names in the closely allied Welsh and Irish languages are added. J. Cameron. Sunderland, May 1879. 120 The Scottish Naturalist. Ranunculace^. Thalictrum — (OaXXo), tha/lo, to grow green). Crielic * ni^h fii ftif^Ji I y ' , ' ., •^ ' ' ^ { ^^^ (°^ plants resembling Rata graveolens). See Gerard. T. alpinum. — Ru ailpeach : Alpine meadow-rue. T. minus. — Ru beg : Lesser meadow-rue. Rue is nearly the same in most of the ancient languages ; said to be from pvw, to flow ; Gaelic — ruith^ flow, rush ; their roots, especially T. fiavum^ possessing powerful cathartic qualities like rhubarb. Compare also ru^ run, a secret, mystery, love, desire, grace. Welsh : runa, hieroglyphics (Runic). The Thalictrum of Pliny is supposed to be the meadow-rue. (See Freund's Lexicon.) " I'll set a bank of rue, sour herb of grace " — Shakespeare. " Mo run geal og ! " — My fair young beloved oxxo. ! " Oir a ta sibh a toirt deachaimh 'a mionnt, agus a 7'u, agus gach uile ghne luibhean." — For ye tithe mint and rue, and all manner of herbs. The Rue of Shakespeare is generally supposed to be Ruta graveolens {Rii gharaidh), a plant belonging to another order, and not indigenous. Anemone nemorosa — Wind-flower. Gaelic : ///};- na gaoithe, wind-flower (Armstrong). Welsh : llysiauW givyut, wind-flower, because some of the species prefer windy habitats. Irish : 7iead chailleach, old woman's nest. Ranunculus. — From Gaelic, ran; Egyptian, ranah ; Latin, rana, a frog, because some of the species inhabit humid places frequented by that animal, or because some of the plants have leaves resembling in shape a frog's foot. Ranunculus is also sometimes called crowfoot. Gaelic : cearban, raggy, from its divided leaves. Gair-cean, from gair, a smile ; ceaii, love, ele- gance. Welsh : crafj-ange y /ran, crows' claws. . R. acLuatilis — Water crowfoot. Gaelic : fleann uisge, probably from lean, to follow, and uisge, water, follower of the water. Lion na Uaibhne, the river-flax. Irish : neul uisge, — >ieul, a star, and uisge, water. Tuir chis, — tuir, a lord ; chis, purse (from its numerous achenes). R. ficaria — Lesser celandine. Gaelic \ grain- aigein,\\-\dX which produces loathing. Searraiche, a little bottle, from the form of the roots. Welsh : toddedig zuen, fire dissolvent ; toddi, melt, dissolve. R. flammula — Spearwort. Gaelic : glas-leun, — glas, green ; The Scottish Naturalist. 121 leun^ a swamp. Lasair-kana, — /asair, a flame, and ieana or kitn, a swamp. Welsh: blaer y guaeiej,\3iX\cQ-^o'n\t. R. auricomus — Goldilocks. Gaelic : follasgain ; probably from /o//ais, conspicuous. Irish : fo/oscaiu, a tadpole. The Gaelic may be a corruption from the Irish, or vice-versa ; also gruag Mhuire, Mary's Locks. R. repens — Creeping crowfoot. Gaelic : buigheag^ the yellow one. Irish: bairgin ; more frequently bairghin, a pilgrim's habit. Fearban, — fearba, killing, destroying. R. acris — Upright meadow crowfoot. Gaelic : cearban feoir, the grass rag. Irish : the same name. This plant and R. flam- viula are used in the Highlands, applied in rags {ceai^ban)^ for raising blisters. R. bulbosus — Bulbous crowfoot. Gaelic: fiiile thalmhainn, blood of the earth (it exhausts the soil). Welsh : crafange y frdn, crows' claws. R. sceleratus — Celery-leaved crowfoot. Gaelic and Irish : torachas biadhain ; probably means food of which one would be afraid. Caltha palustris — Marsh Marigold. Gaelic : a chorrach shod, the clumsy one of the marsh. Lus bhuidhe bealticijin, the yellow plant of Beltane or May, — Bel or Baal, the sun-god, and teine, fire. The name survives in many Gaelic names — e.g , Tullibelta?ie, the high place of the fire of Baal. *' Beath a's calltuinn \2Sh2i-bealthuinn.'''' — M'Kay. Birch and hazel first day of May. Irish : plubaii'sin from plubrach, plunging. Lies Afairi, Mary- wort, Marygold. Helleborus viridis — Green hellebore. Gaelic : elebor, a corruption of helleborus (from the Greek eXctv, helein, to cause death ; and /?opa, bora, food — poisonous food). "Mo shron tha stocpt a dhV/^^c?;-." — M'DoNALD. My nose is stopped with hellebore. H. foetidus — Stinking hellebore. Meacan sleibhe, the hill- plant. Aquilegia vulgaris — Columbine. Gaelic : lus a cholamain^ the dove's plant.- Irish : cruba-leisin, from cruba, crouching, and lelse, thigh or haunch ; suggested by the form of the flower. Lusan cholani (O'Reilly), pigeon's flower. ^ Welsh: troed y glomen, naked woman's foot. 122 The Scottish Naturalist. Aconitum napellus — jVIonkshood. Gaelic : fuath mhadhaidh (Shaw), the wolf's aversion. Ctwaichd iiihduaich (Armstrong), monkshood. Welsh : bleiddag, from bleidd, a wolf, and tag, choke. Nigella damascena — Chase the devil. Gaelic : lus an fhog- I'aidh, the pursued plant. Irish : ins inhic Raonail^ MacRonald's wort. Not indigenous, but common in gardens. Pseonia officinalis — Peony. Gaelic : lus a phione. A corrup- tion of Paon, the physician who first used it in medicine, and cured Plato of a wound inflicted by Hercules. Welsh : bladeu'r brenifi, the king's flower. Irish : lus phoinc. Berberidace^. Berberis vulgaris — Barberry. Gaelic : barbrag (a corruption from Phccnician word barar)^ the brilliancy of a shell ; allud- ing to their shining leaves. Greek ySep/3epi, berberi, a shell. Preas nan gear dhearc^ the sour berry-bush. Preas dei/gneach, the prickly bush. Irish : barbrog. NvMPH^ACEiE. (From vv/xcfir], nyniphe, a water-nymph, referring to their habitats.) Nymphsea alba — White vvater-lil3\ Gaelic : duilcag bhaite bhan, the drowned white leaf. *' Feur lochain is tachair, An cinn an duilcas' bhaite.'^'' — M'Intyre. "ti Water, grass, and algce, Where the water lily grows. *' O Uli righ nam fleuran." — M*DoNALD. O lily, king of flowers. Pabhagach, giving caution or warning ; a beacon. Lili bhan, white-lily. Welsh : Z/ZZ-r-^zryr, water-lily. Irish: buillite. (Shaw.) Nuphar luteum — Yellow water-lily. Gaelic: duileag bhaite bhuidhe, the yellow drowned leaf. Lili bhuidhe nUcisge, yellow water-lily. Irish : liach laghor, the bright flag. Cabhan abhain, — abhan, a hollow plain, and abhain, of the river. Pa PAVER AC E/E. Papaver rhoeas — Poppy. Gaelic : nicilbhcag, sometimes heilbhcag, a lillle pestle (to which the cai)sule has some resem- blance). The Scottish Naturalist. 123 " Le vreilbheag, le noinean, 's le slan-lus." — M'Leod. With a poppy, daisy, and rib-grass. Fofhros, corn-rose, from loth (Irish), corn ; ros, rose. Croinlus^ bent weed. Paipean riiadh, — ruadh, red, and paipean a corrup- tion of papaver, from papa, pap, or pappo, to eat of pap. The juice was formerly put into children's food to make them sleep. Welsh : pabi. P. somniferum — Common opium poppy. Gaelic : codalian, from codal or cadal, sleep. Chelidonium majus. Common celandine (a corruption of ;(eXiSa)i/, chdidoii, a swallow). Gaelic : an ceaiin riiadh^ the red head. Irish : lacha cheann 7'uadhy the red - headed duck. Welsh : llysie y 'wen7iol, swallow-wort. The flower is yellow, not red. Aonsgoch is another Gaelic name for swallow-wort, mean- ing the lonely flower, — aon, one or alone, and sgoth, a flower. Glaucium luteum — Yellow horned poppy. Gaelic : harrag riiadh {?), the valiant or strong head. The flower is yellow, not red. ■ FUMARIACE^. (From fiunus, smoke. " The smoke of these plants being said by the ancient exorcists to have the power of expelling evil spirits " (Jones). French : fume terre.) Fumaria officinalis — Fumitory. Gaelic : liis deathach thal- mhainn (Armstrong), the earth - smoke plant. Irish : deatach thalmhuin (O'Reilly), earth - smoke. Welsh : iiiivg y ddaer, earth-smoke. Another Irish name is caman scarraigh (O'Reilly), — caman, crooked, and scaradh, to unfold. Crucifer^. (From Latin crux, crucis, a cross, and fero, to bear, the petals being arranged crosswise.) Crambe maritima — Sea-kale. Gaelic : praiseag trdgha, the shore pot-herb, from the Irish pj'aiseach; Gaelic : praiseag, a little pot (a common name for pot-herbs). Cdl na mara, sea- kale (from Greek, ya.v\o^\ Latin, caulis ; German, /(W//; Saxon, caivl ; English, cole or kale ; Irish, cal ; Welsh, caivl.) Isatis tinctoria — Woad. Gaelic : guirmean, the blue one. ^ Ruadh does not mean absolutely red, but reddish. Welsh : Rhydh. It means also power, virtue, strong, valiant. 124 The Scottish Naturalist. Irish and Gaelic : glas liis^ pale-blue weed. Welsh : glas lys. Formerly called Glastum. Ancient Celts used to stain their bodies with a preparation from this plant. Its pale-blue hue was supposed to enhance their beauty, according to the fashion of the time. *'Is^/^7i- mo luibh." — OssiAN. Pale-blue is the subject of my praise. On account of the brightness of its manufactured colours the Celts called it gwed {qiiede in French to this day), whence the Saxon wad and the English woad. Thlaspi arvense — Penny-cress. Gaelic : praiseach feidh, deer's pot-herb. Irish : preaseach fiadh, a deer's pot-herb. Capsella Bursa-pastoris — Shepherd's purse. Gaelic : ius na foia, the blood-weed ; a?i sporran^ the purse. Irish : sraidin, a lane, a walk, Welsh : purs y bugail, shepherd's purse [biigail, from Greek /3vkoXo<;, a shepherd). Cochlearia officinalis — Scurvy grass. Gaelic : a maraich^ sailor ; carraji, the thing for scurvy, possessing antiscorbutic properties. ^^ F/aigh na cajya,''^ the plague of leprosy (Stuart). " Duine aig am bheil carr,'' a man who has the scurvy (Stuart in Lev.). Welsh : 7?ior luyau^ sea-spoons ; llysie'r blicg^ scurvy grass (from biwg, scurvy). Irish : biolair tragha^ — biolair, dainty, and t?-dgha, shore or sea-side. Armoracia rusticana {armoracia, a name of Celtic origin from ar^ land ; mor or mar, the sea ; m, near to, a plant growing near the sea). English : horse-radish. Gaelic : meacan-each, the horse-plant. Irish : 7'acadal, perhaps from an old word rac, a king, a prince, and adhai, desire — i.e., the king's desire. Raphanus raphanistrum — Radish. Gaelic : meacan ruadh, the reddish plant, from the colour of the root. Irish : fiadh roidis, wild radish. Cardamine pratensis — Cuckoo-flower, ladies' smock. Gaelic : plur na cubhaig, the cuckoo flower. Gleoran, from glcote, hand- some, pretty. The name is given to other cresses as well. Biolair-ghriagain, the bright sunny dainty. Cakile maritimum — Sea gilly-flower rocket. Gaelic : fearsaid- eag, meaning uncertain, but probably from Irish saide, a seat (Latin, sedcs), the sitting individual — from its procumbent habit. {To be continued.) The Scottish Naturalist. 125 REGENT ADVANCES IN BRITISH BRYOLOai. By the Rev. J. FERGUSSON. DURING the past year very considerable progress has been made in investigating the bryology of the country. A considerable amount of light has been thrown upon plants which, until now, have been the objects of doubt and discussion; and tlieir true position and character have been finally determined. Many new localities for several of the rarer species have been discovered, and species previously unknown as British, or er- roneously regarded as such, are now, on satisfactory evidence, shown to be entitled to a place in the British list. Besides this, interesting and unsuspected varieties of well-known species have been detected ; and bryologists being at present more on the alert than usual, are likely to detect something of consequence in the course of the present year. In a recent number of the ' Naturalist,' Mr Whitehead has raised anew, and, we think, finally settled, the question whether the European plant usually called Hypnum {Plagiothecimn) elegans be identical with that gathered by Menzies in Vancouver Island in 1787, and so named by Hooker in his ' Musci Exotici.' Mr Spruce was of opinion that they were not, and in consequence of this distributed our European plant under the name of Hypimm Borreria?ium. On the other hand, Wilson, who examined both plants, pronounced them to be identical ; and his decision has been generally accepted, although Lindberg has recendy with- drawn the assent which he gave to it in 1867. Mr Whitehead adopts the opinion of Spruce, and gives the following reasons for doing so. The American plant is described and figured by Hooker as having ovate-lanceolate, scarcely pointed leaves, cer- nuous capsule, and red outer peristome, whereas the European plant has leaves so strongly acuminate as to be almost pihferous, horizontal, or sub-erect, capsules, and a pale-yellow outer peri- stome. Upon the whole, we think that the difference in the forms of the leaves of tlie two plants by no means warrants their separation as distinct species, for our Bridsh plant is very variable in the form of its leaves as well as in the colour of its stems ; but the direction of the capsule, and, above all, the colour of the outer peristome, seem insurmountable objections to the two plants being included in one species. This conclusion renders imperative the rejection of the name by which our European 126 The Scottish Naturalist. species has so long been known, and the substitution of another in its place. Certainly no name of later date than Spruce's Hypnwn Borrerianwn can be adopted ; and indeed it is very probable that this also must give place to Hypnu77i planifoliwn — a name given by Bridel to a moss gathered in Normandy, and held by Wilson and Lindberg to be identical with the so-called European Hypium elegans. Bridel's description of the Normandy plant seems to fit the other sufficiently though not perfectly well. If, therefore, Wilson and Lindberg be right in allying this plant specifically with the HypJiitm elega?is of the ' Bryologia Britannica ' instead of with Hypnu?n silesiacuin, as C. Muller does, Bridel's name of Hypmcm {Plagiotheciiiiii) p!a?iifoliiun ought hencefor- ward to prevail. Three well-marked forms or varieties of this species occur in Great Britain. At the autumn gathering of the Woolhope Club, the Rev. Augustin Ley of St Leonard's read a most interesting and excellent paper on the Mosses of Herefordshire, of which there are upwards of 230 species. Among those enumerated there are none new to Britain ; but there are many great rarities — such as Systegium multicapsidare, Pottia ccespitosa^ Grimmia subsquarrosa, Bryinn Barnesiij Atrichum crispum — and several others almost equally rare. A very extraordinary, and to me unaccountable, fact is brought to light in this paper. It appears that not a single Ulota has yet been detected in Herefordshire, although the closely-allied genus Orthotj'ichum is well represented there. The cause of the absence, in so wide a district, of a whole genus, embracing many species, and generally diffused throughout the British Isles, is one of those subtle ones which may account for some of the most extraordinary phenomena of the geographical distribution of plants, but Avhich have hitherto defied the keenest researches of botanists. It is probable that a careful inquiry into the climatal and geological conditions of the areas in which these plants abound, and into the same conditions of those areas in which they are either altogether unknown or very rare, may ex- plain what, for the present, is involved in obscurity ; but it is l)0ssible that the cause may be still more recondite, and that the traces by which one might be led to its discovery have been obliterated long long ago. Recently good work has been done amongst our British Cainpylopi. One of the most beautiful and characteristic of the genus — viz., C Schivarzii^ may now be said to be pretty generally diffused throughout the greater portion of the mountainous The Scottish N'aturalist. 127 region of Scotland lying to the north of the Forth. I have it from various localities in the counties of Argyle, Perth, Forf^ir, Inverness, Ross, Sutherland, and Caithness. To the south of the Forth it appears to be very rare, but has been gathered in the Lake District in the north of England, by Professor Barker ; and it is said that it was gathered by Wilson on the Welsh mountains, though I have been unable to obtain satisfactory con- firmation of the report. There is every probability that it is a denizen of Wales j for it would be somewhat singular if it were not so, since it occurs not only on many of the Scottish and Irish mountains, but is well distributed in Europe from Scandi- navia to the Alps. The grandest of all the Campylopi is C seti- foliiis, which has not yet been met with outside the British Isles. For many years it was known as a native of the south-west of Ireland only, and there I have gathered specimens about a foot in length, but in that region of warmth and moisture almost every moss assumes gigantic dimensions. Several years ago the late Mr Hunt detected it on Sligachan in Skye, a region also celebrated for its rains. The plants found in this locality were males, whereas in Ireland, so far as is yet known, they are all females. It has now been observed in several counties in Scot- land, in one in England ; and last year it was gathered in Wales, and with old fruit, too — the first fruit, I believe, ever seen by human eyes. Though the British specimens are much less stately than the Irish ones, the plant may readily be recognised by its large, lax, soft tufts of a deep green hue with a dash of black in the upper part. It can only be mistaken for the unpil- iferous form of C. longipiius, but the tufts are quite soft, loose, and not nearly so black. Moreover, it lives almost exclusively on our western mountains, and may be regarded as belonging to the Atlantic type of mosses, like Myurium hebridarum^ Didy- modon reciirvifoliiwi (which has recently been found in Wales by Mr Holmes), Leskea (yHypnuni) inicans^ Hookeria Imte-virens^ &c., although its presence in two of our eastern counties is opposed to a certain extent to our so regarding it. Another important species or sub-species of this genus is Campylopus paradoxus Wils. I recently detected it in a collection gathered by Pro- fessor Barker in Glencoe in 1870, and most beautiful specimens have been found in Yorkshire by Mr Wesley. Specimens of so- called C. pa7-adoxiis have been sent to me from very many quarters, but these are almost the only ones which, in my opinion, can be admitted without any hesitation, to be identical 128 The Scottish JVatnrattst. with authentic specimens found near Wooler by Messrs Hardy and Boyd, and bearing the imprimatur of Wilson. The most interesting and the rarest of all the European Cafupylopi is C. brevifoliiis — a species which may be regarded as having its exist- ence in Britain satisfactorily established during the past year. It had been previously recorded and described as British, and Mackinlay's specimens from Arrochar, &c., were quoted in proof. On careful examination of Mackinlay's specimens, I find them to belong to a stunted state of Campylopus Schwarzii, a species in which the auricles are sometimes so undeveloped that they may be regarded as obsolete. About three years ago I gathered the genuine plant near Fern, but there were only a few minute stems of it, and though I mentioned the discovery to some of our Scot- tish botanists, I had some doubts about it. In October last year I rediscovered the plant, still in very small quantity, and any hesitation I had about the species was removed by Mr Boswell's distinct opinion that it was genuine C. brevifolins. Its place of growth here, and in the few localities where it has been met with on the Continent, is greatly different from that of all the European Campylopi. It is invariably found on the gravel or sand of old roads and waysides, and keeps company with Archi- diiim, Pleuridium alterjiifolhun, RacoDiitriiim can€sce?is, &:c., while they invariably select a soil in which there is a consider- able preponderance of peat. I believe, though the plants require to be examined, that I have recently found a new locality for this minute rarity in the neighbourhood of Perth. It may be known at sight from C. fragilis^ its nearest ally, of which I sus- pect it may be little more than a depauperated form, by its looser, subgregarious mode of growth, much smaller size, and stems destitute of tomentum except at the very base. The hyaline tips of the leaves are quite inconspicuous, and are com- posed of very few cells. On turning to the closely allied genus Dicranum, I find one or two discoveries of importance. In the spring of 1876 Professor Barker gatliered Cynodontium {Die.) virens var. serratum in the north of England. It does not appear to have been previously observed on the other side of the Tweed ; but now when atten- tion has been directed to it, we may expect to hear more of it from the liigher mountains of Westmoreland and north-west Yorkshire. A short time ago, in examining a very extensive and remarkably varied collection of British Dicrana^ gathered by Professor Barker, I found that that gentleman, in company with The Scottish Naturalist. 129 Mr Roy of Aberdeen, had picked up a specimen of D. elongatwn in Inverness-shire during their excursion there in 1870. In 1873 Mr Roy and myself gathered abundant and very characteristic specimens of the same plant in Aberdeenshire. They were half recognised at the time on the field, and fully determined soon after. Schimper's description of this plant is not only insufficient for its identification, but is in some respects misleading, inas- much as it declares the leaves to be " integerrima," whereas, as has been pointed out by Milde, they are either quite entire or weakly toothed at the apex and on the back of the nerve. The appended description, amended and detailed, may be of service in identifying a species which I suspect may occur not unfre- quently on our higher mountains : — D. elongattun^ Schwaegr. Suppl. 181 1. — Tufts large, pale yellowish green above, remarkably co7npact and matted together from below the apex by abundant dense ferruginous tomentum. St. 2 — 6 in. long, slender. L. small i^ — 2 lines long, erecto- pate7it or slightly secnnd; lanceolate shortly subulate, semitubular about the middle, very acute, quite or ?iearly entire at the apex. N. narrow, pale, concolorous, a little promifient on the back, smooth or faintly toothed at the apex, continuous. C. at exti'eme apex elo7igate - oblong ; lower down rhombic or subquadrate ; in the lower 3" elongate with rounded or sometimes oblique ends ; all of them rather dista?it, not continuous ; the enlarged ones at the basal margin, golden yellow (sometimes with a few hyaline), not reaclwig to the nerve. Outer perich. 1. suddenly subulate from a very short and broad sheathing base ; the inner with a longer base. Caps, cernous, ovate, gibbous, with a distinct neck, sulcate when dry, greenish brown. Lid conical, with a pale, subulate beak, longer than the caps. Ring narrow. Teeth of peristome irregularly bifid striate red. Seta yellow, i in. long. Fr. Augt. Var. /? orthocaipum. D. sphagni Brid. Bryo. Univ. More slender ; 1. and caps, erect and smaller. Hab. and Dist. Moist peaty places and rocks on the moun- tains, with Cynod. virens, Leptot. flexicaule, &c. Rare and barren. Little Craigandal, Braemar, J. Roy and J. Fergusson. Corrie Ardor, Inverness- shire. Professor Barker and J. Roy. Abundant within the Arctic circle, Norway, Swed. Rhaetian, Styrian, and Jurassic Alps, Siberia, U. States of America. One of the most interesting discoveries of recent years is that of Aulacomnium turgidum, Wahl. This plant, which is so re- I 130 The Scottish Naturalist. markably abundant within the Arctic circle, Hke the last-named species, and which, like it, also advances southward to the Styrian Alps, was gathered by Professor Barker on Ben More, Perthshire, in July 187 1, but was only determined last year. Last year it was gathered in a second British locality, on Whern- side, Yorkshire, by Messrs West and Lees. The Ben More plant has a much closer resemblance to Arctic forms than the Whern- side plant has, and is more easily identified. The latter to a certain extent simulates A. palustre var. iviljricatum.^ which is almost exactly intermediate between A. palustre and A. turgiduiu. Now that attention has been called to this new British species it is probable that it will be found in other localities, though it is likely to prove local, or even rare, like some of the other recently discovered Scottish species. A scarcely less important discovery is that of Seligeria acutifolia by Mr Whithead, of Dukinfield. This minute species was found by him on limestone rocks at Arncliffe, Yorkshire ; but, like so many of our recent " finds," it was not recognised at the time when it was collected. It was only a few months ago that the discoverer, on a re-examination of his SeligericB, became aware of the true character of this little gem. It will probably be discovered by-and-by in Scotland, and may at once be known by the long perichaetial leav.es reaching up to the mouth of the capsule. Diligent search should be made all over our limestone districts, not only for this but for ^S". diversifolia, a Scandinavian species, with short, ovate, obtuse leaves, which may be reasonably expected to exist in this country ; but these Seligerice are such minute entities, that they will reveal themselves only to very sharp and practised eyes with a knowing man behind them. Among the more interesting varieties that have been recently brought to light is one of Cainpylopus hrc7'ipilus — viz., var. auri- culatus. It differs from the type in having leaves more or less conspicuously auricled, the auricles being composed of large fuscous cells. It seems to be much more abundantly distributed over Great Britain than is the type. For many years I had looked earnestly, but in vain, on the thatched roofs of cottages throughout Scotland for Didytnodcm gemj?iascens, Nutt., which has been noticed in a few localities in England. Last month I found it in abundance on thatched cottages near Liff, to the west of Dundee. Between this and Rossie Priory to the west, there are several excellent mosses, such as ZygodoJi Stirtonii cf , Sclcropodiuvi ccespitosinn, Hypnum The Scottish Naturalist. 131 depressum^ &c., &c., as well as important varieties of commoner species. Other varieties new to Britain are Cynodontiiim 7>irens, vars. Wahlenbej'gii and coinpaduvi. The former was gathered by my- self in Glencallater in 187 1, and the latter by Mr Roy and myself in Braemar, in July 1873, at an altitude of about 2200 feet, where it was associated with Ranunctdus ficaria, Ditrichwn flexi- caide, var. co7npactu?fi^ Dicramun eiongatinfi, and a number of most interesting boreal plants. Two new localities have been detected for Grimmia coiiwuitata and G. contorta. The former has been found in Kircudbright- shire by Mr M'Andrew, and the latter in Wales by Mr Holmes of London. This summer little can be done, I fear, on the Scottish mountains. At the present time the higher ranges are covered by deep snow down nearly to 2000 feet above the sea- level. On the last day of May the road leading across the Cairnwell, from Glenshee to Braemar, was cleared of the snow which covered it to a depth of from three to seven feet. This is not very encouraging to botanical workers on the mountains, but the lower are fully as much in need of exploration as the higher lands. Fern, by Brechin. Notes on the Botany of Loch Lindores, Fifeshire.— On the 23d of last August, Colonel Drummond Hay and I spent three hours in an examination of the shores of the Loch of Lindores. At the west end of the loch is a rather extensive marsh, usually too wet to be easily examined. Here Typha angtisti- folia abounds, but, as is often the case elsewhere, seldom flowers. In the dry and hot summer of 1868 Colonel Drummond Hay found it flowering freely, and it was in hope that this would be again the case this season that we were led to visit the loch. Our expectations were realised, though the great majo- rity of the plants were flowerless. To get at the flowering ones it was neces- sary to wade nearly knee-deep through a very mal-odorous mixture of water and mud. In the dryer parts of the marsh, Lythrum salicarin, a rare plant in the east of Scotland, abounds ; and in some parts another rather scarce plant. Ranunculus lingua, is not uncommon. Among the immense beds of Menyanthes we found a few plants of Carex filiformis. Leaving the marsh, we turned our attention to the loch, where great masses of one of the batra- chian Ranunculi were conspicuous. This turned out to be the local Ranun- culus circinatus, which seems to be almost the only representative of its group in the loch. Here, also, was Alyriophyllum spicainni, a rare plant north of the Forth in our experience. A still more local plant, Calliffiche aufumnalis, occurred more sparingly. (To keep it company we placed in the loch some living plants of Xaias flexilis from Loch Cluny, where the two grow together, 132 The Scottish Natin-alist. and take this opportunity of recording our having done so.) The Potamoge- ions noticed in the loch were crispiis, riifescens, nutans, obhisifolhis, ptisillus, and its variety tenitissimiis — the latter form being by far the most abundant, and in great profusion. Possibly an examination of tlie loch from a boat would add to the number. On the muddy shores Sci?-J>us ackidaj-is was far from rare, and in one or two places we noticed Sparganium simplex. On a gravelly shore Chenopodium riibrum occurred rather sparingly, along with a patch or two of Lycopits europcBiis and a single plant of Siletie noctijlora. At the same place we found a curious form of Littorella lacustris with channelled and somewhat hairy leaves, very different from the usual character of the plant, though not previously unobserved. — F. Buchanan White. Trametes pini in MoraysMre. — By a remarkable coincidence two speci- mens of Trametes pini, Fr. , a fungus which I have been long looking for and inquiring after, were sent to me to-day, one from the Castle Grant woods near Grantown, and the other from Darnaway.— J. Keith, Forres, 22d April, 1879. Notes of the Spring of 1879. — I have from time to time noticed, since 1877, the dates of the flowering of plants in my "rock-garden," which faces the south and south-west, and is about 170 feet above sea-level. As the past winter has been so unusually severe, a record of some of these dates for the year may prove interesting. Where possible, I have added the dates for the two previous years, many of which are of the same individual plants. The other notes will explain themselves. In January frost and snow had an almost undisturbed reign ; and I have no notes of any interest except that, when curling one day towards the end of the month, a specimen of tlie winter gnat ( Trichocera hiemalis ?) was seen flying over the ice. Rabbits about this time were put to great straits to obtain food, and barked the hawthorn hedges where the bark was not too rough : they also attacked trees of considerable size. A Little Auk was found dead 7 or 8 miles west of Perth, and had, no doubt, been driven inland by the severity of the weather. In February a thaw began, and lasted for a short time. On the 2d, several rooks were noticed wading in the river Tay, and putting their heads below the water in search of food, which, oerhaps, they saw the gulls obtaining in a similar manner. On the 7th the Common Snowdrop was in flower, being only a day or two later than in 1878 ; also Potentilla alba, which, in 1 878, remained in flower all winter. Before the end of the month, Potentilla frag- ariastncm came into bloom — several weeks later than the previous year. On the 6th, the ground was nearly uncovered by snow, which, except for a day and a half at the beginning of January, had concealed it since November — the ther- mometer during the same period having seldom marked above 40°, and been often for days at a time under 30°. Towards the end of the month the snow returned, and there was a considerable amount of frost. When the snow vanished again, many Snowdrops were seen which liad come into flower below it. The weather in March was a mixture of frost, snow, and thaw. The fol- lowing plants came into flower : — Bcllis perennis, 7th (1878, 2d week of February). Eranthis hiemalis, 7th (1878, 1st week of February). The Scottish ATaturalist. 133 vSaxifraga oppositifolia alba, loth (1877, March 2 ; 1878, February 20). Veronica rupestris, loth (1878, in flower most of the winter). Saxifraga oppositifoha major, 12th (1877, March 18). ,, ,, vulgaris, 20th (1877, March 22). Dondia epipactis, 20th. Arabis procurrens, 20th (1878, in flower most of the winter). Primula denticulata, 20th (1878, February 23). On the 4lh, Phigalia pilosaria appeared ; and on the 8th, Hyheniia riipi- capraria. On the 4th, a tub in which some water-plants were growing was, for the first time since November, free from ice. On the 14th, the Snow- drops which had come well into flower were all drooping, as the thermometer had fallen to 18° or less. They afterwards recovered perfectly. April was a cold and variable month, with snow and frost. The following plants flowered : — Scilla siberica, 4th (1878, February, 2d week). Primula vulgaris, 4th (1878, end of March). Chrysosplenium alternifolium, 6th (1878, February, 2d week). Corydalis cava, loth (1878, end of March). Schivereckia podalica, loth. Aubrietia puipurea, 12th (187S, February, 2d week). Eriophorum vaginatum, 12th (1878, end of April). Ranunculus ficaria, 15th (1878, February, 2d week).. Ribes sanguineum, i8th. Salix caprea, i8th. Arabis albida, 20th (1878, end of March). Apricot (on wall), 20th. Myosotis dissitiflora, 22d (1878, February 23). Viola hirta, 22d (1878, end of March). Corydalis bulbosa, 24th (1878, end of March). Arabis alpina, 25th (1878, January, remaining in flower from December). Omphalodes verna, 27th (1877, May 9; 1878, February 23). Myosotis collina, 28th (1878, end of April). Thlaspi alpestre, 28tli. The Swallow and House- Martin were reported to me as having been seen on the 31st, on which, in the morning, the ground was white with snow. Vanessa 7irticie (the small tortoiseshell butterfly) appeared in the garden, after hybernation, about the loth. This butterfly was, a week or two later, commoner in the garden than I have ever noticed it before. It was not unusual to see four or five specimens at once, though there were no nettles (the food-plant of the larvae) to attract them. Colonel Drummond Hay tells me that he noticed an unusual number at Seggiden also ; on the other hand, Sir Thomas Moncreifi'e says that he has not seen at Moncreiffe more than about the usual number. The commonest of the humble-bees [Bombtis luco- runi) has also been unusiially common this spring. The severe winter, pro- bably, kept their enemies, the mice, from searching for them. About the 2 1 St, Hybcrnia progemviaria, a moth usually abundant with us in February and early March, was rather common — in good condition. 134 The Scottish Naturalist. The weather in May was not much better than in April. Frost and snow- showers were very frequent, and even when the day was bright and sunny there was usually a cold wind, and frost at night. The water-lily tubs were again frozen at the beginning of the month — being the seventh month in suc- cession in which they were in that condition. The mountains have still a great quantity of snow on them \ Ben Ghlo, seen from Perth Bridge, is en- tirely white ; and several of the Highland lochs are still covered with ice, so strong, that about the beginning of the month a fox, which, according to the old saying, *' will not trust the ice after Candlemas," was seen walking across Loch Callater, in Braemar.^ About the 15th the hawthorn hedges were only beginning to get a little green. The Corncrake was heard in the field behind my garden on May i6th — May 15th being its date in the two preceding years. It did not, however, make much noise till the 22d. 7"he following plants flowered : — Carex ornithopoda, ist (1878, end of March), Oxalis acetosella, 3d (1877, May 6; 1878, April 24). Luzula campestris, 3d (1878, April, end). Primula veris, 4th (1878, April, end). Anemone nemorosa, 4th (1878, April, end). Hierochloe borealis, 4th (1878, April, end). Androsace vitaliana, 4th. Glechoma hederacea, 5th (1878, April, end). Cardamine trifoliata, 7th (1877, May I ; 1878, end of March). Potentilla maculata, 8th (1877, May 19; 1878, April, end). Anemone hortensis, 8th (1878^ May 15). Claytonia siberica, 8th. Salix serpyllifolia, 8th (1877, March 28). Viola sylvatica alba, loth (1878, April, end). M M vulgaris, loth (1878, middle of May). II palustris, loth. Lamium maculatum album, 12th (1878, end of March). Viola lutea amoena, 12th (1877, April 30 ; 1878, April 7). Geum montanum, 12th (1877, June 17 ; 1878, May 15), Geranium lucidum, 15th (1877, May 16 ; 1878, May 15). Saxifraga tricuspidata, 15th {1878, May 15). Valeriana montana, i6th (1877, May 22 ; 1878, April, end). Arenaria balearica, i6th (1877, May 4 ; 1878, April 24). Saxifraga Stansfieldii, i6th (1877, May 9). Sibbaldia procumbens, 17th (1878, May 15). Caltha palustris minor, 17th (1878, May 15). Veronica repens, 19th (1877, May 8 ; 1878, end of April). Myosotis alpestris, 20th (1877, May 16; 1878, April 30J. Cotoneaster vulgaris, 20th (1877, May 13), Thalictrum alpinum, 20lh. Saxifraga granulata, 22d (1878, April 30). ^ Since the above was written, I have heard that there was ice in the beginning of June on one of the lochs beside Lochnagar, and at an.altitude of a little more than 2000 feet, of sufficient quantity and strength to permit of curling, if such had been attempted. The Scottish Naturalist. 135 Saxifraga palmata, 22d (1877, May 22 ; 1878, x\pril 30). M affinis, 22d (1878, iNIay 15). Geranium Robeitianum album, 22d (1877, May 23 ; 1878, April, end). Apple (on wall), 22d (1877, May 19). Phlox setacea, 23d (1877, May 23; 1878, April, end). Stellaria holostea, 24th (1878, April, end). Salix reticulata, 24th (1878, middle of May). II herbacea, 24th (1878, middle of May). Epilobium alpinum, 24th. Linaria alpina, 25th (1877, June 4 ; 1878, May 15). Arenaria purpurascens, 25th (1877, June 6 ; 1878", May 15). Cerastium arvense, 27th (1877, May 23 ; 1878, May 15). Saxifraga atropurpurea, 27th (1877, May 29; 1878, May 15). II pectinata, 28th (1877, May 26; 1878, May 15). n hypnoides, 28th (1878, beginning of May). Potentilla lupinoides, 28th. Vinca herbacea, 29th (1878, May 15). Wulfenia carinthiaca, 30th. Geranium sanguineum, 30th (1877, June 6). Saxifraga recta, 30 (1878, May 15). n rosularis, 30th (1878, May 15). Alchemilla alpina, 31st (1877, May 30; 1878, beginning of May). It conjuncta, 31st (1878, beginning of May). Daphne laureola, 31st (1877, May 16 ; 1878, May 15). Oxyria reniformis, 31st (1877, May 20 ; 1878, beginning of May). Veronica chamaedrys, 31st (1877, May 23 ; 1878, May 15). The first leaf of a copper beech appeared on May loth or nth (in 1878 on April 30, and in 1877 on May 9) ; about the i8th or 20th it was half in full leaf (May 21 in 1877) ; and about the 22d or 23d it flowered (May 22 in 1877). On the 3d Swallows and Fly-catchers appeared in the garden, and on the 14th Swifts at Perth Bridge (being eleven days later than in 1878). F. Buchanan Whitf. VARIOUS NOTES. Messrs Friedlander & Sohn, the well-known scientific booksellers of Berlin, have published, since the beginning of the year, a fortnightly list of the Current Literature of all Nations on Natural History and the Exact Sciences. The value of such a list, if complete and accurate — and such Messrs Friedlander's seems to be — needs no comment. The title of it is Naturse Novitates. Miss Ormerod's Notes of Observations of Injurious Insects : Report 1878 (West, Newman, & Co., London), contains a lot of useful matter on many common and some rarer insects in all parts of the country. Information is requested on various points relating to such matters as the spread of common- crop insects {e.g.^ the Turnip Fly) from common crop- weeds, &c., &c. ; and probably there are many farmers and others interested in the cultivation of the land who would gladly assist in contributing information, in the hope that 136 The Scottish Naturalist. such would eventually help — as no doubt it would— the discovery of remedies for the evil. Amongst the insects treated of are the Onion Fly, Wireworm (several kinds), Celery Fly, Wheat Midge, and others. As a cure for the Carrot Fly or " Rust Maggot," Miss Ormerod has found frequent watering with a very dilute application of the fluid sold under the name of " Soluble Phenyle " by Messrs Morris & Little, Doncaster, to be efficacious. About a tablespoonful to a gallon of water was the usual strength used. Illustrations are given of most of the insects mentioned. Those who rear Lepidoptera, especially the larger silkworms, will find Mr P. H. Gosse's little pamphlet on Tlie Great Atlas Moth of Asia (same pub- lishers) interesting and instructive. It is illustrated by a coloured plate of the transformation of the insect. Nature Cared for, and Nature Uncared for : the result upon the Hearts of Men (same publishers), is a very suggestive lecture on Ornithology, by Dr Hewetson, of the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union, and will well repay perusal. Mr Larbalestier (Roche Vue, St Aubin's, Jersey), whose Lichen discoveries are so well known, tells us that he is preparing for publication in the course of the summer a series of fasciculi of the Lichens of West Ireland, England, and the Channel Islands. Many new or rare species and varieties will be included. . Le Naturaliste (E. Deyrolle, Paris) is the title of a new magazine which has succeeded ' Les Petites Nouvelles Entomologiques. ' Like its predecessor, it is published fortnightly, but is not confined to entomological subjects. We wish it all success. We have always advocated the necessity of preserving a record of the histoiy of every natural history object that is placed in a public or private museum or collection. To some specimens it is easy to attach a label setting forth all the necessary particulars, but others {e.g.^ pinned insects) are too small to conveniently carry such a label. To such a number must be attached, and the record made in a suitable book. We found a difficulty in procuring suitable printed numbers, and were obliged to have a series printed for ourselves, which both we and some of our friends have found very useful. These numbers ran from i — 1000, and as higher numbers necessitated an incon- venient increase in the size of the paper to be attached to the specimen, we adopted the plan of using different colours for every thousand above the first. We learn that Mr Marsden, of Gloucester, has printed for sale a series of numbers (running from I — 1 500, and in five different colours) o^n this plan, and having seen a specimen we can recommend them. The meeting of the Cryptogamic Society of Scotland is arranged to take place at Forres on September i6lh and following days. It is unnecessary to remark that all cryptogamic botanists who may attend will receive a hearty welcome. The Rev. Mr Keith, minister of Forres, whose researches in the cryptogamic botany of Morayshire are so well known, is the President for this vear. INSECTA SCOTICA, THE OOLEOPTEEA OF SCOTLAND. {^Continued from p. 48.) Edited by D. SHARP, M.B. BARYPEITHBS Seid. BRUNNIPES 01. Recorded in Murray's Catalogue as "occasional." I have not seen any individual found in Scotland of the species. SULCIFRONS Boh. Very local. Distribution — East Tweed Forth 000000 West. 00000 PLATYTARSUS Seid. ECHINATUS Bons. Rare. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth 000000 West. 00000 TRACHYPHLCBUS Th. LATICOLLIS Boh. Extremely rare. Distribution — East. 00000000 West. Solway 00000 SCABRICULUS L. Rare. Distribution — East. Tweed 0000000 West. Solway 0000 SCABER L. Rare. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth o o Moray 0000 West. 00000 ARISTATUS Gyll. Very local. Distribution — East. 000000000 W^est. Solway 0000 138 The Scottish Naturalist. PHYLLOBIUS Th. CALCARATUS Fab. Common on bushes, especially on alder. Distribution — East. § § Tay Dee §000 West. Sohvay §000 ALNETI Fab. Common on nettles and low plants. Distribution — East. § § Tay Dee Moray 000 West. Solway §000 PYRI L. Common. Distribution — East, § Forth § § Moray 000 West. Solway §000 ARGENTATUS L. Abundant on bushes. Distribution — East. § § Tay Dee Moray 000 West. Solway §000 MACULICORNIS Germ, Common on bushes. Distribution — East, § § Tay Dee Moray 000 West. Solway §000 OBLONGUS L, Local. On bushes. Distribution — East. §000 Moray 000 West. Solway §000 POMONA 01. Common on herbage. Distribution — East. § Forth Tay Dee Moray 000 West. Solway §000 A variety with the scales of a dull grey colour occurs commonly at Aberlady. UNIFORMIS Marsh. Common. On herbage. Distribution — East, § § Tay § §000 West. Solway §000 VIRIDICOLLIS Fab. Local. On Alchanilla, Distribution — East. § Forth Tay Dee § 0^00 West. Solway §000 TROPIPHORUS Th, MERCURIALIS Fab, Common in flood refuse. Distribution — East. § Forth Tay Dee Moray 000 Wes'I'. Solway §000 The Scottish Naturalist. 139 CNEORHINUS Th. GEMINATUS Fab. Usually maritime. Common. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth Tay Dee Moray o o Shetland West. Sol way §000 LIOPHLCEUS Th. NUBILUS Fab. Scarce. Distribution — East. 800 ^^^ §000 West. Solway §000 BARYNOTUS Th. OBSCURUS Fab. Not very common. Distribution — East. 800 ^ee Moray 000 West. Solway 8 ^ <^ ^ SCHONHERRI Zett. Rather common in flood refuse. Distribution — EIast. 8 Forth Tay Dee % q o Shet- land West. Solway 8 ^ ^ ^ MCE3RENS Fab. Rather common in flood refuse. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth 000000 West. Solway % o o o STROPHOSOMUS Th. CORYLI Fab. Abundant on various trees. Distribution — East. 8 Forth Tay Dee Moray 000 West. Solway 8 ^ ^ "^ OBESUS Marsh. Local. Distribution — East. 8 Forth 000000 West. Solway 8^00 RETUSUS Marsh. Local. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth 8 8 Moray 000 West. Solway 8^00 FABER Hbst. Distribution — Doubtful. Recorded in Murray's Catalogue as "not uncommon," but I have not fallen in with the species in Scotland, neither am I aware of any recorded locality. 140 The Scottish Naturalist. LIMBATUS Fab. Common on heather. Distribution — East. § § Tay Dee §000 West. Solway §000 SIT.ONES Th. [griseus Fab. Very rare. Distribution — East, o o Tay o Moray 000 West. 00000 The occurrence of this species in Scotland requires confirmation, FLAVESCENS Marsh. Common. Distribution — East. § Forth Tay Dee Moray 000 West. Solway §000 SUTURALis Steph. Not common. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth 000000 West. Sohvay §000 ONONIDIS Sharp. Very rare. Distribution — East. 000000000 West. Sohvay 00000 SULCIFRONS Thun. Common. Distribution — East, g § Tay § Moray 000 West. Sohvay §000 TIBIALIS Hbst. Common. Distribution — East. § § Tay § §000 West. Sohvay §000 BREVICOLLIS Schon. Local. Distribution — East. 00000000 West. Sohvay 0000 LINEELLUS Gyll. Rare. Distribution — East, o Forth o o o o o q West. Sohvay 0000 CRINITUS 01. Rare. Distribution — East. § Forth 000000 West. Sohvay 00000 CAMBRicus Steph. Rare. Distribution — East. 00000000 "\\'est. Solway 0000 The Scottish Naturalist. ' 141 CINERASCENS Fab. Very rare. Distribution — East. 00000000 West, o Clyde 000 REGENSTEINENSIS Hbst. Abundant on Ulex. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth Tay Dee Moray 000 West. Solway Clyde Argyle o o PUNCTICOLLIS Steph. Common. Distribution — East. § Forth § § 2 o o o West. Solway §000 LINEATUS L. Very common on clover. Distribution — East. § Forth Tay § §000 West. Solway §000 HISPIDULUS Fab. Rather common. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth 000000 West. Solway §000 HUMERALis Steph. Rare. Distribution — East. Tweed 0000000 West. Solway 0000 POLYDRUSUS Th. UNDATUS Fab. Common on various trees and bushes. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth Tay Dee §000 West. Solway §000 PTERYGOMALIS Sch. Not uncommon. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth § Dee §000 West. Solway §000 Distribution — East. § Forth Tay Dee §000 CERVINUS L. Common on Scots fir. o o West. Solway §000 CHRYSOMBLA 01. Maritime. Very rare. Distribution — East. 00000000 West. Solway 0000 MICANS Fab. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth 000000 West, o Clyde 000 This species is unknown to me as Scottish, and the above distribution is given on the authority of Murray's Cat. I am inclined to suspect an error of determination. 142 The Scottish Naturalist. SCIAPHILUS Th. MURICATUS Fab. Occasional in moss and herbage. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth 00000 o West.. Solway §000 TANYMECUS Th. PALLIATUS Fab. Rare. Distribution — East. 0000000 West. Solway 0000 ORTHOCH^TES Germ. SETIGER Germ. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth 00000 AVest. 00000 I record this on Mun-ay's authority, no Scottish specimens having come under my observation. LIOSOMUS Steph. OVATALUS Clair. Amongst moss. Not common. Distribution — East. §00 Dee §00 West. Solway §000 ALOPHUS Sch. TRIGUTTATUS Fab. On herbage. Often abundant in flood refuse. Distribution — tEast. 8000 Moray o o West. Solway §000 HYPERA Germ. (Phytonomus Sch.) PUNCTATA F. Common. Distribution — East. § g § 5 g o o ^ West. Solway §000 FASCICULATA Hbst. Maritime. Excessively local. Distribution — East, o Forth 00000 West, o Clyde 000 RUMICIS L. On dock. Distribution — East. Tweed Fortli Tay § Moray 000 West. Solway Clyde 000 The Scottish Naturalist. 143 SUSPICIOSA Hbst. Rare. Distribution — East. § Forth 000000 West. §§000 PLANTAGINIS de Geer. Rare. Distribution — East, g Forth 000000 West. Solway §000 MURINUS Fab. Very rare. Distribution — East. g Forth 000000 West. Solway g o o o VARIABILIS Hbst. Rare. Distribution — East, g Forth 000000 West. Sohvay g o o o POLYGONI L. Occasional. Distribution— East, g Forth Tay g Moray 000 West. Solway Clyde g o o o NIGRIROSTRIS Fab. Abundant. Distribution — East, g Forth g g g o o o West. Solway g o o o TRILINEATUS Marsh. Very rare. Distribution — East. 00000000 West. Solway 0000 LIMOBIUS Th. DISSIMILIS Hbst. Very rare. Distribution — East, o Forth 000000 West. 00000 " Queeiisferry sea-shore, among Ononis arvensis. Dr Greville." Murray Cat. CLEONUS Th. SULCIROSTRIS L. Rare. Maritime. Distribution — East. o Forth 000000 West. 00000 HYLOBIUS Th. ABIETIS L. Abundant on fir-trees. Often found in houses. Distribution — East, g Forth Tay Dee Moray .000 West. Solway g o o o 144 "^^^^ Scottish Nattwalist, PISSODES Th. PINI L. Local. On Scots fir. Distribution — East, o Forth Tay Dee Moray o o o West, o o o o o NOTATUS Fab. Rare. Highland. On Scots fir. Distribution — East, o o o Dee Moray o o o West, o o o o o GRYPIDIUS Th. EQUISETI Fab. Local. Distribution — East. § Forth o o o o o o West. Solway §000 BRIRHINUS (and DORYTOMUS Th.) BIMACULATUS Fab. Maritime. Very local. Distribution — East. 00000000 West. Solway 0000 ^THIOPS Fab. Rare. Distribution — East. Tweed § Tay 00000 West. Solway 0000 ACRIDULUS L. Common. Distribution — East. § Forth Tay Dee Moray § § Shetland. West. Solway Clyde 000 VORAX Fab. Rare. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth 000000 West. Solway Clyde 000 SILBERMANNI Wenck. Common. Distribution — East. § Forth Tay Dee §000 West. Solway §000 Distribution — East. § Forth § § §000 MACULATUS Marsh. Common. -East. § Fori West. Solway §000 ( To be continued. ) ■ /^A ^»^ a — Vaccinium and Arctostaphylos. II cordigera — Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (&c. ?). Psodos coracina — Calluna ? Scopida uliginosalis — Scoparia alpina — Mosses ? II gracilaiis — Mosses ? Cravibus fti7'catelhis — Grasses ? mosses ? Penthina Staintontiana — Vaccinium nryrtillus. M Grevilleana — Arctostaphylos ? Sericoris irriguajia — Hivainmerdamia nanivora — Betula nana. Zelleria saxifragcE — Saxifraga aizoides, &c. Of these plants, the grasses and Betula nana are wind-fer- tilised ; Vaccinium^ Arctostaphylos, and Saxifraga are generally insect-fertilised. It may be argued that the insects in question, being furnished with wings, were not dependent on a land-connection with con- tinental Europe for their introduction into Britain ; and it is quite possible that some of them may have found their way across the narrow seas. Whether in that case they would make good their footing, would depend on whether their own peculiar food-plants had become established. That some plants had reached this country before the land-connection took place is very likely, but that the majority of the plants crossed by land (or at least when the water-barrier was much narrower) seems more probable. Another objection to a theory of passage across the sea is that most of the insects in question seem to be — now, at least — of a very unmigratory disposition ; and unless their habits in former times were different, they would not be likely to venture across the sea. On the mountains there are many places, which appear as suitable as those inhabited by the various species, which remain untenanted ; and though it would be very rash to say that these spots will remain untenanted, yet if the insects in question had been of a roving disposition, they would probably have colonised or recolonised them. As for involuntary migra- tion, by means of the wind-currents, these mountain insects seem to have a wholesome dread of wind, and will not as a rule ven- ture out in a breeze unless compelled by dire necessity, either concealing themselves in the scanty herbage or taking shelter under stones, as I have seen Psodos do. Many of the lowland insects get caught by the wind and blown on to the mountains, as I observed by finding large quantities of them scattered on snow-fields on one of our hills. I was at the time especially 152 The Scottish Naturalist. struck by the fact that none of the mountain Lepidoptera had been caught in this manner. Of course it is quite, and perhaps extremely, probable that this habit of avoiding wind-currents may have been acquired since these insects colonised their pres- ent mountain homes, and that they were in former times as in- cautious as the lowland species. Moreover, even supposing that they were cautious, a single female of each of the species may have been carried by the wind and founded a colony. On the whole, however, I think the probabilities are in favour of the passage by land, or rather by land only slightly interrupted here and there by very narrow water-barriers ; and if we can judge from the present distribution of the species, we may hazard a guess at the sequence in which they came. I say the " present distribution," for we cannot tell of course what changes may have taken place — such as the extinction of species in localities once frequented by them — during the many thousand years that have elapsed since their first arrival. But, first of all, what kind of a country did the dry sea-bed make, and what were its physical features ? It might be thought that some idea of these might be obtained by studying the Admiralty charts of the various depths at present existing round our shores and in the German Ocean ; but geologists think that many of the great banks which occur in the southern reaches of the Ger- man Ocean probably consist, in large measure, of glacial deposits, and their presence tends to obscure the physical features that obtained in pre-glacial and inter-glacial times. Were one to judge from the present depths, the first dry land lay between Holland and North Lincoln or South Yorkshire, and the Rhine, Thames, and other rivers ran west through the English Channel ; the Elbe and other rivers north of the Rhine running, on the other hand, northwards. But geologists incline to believe that the Rhine flowed northwards, and was joined by the Elbe, Thames, and other rivers. However that may be, it is pretty certain that great plains, intersected by rivers of varying breadth, occupied the present bed of the German Ocean, and that all parts of that sea of less depth than one hundred fathoms were then dry land. The hundred-fathom line (beyond which the depths increase suddenly) reaches from Denmark to the north of the Zetland Islands, but does not touch Norway, which is cut off by a deep channel. From beyond the Zetlands it passes outside the Hebrides, Ireland, and the south-west of England, and gradually approaches the coast of France in the extreme The Scottish Naturalist, 153 south-west. Between England and Ireland was a large lake reaching from opposite Wales to beyond the north of Ireland. Assuming that Crambus furcatellus is (as is most probably the case) a grass or moss eater, we may regard it as one of the earliest of our mountain Lepidoptera to arrive. In the first place, because of its probable food-plant, which, as already said, would be one of the first to be established ; and in the second place, because it is the only one of the species known to inhabit Wales. When the plants and animals began their northward march the arctic- alpine species would, as already remarked, follow closest on the retiring ice-sheet, and close behind them would come the more numerous species that inhabit the lower and less arctic localities. As these seem to be stronger, they would occupy all the ground behind, where, moreover, the climate would be becoming some- what unfavourable to the mountain and arctic species. There would therefore be no possibility, on the part of the latter, of turning back, and they would be driven either up the hills or to the north. Some of the Crambus furcatellus^ therefore, we may imagine, were pressed up the Welsh hills, where the then still existing local glaciers would afford a climate suitable to them and adverse to their pursuers ; others would be driven northwards, and find resting-places on the hills of the north-west of England and of Scotland, on which, doubtless, the species had once a wide range. Another view of the possible history of the arrival and spread of Crambus furcatellus may be taken — namely, that it managed to get across the sea to the south of England, and thence gradually spread northwards, taking Wales on its way. Perhaps the next — if not as early an — arrival would be Erebia Epiphron, which we know is a grass-feeder. It does not occur in Wales, and perhaps never did, but entering England on the east has left colonies on the north English and Scottish hills. From Scotland it probably reached Ireland by the north of the great lake, which, as we have seen, occupied a large part of the Irish Sea, and which to such a weak flier as the Erebia would prove an obstacle to direct migration from England. Ireland, or at least the north and west of it, not having been in all proba- bility fully colonised, would not present such obstacles to a southward march as would the more accessible sister country. The insects most likely to be next in succession would be Zelleria saxifrages and Swammerdamia nanivora. The Zelleria feeds on various species of saxifrages, especially (in this country) on Saxifraga aizoides^ but also on S. oppositi- 154 The Scottish Naturalist. folia, and (in Switzerland) on ,5". aizo'dn. Saxifraga aizoides must have been a very widely-spread species in this country before it was crowded out by other plants, as, though it is chiefly confined to the mountains, it yet occurs in various low-lying localities to which it cannot have been brought by water from the hills. It also descends the rivers. A curious fact in its distribution is that, though common in Ireland, it has not been found in Wales. We may therefore suppose that it entered England on the east, and reached Ireland by way of Scotland. The Zelleria doubtless followed it, and, though as yet only noticed (in Britain) in a few localities in Scotland, is probably of much wider distribution than is imagined. I am led to suppose this by finding it in every suitable locality in which I have looked for it. Against this theory of its line of migration must be set the fact that Saxifraga oppositifolia, on which it also feeds, does occur in Wales. The plant par excellence to which it is attached is, however, S. aizoides. The SiJuanwierdamia had better be considered with the remain- ing insects. The latter, so far as their food-plants are known, feed on ericaceous plants — species which mostly afi"ect a peaty soil, and which, perhaps, would scarcely cross to Britain, or at least spread widely there, till a suitable soil had been prepared for them.^ Some of these plants will scarcely flourish except when there is a large amount of peat in the soil; but others, though mostly found on such soils, will grow well enough where there is no peat, and probably only occupy the peat because they find on it less of a struggle for existence — or, in other words, they can flourish on it, while other plants which, on a different soil would overgrow them, cannot. Be this as it may, this kind of soil results from the previous growth and decay of other plants, more especially such as love a damp situation or climate. Now we have good reasons for believing that after the close of the glacial epoch great alternations of wet and dry periods of climate took place. During the wet periods moisture loving and marsh-plants would find conditions most favourable for their existence and spread, and consequent on their growth and decay peat and peaty soil would be formed. During the dry periods the reverse would happen, and the vegetation would consist of plants that prefer a 1 I need scarcely remind my readers that wherever the ice-sheet had spread (and that was over the greater part of the country), the peaty soil which had accumulated in the pre-glacial or inter-glacial periods was, except in a few sheltered places, swept away by the grinding ice, and replaced or overlaid by the bouldcr-clay or till. The Scottish Naturalist. 155 drier soil and climate — as, for example, many of our forest trees. That such alternations of climate took place we may learn from a study of deep sections of peat, where — with greater or less dis- tinctness— the succession of wet periods, characterised by marsh plants, and of dry periods, characterised by forest trees, may be seen. Of course there was no sudden change from one period to another, but a gradual one from wet to dry, and vice versa. In those intermediate periods — neither very wet nor very dry — the plants that affected an intermediate condition would grow and spread, and the insects that feed on such plants would be sure to follow them. Betula 7ia7ia is one of the plants that like a moderately damp situation, such as is afforded by a spongy sphagnum -covered morass. The ericaceous plants (Arctostaphylos, Vaccinium^ and Callmid) prefer drier ground, and though lovers of a peat soil are not dependent on it. .They are, however, species that probably spread during the wet or intermediate periods. Except the Arc- tostaphylos, these plants are of wide distribution in this country, and hence the range of the insects is not restricted by that of the food-plants, even supposing that they were (or are) always confined to these plants, which there are grounds for believing not to be entirely the case. Judging, however, from the present distribution in Britain of these insects (namely, their being confined to the northern half of Scotland), it seems quite possible that they were never in- habitants of England, but that spreading along the shore (ex- tending, as has been pointed out, between the Continent and Scotland) of the North Sea they reached Scotland, and ascended to the mountains when these were sufficiently free of snow and ice, and when the low grounds could be no longer held. In this manner the Zetlands were reached by Anarta nielanopa. Of course, on the other hand, it is equally possible that they did in- habit England, but did not succeed in maintaining their position. The reason already suggested for the non-persistence of those alpine species in lowland localities, once necessarily occupied by them, and which reason may be briefly defined by the now clas- sical expression, " survival of the fittest," would be brought about by various agencies, more or less obscure or imperceptible to us in their action, but not the less efficacious. None of the Lepi- doptera in question seem to be less protected from the attacks of enemies (such as birds, carnivorous or parasitic insects, &c.) than the majority of other species, though such enemies are 156 The Scottish Naturalist. decidedly less numerous in the high-lying localities inhabited by these insects. Their want of success in holding their own must therefore, in part at least, be due to other causes. It is probable that their vital constitutions are different from that of the species which have supplanted them, and some of which even contest with them their present habitats. In one respect their constitu- tions must be hardy enough to sustain life at all in alpine and arctic districts \ and it is probably not entirely (though in some degree) the greater summer heat of low-lying localities that makes such unsuitable for them, but the less severe and shorter- lasting cold of winter. In the high altitudes or high latitudes which they inhabit there is a continuous frost all through the winter, and none of the alternate frosts and thaws, accompanied by damp, that forms the winter of the northern lowlands, and which we know is so much more destructive to insect-life than a continuous low temperature. They are, moreover, protected at this season by a thick covering of dry snow. Climate, therefore, is likely to have been an important factor in the distribution of these species. It must be remembered, however, that Anarta melaiiopa inhabits low elevations in the Zetlands, whose climate is pre-eminently an "insular" one, and where the mean winter temperature is comparatively high and the summer temperature low. In Zetland, however, the com- petition between species is much less than that in Britain. With this exception oi Anarta melaiiopa., most of the species appear to prefer a ''continental" climate to an " insular" one ; and this is possibly the reason why more of them do not occur in Ireland, where the influence of the Atlantic Ocean is greatest. While the connection of Britain with continental Europe across the floor of the German Ocean lasted, our climate was much more conti- nentaP than at present, when we have what is termed an " insu- lar" climate, reaching its maximum on our western shores. It is to this insular climate that, I believe, the poorness of our fauna, compared with parts of continental Europe situated much further north of us, is partly due. For example, compare the Butterflies of Finland with those of Scotland. Finland has 89 species, Scotland only about 36 (Britain altogether^ only 64); and though Finland is situated to the north of any part of Britain, yet many of its species are those which are — in Britain ^ That is to say, the summer heat was greater and the whiter cold more severe and continuous, — both due to a less humid atmosphere, caused by the less near proximity of the sea. The Scottish Natiwalist. 157 ■ — only found in those parts which have a more continental (or a less insular) climate, and are insects which do not reach Scotland or the north of England. ^ That many species, now confined to a few localities in the south of England, had at one time a much wider range in Britain, is extremely probable ; and it is equally probable that perhaps many other European species once inhabited this coun- try, but failed to survive the change to a more insular climate. On the other hand, we possibly owe to our insular climate (and situation) many of the curious varieties of Lepidoptera that are found only in Britain. One more point in connection with our mountain Lepidoptera merits attention, and that is, their comparative age as species, as well as the probable place where they originated. There seems great reason to believe that the countries of the north temperate hemisphere, and even the north circumpolar lands, were the regions where many of the species of plants and animals at present in existence were evolved, and that the last and other glacial periods were very instrumental in dispersing these species over the earth's surface. We have proofs that many species now only existing in a living state in the warmer temperate regions once flourished near the North Pole, in com- pany with other species now extinct, but which seem to have been the more immediate ancestors of certain living species. Prob- ably very many other species (including many living now) once flourished along with these, but from their more fragile nature have left no remains. To go no further back than the last glacial period, it is easy to understand how the change of climate of that epoch acted as a dispersing agent, driving the plants and animals before it step by step, and, doubtless, utterly destroying many species that failed to make good their escape to more genial climes. We must not think of this change of climate, and its accompanying phenomena of ice-sheets and heavy snows, as having occurred suddenly. It would happen gradually — probably very gradually — and possibly, had any naturalists been then existent to study the change induced in the fauna and flora, it would have required the observations of many generations before such changes be- came established — or, rather, admitted — facts. 1 Amongst other species may be noticed Papilio Machaon, Thecla betiihs ^xidi primi, Melitiea cinxia, Argynnis Latonia, (Sic. &c. 158 The Scottish Naturalist. All the same, slowly but surely the changes were taking place. The species at one time abundant in the suppositious locality under observation would become rarer and rarer, till they had ceased to live in that locality at all ; but their places would be supplied by other — more northern or mountain — species, which, mingling with the others, would gradually supplant them, but would in their turn be supplanted by still more alpine or arctic species. And what would happen in one locality would happen in all to which the phenomena of the glacial period extended — the more northerly or more alpine suffering first, the southerly and low grounds at a later period. Moreover, there were times in which the change in the climate (and consequent alteration in the fauna and flora) would not only not alter for the worse, but, to a greater or less extent, for the better. And in these periods ("inter-glacial periods") the species driven out would return, though perhaps not all of them, and perhaps others would come which had not previously in- habited the locality, all however to be again driven out or supplanted when that inter-glacial period came to an end. At last, however, the great glacial period would reach its maximum intensity, and the climate would gradually (but, as before, interruptedly) become better, and would be accompanied by similar phenomena of a changing fauna and flora. In short, there were during all this long period — extending over many thousand years — great but gradual oscillations of climate, and consequent shiftings in the component parts of the fauna and flora, which could not fail to make immense alterations in the species. From all this we may gather that it is probable that the species whose distribution at the present day is widest are the more ancient, and that those of a less wide range have possibly had a later evolution. Of the species discussed in this paper, Ajiarta cordigera is the most widely distributed, and A, mcla)wpa ranges nearly as far. These are the only species (amongst our mountain Lepidoptera) which occur in America, and therefore probably existed as arctic species before the glacial period. In America theyjiave been reported from Labrador only, so that apparently they are not circumpolar. European (or palaearctic) species had two routes by which they might have gone to America (the nearctic region). One was by a broad land-connection, reaching south of Greenland, that united The Scottish Naturalist. 159 North Europe and North America, which geologists suppose to have once existed ; the other is across Behring's Straits or by the Aleutian islands. As, however, these species of Anarta do not occur in the eastern palsearctic region (/. J» ») ?» J) ) Perfectly hardy and uninjured. 1 1 . DapJme Meze?'eoji, . 12. Ledwn palustre^ 13. "^Rhododendron daurica atf'ovirens^ 14. \Spircea chamcedrifolia , cratcegifo/ia^ sibirica, . sorbifolia, . tobo/shii, . salicifolia alpes trisj 15. fSyringa sibirica, . Central Europe, Germany, and Switzerland. 16. Corniis mascula variegata^ \ 17. Erica he?'bacea, alba and carnea I 'J a. Enony?nus lati folia, 18. Genista sagittalis, . . > Uninjured and perfectly hardy. 19. Polygala chanicebnxus, 20. Rhododendro7i chamcEcistus ferrngineum hirsutnm, . >> )j South of France, *Spain, and f Portugal, including the Azores. 21. iCerasiis liisitanica, >> azorica 22. '''Cist us laurifolius, 55 formosus, [Uninjured, and perfectly hardy; I the hardiest of all the laurel ( tribe. i Unripened shoots killed, and leaves browned, otherwise unin- ( jured ; has made a good growth. Though apparently uninjured from frost, seems to have suffered much from the effects of the cold \ wet summer, after tl^e long pro- tracted winter by bliglit, other- wise it may be said to have been uninjured. j Uninjured, on a rockery, other- . < wise killed where not protected ( by a wall. The Scottish Naturalist, 23. Erica mniti/iora, 24. * Genista hispaiiica. 165 24^. \Cytisus albus^ 25. '^Picea pi?isapo, 26. *Pinus pyroiaica^ . 27. '^Rosa py?'enaica, 28. ^Rhododendron po?iticum, Uninjured. ( Slightly injured, and some shoots . ^ killed ; but has since flowered ( well, and made good growth. . Uninjured. . > Uninjured. Uninjured ; but reported to have suffered severely in Forfarshire. Atlas and Madeira. 29. Cedrus atlajiticiis, . 30. I/ex maderiensis, Uninjured. Italy and Southern Europe, including '^ Corsica, t Sicily, AND the II Balearic Islands. 31. Arbutus unedOj 32. II Buxus bakaricus, . 33. Cerasus colchica, 34. Cist us salvicefolius, . 35. Circis siiiquastrum, 2i6. Colutea arborescens, T,'] . Daphfie collina, „ Rioniana, . ;^S. Erica mediterranean 39. Juniper us Sabina, . 40. \\//ex balearica, 41. Laurus nob His ^ ( Uninjured with me, but in some * ( places has greatly suffered. . Utterly killed. j Uninjured ; seemingly one of the [ hardiest of the laurels, / Killed to the roots, though in a J great measure protected by j snow; has, however, made fresh ' growth, and flowered well. / Many of the terminal buds killed, ) and much retarded, but not- ' j withstanding has made good V growth. Uninjured. ) Perfectly uninjured, and flowered J profusely. ( A good deal injured, but coming ( away well again from the roots, > Uninjured. ) Much injured, and retarded where nobilis angustifolius j not sheltered by a wall. 42. Lonicera alpigena^ . 43. Philadelphus co7'onarius, 44. Phillyrea angi/stifolia, „ latifolia, . „ media, 45 Pi /I us /aricio, . Uninjured. i66 The Scottish Naturalist. 46. Pop III us dllatata (Lom- bardy Poplar), . 47. RhattiJius alaterims^ aurea- variegatus, 48. Rhus Cotinus^ • • • • 49. Rosjnaritms officinalis ^ 50. Ruscus hypoglossutn^ 51. Tamarix gallica, 52. Vibuniuin Tiniis, . >> ?) hirtujH, . 'Much retarded, and in many in- stances made little or no growth ; in some places in the neigh- bourhood much injured or killed. Shoots browned, and a good deal retarded. Shoots killed, and a good deal retarded, but has since made good growth. Every plant entirely killed, some of them upwards of twenty years old, having withstood the severe winter of 1860-61 with impunity. Uninjured, though grown in the open border, without the pro- tection of trees, which it requires in this climate ; was, however, well protected by snow. Uninjured, and has flowered pro- fuselv. Leaves browned, and much in- jured, and in some instances killed to the roots. Leaves browned, and unripened shoots killed, otherwise unin- jured. Levant and Asia Minor. 53. Azalea pontica, 54. Cist us cyprius, 55. Cerasus Lauro-Cerasus, 56. Phius cilicea, ( Uninjured. Slightly injured and retarded, but seems to have suffered more from the effects of the cold wet summer, coming immediately after so long and severe a win- ter, producing blight. [In many instances browned, and < unripened shoots killed, other- I Avise uninjured. This pine, which is of early habit, frecjuently suffers severely from spring frosts ; this year, owing to its having been retarded, was perfectly uninjured, and is now making profuse growth. The Scottish Naturalist. 167 Persia. ( Lilacs, though apparently uninjur- ed from the effects of the win- ter, and flowering well, have o . , • suffered much from the cold 157. Syruiga vulgaris. . . ^ . . ■,• ^ ->' -^ <=> o J ^ wet summer commg mimediate- ly after it, especially the white varieties, which in many in- stances have been killed. ,, persica, Uninjured. ( 7i? be continued. ) THE GAELIC NAMES OF PLANTS. By JOHN CAMERON. {Coiitimicd from p. 124.) Nasturtium officinalis — Water-cress. Gaelic, biolair, a dainty, or that which causes the nose to smart, hence agreeing with nasturtiian (Latin : nasus, the nose, and tortus^ tormented). Dur- lus, — dur, water, and lus, plant. Dobhar-lus., — dobhar, water. Welsh : berwyr dwfr, water-cress. The Gaelic and Irish bards used these names indefinitely for all cresses. " Sa bhiolair luidneach, shliom-chluasach. Glas, chruinn-cheannach, chaoin ghorm-nealach ; Is i fas glan, uchd-ard, gilmeineach, Fuidh baiT geal iomlan, sonraichte." — M'Intyre. Its drooping, smooth, green, round-leaved water-cress growing so radiantly, breast-high, trimly; under its remarkably perfect white flower. '^ Dobhmch bhallach mhin." — M'Intyre. Smooth-spotted water-cress. Barbarea vulgaris — Winter cress. Gaelic and Irish : treabh- ach, — treabh, a tribe, tillage; or from traigh, the sea -shore, strand. Sisymbrium sophia — Flixweed. Gaelic : JiJieal Mhuire^ the Virgin Mary's fennel. Welsh : piblys, pipe-weed. Erysimum alliaria — Garlic mustard, Sauce-alone. Gaelic : garbhraitheach, rough, threatening. Irish : gairelach collaid ; gairleaz, garlic, and collaid, hedge garlic. Bo-coinneal., cow candle. Cheiranthus Cheirii — Wallflower, gilly-flower. Gaelic : lus leth an samhraidh^ half the summer plant. Irish : the same. Welsh : bloden gorphenaf, July flower or gilly-flower. Wedgwood says gilly-flower is from the French girqflee. 1 68 The Scottish Naturalist. Brassica rapa — Common turnip. Gaelic, neup ; Irish, 7ieip ; AVelsh, maipeti ; Scotch, neep (and naveiv, French, navet) ; corruptions from Latin napus. B. campestris — Wild navew. Gaelic : neitp fiadhain^ wild turnip. B. oleracea — Seakale or cabbage. Gaelic and Irish : praiseach bhaidhe, the pot-herb of the wave {baidhe, in Irish, a wave). Morran, — mor (Welsh), the sea, its habitat the seaside. Cal colbhairt — the kale with stout fleshy stalks (from colbh^ a stalk of a plant, and art, flesh), cat or cadhal. Welsh : cawl^ kale. Gaelic: cdl-cearslach {cearslach, globular), cabbage; cdl gj'uidheaji (with grain like flowers), cauliflower ; colag (a little cabbage), cauliflower; garadh edit, a kitchen-garden. ** Dh' itheadh biolair an fhuarain 'S air bu shuarach an c^/."—M 'Donald. I would eat the cress of the wells, Compared to it, kale is contemptible. Sinapis arvensis — Charlock, wild mustard. Gaelic : inarag bhuidhe, the yellow sausage (to which the pod is supposed to bear some resemblance). Sceallan^ a kernel. Sgealag (Shaw), — sgealpach, biting. Mustard, from the English. " Mar ghrainne de shiol nmstaird." — Stuart. Like a grain of mustard-seed. Caran buidhe, the yellow head. Praiseach garbh, the rough pot- herb. Irish : cusag, quantity, because it grows abundantly. Resedace/E. Reseda luteola — Weld, yellow weed. Gaelic : lus buidhe mor, the large yellow weed. Am buidhe fhliodh, the yellow excres- cence. Irish : buidhe mor. the large yellow. Welsh : llysie Uiu, dye-wort. Reseda, from Latin rescdo ; Gaelic : reidh, to calm, to appease. CiSTACEiE. (From Greek Klfnt], kiste, a box or capsule, from theii" peculiar capsules. \.Zi\.\n, cista ; Gaelic, r/j-/t'; Y):m\?\\, kiste.) Helianthemum vulgare — Rock-rose. Gaelic : grian ros, sun- rose ; p/ur na grcifie, flower of the sun (also heliotrope). Welsh : blodaic'r haul, sun-flower. The Scottish Naturalist. 169 VlOLACE^. (From Greek tor, ion^ a violet, — the food given to the cow lo, one of Jupiter's mistresses.) Viola odorata — Sweet violet. Gaelic : fail chuach, scented bowl; fail, scent, and cuach, a bowl hollow as a nest — (Scotch : qiiaich, cogie (dim.), a drinking-cup), or cuach, a cuckoo. " Fail chuackaig zv uachdar a fheoir." — M'Farlane. Scented violet on the top of the grass. V. canina — Dog-violet. Gaelic : dail chuach, field-bowl {dail, a field. Danish : dal, a valley.) " Gun sobhrach, gun dail chuach, Gun lus uasal air carnn. " — M'Intyre. Without primrose or violet, Or a gay flovi'er on the heap. Sail chuach, — sail, a heel (from its spur), cuckoo's heel. " Coille is guirme sail chuach.''^ — Old Song. A wood where violets are bluest. Irish : biodh a leithid, the world's paragon ; also fanaisge, pro- bably from fan, weak, faint, agreeing in meaning with the Welsh name, crinllys, a fragile weed. V, tricolor — Pansy, heartsease. Gaelic : spog na cubhaig, the cuckoo's claw. Irish : gorman searraigh. Droserace^. (From Greek Spoa-epos, droseros, dewy, because the plants appear as if covered with dew.) Drosera rotundifolia — Round-leaved sundew. Gaelic : ros an fsolais, sun rose or flower ; geald-rtiidhe or dealt ruaidhe, very red dew; lus na fearnaich, the plant with shields (its leaves have some resemblance to shields). ^ Irish : eil druich {eil, to rob, and druich, dew), the one that robs the dew ; druichdiii viona, the dew of the hill. Welsh : doddedig rudd, — dod, twisted thread, and rudd, red, the plant being covered with red hairs. POLYGALACEiE. (From Greek irokv, poly, much, and yaXa, gala, milk.) Polygala vulgaris — Milkwort. Gaelic : lus a bhdine, milk- wort. Irish : lusan baine, the same meaning, alluding to the reputed effects of the plants on cows that feed upon it. 1 Fearnaich, a distemper among cattle, caused, it is supposed, by eating a poisonous herb, for which the suiulrdi is supposed to be an effectual remedy. lyo The Scottish Naturalist. Caryophyllace^. Saponaria officinalis — Soapwort, bruisewort. Gaelic : gairgean- cregach. Irish : gairbhin creugach, the bitter one of the rocks ; garbhion, bitterness, and creiigach, rocky. The whole plant is bit- ter, and was formerly used to cure cutaneous diseases. Lus an siabuiiin^ the soapwort. Welsh : sebonllys, the same meaning {sebon, soap, Latin sapo), so called probably because the bruised leaves produce lather like soap. Soap was a Celtic invention. " Prodest et sapo. Gallorum hoc inventum, Rutilandis capillis, ex sevo et cinere." — Pliny. Soap is good, — that invention of the Gauls, — for Reddening the hair, out of grease and ash. Lychnis flos-cuculi — Ragged Robin. Gaelic : piiir na cubhaig, the cuckoo flower ; curachd na aibhaig, the cuckoo's hood. Irish : caorag kana, the swamp spark. Lus siode, silk-weed, from its silky petals. L. diurna — Red campion. Gaelic : cirean coileach^ cockscomb ; in some places corcan coille, red woodland flower. L. githago — Corn-cockle. Gaelic : brogiia cubhaig, the cuckoo's shoe. Lnibh laoibheach, — laoi, day, and beachd, to observe — i.e., the plant observed for a day. Irish : cogall^ from coch (Welsh), red ; hence cockle. French : coqiiille. Welsh : gith, cockle or its seed, a corruption from githago^ or vice versa. Spergula arvensis — Spurrey. Gaelic : cluin lin, — clnin, fraud, and lin, flax — i.e., fraudulous flax. Carran, twisted or knotted. Scotch : yarr. Irish : cabrois, — cab, a head ; rois, polished. ** Gun deanntag, gun charran." — M 'Donald. Without nettle or spurrey. Arenaria alsine — Sandwort. Gaelic : Jlige, perhaps ixoxwfliche, water, growing in watery or sandy places. Stellaria media— Chickweed. Gaelic : fliodh, an excrescence (Armstrong), sometimes written Jiuth. Irish : lia, wetting (Gaelic : fluich, wet) ; compare also floch, soft (Latin : flacctis). Welsh : gudydd, the soft or tender plant. S. Holostea — The greater stitchwort. Gaelic : iiwsach, sad, dejected. Irish : tiirsarrain, the same meaning ; and Stellaria ^ Similar ideas occur in other Irish names respecting this plant : Beach- nuadh Columcille, bcachnuadh hcinionn, beachnuadh firionn,— beach, to em- brace; nuadh, new^ beinionn, a little woman ; Jirionn, a little man. The Scoilish N'aturalist. 171 graminea, iursarranin^ the lesser stitchwort. Welsh : y wenn- 7i>lydd, the fair soft-stemmed plant, from givenn and givlydd^ soft tender stem. Cherleria sedoides — Mossy cyphel, found plentifully on Ben Lawers. No Gaelic name, but seorsa chinich, a kind of moss. Cerastium alpinum — Mouse-ear chickweed. Gaelic : duas an Inch, mouse-ear. Linages. Linum usitatissimum — Flax. Gaelic : lion, gen. singular Ihi. Welsh : ///;/. '' Greek Xivov and Latin linum, a thread, are derived from the Celtic." — Loudon-. " larraidh i olan agus lion." — Stuart (Job). She will desire wool and flax. L. catharticum — Fairy flax. Gaelic : l\on 71a bhean she, fairy woman's flax ; 7niosach, monthly, from a medicinal virtue it was supposed to possess ; mionach, bowels ; Ins caolach, slender weed : compare also caola?i, intestine (Latin : colon, the large intestine). Both names probably allude to its cathartic effects. Stuart, in Lightfoot's ' Flora,' gives these names in a combined form, — an caol niiosacha7i, the slender monthly one. Irish : ceo- lagh. Malvace^. Latin : 77ialvcB, mallows. Gaelic : 77ialoi77ih, from Greek [LoXayy], 7nalache, soft, in allusion to the soft mucilaginous pro- perties of the plants. *' A' gearradh sios inaloimh laimh ris na preasaibh, agus freumhan aiteil mar bhiadh." — Stuart (Job xxx. 4). "Who cut up mallozvs by the bushes, and juniper roots for their meat." Welsh : 77ieddalai, what softens. Gaelic : i7iil 7nheaca7i, honey- plant ; gropais or g7vbais (M'Donald) from Gothic, g7vb, English, grub, to dig. The roots were dug, and boiled to obtain mucilage. Malva rotundifolia — Dwarf mallow. Gaelic and Irish : ucas f7'a7igach, — ucas from Irish uc, need, whence uchd, a breast (Greek, oxOrj) — the mucilage being used as an emollient for breasts — zx\d frangach, French — i.e., the French mallow. M. sylvestris — Common mallow. Gaelic : ucas fhcadhai7', wild mallow. Althaea officinalis — Marsh-mallow. Gaelic and Irish : leainhad, perhaps from leanihach, insipid ; fochas, itch, a remedy for the itch {pchas, itch). Welsh : 7/iorhocys, — 77ior, the sea, and hocys, phlegm- producer, it being used for various pulmonary complaints. 172 The Scottish Naturalist. TlLIACE^. Tilia europea — Lime-tree, linden. Gaelic: craobh theile. Irish: crann teile, — teik, a corruption from tilia. Welsh : pis gwydden. Hypericace^. Hypericum perforatum — The perforated St John's wort. Gaelic and Irish : eala bhuidhe (sometimes written eala bhi), pro- bably from eal {{ox neul), aspect, appearance, and bhuidhe or bhi, yellow. " An eala bh^iidhe s'an noinean ban S'an t'sobhrach an gleann fas, nan luibh Anns am faigheadh an leighe liath Furtach fiach, do chreuch a's leon." — COLLATH. In the glen where the St John^s luoj-t, the white daisy, and the primrose grow, the grey doctor will find a valuable remedy for every disease and wound, "The belief Avas common among the Caledonians that for all the diseases to which mankind is liable there grows an herb some- where, and not far from the locality where the particular disease prevails, the proper application of which would cure it." — M'Kenzie. " Sobhrach a's eala bin 's barra neoinean." — M'Intyre. Primrose, St Johns wort, and daisies. Alias Mhuire {Mhuire, the Virgin Mary; alias, perhaps another form of the preceding names) — Mary's image, which would agree with the word hypenciim. According to Linnaeus it is derived from Greek virip, nper, over, and uKoiv, eiko7i, an image — that is to say, the superior part of the flower represents an image. Caod aslachan Choluni chille, from Colum and cill (church, cell), St Columba's flower, the saint of lona, who reverenced it and carried it in his arms {caod, — (Irish) caodam, to come, and aslachan, arms), it being dedicated to his favourite evangelist St John.^ " For- merly it was carried about by the people of Scotland as a charm against witchcraft and enchantment " (Don). Welsh : y fendigaid, the blessed plant. French : la toHte-sa\iie. English : tutsan. The badge of Clan M'Kinnon. ACERACEiE. (" Acer, in Latin meaning sharp, from ac, a point, in Celtic." — Du Theis.) ^ This plant is sometimes called Curach na Cubhaig, and Cochal — (hood or cowl). Latin : cucullus. TJie Scottish Naturalist. 173 Acer campestris — Common maple. Gaelic and Irish : craobh 7nhalip or ?na/pais ; origin of name uncertain, but very likely from ma/, a satchel or a husk, from the form of its samara. Some think the name is only a corruption of 7/iaJ>/e — Anglo-Saxon, viapal. Welsh : inasarnen. Gothic : viasloenn (from mas, fat), from its abundance of saccharine juice. A. pseudo-platanus — Sycamore. Gaelic and Irish : craobh sice, a corruption from Greek sycaminos. The old botanists errone- ously believed it to be identical with the sycamine or mulberry-fig of Palestine. " Nam biodh agaidh creidiiiih, theiradh sibh ris a chraobh shicamin so, bi air do spionadh as do fhreumhaibh." — Stuart. If ye had faith ye might say to this sycaijiore tree^ Be thou plucked up by the root. — St Luke xvii. 6. Craobh pleantrinn, corruption of platanus or plane-tree. Irish : crahfi bdfi, white tree. Fir chrann, same meaning. The badge of Clan Oliphant. ( To be continued. ) PKELIMINARY LIST OF THE TUNai OF PEETHSHIRE.i By F. BUCHANAN WHITE, M.D., F.L.S. AS the first volume of the ' Flora of Perthshire ' is not yet quite ready for the press, and as, consequently, a consider- able time must elapse before the secorid volume (treating of the cryptogamic portion of the flora) can be prepared, some account of the present state of our knowledge of the fungi of this large county may prove interesting and not be altogether devoid of use to students of mycology. At the same time it must be re- membered that this list is not more than what its title implies — a preliminary list. When the county has been more extensively and systematically explored, many additions may be expected to be made to the list. In fact, it is not at all improbable that twice as many species as are at present known to inhabit Perth- shire may yet be detected in the county. The sources of information whence this list has been compiled and the districts examined are the following : The district round Perth partially examined by some of the cryptogamic botanists 1 Communicated to the Cryptogamic Society of Scotland, at the Forres Conference, September 1879. 174 The Scottish JVaturalist. who attended the Perth Conference (1875) of the Cryptogamic Society of Scotland ; and by Mr Stevenson and myself at other times, the localities being more especially Moncreiffe and Kin- noull Hills, Scone and Dupplin ; the district round Dunkeld during the time of the conference of 1877 ; that round Killin at the conference of 1876 ; the neighbourhood of Balinluig, Killie- crankie, Aberfeldy, and Kenmore, by Mr Stevenson, during a residence of a few weeks in 1877 ; Blair Athole and Glen Tilt by Mr Stevenson (one day) and myself; and the country round Loch Rannoch by myself in 1875. A few other places have been still more slightly explored ; and some additions to the list have also been made from the collections sent from other Perth- shire localities to the Perth and Dunkeld shows. I have thought it unnecessary to mention many localities in this list. When a species is said to be ''common," it has been seen in most of the localities explored, and is probably distrib- uted in suitable places throughout the county ; " frequent " and ''not uncommon" signify nearly as wide a distribution; but when a species seems to be really rare, or has been recorded from very few localities, these are mentioned, though in the latter case it is quite probable that more extensive exploration will show that the species is not uncommon. HYMENOMYCE TES. AGARICINI. I. AGARICUS L. i. Amanita. 1. Phalloides, Fr. Killin. 2. Vernus, Bull. Killin. 3. Muscavius, L. Common. 4. Pantherinus, Fr. Moncreiffe. 5. Rubescens, Fr. Common. 6. Asper, Fr. Balinluig. 7. Vaginatus, Fr. Common. Var. nivalis, Grev. Ben Blirackie. 8. Strangulatus, Fr. {—Ceciluv, B. and Br.) Moncreiffe. ii. Lepiota. 9. Procerus, Sc. Seggieden, Dunkeld, Balinluig. ^ 10. Rhacodes, Vitt. Frequent. 11. Acutesquamosus, Weinm. Scone. 12. CrislaUis, A. and S. Dupplin, Scone, Kenmore, Killin. 13. Carcharias, P. Moncreiffe. 14. Cinnabarinus, A. and S. Scone. 15. Granulosus, Batsch. Common. 16. Amiantliinus, Sc. Kinnoull, Rannoch. The Scottish Naturalist. lyq iii. Annillaria. 17. Robustus, A. and S. Blackwood of Rannoch. 18. Gliodermus, Fr. Aberfeldy, Balinluig. 19. Melleus, Vahl. Common. 20. Mucidus, Schr. Dupplin. iv. Tricholoma. 21. Equestris, L. Not uncommon. 22. Portentosus, Fr. Kinnoull, Rannocli. 23. Flavobrunneus, Fr. Kenmore. 24. Albobrunneus, P. Rannoch. 25. Ustalis, Fr. Killin. 26. Rutilans, Schaeff. Frequent. 27. Columbetta, Fr. Scone, Killin, Rannoch. 28. Imbricatus, Fr. Moncreifife, Balinluig, Killiecrankie, Rannoch. 29. Vaccinus, P. Not uncommon. 30. Murinaceus, Bull. Balinluig, Killiecrankie. 31. Terreus, Schasfif. Frequent. Van argyraceus, B. Kinnoull. 32. Saponaceus, Fr. Moncreiffe, Killin. 33. Cartilagineus, Bull. Killiecrankie. 34. Cuneifolius, Fr. Killin, 35. Virgatus, Fr. Kinnoull. 36. Sulphureus, Bull. Scone. 37. Lascivus, Fr. Kinnoull, Rannoch. 38. Carneus, Bull. Moncreifife. 39. Albus, Schaeff. Scone, Birnam. 40. Grammopodius, Bull. Killiecrankie. 41. Nudus, Bull. { — Lepista nuda.) Rannoch. V. Clitocybe. 42. Nebularis, Fr. Common. 43. Clavipes, P. Not uncommon. 44. Odorus, Bull. Moncreiffe, Dupplin, Killiecrankie, Glencarse. 45. Candicans, P. Aberfeldy, Killiecrankie, Killin. 46. Gallinaceus, Scop. Moncreiffe. 47. Fumosus, P. Scone. 48. Maximus, Fr. Not uncommon. 49. Infundibuliformis, Schceff. Common. 50. Geotropus, Bull. Rannoch. 51. Inversus, Scop. Aberfeldy, Killin, Rannoch, Blair Castle. 52. Flaccidus, Sow. Scone, Glencarse. 53. Brumalis, Fr. Kinnoull, Birnam, Dunkeld. 54. Fragrans, Sow. Not uncommon, 55. Laccatus, Scop. Common. vi. Collybia. 56. Radicatus, Rehl. Common. 57. Maculatus, A. and S. Not uncommon. 58. Butyraceus, Bull. Frequent. 59. Velutipes, Curt. Frequent. 60. Confluens, P. Not uncommon. 1^6 The Scottish Naturalist. 6i. Conigenus, P. Moncreiffe, Killin. 62. Tuberosus, Bull. Frequent. 63. Tenacellus, P. Frequent. 64. Dryophilus, Bull. Not uncommon. vii. Mycena. 65. Aurantiomarginatus, Fr. Kinnoull, Nov. 187$. 66. Rubromarginatus, Fr. Killin, Balinluig. 67. Purus, P. Common. 68. Rugosus, Fr. Kinnoull, Birnam, Balinluig. 69. Galericulatus, Sc. Kinnoull, Dupplin, Killin, Rannoch. 70. Polygrammus, Bull. Moncreiffe, Killin, Rannoch. 71. Parabolicus, Fr. Rannoch. 72. Atroalbus, Bolt. Not uncommon. 73. Dissiliens, Fr. Kinnoull, Scone, Rannoch. 74. Alcalinus, Fr. Not uncommon. 75. Ammoniacus, Fr. Near Perth. 76. Plicosus, Fr. Balcraig, near Perth, Nov. 1875 ; Killin. 77. Metatus, Fr. Rannoch. 78. ^tites, Fr. Rannoch, Kinnoull. 79. Vitreus, Fr. Birnam. 80. Filopes, Bull. Birnam, Balinluig, Killin. 81. Mirabilis, C. and Q. {-inargmdlus Fr. non P.) Balinluig. 82. Speireus, Fr. Rannoch. 83. Hsematopus, P. Moncreiffe. 84. Sanguinolentus, A. and S. Balinluig. 85. Galopus, P. Balinluig. 86. Epipterygius, Sc. Common. 87. Vulgaris, P. Birnam, Balinluig. 88. Roridus, Fr. Balinluig. 89. Stylobates, P. Scone, Birnam. 90. Tenerrimus, B. On old wine corks in a cellar at Annat Lodge. 91. Pterigenus, Fr. Rannoch, Killin. 92. Corticola, Schum. Killin, Rannoch. viii. Oinphalia. 93. Umbilicatus, Schaeff. Moncreiffe. 94. Pyxidatus, Bull. Parkfield, Rannoch. 95. Muralis, Sow. Balinluig. 96. Umbelliferus, L. Common. 97. Stellatus, Fr. Rannoch. 98. Campanella, Batsch. Rannoch. 99. Pictus, Fr. Killin. 100. Fibula, Bull. Balinluig, Aberfeldy, Killin. ' loi. Gracillimus, Weinm. Glen Tilt. ix. Plcurotits. 102. Mutilus, Fr. Glen Tilt. 103. Ostreatus, Jacq. Blair Athole (Rev. J. Keith). 104. Serotinus, Schrad. Rannoch. 105. Mitis, P. Rannoch, Killin. The Scottish Naturalist. i-jj io6, Applicatus, Batsch. Kinnoull (on dead Spruce). 107. Unguicularis, Fr. Kinnoull (on dead Mountain Ash) ; probably this species. 108. Reniformis, Fr. Aloncreiffe (on dead Silver Fir), Nov. 1876. 109. Porrigens, P, Rannoch. no. Septicus, Fr. Killin, Rannoch. X. Pliitcus. 111. Gervinus, Schaeff. Moncreiffe, Dupplin, Balinluig, Killin. xi. E II tola ma. 112. Sinuatus, Fr. Moncreiffe, Scone. 113. Bloxami, B. Rannoch. 114. Jubatus, Fr. Killiecrankie, Killin, Glen Tilt. 115. Sericellus, Fr. Killin, Moncreiffe. 116. Sericeus, Bull. Killiecrankie. xii. Clitopiliis. 117. Prunulus, Scop. Methven, Scone, Moncreiffe, Killin. xiii. Septonia. 118. Lampropus, Fr. Not uncommon. 119. TF.thiops, Fr. Killin, Glen Tilt. 120. Solstitialis, Fr. Glen Tilt. 121. Serruiatus, P. Balinluig, Killiecrankie. 122. Euchrous, P. Killin. 123. Chalybeus, P. Balinluig, Killiecrankie, Glen Tilt. xiv. Ec cilia. 124. Nigrella, P. Glen Tilt. XV, N'olanea. 125. Pascuus, P. Frequent. xvi. Claiidopiis. 126. Variabilis, P. Rannoch. xvii. Pholiota. 127. Aureus, Matt. Var, Vahlii, Fr. Moncreiffe, Inver, Dunkeld. 128. Terrigenus, Fr. Kenmore. 129. Erebius, Fr. { — Lez'eillianus, D. and M.) Moncreiffe, Nov. 1876. 130. Radicosus, Bull. Rannoch. 131. Squarrosus, Miill. Common. 132. Flammans, Fr. Moncreiffe, Scone, Inver. 133. Mutabilis, Schaeff. Moncreiffe, Inver. xviii. Inocybe. 134. Dulcamarus, A. and S. Rannoch {uniformis, P.), Killiecrankie. 135. Scaber, Miill. Scone, Killiecrankie, Glen Tilt. 136. Maritimus, Fr. Rannoch. 137. Lacerus, Fr. Killin, Perth. 138. Deglubens, Fr. Not uncommon. 139. Fastigiatus, Schoeff. Balinluig. 140. Hiulcus, Fr. Glen Tilt. 141. Rimosus, Bull. Not uncommon. M lyS The Scottish Naturalist. 142. Auricomus, Batsch. { — descissiis^ Fr. var. ) KinnouU.. 143. Trinii, Weinm. Balinluig. 144. Sambucinus, Fr. Kinnoull, Nov. 1875. 145. Geophyllus, Sow. Frequent. 146. Whitei, B. and Br. Rannocb, 1875. xix. Hebelo7na, 147. Fastibilis, Fr. Moncreifife, Kinnoull. 148. Testaceus, Batsch, Scone. 149. Claviceps, Fr. Killin, 150. Crustuliniformis, Bull. Moncreifife, Killin, Rannoch. 151. Elatus, Batsch. Kinnoull, Scone Den. XX. Flanimnla. 152. Conissans, Fr. Moncreifife, Killiecrankie. 153. Inopus, Fr, Balinluig. 154. Sapineus, Fr. Inver, xxi. Naitcoria. 155. Cucumis, P. Moncreifife, Dunkeld. 156. Rimulincola, Rab. Rannoch, Oct. 1875. 157. Melinoides, Fr. Kinnoull. 158. -Semiorbicularis, Bull. Balinluig, Killin. 159. Erinaceus, Fr. Moncreifife. xxii. Galera. 160. Tener, Schaefif. Common. 161. Ovalis, Fr. Balinluig, Killin. 162. Vittaeformis, Fr. Balcraig near Perth, Nov. 1875. 163. Hypnorum, Batsch. Killiecrankie, Killin. 164. Mniophikis, Lasch. Rannoch, xxiii. Tuba7'ia. 165. Cupularis, Bull. Balinluig. 166. Furfuraceus, P. Frequent. 167. Paludosus, Fr. Rannocli. " xxiv. Crepidotus. 168. Mollis, Schseff. Not uncommon. xxv. Psalliota. 169. Arvensis, Schoefif. Moncreiffe, S'eggieden, Dupplin. 170. Campestris, L. Common. 171. Silvaticus, Schn?ff. Kinnoull, xxvi. Stropharia. 172. ^Eruginosus, Curt. Common. 173. ^rhraustus, Kalck. Rannoch. 174. Stercorarius, Fr. Killin. 175. Scmiglobatus, Batsch. Common. xxvii. Ilypholoma. 176. Sublaterilius, Schcefif. Frequent. 177. Capnoides, Fr. Rannoch. 178. Epixanthus, Fr. Pitroddie, Kinnoull. Rannoch. The Scottish Naturalist, , 179 179. Fascicularis, Huds. Common. 180. Dispersus, Fr. Rannoch. 181. Storea, Fr. Gkncarse. 182. Lacrymabundus, Fr. Moncreiffe. 183. Velutinus, P. Dupplin. 184. Cascus, Fr. Rannoch. 185. Appendiculatus, Bull. Kenmore. xxviii. Psilocybe. 186. EricDeus, P. Rannoch. 187. Agrarius, Fr. Kinnoull. 188. Physaloides, Bull. Balinluig. 189. Semilanceatus, Fr. Frequent. 190. Spadiceus, Fr. Moncreiffe, Dupplin, Balinluig. 191. Fcenisecii, P. Balinluig. xxix. Panceolus. 192. Separatus, L. Balinluig, Killiecrankie, Killin. 193. Fimiputris, Bull. Killin, Glen Tilt. 194. Campanulatus, L. Dunkeld, Balinluig, Glen Tilt. 195. Papilionaceus, Fr. Dunkeld, Kenmore, Killin. XXX. Psathyrella. 196. Gracilis, Fr. Killiecrankie. II. COPRINUS, P. 197. Comatus, Fr. Frequent in the Lowland districts. 198. Atramentarius, Fr. Killin, 199. Niveus, Fr. Killin. 200. Micaceus, Fr. Not uncommon. 201. Deliquescens, Fr. Balinluig. 202. Radiatus, Fr. Glen Tilt. 203. Ephemerus, Fr. Killin. 204. Plicatilis, Fr. Not uncommon. III. BOLBITIUS, Fr. 205. Fragilis, Fi". Balinluig. 206. Titubans, Fr. Glen Tilt. IV. CORTINARIUS, Fr. i. Phlegmacium. 207. Claricolor, Fr. Killin, Moncreiffe, Kippendavie. 208. Cyanopus, Fr. Kinnoull, Dunkeld, Moncreiffe, Killin. 209. Glaucopus, Fr. Seggieden, Rossie Priory. 210. Purpurascens, Fr. Birnam. ii. Myxaciiim. 211. Collinitus, Fr. Not uncommon. 212. El^tior, Fr. Kinnoull, Killin. 213. Arenatus, P. Scone. 214. Livido-ochraceus, B. Moncreiffe. i8o The Scottish Naturalist. iii. Itioloma. 21^. Violaceus, Fr. Not uncommon. 216. Pholideus, Fr. Moncreiffe, Scone. iv. Dermocybe. 217. Diabolicus, Fr, Moncreiffe, Killin. 218. Caninus, Fr. Moncreiffe, Dunkeld, Birnam. 219. Anomalus, Fr. Rannoch. 220. Sanguineus, Fr. Scone, Dunkeld, Inver. 221. Cinnamomeus, Fr. Frequent. 222. Orellanus, Fr. Scone, Kinnoull. 223. Venetus, Fr, Rannoch. V. Telamoma. 224. Torvus, Fr, Not uncommon, 225. Evernius, Fr. Kinnoull. 226. Armillatus, Fr. Dupplin. 227. Limonius, Fr. Scone. 228. Helvolus, Fr. Kinnoull, 229. Hinnuleus, Fr. Not uncommon. 230. Gentilis, Fr. Kinnoull. 231. Iliopodius, Fr. Scone. 232. Hemitrichus, Fr, Inver, Killin. vi. Hydrocybe. 233. Duracinus, Fr, Kinnoull. 234. Leucopus, Fr. Moncreiffe, Nov. 1876. 235. Obtusus, Fr, Killin, 236. Acutus, Fr. Kinnoull, Scone, Balinluig, V. GOMPHIDIUS, Fr. 237. Glutinosus, Fr. Not uncommon, 238. Viscidus, Fr. Balinluig. 239. Maculatus, Fr, Var. gracilis^ B. Scone. VI. PAXILLUS, Fr. 240. Involutus, Fr, Frequent, Var. leptopjis, Fr. Glen Tilt, Kenmore. 241. Panuoides, Fr, Seggieden, Killiecrankie. VII. HYGROPHORUS, Fr, 242. Cossus, Fr, Kenmore, * 243. Hypothejus, Fr, Frequent. 244. Pratensis, Fr. Frequent. 245. Cinereus, Fr. Killin, Rannoch. 246. Virgineus, Fr. Frequent. 247. Niveus, Fr. Dupplin, Rannoch, 248. Ovinus, Fr. Kinnoull, Killiecrankie, Rannoch, 249. Sciophanus, Fr, Balcraig near Perth, The Scottish Naturalist. i8i 250. Laetus, Fr. Arnbathie, Moncreiffe. 251. Ceraceus, Fr. Moncreiffe, Rannoch. 252. Coccineus, Fr. Not uncommon. 253. Miniatus, Fr. Dupplin, Balinluig, Killiecrankie. 254. Turundus, Fr. Scone, Aberfeldy. 255. Puniceus Fr. Frequent. 256. Conicus, Fr. Frequent. 257. Calyptrceformis, B. Methven, Moncreiffe. 258. Chlorophanus, Fr. Frequent. 259. Psittacinus, Fr. Frequent. 260. Unguinosus, Fr. Balinluig, Aberfeldy. 261. Nitratus, P. Not uncommon. 262. Glauconitens, Fr. Killiecrankie. VIII. LACTARIUS, Fr. 263. Torminosus, Fr. Frequent. 264. Cilicioides, Fr. Killin, Rannoch. 265. Turpis, Fr, Frequent. 266. Blennius, Fr. Common. 267. Uvidus, Fi-. Moncreiffe. 268. Pyrogalus, Fr. Not uncommon. 269. Vellereus, Fr. Not uncommon. 270. Deliciosus, Fr. Frequent. 271. Pallidus, Fr. Moncreiffe. 272. Quietus, Fr. Killin, Rannoch, Moncreiffe. 273. Cyathula, Fr, Moncreiffe. 274. Rufus, Fr. Not uncommon. 275. Glyciosmus, Fr, Frequent. 276. Fuliginosus, Fr. Rannoch. 277. Volemum, Fr. Not uncommon. 278. Theiogalus, Fr. Killin, 279. Serifluus, Fr. Not uncommon. 280. Mitissimus, Fr. Frequent. 281. Subdulcis, Fr. Common, IX. RUSSULA, Fr. 282. Nigricans, Fr. Common, 283. Adusta, Fr. Dupplin, Scone. 284. Rosacea, Fr, Kinnoull, Seggieden. 285. Sardonia, Fr. Kinnoull, Rannoch. 286. Virescens, Fr. Balinluig, Aberfeldy, Killin. 287. Rubra, Fr. Common, 288. Vesca, Fr. Scone. 289. Cyanoxantha, Fr, Frequent. 290. Heterophylla, Fr. Aberfeldy. 291. Fcetens, Fr. Common. 292. Emetica, Fr. Common. 293. Pectinata, Fr. Killiecrankie. 1 82 The Scottish N'aturalist. 294. Ochroleuca, Fr. Kinnoull, Scone, Killin. 295. Fragilis, Fr. Dupplin, Moncreiffe, Rannoch. 296. Integra, Fr, Common. 297. Alutacea, Fr. Kinnoull, Scone, Rannoch. 298. Vitellina, Fr, Killiecrankie. X, CANTHARELLUS, Fr. 299. Cibarius, Fr, Common. 300. Aurantiacus, Fr. Common. 301. Tubaeformis, Fr. Kinnoull. Var. hitescens, Bull., Rannoch. 302. Lobatus, Fr. Rannoch (at about 2000 feet.) XI. NYCTALIS, Fr. 303. Asterophora, Fr. Dupplin, Methven, Lynedoch. 304. Parasitica, Fr. Dupplin, Scone. XII. MARASMIUS, Fr. 305. Urens, Fr. Kinnoull. 306. Peronatus, Yx. Frequent. 307. Porreus, Fr. Kinnoull, Scone, Rannoch. 308. Oread es, Fr. Not uncommon. 309. Scorteus, Fr. Moncreiffe. 310. AmadelphuS; Fr. Killin. 311. Ramealis, Fr. Killin. 312. Rotula, Fr. Killiecrankie, Kenmore, Killin. 313. Androsaceus, Fr. Frequent. 314. Saccharinus, Fr. Killin. 315. Epiphyllus, Fr. Killin, Rannoch. XIII. LENTINUS, Fr. 316. Cochleatus, Fr, Murthly, Inver. XIV. PANUS, Fr. 317. Stipticus, Fr. '. Rannoch. XV. TROGIA. Fr. 318. Crispa, Fr. Moncreiffe, Inver, Dunkeld. V {To be continued. ) GEOLOGY. THE AURIFEKOUS QUAKTZ OP WANLOOKHEAD.i By W. LAUDER LINDSAY, M.D., F.L.S. IN March 1877 Mr Dudgeon of Cargen exhibited to this So- ciety a specimen of auriferous quartz found at Wanlockhead in 1872, of which specimen a short descriptive note is given in the Society's pubHshed Proceedings (vol. ix. p. 338). The specimen in question has since been placed in the Museum of Science and Art, and it had previously been figured in a beauti- ful coloured lithograph that forms the frontispiece of a 4to pamph- let printed for private circulation by Mr Dudgeon in 1875.^ Not till July 1877 had I an opportunity of inspecting the said specimen, or of collecting evidence regarding the circumstances under which it was found. But the result of the examination and inquiries then made convinces me that what I have already spoken of elsewhere — and will now for the sake of brevitv and conveni- ence speak of — as the^Gemmell Quartzite"^ — is much more probably Australian than Scotch, albeit it was found, as alleged, at Wanlockhead. The object of the present short paper is simply to call atten- tion to this opinion as to \\.?> foreign origin, and to the kind of evi- dence on which the opinion is founded ; though I submit that it is rather for those who contend for the Scottish nativity of the specimen to prove their case. I may, however, first remind the Society, that so long ago as February 1863 — at a conversazione of the Society — I made an exhibit of the gold and gold-rocks of New Zealand, especially of those of the province of Otago ; while, in a special descrip- tive prospectus of the said exhibits, I endeavoured to direct attention to the probable auriferous riches of Scotland — basing my 1 A Paper read before the Royal Society of Edinburgh on March 4, 1878. - * Historical Notes on the occurrence of Gold in the South of Scotland.' 3 "The Auriferous Quartzites of Scotland," 'Scottish Naturahst,' vol. iii. P- 54- 184 The Scottish Naturalist. conclusions on a comparison between the gold-rocks of Otago and the Lower Silurians of Scotland. Since that date I have pub- lished twenty papers ^ on various subjects connected with actual or possible gold-fields, gold-finds, or gold-diggings in Scotland;^ all having it in view to stimulate to some sort of systematic test- ing of the auriferous wealth of our Silurians and their debris. No public interest, however, was taken in the matter till the discovery by Robert Nelson Gilchrist in Sutherlandshire, and the effects of his discovery, demonstrated unmistakably the auriferous riches of that part of Scotland.^ Since the date of the Sutherland gold-diggings (1869), much public interest has been manifested in all alleged finds of gold in different parts of Scotland; an interest culmin- ating now and then in newspaper discussions — sometimes in one part of Scotland, sometimes in another. But since at Kildonan what has been variously stated at ;^i 2,000 to ;£"i 5,000 worth of gold was turned out by the rough operations of a few returned Australian diggers, there has been a tendency to too great credulity as to the nativity of gold-finds in Scotland, — the wish being natur- ally father to the thought that occurring in Scotland they must be of Scotch material — the genuine produce of our own rocks. If I have not myself been regarded by certain geologists and mineralo- gists as over-credulous regarding the gold products of Scotland, and especially its gold-quartz, I have been considered at least peculiarly sanguine. I mention all this to show that, had I any bias at all in the matter, it would be to make out the Gemmell Quartzite, if possible, Scotch or native. And, in point of fact, when in 1874 and 1875 I assisted in giving publicity to the dis- covery of the Gemmell Quartzite, which was first made known by Dr Grierson of Thornhill, Dumfriesshire, in 'Nature,' in 1873, I was under the impression that its Scottish nativity would be proven, though I distinctly pointed to " a flaw in the evidence as to the said quartzite belonging to the rocks of Wanlockhead." My suspicions regarding the real nativity of the Gemmell Quartzite were aroused by a visit I had in 1875 f'"^^"''' ^^^^ ^^^^ Dr Moir Porteous of Wanlockhead, who has been ten or twelve ^ Some of the principal are specified in the 'Scottish Naturalist,' vol. iv, p. 268. - The latest series— on "The Gold-Field and Guld-Diggings of Crawford- Lindsay" — is to be found in the ' Scottish Naturalist,' vol. iv. (1878). '•'• The latest reference I have seen to these Sutherhand Diggings was con- tained in a leader in the ' Northern Ensign ' of April 25, 1878, on "Australian Gold-quartz in Scotland." The Scottish Naturalist. 185 years resident there, and whose manse looks down upon the spot where that gold-quartz specimen was found. These suspicions were confirmed by the statements contained in a topographical account of the district, published by Dr Porteous in the follow- ing year ^ (1876); and these doubts of mine were of such a char- acter that I determined on visiting the district, collecting evi- dence, and personally examining the specimen. This I could not do till after it had been consigned to the Museum of Science and Art. But with all the evidence now before me I find it im- possible to regard the Gemmell Quartzite as Scotch, until at least some more satisfactory proof than at present can be adduced is brought forward as to its connection with the auriferous quartzites of Wanlockhead. I doubt very much whether any such proof will ever be forthcoming, unless it can be shown by chemists and mineralogists that there is some peculiarity in the said quartz- ites whereby they may be distinguished from those that are Aus- tralian, and that the Gemmell Quartzite possesses the peculiarity in question. On the other hand, it cannot be proved that the specimen is Australian — perhaps never will be proved that it is so. But the presumptive evidence that it is so is the following — and I ask the attention of the Society to the nature of that evidence — which is rather of an ordinary or circumstantial, than of a scientific, kind ; and hence a general verdict may be given by those accustomed to the weighing of evidence, who make no pretensions neverthe- less to specific chemical or mineralogical knowledge. 1. No such specimen of gold-quartz was ever before found in Scotland : or at least there is no authentic record of any such find.^ 2. No such gold-quartz in situ has yet been found in Scotland : or at least there is no authentic record of any such discovery. 3. Within a stone's-throw of the place where the Gemmell Quartzite was found, one of the lead-miners of Wanlockhead has, or had in his house, a large collection of Australian gold-quartz specimens. 4. On a certain day in 1872 a ''flitting" took place from another house in the village to this one — the said gold-specimens being conveyed between the two houses in an open hand-barrow, as so much road-metal might have been. 5. On the day following this flitting, the Gemmell Quartzite ^ ' God's Treasure-House in Scotland : a History of the Times, Mines, and Lands, in the Southern Highlands.' '■■* Vide Dr Porteous's ' Tieasuie- House,' p. 55. r86 The Scottish Nat iir alls f. was found on the road by which the said gold -specimens had been trundled up a hill. 6. Though found in 1872, the discovery of this unique speci- men— and which the finder and his friends must have known was unique — was not made public till August 1873. 7. The impression of the possessor of the Australian gold- specimens and of his friends — so far as I understood their own oral statements to myself in July 1877 — was, and probably is still, that the Gemmell Quartzite was simply one of the Laidlaw Collec- tion of Australian gold-quartzes, which had been lost (from the hand-barrow) in the process of flitting. 8. This also is the impression, I believe, of Dr Porteous,^ who has had occasion, in lecturing on " Gold-finding in the Lowthers," to use some of these Australian gold-specimens in illustration, and who has recently compared with them the Gemmell Quartzite as now exhibited in the Museum of Science and Art, Edinburgh. 9. And the same gentleman, writing in the ' Scotsman ' in January 1878, assures us that it is the ''prevailing opinion" of the miners and other residents of the Wanlockhead district that the Gemmell Quartzite is oi foreign — not of native — origin. I have purposely omitted from the foregoing statement all detail — all quotations or references of an illustrative or corro- borative kind. But these can readily be supplied should the Society consider the matter of sufficient interest to justify a future and more detailed paper or report. The object of the foregoing paper was to give rise to a discussion of the subject to which it refers on the part of the legale as well as of the scientific, Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, believing, as I do, that the question is one very much of common- sense evidence. Discussion duly occurred, as reported in the Edinburgh newspapers of March 5, 1878. But it was confined to scientific men, or to those who considered themselves qualified to decide such a matter off-hand, and on the most slender, and, I may add, sometimes absurd, grounds. The result of the discus- sion was disappointing, in so far as no new facts were ' elicited, and no new arguments of any weight brought forward. The character of the discussion may be sufficiently illustrated by the observations of Mr Maconochie Welwood of Meadowbank. According to one account, he " said it was now fifty years since ^ Vide Dr Poileous's * Treasure- House,' p. 55. The Scottish Naturalist. 187 he went to Wanlockhead and saw a specimen of gold, and that was long before the Australian gold-fields were heard of. Even a relative of his had a bracelet made of gold found on the Lead- hills. Therefore Dr Lauder Lindsay's views were preposterous (Laughter)." 1 Another account states that Mr Welwood "re- marked that it was perfectly preposterous that there should be any question as to gold being found at Leadhills. (A laugh.) "^ Considering all that I have published on the subject of gold at Leadhills and Wanlockhead since 1863, it was not, perhaps, in- appropriate that the grave Fellows of the Royal Society of Edin- burgh should have indulged themselves in " A laugh " at the beautiful irrelevancy of Mr Welwood's criticism.-^ I have only to add that 1 paid another visit to the Wanlock- head district in August 1878; that I have since that date re- ceived several letters from residents in the district on the subject of its gold-yields ; that I find those who first adopted the view that the Gemmell Quartzite is o( foreign origin, continue to hold that opinion ; ^ and that I have myself been confirmed in that opinion by all the later evidence that has been presented to me. That evidence includes, inter alia, the story of a bit of gold-quartz found near Wanlockhead, but which has been acknowledged to be Australian ; and of another piece which I saw and examined, regarding whose appearance at Leadhills no intelligible account could be given. In all probability it too is Australian. And I have elsewhere shown ^ that a specimen of supposed Leadhills gold-quartz in the British Museum is regarded by the authori- ties that preside over the mineralogical department of the said museum also as Australian. 1 'Daily Review,' March 5, 1878. ^ ' Scotsman " of same date. ^ The other critics were Professors Geikie and Archer, with Mr Dudgeon. Their strictures have ah-eady been sufficiently^ answered in the ' Scottish Naturalist,' vol. iv. (1878), p. 356. * Thus "a native" of the district, writing in the 'North British Daily Mail' of May 16, 1878, says, — "No other rational conclusion can be drawn than that it had been dropped from some hampers of gold-quartz specimens that were carried only a few hours previous to the find along the road on which it was found." ^ In the 'Scottish Naturalist,' vol. iv. p. 358. " Australian Gold-quartz in Scotland " was also the subject of a paper read before the Geological Society of Glasgow on March 8 and 22, 1878, an abstract of Avhich will appear in the Society's published Transactions for 1878. The consequent discussion was reported in the ' North British Daily Mail ' of March 23, 1878. INSECTA SCOTICA. THE COLEOPTEEA OF SCOTLAND. ( Continued from p. 1 44. ) Edited by D. SHARP, M.B. SALICINUS Gyll. Common in Dumfriesshire. Distribution — East. § §000000 West. Solway §000 MAJALIS Payk. Rare. On sallows. Distribution — East. S 000000 o West. Solway 0000 AGNATHUS Boh. Local. Distribution — East. §0000000 West. Solway 0000 PECTORALIS Panz. Local. Distribution — East. §§00 Moray 000 West. Solway Clyde 000 TORTRIX L. On aspens and Lombardy poplars. Distribution — East. § Forth § Dee Moray 000 West. Solway §000 MECINUS Th. PYRASTER Hbst. Common. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth Tay § West. Solway §000 000 HYDRONOMUS Th. ALISMATIS Marsh. On Alisma plantago. Local. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth 000000 ^VEST. Solway Clyde 000 The Scottish Naturalist. 189 BAGOUS Th. LUTULENTUS Gyll. Distribution — East, o Forth 000000 West. 00000 " Near Edinburgh. Rev. W. Little." Murray's Cat. TANYSPHYRUS Th. LEMNJE Fab. Distribution — East. § Forth 000000 West. §0000 I believe 1 found this species at Duddingstone Loch, but I do not know what has become of the specimens. ANOPLUS Th. PLANTARIS Naetz. Common on birch. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth Tay Dee Moray 000 West. Sohvay Clyde 000 ROBORIS Suff. Very rare. On oak. Distribution — East. 00000000 West. Sohvay 0000 BRACHONYX Th. INDIGENA Hbst. Rare. On young Scots fir. Distribution — East, o o Tay Dee Moray 000 West. 00000 BALANINUS Th. NUCUM L. Distribution — East, o Forth 000000 West. 00000 BRASSIC^ Fab. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth Tay 00000 West. Sohvay Clyde 000 ANTHONOMUS Th. ULMI De G. Rare. Distribution — East, g Forth g g Moray 000 West. Sohvay g o o o PEDICULARIUS L. Common on hawthorn. Distribution— East, gg g g gooo West. Solway gooo 190 The Scottish Naturalist. CONSPERSUS Desb. Rare. On mountain-ash. Distribution — East. § 0000000 West. Solway 0000 VARIANS Payk. Local. On Scots fir. Distribution — East, o o Tay Dee Moray 000 West. 00000 RUBI Hbst. Common. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth § § §000 West. Sohvay §000 A. comari Crotch is a sub-species occurring in marshy places. ORCHESTES Th. QUERCUS L. Common. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth § § Moray 000 West. Solway §000 SCUTELLARIS Fab. Very rare. Distribution — East. 000 Dee 0000 West. Solway 0000 FERRUGINEUS Marsh. Very rare. Distribution — East, o Forth 0000000 West. 00000 *' Dalmeny Park. Mr R. N. Greville." Murray Cat. ILICIS Fab. Rare. Distribution — East, o Forth 000000 West. Solway 0000 FAGI L. Common on beech. Distribution — East. § Forth § § §000 West. Solway §000 RUSCI Hbst. Scarce. Distribution — East. Tweed 000 Moray 000 West. Solway 0000 AVELLAN^ Don. Rare. Distribution — East. §0000000 West. Solway 0000 The Scottish Naturalist. 191 DECORATUS Germ. Very rare. On sallow. Distribution — East. 00000000 West. Solway 0000 STIGMA Germ. Scarce. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth 000000 West. Solway Clyde 000 SALICETI Fab. Local. On sallows. Distribution — East. Tweed § § Dee §000 West. Solway §000 SALicis L. Common. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth § Dee §00 West. Solway 0000 RAMPHUS Th. FLAVICORNIS Clair. Local. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth o o Moray 000. West. Solway §000 ELLESCHUS Th. BIPUNCTATUS L. On sallows. Local. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth 000000 West. Solway 0000 TYCHIUS Th. VENUSTUS Fab. Very local. Distribution — East. 000 Dee Moray 000 West, o o o 00 PICIROSTRIS Fab. Scarce. Distribution — East. § Forth § § Moray 000 West. Solway §000 CIONUS Th. SCROPHULARI^ L. Common on Scrophularia nodosa. Distribution — East. § Forth Tay § §000 West. Solway §000 VERBASCi Fab. Very rare. Distribution — East, o Forth 000000 West. 00000 ^^ 1 p j**>s. "Dollar. MrJ. T. Syme." Murray Cat. /C^^-^^^M^ 1 92 The Scottish Natiwalist. BLATTARI^ Fab. Scarce. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth o o o o o o West. §0000 PULCHELLUS Hbst. Rare. Distribution — East. § 000000 West. Solway 0000 NANOPHYBS Th. LYTHRI Fab. Very rare. Distribution — East. 00000000 West, o Clyde 000 ** Argyllshire. Rev. Geo. Little." Murray Cat. GYMNETRON Th. PASCUORUM Gyll. Very rare. Distribution — East. Tweed 0000000 West. 00000 BECCABUNG^ L. Local. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth Tay 00000 West. Solway §000 VILLOSULUS Gyll. Very rare. Distribution — East. Tweed 0000000 West. 00000 LABILIS Hbst. Scarce. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth § 00000 West. Solway Clyde 000 ROSTELLUM Hbst. Very rare. Distribution — East, o Forth 000000 West. 00000 " Near Edinburgh. Dr Lowe." Murray Cat. LINARIJE Panz. Very rare. Distribution — East, o Forth 000000 West. 00000 "Dalmeny Park. Dr Greville." Murray Cat. Perhaps, hbwever, this should have been referred to the following species. CAMPANULA L. Rare. Distribution — East. 000 Dee 0000 West. 00000 ( To he. continued. ) GEOLOGY. OHANaES OP CLIMATE IN POST-GLACIAL TIMES. By JAMES GEIKIE, LL.D., F.R.S. ALTHOUGH much has been written about the character of our cHmate in post-glacial times, yet the subject is far from being exhausted. No little complication has arisen from the fact that many deposits which have been described as post- glacial, really appertain to the preceding glacial period, and are to be classed as of inter-glacial age. Such, for example, are the palaeolithic and ossiferous accumulations in many English caves, as also those ancient " river-drifts " of southern England and the Continent which have yielded similar remains. In the present paper, I define as post-glacial only those deposits which can be proved to have been laid down at a period subsequent to the disappearance of the last great ice-sheet of northern and north- western Europe. In common with other geologists, I have maintained that we have no evidence in these deposits for any great oscillations of climate — no mutations at all comparable in magnitude to those which took place during the preceding glacial or pleistocene period. My belief has been, that with minor fluctuations, such as might be caused by changes in the distribution of land and sea, the climate of our islands has passed gradually from an arctic to a temperate condition, and is now milder than it has ever been since the close of glacial times. I have come to think, however, that this is too broad a statement, and now incline to the opinion that the climate of the post-glacial period, although most probably never so warm as that of the last inter-glacial epoch, was yet for some time marked by a more genial temperature than we now enjoy, and that this milder epoch was followed by what appears to have been a relapse to colder conditions than the present. N 194 The Scottish Naturalist. One of the most notable of our post-glacial accumulations is the old ''forest bed" which occurs at many different points along our coasts, and is nowhere better developed than in the lower reaches of the Tay and the Earn. It is now generally acknow- ledged that the submerged peat and " submarine forests " of the maritime regions of Scotland belong approximately to the same period as the similar vegetable accumulations which occur under like conditions along the shores of Ireland and England, and the opposite coasts of the Continent. They bear witness to a time when the British Islands were united to themselves and the mainland of Europe, and when the climate of our area no doubt differed to some extent from the present. But geologists are not quite agreed as to what the precise character of that climate may have been. Some think it was probably warmer than the present ; others, however, have maintained an opposite view, and relying on the evidence of the large pines met with in certain English peat-beds, have been inclined to believe it was rather colder ; while yet others have supposed that our summer and winter were then more strongly contrasted, and that the climate would be properly described as continental. I am afraid that the geographi- cal botany of our ancient "buried forests" has not been so ex- haustively analysed as to entitle us to say which of these views is the most probable. But looking at the question from a geolo- gical standpoint, the opinion grows upon me that there is truth in each, and that the apparent contradictions arise from our having considered all the "buried forests" as strictly contempor- aneous,— as the relics of an arboreal vegetation which covered the whole British area at one and the same time. Now it is certain that in a geological classification, the accumulations in question must be regarded as synchronous ; nevertheless, as the trees flourished during what must have been a protracted period, it is not necessary to suppose that the buried forests of one district grew at precisely the same time as those in some other part of the country. The climate may well have undergone many minor changes while Britain maintained its connection with the Con- tinent, so that we are not forced to believe that the massive pines, with their thick bark, which occur in the peat of southern England, are precisely contemporaneous with the oaks which formerly flourished at high elevations in the Scottish Highlands. In short, the various buried forests which bespeak so many dif- ferent climatic conditions may pertain to different stages of the same epoch — some indicating a colder, some a warmer, tempera- The Scottish Naturalist. 195 ture than the present ; while others may point simply to such a climate as might even now result, were Britain to become once more continental. The successions of buried trees, marking so many old land- surfaces, which the deeper peat of Britain and the Continent have yielded, is sufficient proof that the climate of post-glacial times did certainly undergo some changes. During a recent visit to the Faeroe Islands, in company with my friend Mr Amund Helland, I was much struck with the appear- ance in the peat of numerous roots and branches which, in the absence of the bark, we could not determine, although we thought they were most probably juniper. None that we noticed exceeded the thickness of one's wrist ; but an intelligent merchant told me he had frequently seen them as thick as his arm, and sometimes even as thick as his leg. At present the only shrubs in the islands are the few which stand within the garden-walls at Thorshavn, where they are carefully tended and protected. Yet the evidence of the peat proves that in post-glacial times the climate was such as to permit of a plentiful growth of shrubs and small trees over all the less considerable slopes of the islands. A similar tale is told by the peat of northern Norway; and even in Spitzbergen, we are not without botanical testimony to the former prevalence of a milder climate than the present. When the Fseroe Islands were plentifully clothed with shrubs and small trees, they could hardly have been subjected to the strong winds which now sweep over them, forbidding the growth of all arboreal vegetation. Now, as there can be no doubt that the " buried trees " of the F^eroe Islands belong approximately to the same date as those of our own islands and north-western Europe, it seems impossible to resist the conclusion that the climate of those regions in the post-glacial period must have been, for some time at least., considerably more genial than it is now. It is quite certain that a mere extension of the land-surface could not have been the cause of those genial conditions. We must look elsewhere for an explanation of the phenomena ; nor is that far to seek. It is a well-known fact that in our northern seas there occur several Mediterranean molluscs which look strangely out of place : they have been dredged off the coast of the Outer Hebrides ; and further north we meet with similar start- ling finds in Norwegian waters. Now if we cross the Atlantic to the Gulf of St Lawrence, we encounter the same phenomenon. Professor Verrill has shown that there are genuine colonies of southern species in that Gulf, and on the coast of Nova Scotia, 196 The Scottish Naturalist. which are completely isolated from their co-species of .'the southern coast of New England, and surrounded on all sides by more northern forms. But more than this, when we examine the post-glacial marine beds, we find these marked by the pres- ence of southern species in still greater numbers. Thus in the raised beaches of Scandinavia, southern species are not only individually abundant, but their shells are larger and better developed than those of their descendants that still linger in diminished numbers in the adjoining seas. Some of the southern species, indeed, no longer live in Norwegian waters. Again, in Spitzbergen, there occur considerable post-glacial deposits,^ which are made up in large measure of shells of the common mussel — a mollusc which is rarely or never met with now so far north. In the same beds, again, there are found two species {Cyprina islaiidica and Litorina litored) which no longer live round the coasts of Spitzbergen. The other shells with which these sub-fossils are associated in the Spitzbergen deposits are, indeed, all species still occupying the adjoining seas, but the evidence, nevertheless, is clearly in favour of a somewhat warmer sea than the present, — a conclusion which derives additional support from the fact that Fiiais cajialictilatus, which is very common in the mussel-beds, is not now found living in the Spitzbergen fiords. We are not with- out similar indications in the marine post-glacial beds of Scotland of a formerly more genial climate. Mr Crosskey has drawn special attention to the so-called Fecten maxiitius\>t^ of the Clyde, which contains such shells as Fsaj?imobia ferromsis and Tellina incar?iata, of larger size and in greater numbers than they at present occur living in the neighbouring seas. These facts plainly show us that the temperature of our seas has been exceptionally high at some recent period. In no other way can we account for the northern immigration of the southern species. These species tell of a time when the Gulf Stream carried into the North Atlantic a much greater body of heated water than now reaches such high latitudes. I have hitherto been inclined to assign that latest immigration of southern forms to the last inter- glacial epoch, and have therefore looked upon the isolated colonies, and in- dividual species in our post-glacial deposits and present seas as ^ There can be no doubt about these beds being post-glacial. I was in- formed by Mr Nathorst, a well-known vSwedish naturalist, that he had seen a bank of mussel-shells resting upon a striated rock-surface, at the mouth of Dickson's Bay, on the north side of Ice Sound. The post-glacial deposits of Spitzbergen have been referred by Ileer to an inter-glacial period. The Scottish Naturalist. 197 the few survivors who were able to outlive the rigour of the latest glacial epoch. But when we come to consider the nature of the conditions which obtained during that latest phase of the Ice Age, it seems hardly possible that any southern species what- soever could have survived them. Few geologists, save those who have specially worked at the subject, have realised the extent of the glaciation that took place toward the close of the glacial period. So far as Scotland and Scandinavia are concerned, the ice-sheet which then covered them seems to have been hardly, if at all, less thick than that which mantled them at the very climax of glacial cold, when the European ice had its greatest extension. Not only were the Scandinavian and Scottish ice- sheets coalescent, but they overflowed the Orkney and Shetland Islands, and the Outer Hebrides were buried in ice to as great a depth as they seem to have been at any previous stage of the glacial period. How far west the mer de glace extended seawards can, of course, only be conjectured, but it is most probable that it reached, at least, to what is now the loo-fathom line. Mr Helland and I found that the Fseroe Islands have been in like manner encased in glacier ice. They supported an ice-sheet of their own, the upper surface of which rose to a height in the northern islands of 1600 feet, and in Suderoe of 1400 feet above what is now the sea-level. Not only so, but the ice was so thick that it filled up all the fiords and sounds between the various islands of the archipelago, thus forming one compact mer de glace which flowed outwards in all directions from the dominant points, and discharged its icebergs into the surrounding ocean. If such were the state of the Fseroe Islands in the concluding cold period of the Ice Age, it is but reasonable to infer that similar extensive ice-sheets flowed outwards from Iceland, Greenland, and Spitz- bergen into the Arctic Ocean — the temperature of which must have been depressed to a very low degree by icebergs and floe- ice, which, indeed, must have wellnigh choked it up. Is it possible that any one of the southern species which occur in the post-glacial beds and present seas of Scandinavia could have survived such conditions ? The answer, I think, must be in the negative. Thus we seem driven to the conclusion that the visitors from southern waters which are now living in the northern seas, and which were at one time more plentiful, both as regards species and individuals, must have immigrated long after the severity of the latest glacial period had passed away. Their history is entirely 1 98 The Scottish Naturalist. post-glacial. If space permitted, I should like to examine the evidence, with a view to discover what were the geographical conditions of north-western Europe at the period of this latest immigration from the south. But I can do no more here than briefly state the conclusions to which my studies have led me. It seems most probable that the British area was little, if at all, more extensive at the commencement of the period in question than it is now, although it by-and-by became continental. ^ The late glacial deposits of Scotland show that after the melting of the last ice-sheet the sea gained upon the land to some trifling extent, when certain of those beds of clay with arctic shells, which are met with at low levels round our shores, were accumulated. Immediately upon those latest glacial deposits comes the "buried forest bed," and so-called "submarine peat;" and we seem to pass at once from an insular condition with cold climate to a continental condition with genial climate. The Pecte?i maxiimis bed of the Firth of Clyde also occupies a clearly marked post- glacial position, but it is almost certainly of older date than the " forest-bed " and " submarine peat." This, of course, is only an inference, for the two are never, so far as I know, found in juxta- position. But as the deposits which immediately overlie the "forest-bed" give us no indication of a milder climate than the present, but on the contrary afford evidence, as will be presently seen, of colder conditions, it seems to me that the Pecten maximus bed can hardly belong to those later deposits, but is with most probability to be relegated to a somewhat earlier date. I infer, therefore, that after the cold of the last glacial period had finally vanished, certain changes took place which resulted in a great augmentation of the Gulf Stream, and that these changes may have come about while the British Islands stood very much at the same level as now. At this period the Scandinavian pen- insula was submerged, at least in its southern parts, to the extent of 300 feet or thereabout ; and the mussel-beds of Spitzbergen prove a not much less amount of depression for that island. The immense quantities of shell debris in the post-glacial beds of Spitz- bergen and Scandinavia show that this period of partial submerg- ^ There aVe good grounds for inferring, however, that after the close of the glacial period— that is to say, after the youngest of the beds pertaining to that period had been accumulated, and before any of our post-glacial deposits had been laid down— the British Islands had some connection with the Continent. But to discuss this point here would lead me away from the subject more immediately under consideration. The Scottish Naturalist. 199 ence must have endured for some considerable time. By-and- by, however, the British Islands became united to themselves and the continent, and the sea also retreated to a lower level upon the coasts of Scandinavia and Spitzbergen. It was at this stage that oaks grew at the higher elevations in the Scottish High- lands.^ The climate, indeed, seems to have everywhere favoured a most abundant development of arboreal vegetation. Even in regions where trees will not now grow, such as many of the mari- time districts of our country, the Outer Hebrides, Orkney, Shet- land, Northern Norway, and the Faeroe Islands, we find plentiful roots, trunks, and branches under the peat. In a recent number of this magazine ^ I have described the discovery of an ancient canoe in connection with the " buried forest " of the Tay valley, from which, as well as other evidence, it may reasonably be in- ferred that our area was occupied by Neolithic man before the final insulation of the land took place. I cannot doubt, indeed, that much of the buried timber in the deeper bogs and peat- mosses of our islands, with the associated shell-marls and their abundant remains of Irish deer, red deer, urus, and other cervine and bovine animals, belong to Neolithic times and the last con- tinental condition of our islands. What was the precise character of the climate during this post- glacial period ? I think we may fairly conclude that the winter season must have been much milder than it is now in north- western Europe, while the temperature of summer, owing to the greater extent of land, may have been somewhat warmer. From the fact that a woody vegetation covered the Faeroe Islands, we may likewise infer an absence of violent winds ; for, as a writer in a recent number of the ' Quarterly Review ' has remarked, it is to the long-continued cold winds and gales that the absence or scarcity of trees in the higher latitudes is probably due. If now we turn to the deposits which in Scotland overlie the '' forest-bed " and " submarine peat," we meet with strong evi- dence to show that the " age of forests" was succeeded by a period of colder conditions, when the climate was considerably severer than the present. In the valleys of the Earn and the Tay the " forest-bed " is overlaid by thick accumulations of finely- laminated clays which, although usually stoneless, do yet contain 1 It was probably at this period also that the flora of southern England received its Iberian element, since it is difficult to believe that the plants in question could have outlived the rigorous climate of the last glacial epoch. 2 'Scottish Naturalist,' vol. v., p, i. 2 00 The Scottish Natiwalist. occasionally stones and larger erratics. The clays themselves are often extremely tenacious, and have been worked for brick- making. The stones vary in size, from mere small pebbles up to fragments 6 and 8 inches in diameter. I have seen some, however, which measured more than i foot across ; and one large one was even 4 feet in thickness. The clays have all the character of the well-known glacial clays, with arctic shells, but hitherto they have not yielded any molluscous remains. I have already explained the absence of organic remains in these clays,^ and shown that this is sufficiently accounted for by the fact that at the time those clays were being laid down, the upper reaches of the estuary must have been nearly fresh, and greatly chilled by the influx of swollen glacial rivers. The beach deposits of the same age, which occur in less confined areas, and upon the sea-coast, con- tain an assemblage of species similar to those now living in our seas ; but the presence of the large Greenland whale tells of a somewhat colder temperature, while the presence of ice-floated stones and occasional disturbed bedding in the carse-clays, are further testimony in the same direction. From these facts, and certain other considerations which 1 cannot enter upon at pres- ent, it may be concluded that the principal geographical and climatic changes which supervened upon the close of the genial post-glacial period were as follows : ist, A gradual submergence took place, which brought the sea over some extent of country in the south of Sweden, and again called into existence the German Ocean and the English Channel, at the same time that the British Islands became separated from each other, and were reduced to a somewhat smaller extent than they now show. 2d, These geo- graphical changes were accompanied by a gradual deterioration of the climate, the Gulf Stream becoming considerably reduced in volume, and the seas surrounding our islands acquiring in con- sequence a lower temperature. To this date may be attributed the demolition of many of the trees whose remains occur in the peat of our maritime and upland regions, and doubtless some of the buried forests in the deeper peat-bogs of the inland low-lying districts ought to be assigned to the same stage. Peat-mosses now began to increase, and to cover wide areas ; and perhaps 'the great pine-trees in the peat of southern England flourished at this time. The rainfall was probably considerably in excess of the present, ^ Tt is only in the upper reaches of the ancient estuary where organic remains appear to be wanting ; in the lower part of the Carse of Gowrie Scrobiciilaria piperata occurs locally here and there. The Scoiiish Naturalist. 201 and large snow-fields existed in our mountain districts, giving rise to local glaciers, some of which were of no mean size, but seem to have come down to the level of the sea at the heads of certain Highland sea-lochs. Now and again one may notice how those latest local glaciers have partially overridden the heaps of debris which had gathered in the valleys after the disappearance of the glaciers of the last cold stage of the true glacial period, while in other cases they have even been deflected by masses of rock which, falling in late glacial and early post-glacial times, had choked up the paths followed by the ice in the earlier periods. The rivers from the higher mountain valleys carried seaward much of the fine " flour of rocks " produced by the grinding of local glaciers ; the Greenland whale frequented our friths, and was harpooned by the rude Neolithic inhabitants, whose canoes have been met with again and again in the estuarine flats and raised beaches of Scotland. The later geographical and climatic changes, so far as the geologist can trace them, were simply these : ist, the retreat of the sea to its present level ; and, 2d, a diminished rainfall, the final disappearance of snowfields and glaciers, and a gradual amelioration of climate. That our climate, in times subsequent to the melting of the local glaciers, may have experienced minor fluctuations, is possible enough; and perhaps evidence of these may yet be forthcoming, when the botanical features of the peat- mosses are subjected to a more rigorous scrutiny than they have yet received. Meanwhile, I cannot help thinking that a closer examination of the geographical distribution of our present fauna and flora may yet throw much light upon the problem of post- glacial climate. The admirable researches of Mr Axel Blytt in Norway, and of Dr Buchanan White in this country, have shown how much yet remains to be done in the study of geographical botany and zoology, and what a promising harvest of discovery awaits the labours of the philosophical naturalist in this field of inquiry. Such is a very brief and meagre outline of what appear to have been the principal geographical and climatic mutations of post-glacial times. Many interesting points I have been com- pelled to leave untouched ; but I have entered fully into the whole question in a forthcoming work, which treats specially of the physical changes which have taken place in pre-historic ages. Before concluding this short outline sketch, I may refer to the striking support which the evidence lends to Dr Croll's theory. 202 The Scottish Naturalist. If the views he has advanced with regard to the origin of secular changes of climate be well founded, we might have expected that the alternation of cold and warm epochs which prevailed during the pleistocene or glacial period could hardly have ceased with such an extreme glacial phase as that which characterised the last cold epoch of the Ice Age proper. We might have antici- pated that proofs should be forthcoming of similar although minor alternations of genial and cold conditions having obtained in what is called the post-glacial period. As the eccentricity of the earth's orbit decreased, the alternation of climate resulting from the precession of the equinox would gradually become less marked, and to some extent would be modified by changes in the distribution of land and sea. It is to such minor muta- tions of climate that our post-glacial accumulations bear witness. I would also point out that the views advanced in the present paper afford a reasonable explanation of certain well-known facts which have hitherto appeared somewhat enigmatical. They account for the southern element in the fauna of our northern seas, as well as for the presence of trees in the peat of arctic lands; and they also give a good reason for the disappearance of arboreal vegetation from arctic regions, and for the diminished numbers of southern marine forms in the adjacent seas as con- trasted with their greater abundance in certain post-glacial deposits. Again, they sufficiently account for the extreme freshness of the glacial a.ppearances in many of our mountain- valleys, which, as we have seen, contained local glaciers at so recent a period as late post-glacial and Neolithic times. The following short tabular abstract brings into one view what appear to have been the leading features of glacial and post- glacial times : — The Glacial Period.— Gr3at succession of alternate cold (glacial) and warm (inter-glacial) epochs. During glacial epochs vici's de glace cover wide areas in northern and north-western Europe, enveloping British area, filling up adjoining seas, and extending from Scandinavia down into the plains of Germany, as Dr Torell was the first to point out. At same time, all the mountain-districts of middle and even southern Europe support considerable snow- fields and glaciers. Great migrations of fauna and flora in a southerly direction. During inter-glacial periods migration takes place in opposite directions ; and when climate is most genial, African mammals, such as Hippopotamus, Elephant, and Hyaena occupy England. Palaeolithic man also lived in IJritain. When cold of last glacial epoch became most intense, Paleolithic man The Scottish Naturalist. 203 occupied the south of P" ranee along with northern and arctic animals, such as Reindeer and Musk-sheep. The African forms disappeared finally at this time from the European fauna, and Palceolithit man seems in like manner to have vanished, for his relics have never yet been found in any post-glacial deposit in Europe. The Post-Glacial Period. — In early post-glacial times British area seems to have stood pretty much at same level as now ; but Spitzbergen and Southern Scandinavia were submerged to a depth of 200 and 300 feet or thereabout. Climate genial ; augmentation of Gulf Stream, and immigration of southern species into northern seas. In middle post-glacial times Scandinavia was re-elevated, and the British islands became continental. Great forest-growth under genial climatic conditions. In late post-glacial times climate becomes deteriorated, and British area is insulated. Land of some- what less extent than at present. Abundant growth of peat ; increased rainfall ; snow-fields and local glaciers ; coast and river ice transporting stones and larger blocks. Many southern forms disappear from northern seas ; and the few that live on are usually of less size, and occur in diminished numbers. Neolithic man occupied Britain in middle post-glacial times — perhaps earlier. The Recent Period. — Characterised by re-elevation of the land to its present position, and by gradual amelioration of climate. Note. — The Palaeolithic age was probably co-extensive with the Glacial Period. The Neolithic age commenced with the Post- glacial Period, and seems to have lasted in Britain down to the dawn of the Recent Period. The Bronze Age probably began in Britain with the Recent Period, as defined above. Iceland Falcon in Mid-Lothian. — A fine young bird of this species was captured in the Queen's Park, Edinburgh, about the end of August last by Mr R. B. Gilroy, Bonnington Grove, Leith, when walking there with some friends. It appeared to be either exhausted from a long flight or other- wise ill, as it made no attempt to fly away, and was captured and taken home alive with little difficulty. Its plumage was clean and beautiful M'hen taken ; and it had evidently never been in captivity. Its markings correspond in almost every respect with Yarrell's description of the young bird. The plum- age has a bluish cast. Head dull white, with narrow brownish-black streaks. Back brownish-black ; each feather with a lighter border. Breast feathers, each with a dark streak down the centre about one-third of its width. Bill and cere bluish-grey, with a darker tip, much curved, and distinctly toothed. Tarsi feathered to about an inch from the toes, the latter about the same col- our as the bill, with dark claws. Tail feathers and inner web of wing feathers with narrow transverse bars. Tips of closed wings about one inch short of the tail. Stretch, when expanded, three feet. The bird is still alive, and is now so tame as to feed out of the hand. So far as I am aware, there is no record of this species having been previously captured or shot near Edinburgh. — David Douglas, Leith, September 1879. ^ ^ M ^5 Si ^ |:P^«flV: :- - ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^SSH^B ZOOLOGY. OOLLEMBOLA AND THYSAIfURA, found in scotland in the summer of 1876. By LINA and O. M. REUTER. DURING the tour I made with my wife in Scotland, we turned our attention partly to the Collojibola and TJiysan- ura of the country. An account of our findings may perhaps not be without interest, the localities visited by us not having been previously investigated regarding these animals. Besides, the distribution of this order in Britain is as yet very little known. Our excursions comprehended the Shetland and Orkney Islands (in the month of July), Morayshire (Forres, Dava, and other localities during the end of July and August), and Perth. The collections from the last place have unfortunately been so much destroyed, that only one species could be surely deter- mined. This species seems to me to be new. From Shetland we brought home seven species of Collembola and one of Thysanura. If we examine the Collembolas, we will find that only one of them {Degeeria cindd) is not as yet found in Scandinavia ; while not less than four {Smmthu7'us I'mcatus^ Macrotoma vulgaris^ Isotoina crasskauda, and Achoruies viaiicus) have not been previously recorded as British. Of the seven species, Smiiithuriis Imeattis was found in peaty places, where- from the peat was scaled, and where it was very difficult to find because of its likeness in colour to the ground; the Macrotoma and Isotoma pahistris were more or less common and numerous under rotting wrack [Fuais) on the sea-shore; Dcgceria cinda was found under stones ; Isotojua crassicauda and Achoruies viaticus in large numbers in wet places. In Orkney we found thirteen species, of which one seems not to have been described before. With the exception of the Macrotoma. and Isotoma crassicauda^ here were met all those The Scottish Natwalist. 205 found in Shetland. Except Degeeria cifida, D. lanuginosa^ and IsoioDia cceca, n. sp., they are all found in Scandinavia, and are rather common there. From Morayshire we have only eight species, which perhaps arises from our attention during our stay there being more ex- clusively turned to other orders of insects. The only remarkable species from this district is one new to Britain (found also in Shetland and Orkney), Sminthurus li?ieatus^ which occurred at Dava. In following list I have given short descriptions of the species which are not mentioned in Lubbock's ' Monograph of the Col- lembola and Thysanura,' as well as of some more critical forms. OOLLEMBOLA Lubb. SMINTHURUS Latr. 1. S. Fuscus Linn., Tullberg Sveriges Podurider 29, i, tab. i., figg. 1-27, ii., figg. 1-15. Lubb., Monogr., loi, tab. ii. Morayshire, not uncommon. 2. S. viRiDis Linn., Tullb. 1. c. 30, 2, tab. ii., figg. 16-20, iii. figg. 1-4. Lubb. 1. c. 100, tabb. i. et Ixiii., fig. i. The green variety was rather common among grass in Moray- shire. 3. S. LUTEUS Lubb., Tullb. 1. c. 32, 8, tab. iii. fig. 17. Lubb. 1. c. 108, tabb. iii. et Ixiii., fig. 7. Orkney, among grass in the neighbourhood of Stromness, rather frequently ; also in Morayshire. 4. S. LiNEATUS Reut. Meddelanden fran Soc. pro Fauna et Flora Fenn., i. 84, 4. Nigro-cyaiietis, opaais, pruina nonnihil virescente saepe vestifus, praesertini posferitis pilis brevibus albis pubescens ; capitis parte stipe7'iore, ventre, cicatriculis et gutttdis segjuenti majoris abdominis, tinea dorsali longitudinali postice saepe abbreviata, tineis tribus transversalibus partis anterioris hanc lineani utrinqtie snb-attingentibus, prima saepe obsoleta, demutn utrinqiie ad apicem lineotis tribics obliqvis apice connexis et tittiraju VJfereformantibtis, utetiam saepe magna paj'te segmenti abdominalis minoris lividis ; maculis octdaribus in parte capi- tis livida positis nigris ; antennis cyaneis sat longis, artictdo tdtimo pentdtitno I — -fere duplo tongiore, distincte anmdato ; pedibus pallidioribus, tibiis pilis 2-3 clavatis, unguictdis si??iplicibHS, stiperiore mido et inferiore saltern dupto tongiore ; mucronibus furctdae apice leviter acuminatis dentibus circiter triplo brevioribus. Long. \-\\ mm. Variat obscurior tinea longitudinali dorsi fere obsoleta capiteque supe7'ne anpiistii(s livido. ^ This species is found by me in South Finland. /(\^ » ^ o /^^ 2o6 The Scottish Naturalist. Rather common in peaty places in Shetland (near Lerwick, Bressay, &c.), Orkney, and also at Dava in Morayshire. 5. Sm. NIGER Lubb., Tullb. 1. c. t^-^-i tab. iii., figg. 21, 23. Lubb. 1. c. Ill, tab. vi. Varietas apice sunimo capitis, pedibiis, antennis et fiirca alhidis. One specimen fomid in Orkney. MACROTOMA Bourl. {Tomocems Nic, Lubb.) 6. M. VULGARIS Tullb. 1. c. 36, I, tab. iv., figg. 1-24. Grisca, post mortem nonnihil pallcscens, antennis corpore hand loiigiorilms ; fnrctdae dentibns spinis \2.-\(i armatis, his spinis simplicibns ; iingiiictdo snperi- ore dentictdis 4-6 armato^ inferiore nndico, tantum pila brevi instructor lanceo- late. Long. 4 mm. Shetland ; only one specimen. 7. M. PLUMBEA Lubb. (non Tullb.) Toinocei'us id. Lubb. 1. c. 138. An M. ti'identifera Tullb. 37, 24, tab. v., figg. 17, 18 (?). Grisea, post mortem, nonnihil pallescens, ajitennis, tibiis tarsisqne violaceis ; antennis corpore hand lojigioribns ; fiirczdae dentibtis spinis (^-\o armatis, his spinis basi lata utrinqne dente instnictis, ut tf'ifidae videntnr, spina apicali et penultinia vel ajitepemdtima maximis, ilia interdiim vix trijida ; tinguictdo superior e dentictdis 4-6 instj'ticto, inferiore qttam in pi'aecedetite latiore, saltern pedum anteriorum denticzdo armato. Long. \ mm. Not uncommon in Shetland under rotting Fums on the sea- shore. LBPIDOCYRTUS Bourl. 8. L. CYANEUS Tullb. 1. c. 39, 27, tab. vi., figg. 8-1 1 (1872). Z. purpiireiis Lubb. 1. c. 155, tab. xxx. (1873). Squamis detritis obscure cyanea, antennarum basi, pcdibus coxis exceptis furcaque pallide fiaventibus ; antennis corpore pallidiorilms, articulo tertio secundo sat multo breviore, tdtimo diiobiis praecedentibus si/fwl stimtisfere aeque longo ; metanoto seg7nento abdominis primo sat midto longioi'e. Long. \ mm. Only one specimen from Orkney. Lubbock has not (1. c.) given the locality where this species is found ; I am therefore not sure that it has been observed in Britain before. 9. L. LANTTGiNOSUS (Gmel.) Tullb. I. c. 38, 26, tab. vi., figg. 1-7. Z. aeneiis Nic, Lubb. 1. c. 154, tab. xxix. (verisimiliter). Pallide argenteo-aeneus, versicolor ; squamis detritis flaznts ; articulo tertio antennarum secundo distincte breviore, quarto secundo longiore, scd dttobus prae- cedentibus conjunctis paidlo breviore ; metanoto segmento abdominali primo lon- giore; furcidae nianubrio et defitibus fere aeque longis. Long. 2 mm. Some specimens found in Orkney. The Scottish Naturalist. 207 DEGEERIA Nic. 10. D. NIVALIS De Geer, Tullb. 1. c. 39, 28, tab, vii., fig. 5. D. ctmmlata Lubb. 1. c. 159, tab. xxxii. Morayshire, not uncommon. 11. D. MUSCORUM Nic. vai'. Tullb. 1. c. 40, 29, tab. vii., fig. 2. D. NicoktHjihh. 1. c. 161, tab. xxxiv. Orkney, among grass. 12. D. MULTiFASCiATA TuUb. 1. c. 40, 31, tab. vii., fig. 6. D. nivalis Nic, Lubb. 1. c. 158, tab. xxxi. Orkney, Morayshire (near Forres). 13. D. ciNCTA Lubb. 1. c. 162, tab. xxxv. Shetland and Orkney under stones, &c.; rather common. 14. D. LANUGINOSA Nic, Lubb. 1. c. 161, tab. xxxiii. Three specimens from Orkney. ORCHESELLA Tempi. 15. O. CINCTA Linn., Tullb. 1. c. 42, 36, tab. vii., figg. 8-17. Lubb. 1. c. 129, tabb. xii.-xiv. Many specimens from Forres of the varieties figured by Lub- bock in plates xii. and xiii. ISOTOMA (Bourl.) 16. I. PALUSTRis (Gmel.) Tullb. 1. c. 45, 41, tab. ix., figg. 1-8. /. aquatica Lubb. 1. c. 170, tab. xxxvii. All the varieties, described by Lubbock, in Shetland and Ork- ney under rotting Fucus on the seashore ; very common and numerous. 17. I. ccECA, n. sp. Tota pallide flavens ; antennis capite fere dtiplo longiorilms, ai-tiailo tertio secundo longiore, quarto duobiis praecedentibus sivml snmtis fere aeqiie longo ; mactilis octilaribtis ocellisqiie mdlis ; segmento abdominali tertio quarto % bre- viore ; furcida usque ad tubum ventrale?Ji pertinente, gracilis miicroiiibus biden- tatis. (Pilositas in exemplis detrita.) Long, ly^-i}^ mm. Four specimens from Orkney. 18. I. CRASSiCAUDA Tullb. 1. c. 48, 50, tab. ix., figg. 14-20. Nigro-violacea, pilosa, antennis capite non longioribus, artictdis sub-aequal- ibus ; ocellis octo in idroque latere capitis omnibus aeque magnis ; furcula usque ad tubum ventraleju pertinente^ dentibus obtusis crassis, usqiie ad apicem tibiis haud gracilioribus mucroribus superne visis utrinque dente basalt ; un- onicido inferiore basi superne lamelhda rotundata praedita. Long. I -2 mfu. Variat junior griscscens linca dorsali nigi-a. 2o8 The Scottish Natiiralist. Shetland ; very numerous on the surface of a pool of stagnant water at Bressay. ACHORUTES (Tempi.) 19. A. viATicus Tullb. 1. c. 50, 52, tab. x., figg. 7-20. Obsctire nigro-cyanetis, pilis albis rigidis ; ocellis in macutis obscurioribiis ; fiirculae mamibrio dentibusfere breviore, dentibiis apiceni versus parum acwnin- atis et imuronibus circiter trip to tongioribus, his gracitibzis, leviter exciirvatis ; spinis aitatibiis papiltis cojiicis, quibiis affixae sunt, pautto tongioribiis. Long. 1-2 mm. Bressay, Shetland ; very numerous with the preceding species. Kirkwall, Orkney ; creeping on the bark of ash-trees. ANUROPHORUS (Nic.) 20. A. LARicis Nic, Tullb. 1. c. 53, 62, tab. xii., figg. i, 2. Lipiira corticina Bourl., Lubb. 1. c. 191, tab. xlv. Kirkwall, Orkney; in large quantity on the bark of elm and ash trees in the garden of the Queen's Hotel. ANURIDA Laboulb. 21. A. CRASSICORNIS, n. sp. Obscure nigro-cyanea, dense tongiiis atbopitosa ; ocdtis qziinqiie nigris ; antennis brevibus et crassis, capitis tatittidine magis cjnam dnpto brevioribzis, articulis praesertim priznis fortiier transversis ; capite snbtus marginibus ct apice nee nan ungtiicutis tarsorum albicantibiis. Long. 1^-2^ ifim. Many specimens under stones in the river Tay, near Perth, June 29. Very like and allied to Anurida niaritima Guer., Laboulb. in Ann. Soc. ent. de France, Ser. iv., Tome iv., pag. 708, Tab. ii., but differing by its much shorter and thicker antennae, by the structure of the head (the inter-antennal lobe is pentagonal with almost straight sides, and is very well separated from the rest of the head, and projecting), and lastly also by the more robust body. THYSANUKA. 22. Machilis maritima Leach, Lubb. 1. c. p. 237. Very common among Fuais, Sic, on the sea-shores of Shetland and Orkney. Helsingfors, Finland, November i, 1879. PHYTOLOGY. THE OLUB-EOOT PUlT&US.i By a. STEPHEN WILSON. THERE can, I think, be little doubt that the fungus or vegetable parasite, discovered by M. Woronin, and by him named Plasmodiophora b7'assicce, is the true cause of what is called club-root and finger-and-toe in turnips, cabbage, char- lock, and other cruciferous plants. The great importance of the turnip crop in the husbandry of this country gives the investiga- tion of this fungus an interest of a highly practical and economic character. We are here in the presence of an enemy the strength of which is certainly on the increase ; and which threatens, if no countervailing strategy can be devised, to render the turnip crop as uncertain and precarious as the potato crop has been rendered by another parasitic fungus, the Peroiiospora iiifestans. The observations ' of Woronin were made chiefly on the cab- bage, and in reference to the great destruction caused in recent years to the cabbage crop in Russia, and more particularly in the market -gardens around St Petersburg. My own repetition of these observations has hitherto been chiefly confined to the turnip, including only such comparisons with cabbage, charlock, and mustard, as showed that the parasite was the same in all cases. That it is so, however, is an assumption based only on the optical data patent to the microscope. The plasmodic masses ramifying through the cell tissues of the roots have the same appearance in all these plants ; while the ripe spores which form the final stage of the plasmodium, and which are globular in shape and very uniform in size, have also in all cases the same dimensions : thirty- four millions of them can lie upon a square inch. It would be impossible to go into the whole subject at present. I shall therefore select one branch. Considerable interest has ^ Read before the Cryptogamic Society of Scotland, at Forres, Sept. 1879. O 210 TJie Scottish Natwalist. recently been awakened in the salmon disease. That disease is supposed by some to be produced by a fungus, the Saprolegnia ferax. By others it is supposed that the fungus is consequent on the disease. And hence arises in this and in other cases the need of a clear conception oi parasitism^ which may be defined as the state of a living organism living upon the life of a living organism. In any given case in which a fungus is found locally associated with an organised body in a state of vitality, or in a state of disintegration, the question may be raised, Is the fungus a parasite? Is it a fungus which requires a living host for its growth and development? Is the club-root fungus a parasite? Does the club-root fungus demand a living and healthy plant in the tissues of which to work out the cycle of its life ? The true answer to this question, if it can be given, is highly important to agriculture. For, if it shall appear that a weak, or sickly, or decaying plant is required as the proper soil of the club -root fungus, then this fungus is not a parasite, and its presence merely indicates antecedent disease arising from some failure of practical husbandry. Something has been done, or something has been neglected, in consequence of which the turnip plant and other plants fall into a state of disease, and then become the prey of the club-root fungus. But, on the other hand, if it shall appear that the club-root fungus is a true parasite — a plant living upon the living substance of another plant — then this fungus assumes a difterent attitude towards agriculture. Conditions calculated to secure, in its absence, a healthy crop of turnips, are of no preventive value. If the fungus is a parasite, the proper nidus which it requires is a living and healthy turnip. That there are numerous fungoid parasites waging perpetual war upon living plants is well known, but is not popularly accepted in its full significance. We cannot suppose from any facts known to us that all the potato crops in the country must be in a state of disease and decay before be- coming the prey of tlie potato fungus. The grasses do not require to be in an unhealthy condition before being attacked by ergot and smut and rust. And there seems little doubt that the Hemileia vastatrix, the fungus which destroys the coffee crops, is also a true parasite, attacking the healthy leaves. Now, what is the nature of the evidence that the club-root fungus belongs to the class of true parasitic fungi ? The root of the turnip is frequently attacked at a very early stage. Turnip seeds may be sown, and the plants matured, in a The Scottish Naturalist. 21 1 saucer in \^ater. I have found seeds thus sown, and with the water mixed with the pulverised turnip clubs of the previous year, to have their roots attacked when only about the thickness of one-hundredth of an inch. But in such circumstances the tap-root itself, even where no cause of disease has been intro- duced, never attains to any kind of bulb, or to a thickness be- yond two or three hundredths of an inch ; so that when attacked by the fungus in water, the portion of the root affected, not growing so rapidly as to afford room for the disrupting plasmodia of the fungus, is speedily killed, and goes into disintegration. But the club ceases to enlarge whenever the root dies. Could the granular plasma of the fungus grow upon decaying matter, there seems no reason why the club should not go on enlarging after the death of the root. But if it is a parasite the reason is plain ; it cannot live on dead matter. It is, however, when the seeds of the turnip are planted in earth that some of the phenomena can be best observed. I find that the ripe spores of the fungus exist as spores from one season to another. During the intense frosts of last winter (1878-79) they remained as bright and clear as when newly matured. They are not to- be killed by being turned up to the frost. I mixed a quantity of the rotten clubs of crop 1878 containing these spores w^ith garden mould in which no disease existed, and with the mixture filled a number of pots, some having drainage and some having close bottoms. Good turnip seeds, not known to be in any way defective, were sown in the pots. All the re- sulting plants became at an early stage excessively and fatally clubbed. The two largest pots, having the ordinary flower-pot drainage, and standing in the open air, had each between thirty and forty plants all clubbed, while the turnips in the same garden mould beside them were quite free of disease. The plants in the pots which had no drainage, and which from the wetness of the season were frequently soaking in water, had a large develop- ment of lateral roots : they did not grow so rapidly as the plants in the drained pots, and the clubs did not attain to so large a size. Now there seems to be no reason whatever for assuming that all these plants were first in a state of disease before being at- tacked by the Flasmodiophora. Indeed, it was quite evident that the strongest and healthiest plants were the most favourable to the full development of the fungus. The tissues of a small and feeble plant are speedily disrupted, the cells are choked 212 The Scottish Naticralist. with granular fungoid matter, and the plant dies. In stronger plants the contest goes on a little longer. The attack is fre- quently made at two or three centres ; and in many cases even upon a slender root, the club is chiefly developed on one side. Where there are lateral roots coming into the tap-root above the clubs, the plant goes on growing for an indefinite length of time, for the matter of the fungus does not appear to be carried by the motion of the sap, but extends by growth from particle to particle. Where the attack is early and of a severe character, the plants are killed when young. Where it is less severe a slow and local process of clubbing goes on during the whole season, and the bulb arrives at fair dimensions. But it is remarkable that, while turnips and cabbages are very often killed outright, charlock and mustard usually go on to flower and seed in de- fiance of considerable clubbing. But in all cases, whenever the plant dies the club ceases to increase in size, and in all proba- bility the fungus, which is the cause of the club, is not the direct cause of the subsequent rotting at all. A club taken and dried will preserve for any length of time. But the clubs are an easy prey to atmospheric disintegration, and to fungi and infusoria which revel in dead matter. The evidence seems to me to show that the healthier plants are not the least liable to the attack of this fungus. In going along a drill of turnips in which nearly every plant is afl'ected, there seems nothing to imply that the few which escape were in any respect healthier than the many which are destroyed. Cer- tainly the balance of probability is in favour of regarding the Plasmodiophora brassicce as a pure parasite, demanding a healthy living host for working out its career, from a spore to an amoeba, from an amoeba to a plasmodium, and from a plasmodium back to spores again. I am not perfectly convinced that this is the exact course, but Woronin's conclusions are not to be modified without mature consideration. It would thus appear that the turnip husbandry of this country is in presence of a destructive parasite. Hitherto the grower of potatoes has stood helpless before the forests of Pei'onospora i??- fcstajis, with stems small enough to come out in half-dozens from the stoma of a leaf. And here is a fungus of an altogether diff"er- ent and less palpable type, devouring the turnip crop with perfect impunity. Can anything be done to stop its ravages? A re- duction in the frequency of the turnip crop by permitting the de- struction of the germinating power of a greater number of spores, The Scottish Naturalist. 213 would undoubtedly restrict the virulence of the disease ; but this is not properly to cure it, but to give way before it by withdraw- ing the crop and foregoing the profits to be derived from it. Experiment shows that the disease is not a mere result of peculiar modes of tillage, or of characteristics of the season, though these may promote or retard its growth, but that it is a plant, one crop of which arises from the seeds of a previous crop. Probably under existing systems of rotation, wherever the club-root fungus has got a firm hold, extermination is impossible. Other questions then arise not belonging to the purpose of our meeting. Who knows whether it may not be good for agriculture that such fungi as those which partially destroy the potato and turnip crops cannot be exterminated ? Thanks are undoubtedly due in certain parts of our country to the Peronospora infestans, for destroying a means of subsistence which was over-abundant without enterprise and energy, and left the better resources of the cultivators to waste themselves in idleness. And who knows but the prevalence of Plasmodiophora bi-assicce may divert the course of agriculture into a new and more fertile direction ? North Kinmundy, Aberdeen, September 1879. SCOTTISH GALLS. By J. W. H. TRAIL, M.A., M.D., F.L.S. SINCE my last contributions to this subject in the * Scottish Naturalist ' (vol. iv.), I have met with a few kinds of galls not previously found by myself in Scotland, though one or two of them have already been recorded by others. The past season seems to have been very unproductive in galls, as far as my observations in the district around Aberdeen go, though a few common species were very abundant. Cakile maritima, L. — On the root of a plant of this species, gathered near the mouth of the Don in July, were several galls like those so common on cabbages — i.e., hemispherical swellings about ^ inch in diameter, each inclosing a rather small cavity in which lay a white larva of a beetle, probably Ceiithorhynchus sp. Unfortunately, no more galls could be found, though search was frequently made subsequently, hence I was unable to rear the maker of the gall. Stellaria holostea, L. — I formerly (' Scot. Nat.,' iv. 13) noted the occurrence on this plant of false galls, the work of Aphides, 214 The Scottish Naturalist. the name of which I had not discovered. This autumn I have found the same species of Aphis on Holcus lanatus, L. in several locaHties near Aberdeen. The effects produced on the grass are similar to those produced on the Stitchwort. The shoots remain short, with the leaves short, concave, slightly thickened, and crowded, and overlapping one another. Between the leaves live numerous Aphides j but I have not seen winged insects among them. Mr Hardy has described this insect under the name Aphis stella7'i(B {' North British Agriculturist,' ii. 788), and has described the galls formed by it on S. ho/ostea, S. graminea, Cerastiiim triviale, and Holcus mollis. The insects, of which only the wingless forms are yet known, are also described and figured under the name Brachycolus stel- larice. in Buckton's 'British Aphides,' ii. 147-149, PI. 85, figs. 1-3. TiLiA EUROP^A, L. — {b) On one or two trees in Old Aberdeen, in the month of July, occurred galls of a Cecidomyia (?). The mar- gins of the leaves are rolled up so as to form a tube, and become thickened, fleshy, and of a red colour. Each is tenanted by one or more reddish-orange larvse, which leave the gall when full fed. These galls are most common on young shoots from the root or from the trunk of the tree. {c) Erineum tiliaceuni, Persoon. — Leaves (apparently of T. g7'a7idifolia) sent me from Perthshire by Dr Buchanan White bear on their lower surface patches of this gall, the work of a Phytoptus. These patches are scattered over the surface of the leaf, are irregularly rounded in outline, are usually about ^ inch across, and are nearly white in colour. On examination through the microscope, they are found to be made up of a multitude of rather slender and nearly colourless filaments, often somewhat twisted : among these live the four-footed mites. The upper surface of the leaf, opposite the patch, usually becomes reddish in colour. These galls have frequently been described by French and German writers. Acer pseudoplatanus, L, — {a) Nail-galls oi Phytoptus = Cera- toneoii vulgare, Bremi ('Scot. Nat.,' iv. 14) {b) Erifieiun acerinu?n, D. C. — Another mite-gall found scat- tered over the leaf in irregularly- rounded patches %-y2 inch across — several such patches often occurring on a leaf. The patches consist, as on Tilia, of elongated clubbed hairs, usually twisted or incurved, at first probably pale coloured, but soon the patch becomes dark rusty brown. Among the hairs live the The Scottish Naturalist, 215 mites [Phytoptiis). The hairs seem always to occur only on the lower surface of the leaf, sunk in a rather deep hollow, corre- sponding to which the upper surface is convex, and usually becomes yellowish-red in colour. These galls seem frequently to occur on the same leaves with the well-known Rhytistna acer- intim. Their occurrence in Scotland has already been noted by Greville ('Edin. Phil. Journ.,' vi. 73, PI. ii., fig. 6), and Hooker (' Fl. Scot.,' ii. 34). I have found them at Inverurie and at Stonehaven. Prunus avium, L. — The leaves at the tips of young branches are frequently attacked near Aberdeen by Aphides {Myzus cerasi, Fab.), which, by their suction, alter the leaves so greatly that they may almost be regarded as gall makers. The leaves do not attain their full size, but become curled up and distorted ; while, apparently owing to excessive development of cellular tissue, resulting from the constant stimulus, swellings project from the upper surface corresponding to recesses on the lower surface in which the insects live. RiBES RUBRUM, L., and R. nigrum, L., are subject to attacks similar in their effects to those just described, but more notice- able, as the raised parts on the upper surface generally become bright red in colour. The leaves seem but little retarded in their growth as a rule, but can hardly be of much service to the plant. Probably the pseudo-galls are familiar to all who take an interest in gardening. The insects agree well with the descriptions and figures of Rhopalosiphiitn ribis (Buckton's ' Brit. Aph.,' ii. p. 9, PI. 39). Another species — viz., Myzus ribis (Buckton's 'Brit. Aph.,' i. pp. 180-182, PI. 34, figs. 1-4), is also abundant at Aberdeen throughout the summer on R. rubriim and on R. grossidaria ; but I have not noticed that it produces effects like those de- scribed, though said to do so by Mr Buckton. LoNiCERA Periclymenum, L. — The leaves are attacked by a species of Fhytoptus, which forms a pseudo-gall { = Legnoii cris- pimi, Bremi). Round the whole or part of the leaf runs a furrow, separated from the margin by a border of unaltered tissue, usually extremely narrow, but occasionally about % inch in breadth. The furrow is open along the upper surface, and corresponds to a ridge on the lower surface about -jV inch deep and broad. The surface of the gall is marked with fine wrinkles, rendering its outline wavy ; but otherwise it differs little in aspect from the leaf, and hence the galls are by no means conspicuous. Where they occur, almost every leaf on a branch is often attacked. 2i6 The Scottish Naturalist. The mites live in the furrow — usually a number in each gall. They are pale orange in colour, and are large relatively to other species of Phytoptus. I have found these galls in the woods of Darnaway and of Cawdor, near Forres, in the end of September. Senecio aquaticus, Huds., and S. Jacob^a, L. — On these plants occur very commonly flower-heads that appear fleshy, and remain green, and do not flower, though reaching about twice the normal size of flowering capitula. These effects result from the presence of numerous larvae oi Diplosis Jacobcece, Loew, one of the gall-midges. I have found these galls abundant wherever I have looked for them, in the months of August and September. On S. aquatiais I also found, near Ellon, the peduncles here and there a good deal swollen and bent. In each swelling was one larva of a Cecidomyia (?). Unfortunately I did not succeed in rearing the insects. Ulmus MONTANA, Sm. — {o) Galls of Tetraneura iihii, L., on the leaves. These galls are more like true galls in appearance than are those of most Aphides. When fully formed, they pro- ject from the upper surface of the leaf, usually on its apical half, as oval bodies, y^,'^ % inch, attached to the leaf by a narrow neck. The outer surface is naked, marked with shallow wrinkles longitudinally, and yellowish green in colour. The leaf round the base of the gall shows numerous yellowish-red spots, and below bears patches of hairs, much like some Erineinn galls of Phytoptus. The galls generally show an irregular opening on one side near the base when mature, and through this the young Aphides escape. I have found this gall in Scotland only once, on a tree in the woods of Cawdor, last September. Investigation into the development of the gall shows that it is due to the irritation produced by the attacks of the parent Aphis, which, while the leaf is quite young, fixes on a spot on the lower surface. Excessive development of tissue ensues, forming a pouch, into which the insect is received, and the orifice of which is entirely closed by a growth of hairs. {h) Pseudo-galls of Schizoucura ulmi, L. — These are similar to the Aphis galls on geans and currants described above, and must be familiar to many persons. Each consists of a leaf that is usually spirally and unsymmetrically rolled backwards, one side being less affected than the other. The upper surface becomes irregular, as in the currant leaves, but remains green or yellow- ish-green in colour. In texture the leaf becomes fleshy and rigid. In the space enclosed by it live numerous Aphides, The Scottish Naturalist. 217 among which we may usually find all stages of development re-- presented. There is also usually a quantity of a white powdery secretion mixed with clear drops of fluid. PoPULUS NIGRA, L. — At the manse of Birnie, near Elgin, I picked up under the trees, in September, two examples of the gall of another species of Aphis — viz.. Pemphigus bur sarins.^ L. They occur singly on the petioles of the leaves as green, irregu- larly conical outgrowths {yz-y^. xVs"/^ inch), with naked sur- face, wrinkled longitudinally. The walls are fleshy or leathery, and enclose a single cavity, which opens by an irregular fissure at the apex of the cone. On the same leaves were patches oi Erineum populimim^ Pers., galls of Phytoptus already indicated ('Scot. Nat.,' ii. 254 (n£e fuscce ellipsoidea;, yseptatcc, .009 — .oil x .006 ;/////,; para- physes nulla:. lodo gel. hyvi. vinose rubescais. The Scottish Naturalist. 221 Craig Var prope Kinloch-Rannoch. I am not quite certain whether the perithecium is entire, and I hesitate to dissect one of the two apothecia left for the purpose of determining this point. EFFECTS OF THE PAST WINTER AND PRESENT SUMMER ON HARD-WOODED PLANTS. By Colonel H. M. DRUMMOND HAY, C.M.Z.S. {Continued fro7)i p. 167.) Caucasus and Eastern Parts of the Black Sea. 58. Abies orienialis^ 59. Cera s us angicstifoliay caucasica, j> 60. Fleea Nordmanniaim., Uninjured. Some of the leaves on the unrip- ened shoots slightly browned, but proved quite as hardy, if not more so, than the common laurel. Uninjured. Canada and North Atlantic American States, including * Virginia AND t Carolina. 61. Acer negundo vai'iegata^ 62. yEsculiis 7'ubicu7ida, 63. Amelanchier botryapiiun 64. Amygdalus iia?ms, . 65. Afidromeda angustifolia axillaris, calyculata, dealbafa, Jloribunda, rosinarinifolia 6 6 . t Calycanth us florid us, 67. Catalpa syringcefolia, 68. Ceanothus americarius, \ Uninjured. { Unripened shoots killed, and much ( retarded. Top shoots killed, and slightly in- jured; has stood previous sea- sons well. 69. Cotoneaster cajiadensis, . \ 70. Gaultheria procumbe?is, . V Uninjured. ,, shallofi, . j [ A good deal retarded, otherwise 'ji. Gleditschia triacanthus, . <- uninjured; has made good ( growth. 222 The Scottish Naftiralisf. 72. \ Hydrangea alba, . 73. Kabjiia angiistifolia^ latifolia, ?ia7ia, pumila^ 74. Ledum buxifoluwi^ . 75. Lhiodejidron tit lip if era, 76. Madura tricuspidata, ) Uninjured. End shoots killed, and much re- tarded, but has made good growth. 'll. Mahoiiia glumacea, 78. Meiiziesia einpeti'ifolia, 79. Afespilus canadensis, 80. Philadelphus Gordonianus grandijlorus, Ut„:„-._^ 81. t Fopulus canadensis, ^ ^"^"J^^ed. aurea Van Geerti, 82. Pfelea trifoliata, Zt,. Rhus glabra, . typhina, % 84. Rhaninus frangula, 85. Robinia hispida, „ viscosa, ., inerniis, 86. Spircea aricefcdia, . corymbosa, . Douglasii, . hypcricifolia, opulcefolia, . tomentosa, . ulniifolia, . 8 7 . Sy7?iphorica?pus glomerata aurea 7'ariegata, 5) 3) 3) Killed down to where protected by snow ; coming away well. \ Uninjured. racemosus, 88. Viburnum acerifolium, 89. Virgilea lutea, 90. Xanthoriza apiifolia, Killed down to where protected by snow ; coming awtiy well. Upper California, * British Columbia, and Vancouver's Island. 91. Abies Albcrtiana, Hookeriana, Menziesia, Douglasii, 5» J' 3) '•Uninjured- The Scottish Naturalist. 223 92. Ccanothus daitatus, » divaricatiiSj ( Entirely killed, as well as an old . -^ established plant that has stood ( many winters against a wall. i Entirely killed ; has stood the last . 'J few winters well as a standard ( in the open border. 93. Cicpressus Laivso7tiana, . \ stricta {crecta) j Uninjured. * 5> fj )? )J J) J» )5 /'Browned, and some of the shoots . .7 J killed ; seemingly not so hardy ' J as the type plant, or the variety macrocarpa., . j iwotkaensis \ (Thujopsis boreal is)^ ) 94. Garry a elliptica. . stricta {erect a). Uninjured. Slightly injured, and leaves brown- ed, but quite recovered. It has frequently been asked whether the Garrya will stand our win- ters without the protection of a wall ; all ours are standards, having been planted out four- teen or fifteen years ago, and have generally stood the win- ters perfectly, being usually covered with their catkin-like flowers. 95. Lonicera Ledehourii, <)6.*Mahonia aqtiifolia, 97. Picea Lo7vi, . mag7iifica^ nobilis, Parsonsii, vancoiiveri {grafidis of Douglas), 98. ^Piiius Benthamiana^ macrocarpa, Jeffreyi, inonticola^ . potiderosa^ . * 5» 5J 5> 5? J> 5) J> » ) Uninjured. >» radiata, 'Browned, and slightly injured ; generally considered to be a hardy substitute for znsigm's, which does not in general stand our northern winters. 224 The Scottish Naturalist. 99. ^R It bus Jiutkiayius, . * ,, spectabiHs^ . 100. Sequoia sempervirens , 10 1. Spircea californica, 102. Thuja gigajttea, ,, Lob a, 103. Wellington ia gigantea, ) Uninjured. * >> {fula's, * }i einpetrifolia, >J Jamesonii^ Mountains of Chili and || Peru, * Straits of Magellan, AND t Falkland Islands. Killed to the roots, but coming 104. Bcj'beris Darwinii, .\ away well; in some cases en- tirely killed. Uninjured. The latter, from its habit of throwing up suckers, would make a good cover plant if not apt to be injured by- rabbits. ' All killed, with one or two ex- ceptions, to the roots, and these protected by deep snow ; in some other parts in the county and neighbourhood, the Bud- dlea^ where long established, did not suffer materially. . Utterly killed. i Utterly killed; has withstood, with . -< slight protection, several winters I in the open border. 108. \ Veronica Traversi {de- ) Perfectly uninjured, and flowered 105. Buddlca globosa, ro6. \\Desfo?ittana spinosa, 107. Fabiana inibricata^ cussata ?), 109. An cub a viridis, ,, bicolor, ,, lanceolata, . | wo. Biota gracilis^ 111. Cephalotaxus drupacea^ . ) ,, Bo7'tunii, . j 112. Chiinonanthus fragrans, 113. Crypto??ieria e/egans, ,, Japonica, 114. Cydonia japonica and l tt • • j .- ,• , ] Uninjured varieties, J 15. Deutzia Fortunii^ gracilis., ?> j freely. Japan. Uninjured. V Browned, and slightly injured. Perfectly uninjured. Uninjured. Uninjured ; was slightly protected. The Scottish Naturalist. ii6. Eiw?iymtis Japonica, . Utterly destroyed. 22^ )> )5 ; / ^'z /Top shoots killed, and a good (JO CCi' Of IJ irC I C' ^ \ 11'* 1 * ^ { deal injured ; recovering. radic'aus, . Perfectly uninjured. 117. Forsythia Fortiuiii, .\ ^^ . . , . ' ) Unmiured. „ siispe?isa, . j •" 1 1 8. G?'iselinea littoralis, . Utterly destroyed. 119. Jimipcnis japonica varie- gata, 120. Kerria japonica varit gata, 121. Ligustrum japoniciim, \ Uninjured. j A good deal retarded, otherwise uninjured, and coming well into ( flower. i A good deal injured and retarded, ,, co?'iaceH??i, . \ with loss of leaves, but coming ( away well again. 122. Mahonia japo]iica aurca- ) ^^ . . , • -^ ^ ,- Unmiured. c'aricgata. 123. Osmanthus ilicifolius, argentea, aip'ea. •I > Entirely uninjured. 124. Othera japonica, . 125. Podocarpus jap07iicus, 126. Quercus glabra, 127. Raphiolcpis glabra, }i 07'ata, 128. Retinospora pisifera, squari'osa, }} izSc. Rhodotypus kerrioides, 129. Skif?wiia frag?'ans, „ japonica, „ oblata, . 130. Sophor a japonica, . 131. Taxiis adpressiis, . 132. Thujopsis dolabrata, 133. Weigelia amabilis, i A good deal retarded, with unrip- l ened shoots killed, but well ( recovered. Uninjured. Very much retarded, but seems otherwise uninjured, the leaves retaining a healthy green all winter. This is a very orna- mental and distinct species. ( Retarded, but not otherwise in- \ jured; was slightly protected. J A good deal retarded and slightly I injured ; had slight protection. > Uninjured. Top shoots killed, otherwise unin- jured. ) Uninjured. 226 The Scottish Natiiralisi. Northern China — t Chinese and * Russian Tartary. A-, Ml 1 J 7 f Retarded, but otherwise not in- 134. Ailanthiis glandulosus, A . , ' i Browned, and, in some instances, ■ a good deal injured, but recover- 135. Biota oriejitalis, ■) mg. 136. ^ Caragana aj'borescens, . ^ 137. Detitzia crenata {Jlor. plen.), 138. "^ Dimorphaiithits man- \ Uninjured. churicus, . 139. Exochordia grandiflora^ 140. Forsythia viridissiimis, . i/^\. Jas milium nudifloru)]i^ . \ 1^2. Ji£?iiperus sinensis, . \ 143. Kolreuteria paniatlata, . 1 44. t Lonicera tartai'ica, . I A good deal injured, and retarded where not protected by a wall. Uninjured. Uninjured, and flowered profusely, but has since, especially where r> Mil , J3 j.i\ } e;rafted as standa.rds, suffered \±^. Fniniis triloba (ft. pi.) \ ° •■, ^^ c ^\ ^^ ^^ yy. y / \ considerably from the cold wet summer coming immediately after the long protracted winter. sinensis alba {flor, pi en.)., . sinensis rosea ] A good deal retarded, and top / shoots killed. ) Uninjured, though a very early j flowerer. » 55 {/or. plen.), 146. Spiraea prunifolia {flor, plen. ), >> Reevsii plen.), Slightly retarded, but uninjured. 147. IVeigelia rosea, ( n , i Upper shoots all killed and much ^■^ ' < retarded, with loss of leaves, ( but quite recovered. /"Though seemingly uninjured from I frost, has, in some instances, .-X after flowering profusely, suc- 1 cumbed to the cold wet sum- mer. Himalayas and * Mountains of Nepaul. 148. Abies mo r in da, 149. Aucuba himalaica, 150. Ccdrus deodara, . 151.* Cotoneastcr frigida, * ,, Si mo u si i, 152. Dcutzia corymbosa, Uninjured. The Scottish Nationalist. 227 153. ^ Hypei-icum pat ul urn , 154. Leycesteria fon/wsa, 1.55. Finns excclsa, 156. Piptanthus ncpaideusis^ 157. RhododeJidivn ciliatum, 158. SpircBa arge;itea, . ,, belia. y Killed to the roots, but since / made good growth. Uninjured. j Perfectly hardy and uninjured, \ keeping its beautiful bright - ( green foliage all winter. j In some instances a good deal < injured and flower buds de- ( stroyed ; requires protection. > Uninjured. New Zealand — "' Tasmania — t Cape of Good Hope. 159. Eurybia ilicifolia * r? alpina ( Gunnil) I 160. '^^Hartogia cape?isis, 161. Pitiospermum undidatiwi I \(i2. Spiraa kamooii^ 163. Spircea Thtmbergii, 164. Veronica HefidefsoJiii, Killed down to where protected by snow. '' Utterly destroyed, though it has withstood the last two or three winters without any protection; the beautiful aster-like flowers of this species are much more lasting, profuse, and brilliant white than the above, and quite deserving of a wall. Perfectly hardy and uninjured. A good deal injured and retarded, and being weakened, has event- ually succumbed to the cold wet summer, but uninjured on or- dinary winters. Though said to be an Australian plant, it was raised from seed brought home from the southern part of New Zealand. Uninjured. Hybrids. { Uninjured, though flowering very ' I early. . Utterly destroyed. CORRECTION. In looking over the list, I observe that I have inadvertently written Cisttis cypriiis (No. 54) instead of Cistus ladaniferiis — a native of Spain. I have also omitted to mention Genista cctiicjisis — a native of Sicily — which was quite uninjured, and is well worth growing. 228 The Scottish Naturalist. Alphabetical List of Genera Noted in the Above. Abies, 58, 91, 148. Acer, 61. ^sculus, 62. Ailanthus, 134. Amelanchier, 63. Amygdalus, 64. Andromeda, 10, 65. Arbutus, 31. Aucuba, 109, 149. Azalea, 53. Berberis, 104. Biota, no, 135. Buddlea, 105. Buxus, 32. Calluna, i. Calycanthus, 66. Caragana, 136. Catalpa, 67. Ceanothus, 68, 92. Cedrus, 29, 150. Cephalotaxus, in. Cerasus, 21, 33, 55, 59. Chimonanthus, 112. Circis, 35. Cistus, 22, 34, 54. Colutea, 36. Cornus, 16. Cotoneaster, 69, 151. Cryptomeria, 113. Cupre^sus, 93. Cydonia, 114. Cytisus, 2, 24(2. Daphne, 3, 11, ^7. Desfontiana, 106. Deutzia, 115, 137, 152. Dimorphanthus, 138. Erica, i, 17, 23, 38. Euonymus, lya, 116. Eurybia, 159. Exochordia, 139. Fabiana, 107. Forsythia, 117, 140. Gaultheria, 70. Garrya, 94. Genista, 4, 18, 24. Gleditschia, 71. Griselinea, 118. Hartogia, 160. Hippophae, 5. Hydrangea, 72, Hypericum, 153. Ilex, 30, 40. Jasminum, 141. Juniperus, 39, 119. 142. Kalmia, 73. Kerria, 120. Kolreuteria, 143. Laurus, 41. Ledum, 12, 74. Leycesteria, 154. Ligustrum, 121. Liriodendron, 75. Lonicera, 42, 95, 144. Madura, 76. Mahonia, 77, 96, 122. Menziesia, i, 78. Mespilus, 79. Osmanthus, 123. Othera, 124. Philadelphus, 43, 80. Phillyrea, 44. Picea, 25, 60, 97. Pinus, 26, 45, 56, 98, 155. Piptanthus, 156. Pittospermum, 161. Podocarpus, 125. Polygala, 19. Populus, 46, 8r. Potentilla, 6. Prunus, 145. Ptelea, 82. Quercus, 126. Raphiolepis, 127. Retinospora, 128, Rhamnus, 7, 47, 84. Rhododendron, 13, 20, 28, 157- Rhodotypus, 128^. Rhus, 48, 83. Robinia, 85. Rosa, 27. Rosmarinus, 49. Rubus, 99. Ruscus, 8, 50. Sequoia, 100. Skimmia, 129. Sophora, 130. Spiraea, 14, 86, lor, 146, 158, 162, 163. Symphoricarpus, 87. Syringa, 15, 57. Tamarix, 51. Taxus, 131. Thuja, 102. Thujopsis, 132. Ulex, 9. Veronica, 108, 164. Viburnum, 52, 88. Virgilea, 89. Weigeha, 133, 147. Wellingtonia, 103. Xanthoriza, 90. THE GAELIC NAMES OF PLANTS. By JOHN CAMERON. {Contin7icd from p. i73-) ViNIFER/E. Vitis (from the Celtic ,Q,wyd, a tree, a shrub. Spanish : vid. French : vigne). Vitis vinif era— Vine. GaeHc : crann fiona, fionan. Irish : Jio7i^ wine. Greek : foi\-o\. Latin : vin-iim. FioJi dcarc, a grape. The Scottish Naturalist. 229 CxERANIACEyE. (From Greek yepavo'?, geranoSy a crane. The long beak that ter- minates the carpel resembles the bill of a crane; English : crane- bill. Gaelic : ci'ob priachain (Armstrong), the claw of any rapacious bird.) Liis-g?id-ghorm. (M'Kenzie.) Evergreen plant. Geranium Robertianum — Herb Robert. Gaelic and Irish : righeal cuil (from righe, reproof, and cuil^ fly, gnat, insect), the fly reprover. Riaghal cuil, also rial chuil, that which rules insects ; Earbull righ (earbull, a tail). " Insects are said to avoid it." — Don. Rtiidel, the red-haired. Lits an Ealla?i, the cancer weed. Righeal righ. Irish : righcan righ., that which reproves a king {righ, a king), on account of its strong disagreeable smell. Welsh : troed?ydd, redfoot. Llysie Robert., herb Robert. G. sanguineum — Bloody cranesbill. Gaelic : creachlach dearg, the red wound -healer {creach, a wound). Geranium Roberti- anum and Geranium sangu-ineum have been held, and are, in great repute by the Highlanders, on account of their astringent and vulnerary properties. OXALIDACEyE. (From Greek 6|t;9, oxys, acid, from the acid taste of the leaves.) Oxalis acetosella — Wood-sorrel. Gaelic : sanih, shelter. It grows in sheltered spots. Also the name given to its capsules. Also summer. It may simply be the summer flower. " Aig itheach saimh,'''' eating sorrel. Seamrag. Irish : seamrog (shamrock) {seam, mild and gentle), little gentle one. Referring to its appearance. " 'L.Q.-seamragan 's le neonainean, 'S'gach lus a dh'fhendain ainmeachadh ■ Cuir anbharra dhreach boidlichead air." — M'Intyre. With wood-sorrel and with daisies, And plants that I could name, Giving the place a most beautiful appearance. Surag, the sour one ; Scotch : sou7'Ock (from the Armoric sur, Teutonic suer, sour). Welsh : suran y gog, cuckoo's sorrel. Gaelic : biadh na7i eoinean, birds' food. Irish : billeog nan eun, the leaf of the birds. 230 The Scottish Naturalist. "Timcheall thulmanaii diamhaii- Ma 'm bi'm biadli-ionain fas." — M 'Donald. Around sheltered hillocks Where the wood-sorrel grows, Feada coille^ candle of the woods, name given to the flower ; feadh, a candle or rush. " Mar sin is leasachan soilleir, Do ^ fheada-coille na'n cos." — M 'Donald. Like the flaming light Of the wood-sorrel of the caverns. Celastrace^. Euonymus europseus — Common spindle-tree. Gaelic and Irish : oir,feo7'as, — oir, the east point, east. " A tir a?i ^/r/'from the land of the East {Oij'ip, Europe), being rare in Scotland and Ireland, but common on the Continent. Oir and feoir also mean a border, edge, limit, it being commonly planted in hedges. Whether the name has any reference to these significations it is very difhcult to determine with certainty. Oir, the name of the thirteenth letter, O, of the Gaelic and Irish alphabet. It is worthy of notice that all the letters were called after trees or plants : — Gaelic. English. Gaelic. English. A . Ailni. Elm. L . Luis. Quicken. B . Beite. Birch. M . Muir. Vine. C . Coll. Hazel. N . Nuin. Ash. D . . Dur. Oak. 0 . . Oir. Spindle-tree. E . Eagh. Aspen. P . Peith. Pine. F . Fearn. Alder. R . . Ruis. Elder. G . Gath. Ivy. S . . Suil. Willow. H . Huath. White-lho; n. T . Tin. Heath. I . . logh. Yew. U . . Uir. Whitethorn. Rhamnace^. Rhamnus (from Gaelic ranih, Celtic 7'ain, a branch, wood). " Talamh nan ramh.'' — OssiAN. ^ The country of woods. The Greeks changed the word to pa/xi/os and the Latins to ramus. R. catharticus — Pricklv buckthorn. Gaelic : ramJi droivhio/in, prickly wood. Welsh : rhaffncydden, — rhaf, to spread ; ivydd, tree. Juglans regia — The Walnut. Gaelic: craobh-gJiallchno — gall, a foreigner, a stranger ; cno, a nut. The Scottish Naturalist. . 231 LEGUMINIFERyE. Gaelic : ///is fcidhlcagach^ pod-bearing plants. Bar guc, papil- ionaceous flowers (Armstrong). Por-cochullach, leguminous. ^^ Bar guc air mheuiaibh nosara." — M'Intyre. Blossoms on sappy branches. Sarothamnus scoparius — Broom. Gaelic : bealaidh or beal- uidh (probably from bcal, Baal, and uidh^ favour), the plant that Belus favoured, it being yellow-flowered (see Caltha paliistris). Yellow was the favourite colour of the Druids (who were wor- shippers of Belus), and also of the bards. Ossian describes the sun ^^ grian bhiiidhe,^' the yellow sun ; M'lntyre, his Isabel, as '• Iseabel og An or fhuilt bhuidh.'" Young Isabel with the golden-yellow hair. Irish: bniin ; and Welsh : j'^^''//<^. Gaelic: squab, ^ brush made from the broom. Latin : scoparius. Giolcach sleibhe {giolc, a reed, a cane, a leafless twig ; sleibhe, of the hill). The badge of the Clan Forbes. Cytisus laburnum — Laburnum. Gaelic : bealuidh frangach (in Breadalbane), in some parts sasu?iach, French or English broom (Ferguson). Frangach is very often afiixed to names of plants of foreign origin. This tree was introduced from Switzer- land in 1596. Craobh obrjm, a corruption of laburnum. Ulex — Name from the Celtic ec or ac, a prickle (Jones). U. europseus — Furze, whin, gorse. Gaelic and Irish : co/iasg, from Irish couas, war, because of its armed or prickly appearance. Welsh : eithin, prickles. " Lan conasg is phreasaibh." — Old Song. Full of furze and bushes. Not common in the Highlands, but plentiful about Fortingall, Perthshire. Ononis arvensis — Rest - harrow. Gaelic and Irish : sreang bogha, bowstring. Y'elsh : tagadr, stop the plough ; cithi?i yr eir, ground prickles. Scotch : cammock, from Gaelic cam, crooked. Trigonella ornithopodioides — Fenugreek, Greek hay. Gaelic : ionntag-greu^ach (Armstrong), Greek nettle ; crubh-eoi?i, Birds' shoe. Welsh: y grog-tvryan. Trifolium repens — White or Dutch clover. Gaelic and Irish : scamar bhdn, the fair gentle one (see Oxalis) ; written also saincir, siomrag, seamrag, scanirog. Wood-sorrel and clover are often con- 232 The Scottish Naturalist. founded, but seamar bhdn is invariable for white clover, and for Trifolium procumbens, hop trefoil, samhrag bhiiidhc^ yellow clover. " Gach sahiieir neonean 's masag. " — M 'Donald. Every clover, daisy, and berry. "An t-seaifirag mno. 's barr-gheal gruag, A's buidheann chuachach neoinein." — M'Lachuinn. The green white-headed clover. The yellow-cupped daisy. The badge of Clan Sinclair. T. pratense — ^Red clover. Gaelic : seamar chapiiill, the mare's clover. Cap It II, from Greek Ka/3dXXr]<;, a work-horse. Latin : caballiis, a horse. Tri-hilean, trefoil, three - leaved. AVelsb : tairdalen, the same meaning. Meillojiem, honey wort, from viel, honey. Gaelic : si^igag, Scotch sookie, the bloom of clover, so called because it contains honey, and children suck it. T. minus — Small yellow clover. Gaelic : seangan, small, slender. T. arvense — Hare's-foot clover. Gaelic : eas maidhiche (Arm- strong), hare's foot. Lotus corniculata — Bird's-foot trefoil. Gaelic : barra inJiis- lea?t, — barra, top or flower ; mislean, anything that springs or grows. " Glacag inisleanach.'" — Macfarlane. A grassy dell. Anthyllis vulneraria — Kidney vetch, or Lady's Fingers. Gaelic : incoir Mhiiire, Mary's lingers ; cas an tiain, lamb's foot. Vicia^ sativa — Vetch. Gaelic and Irish : Jiatghal, nutritious (from \\\'i^\fiadh, now written biadh, food) ; peqsair jiadhain, wild pease ; peasair chapnill, mares' pease. Welsh : idbys, edible pease. Irish : pis feadhain, wild pease ; pis diibh, black peas. V. cracca — Tufted vetch. Gaelic: pesair nan Inch, mice pease ; /dnair, a.gus peasm'r, agus meanbh-pheasair, 2ig\\% peasair fhiadhain, agus cuir iad ann an aon soitheach, agus dean duit fein aran duibh. " — Stuart, Ezekiel iv. 9. Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentiles, and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof." Orobus tuberosus — Tuberous bitter vetch (from Greek, opw, oro, to excite, to strengthen, and ySoi)?, an ox). Gaelic and Irish : r^/;7;/(f<2/ (Armstrong), — cair., dig; meal., enjoy; ?i\so mall ; Welsh : moel, a knob, a tuber — i.e., the tuberous root that is dug ; corra- meille (M'Leod and Dewar). " Is clann bheag a trusa leolaicheann ^ Buain corr an co's nam bruachagan." — M'Intyre. Little children gathering . . . And digging the bitter vetch from the holes in the bank. Corra, a crane, and meillg, a pod, the crane's pod or peas. Welsh : pys y ga7'anod, crane's peas ; garan, a crane. " The Highlanders have a great esteem for the tubercles of the roots ; they dry and chew them to give a better relish to their whisky. They also affirm that they are good against most diseases of the thorax, and that by the use of them they are enabled to repel hunger and thirst for a long time. In Breadalbane and Ross-shire they sometimes bruise and steep them in water, and make an agreeable fermented liquor with them, called cai7'm. They have a sweet taste, something like the roots of liquorice, and when boiled are well flavoured and nutritive, and in times of scarcity have served as a substitute for bread" (Lightfoot). ^ Leolaicheaiin, probably Trolliits etiropcctis (the globe flower), from 01, blachan, drink, drinking. Children frequently use the globe flower as a drinking-cup. Scotch : luggie goiuan. L2iggie, a small wooden dish ; or it may be a corniption from t?-ol or troUen, an old German word signifying round, in allusion to the form of the flower, hence Trollius. ( To be continued.) 234 The Scottish Naturalist. Unusual tolooming of tlie Hawthorn. — I herewith enclose a spiig of haw- thorn, pulled this morning from the hedge between my house and Easter Moncreifife. Upon the same plant there are about a dozen similar sprigs, all having the peculiarity of pi-oducing the flowers at the ends of young shoots, a circumstance never before observed by me. — William Bisset, Moncreifie, 29th September 1879. New and rare British Fungi. — During a visit to Rannoch last September, I found some specimens of Ustilago siicciscv, a species not hitherto found in Britain. It is parasitic on the anthers of Scabiosa siiccisa, which are filled with the white spores, rendering the parasite rather conspicuous.- During the meeting of the Cryptogamic Society at Forres, I found some plants of Polypodiiim zndgare attacked by the parasitic Alilesia polypodii, a species hitherto found only by myself in Perthshire. At Cawdor, a single specimen of Physarum siiuiosiiiii Bull. , occurred to me. This species has not, I believe, been found in Scotland since recorded by Greville in the ' Scottish Crypto- gamic Flora.' In Rannoch, Rhytisma enipetri was more abundant this year than I have yet seen it. — F. Buchanan White. New and rare Fungi found at the Meeting of the Cryptogamic Society at Forres. — Although the season was on the whole an unfavourable one, especially as regards the growth of the larger fungi, some interesting dis- coveries were made. The following species, new to the British Flora, were discovered : Hydnum scabroswn Fr. ; Hypomyces violaceiis Tul. ; and Helvetia infida Schaefif. The following are new to the Flora of Scotland : Hypomyces chrysospei'??tiis Tub, of which Sepedonitim chrysospermwn is the conidioid form, gathered in Britain previously only once, in England, where it was discovered last year by Mr Berkeley ; Peziza echinophila Bull. ; and P. pnlveracea Lib. Among species which are interesting on account of their infrequency or rarity, the following may be noted : Agaricus {Amanita) mappa Yx. ; A. {TriclioloJtia) sejunctus Sow. ; A. [Oniphalia) demissus Fr. {A. rufulus B. and Br.) ; A. {Pleiirotus) po?-rigens Pers. ; A. {Pholwtd) erehitis Fr. ; A. {Ftaj?ijnnla) carbonarhis Fr. ; Co7'tinariiis {Inolovia) traganiis Fr. ; Russiila Quetetii Fr. ; Marasmiiis Hitdsoni Fr. ; PolypoTits Schiveinitzii Fr. ; P. sul- phureus Bull. ; P. reticidatiis Pers., found in Britain previously only once ; Trametcs pini Brot. ; Hydmini compnctiim Pers. ; //. aitraniiacuni A. and S. ; //, feri-ugineiim Fr. ; H. fragile Fr. ; //. gravcolens Delast. ; Sistostrema con- fltiens Pers. ; Cyphella vntscigcna Fr. ; Exidia rccisa Ditten. ; IJndbladia cjfiisa Ehr. ; Anthina Jlaniniea Fr. ; Stilbum orbiciitare B. and Br., growing abundantly on Lindbladia cffusa ; Peziza pygmcva Fr. ; /'. stfobiliiia Yx. ; Patellaria discolor Mont. ; and Gnomonia {Splucria) coryli Batsch. I have since found Peziza strobilina at Glamis, growing abundantly on fallen fir-cones. 'J'he plant, which may be easily overlooked, is perhaps not uncommon. — J. Stevenson, Glamis, November 1S79. The Scottish Naturalist. 235 NEW BOOKS. The Capercaillie in Scotland. By J. A. Havvie-Brown, F,Z. S. Edin- burgh: D. Douglas, 1879. 8vo, pp. ix, and 155. Map and two Plates. In this well-printed and got-up book Mr Harvie-Brown has brought to- gether a host of information about the largest of our Scottish game birds. Commencing with a discussion of the origin and orthography of the word "capercaillie," the author proceeds to give in detail all that is known of the history of the bird in Scotland prior to its extinction in or about 1760 ; its reintroduction at Taymouth in 1837-38, and its subsequent spread over part of the country. The details of the extension of the capercaillie's range is treated m great detail, and is well shown in the illustrative map. It is worthy of notice that in almost every instance where the bird has of itself founded a new colony, that the first arrivals noticed were females, wlio generally precede the males by one or two years, the colonies being estab- lished in from two to four years after the appearance of the hen birds. From this prior arrival of the females, it happens that in districts where black-game are common, hybrids between the black-cock and female capercaillie are not unfrequent, as might be anticipated from the great resemblance between the hen capercaillie and grey hen. Finally, Mr Harvie-Brown brings his very interesting work- to a conclusion by a consideration of the damage done to pine-forests by the capercaillie, and shows that while undoubtedly damage is done, yet that there is great lack of information as to the summer food of the bird in Scotland. Mycologia Scotica : the Fungi of Scotland, and their Geographical Dis- tribution. By the Rev. J. Stevenson. Edinburgh : printed for the Crypto- gamic Society of Scotland. 1879. 8vo, pp. xx. and 443. With Map. Of late years the fungi have received a greater amount of attention than had hitherto been bestowed on them. One result of this attention was the foundation of the Cryptogamic Society of Scotland, to various meetings of which the contents of this very creditable volume were pi-esented in the form of reports. For the purpose of indicating the distribution of the species in Scotland, the natural divisions by river-basins, as first set forth in the ' Tn- secta Scotica,' have been adopted by the author, and, in addition, informa- tion is given regarding the British and exotic distribution, &c,, of each species. Every Scottish species added to the British list since the publica- tion of Dr M. C. Cooke's Handbook has a description appended, and this adds very greatly to the value of the work. No less than upwards of 2150 species are enumerated as Scottish by Mr Stevenson ; but some polymorphic species are mentioned twice, and others — whose claims are equally great — only once, so that it is difficult to form an estimate of what the actual num- ber of known Scottish fungi is. We notice, also, that in the case of some of the parasitic fungi, the host-plant is not always correctly given. This, and a few typographical errors, are the chief faults of a work which marks an era in Scottish mycology. We must not omit to notice that there is a good index to the book, which enhances its value as a work of reference. 236 The Scottish Naturalist. Dundee Naturalists' Society: Fiftli and Sixth Annual Reports, being for tlie years 1877-79. Dundee. 1879. 8vo, pp. 20. We are glad to be able to congratulate this Society on its flourishing con- dition, as evidenced by these rather brief reports. In regard to the Society's museum, the Council "would like to urge upon members the claims of the museum for a share of their attention and help. The desire is to make it thoroughly local and educational in character ; to contain, not a heterogeneous collection gathered from all parts of the earth, but rather a number of repre- sentative specimens of the natural products of the district." This sentence assures us that the Dundee Naturalists understand what a local museum should be, — a subject regarding which much ignorance exists, even amongst those who should know better. We observe that the Council has also brought before the Society the desirability of having premises of its own. This is also a good suggestion, and ought to be quite feasible in such a wealthy town as Dundee. History of the Berwickshire Naturalists' Club, 1876-78. 8vo, Alnwick : 1879. The concluding part of the volume for 1876-78 of the proceedings of this long-established club has come to hand, and contains the usual number of in- teresting papers and notes on the various branches of natural science, as well as archaeological communications and reports of the excursions. Sir Walter Elliot's ' Account of the Plague of Field-mice, in the Border Farms, in 1876- 77,' is specially worth noting. VAEIOUS NOTES. The Fifih Annual Conference of the Cryptogamic Society of Scotland was held at Forres in September last, and was in every way successful. In another place will be found a note of some of the rarer species of fungi found during the excursions. The next Conference is to be held in Glasgow towards the end of next September, under the presidency of the well-known lichenologist, Dr James Stirton, and promises to be highly interesting. There will be a show of fungi and other cryptogamic plants. The announcement of the death of Mr Thomas Chapman will have caused much regret to his numerous friends in Scotland and England. An English- man by birth, he was yet so long settled in Glasgow, that he was to all pur- poses a Scottish Naturalist, and long and deservedly occupied a prominent position as such. No one, we believe, had a more intimate acquaintance with the lepidoptera of Clydesdale, and other districts of the west of Scot- land ; and to him is due much of the information relating to these districts, incorporated in "The Lepidoptera of Scotland," at present being published in this magazine. Of late years Mr Chapman had turned his attention more to exotic insects, especially African and Australian lepidoptera, and with equal success. In other ways Mr Chapman did much to promote the study of natural science in the west of Scotland. He died on August 27tli, in his sixty- third year. INSECTA SCOTICA. THE OOLEOPTEEA OF SCOTLAND. ( Continued from p. 1 92, ) Edited by D. SHARP, M.B. OROBITBS Th. CYANEUS L. Scarce. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth 000000 West. Sol way §000 ACALLES Th. ROBORIS Curt. Very rare. Distribution — East, o Forth 000000 West. 00000 " Roslin. Dr Greville and Rev. W. Little."— Murray Cat. PTINOIDES Marsh. Rare. Distribution — East. § Forth 000000 West. Solway g o o o CRYPTORHYNCHUS Th. LAPATHI L. Rare. In old sallows. Distribution — East. o Forth 000000 West. Solway 0000 CCELIODES Th. QUERCUS Fab. Common on oaks. Distribution— East. Tweed Forth § g g o o o West. Solway g o o o RUBER Marsh. Scarce. Distribution— East. Tweed Forth g g Moray 000 West. Solway g o o o 238 The Scottish Naturalist. SUBRUFUS Hbst. Very rare. Distribution — East, o Forth 000000 West. Solway 0000 RUBICUNDUS Payk. On birch. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth § Dee §000 West. Sohvay §000 QUADRIMACULATUS L. Abundant on nettles. Distribution — East. § Forth 8 o 8 0 <^ ^ West. Sohvay g § o o FULIGINOSUS Marsh. Scarce. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth 000000 West. 00000 GERANll Payk. On Geranium sylvaticum. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth 8 Dee 8 <^ ^ ^ West. Solway 8 <^ ^ <^ CEUTHORHYNCHUS Th. ASSIMILIS Payk. Common. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth 8 8 8 8 ^ '^ West. Solway % % ^ ^ ERYSIMI Fab. Common. Distribution — East, gggggooo West. Solway g o o o CONTRACTUS Marsh. Abundant. Distribution — East. g Forth 8 8 8 Sutherland West. 00000 Orkney Slietland COCHLEARl^ Gyll. Not common. Distribution — East. 8 Forth 000000 West. Solway 8 0 ^ o CONSTRICTUS Marsh. Rare. Distribution — East, o Forth o o Moray 000. West. 00000 ERIC^ Gyll. On heather. Distribution — East. Tweed 8 Tay 8 Moray Suther- land Orkney Shetland West. Solway Clyde goo The Scottish Naturalist. 239 ECHII Fab. Very rare. Distribution— East. Tweed Forth 000000 West. 00000 VIDUATUS Gyll. Rare. Distribution — East. § Forth 000000 West. Sohvay Clyde 000 LITURA Fab. On thistles. Local. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth g g g o o o West. Sohvay g o o o RUGULOSUS Hbst. Rare. Distribution — East. Tweed 0000000 West. 00000 EUPHORBIA Bris. Rare. Distribution — East. 00000000 West. Sohvay 0000 QUADRIDENS Paiiz. Comnion. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth g g Moray goo West. Sohvay g 8 ^ ^ PUNCTIGER Gyll. Rare. Distribution — East. g 8 o o Moray 000 West. Sohvay g 000 POLLINARIUS Forst. Abundant. Distribution — East, g 8 Tay g Moray g g Shetland West. Sohvay g 8 ^ o ANGULOSUS Boh. Very rare. Distribution — East. 00000000 West. Sohvay 0000 SULCICOLLIS Gyll. Common. Distribution — East. 88080^00 West. Sohvay 8 8 ^ <^ HIRSUTUS Gyll. Very local. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth 000000 West. 00000 CYANIPENNIS Germ. Scarce. Distribution — East. Tweed 880 Moray 000 West. Sohvay 8 ^ <^ o 240 The Scottish Naturalist. CHALYB^US Germ. Rare. Distribution — East. 0000 Moray 000 West. 00000 FLORALIS Payk. Common.. Distribution — East. § Forth § § Moray 000 West. Solway 000 PYRHORHYNCHUS Marsh. Very rare. Distribution — East. 00000000 West. Solway 0000 TERMINATUS Hbst. Very rare. Distribution — ^^East. Tweed 0000000 W^EST. 00000 TROGLODYTES Fab. Common. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth ^ West. Solway O ( 000 o o 000 DAWSONI Bris. Rare. Distribution — East. 00000000 West. Solway 0000 VERSICOLOR Bris. Rare. Distribution — East, o Forth 00000 o West. 00000 AMALUS Th. SCORTILLUM L. Rare. Forth 0000 West. Solway 0000 Distribution — East. § o o POOPHAGUS Schon. SISYMBRII Fab. Local. Distribution — East. Tweed Forth o o o a o o West. Solway 0000 { To be contimied. ) ZOOLOGY. NOTES ON THE BIEDS OF THE BASDT OP THE TAY AND ITS TEIBUTAEIES. By Colonel H. M. DRUMMOND HAY, C.M.Z.S., B.O.U., &c. {Contimted from p. 115.) 53. MoTACiLLA Yarrelli, Gould. (Pied Wagtail.) COMMON throughout the whole district. Some years, how- ever, it is much more abundant than others. The partial migration of these birds seems a puzzle : many remain all winter, except in very severe weather, notwithstanding that a very exten- sive migration takes place every autumn, when large bodies leave this country and cross over to the Continent, with a correspond- ing return in the spring, as is well authenticated. On our own shores, at the mouth of the Tay, at the end of August or begin- ning of September, large numbers may be seen all day long steadily moving along the coast southwards, in small trips and companies, along with the Wheatear. It is difficult, therefore, to explain why some should remain behind. Even in the unusual, severe winter of 1878-79, when the Tay was frozen over, and the feeding-grounds on its banks one mass of ice, the Wagtails were seen as late as the loth of December, and so starved that they greedily devoured bread when offered (a most unnatural food). Could these birds have been caught, as it were, by the sudden arrival of winter, and become so enervated and weakened as to be unable to proceed further south ? It would be difficult other- wise to account for their late stay. Mr Cordeaux remarks, in his ' Birds of the Humber District,' " that the gradual increased area placed under turnip cultivation of late years, has supplied for these birds, and kindred species, a source of winter food previ- ously unattainable, and offers inducements to them to brave even the severest winters; " and further adds, " that owing to the almost Q 242 The Scottish Naturalist. complete failure of the turnip crop in North Lincolnshire in 1868, not a Wagtail remained." This, however, seems not to apply so much to this district, as the Wagtail almost exclusively confines itself in winter to the margin of the river, and I have scarcely ever noticed them at that season in the turnip-fields, and not even during the severe w^eather above mentioned, when frozen out elsewhere. 54. Calobates sulphurea, Kaup. (Grey Wagtail.) The Grey Wagtail is well represented throughout, and is gener- ally resident with us during the whole year, excepting in very severe seasons; and on all our rivers and burns they may be con- tinually seen coursing along the shingles, or balancing themselves with their long graceful tails on some boulder in mid-stream, the companion of the Water-Ousel. They are much attached to the same locality, and I have know^n them keep to the same spot for many years. They seem to be early breeders, as I have noticed the young birds flying by the middle of May. In England, dur- ing the summer months, it is comparatively a rare bird, being there chiefly a winter visitant, arriving in large numbers in Sep- tember, and leaving in March. In this district — especially in the lower part of it — large accessions arrive every autumn, chiefly young birds, w'hich, after a short stay, move further soutli. Be- fore concluding with the Wagtails, I may mention that the true Yellow Wagtail {Biidytes Rayi, Bonap.), so common in England and some other parts of Scotland, has never been noticed by me as yet in this district, though constantly searched for ; nor have I been able to ascertain that it has been observed anywhere in Perthshire. 55. Anthus pratensis, Bechst. (Meadow-Pipit.) Abundant throughout the whole district, generally remaining in winter, excepting in very severe w^eather, when it retires to the coast. 56. Anthus arp.oreus, Bechst. (Tree-Pipit.) The Tree-Pipit I first noticed some years ago in the Faskally woods, and since then I have frequently met with it in the lower part of the district, and believe it will be found to breed regu- larly at Moncreiffe, Methven, and elsewhere. It may, however, be considered as rare, and rather local in its habits. The Scottish Naturalist, ' 243 57. Alauda arvensis, Linn. (Sky-Lark.) The Sky-Lark confines itself more to the arable part of the district, and is consequently more abundant in the lower than the higher parts ; but nowhere are they so numerous as formerly. Many have the idea that this is owing to the great abundance in late years of Starlings, which destroy their eggs. This I have never proved to be the case ; and it may, I think, be attributed much more probably to other causes, especially as for the last year or two they seem to be again on the increase, while the Star- lings certainly have not diminished. 58. Emberiza citrinella, Linn. (Yellowhammer.) Of all our native birds, with the exception of the Chaffinch, the Yellowhammer is perhaps the most abundant, braving our very severest winters. In spring he graces our hedges and road- sides in his bright yellow livery, and during the whole summer through may be heard his rather monotonous song of chi7ig, ching, chi//g, chee-e, from many a roadside tree, where he sits perched on some prominent twig, with his full yellow breast glistening brightly in the sun. 59. Crithophaga miliaria, Gould. (Corn-Bunting.) The next on our list, the Corn-Bunting, is as sombre in its plumage as the above is brilliant, but nevertheless makes itself, like its congener, conspicuous by sitting solitary on some exposed branch, or telegraph-wire (of which latter they seem peculiarly fond), emitting from time to time its few short notes, and then, suddenly darting off, settles in the middle of some neighbouring field. Formerly this was a very common bird in all arable parts, but has now become rare, and in many places entirely dis- appeared, for which the Starling, as with the Lark, gets the credit. The reason is much more likely to be found in the ex- tensive drainage, and the filling up of all the old ditches, which formed its special nesting-places. These have all disappeared, and along with them the Buntings, except in a few localities in some of the broader parts of the Carse of Gcwrie, and the neigh- bourhood of some of the extensive fiats at the mouth of the Tay, such as Barry and Tent's Muir. Though a solitary bird for the most part of the year, in winter they are gregarious, associating themselves with Greenfinches, Sparrows, and Chaffinches, fre- quenting barn-yards and such places. Many of these, however. 244 The Scottish Naturalist. may be accessions from the Continent, from whence they are known to visit many parts of this country every season. 60. ScHCENicoLA ARUNDiNACEA, Bonap. (Reed-Bunting.) The Reed-Bunting — or, as it is more commonly known in the district, the Coal-Head or Coaly — is resident with us throughout the year, but chiefly confines itself to the lower parts, especially about the Carse of Gowrie and lower Strathearn, where it was once much more numerous than it is at present ; for, like the Corn-Bunting, it has suffered greatly from drainage, and the filling in of the ditches in the fields and roadsides, where for- merly the male bird in spring might continually be seen, con- spicuous in his jet-black cap and snow-white collar. Though now, however, much reduced, it is still to be found in consider- able numbers among the great reed-brakes in the tidal parts of the river, where the passer- by, attracted by its somewhat feeble and monotonous chirp, may frequently notice a small group of them among the tall reeds, clinging to the pensile tufts with which they are surmounted, and busily extracting the seeds, and so occupied in the employment as to allow of his close approach, until, becoming alarmed, they fly off and take up a position a little further on. 61. Plectrophanes nivalis, Meyer. (Snow-Bunting.) As far as my observations have gone, over a long extent of years, the Snow-Bunting I have invariably considered to be a winter visitant only, and not a resident, found more or less throughout the district according to the state of the weather, being in severe winters more frequent. On the coast-line, at the mouth of the Tay, in the months of October and November, I have seen these birds, in certain winds, arriving flock after flock. None of these, however, remain- there, but, after settling for a short while, move on further inland. Quoting Mr Horn, in a paper of his on the birds of the north-west of Perthshire, pub- lished in the 'Proceedings of the Natural Society of vGlasgow,' " The Snow-Bunting breeds on most of the high mountains in this district, especially Ben Lawers and Schiehallion." I am sorry to say I have never had the good fortune of seeing the Snow-Bunting in the breeding-dress on either of these, or any other mountain in Perthshire, though both these mountains and many others have been frequently traversed and thoroughly investigated by me, in the search for botanical specimens during The Scottish Naturalist. 245 the season they might be expected to be found ; and I think, had the bird been on the mountain at the time, I should more than Hkely have fallen in with it. The only spot I have ever myself noticed the Snow-Bunting in the breeding-dress, was near the top of Ben Muic-Dhu, in Aberdeenshire, on the 21st of June, when I saw a pair at the edge of the snow at an altitude of 3900 feet, in full summer plumage, but no nest was found. I have also had a notice from Mr J. T. Carrington, an observing natu- ralist, who for some time resided in Rannoch, and who had tra- versed most of the hills in that vicinity, as well as in other parts adjoining, and he tells me that on the high mountains on Loch Laggan-side, in Inverness-shire, they were to be found in the breeding dress, but that the nests had not been discovered, and the bird had not been noticed by him elsewhere. 62. Passer domesticus, Ray. (House-Sparrow.) The House-Sparrow, everywhere common, has much increased of late years in many places, especially in _ the upper parts of Athole, where the Sparrow, which now abounds, I can recollect, was considered to be rather a scarce bird than otherwise. 63. Fringilla ccelebs, Linn. (Chaffinch.) Of all our birds, this is the most abundant : nothing seems to thin their ranks. In winter assembling in large flocks, the sexes generally separate (hence the name ccelebs), and when driven from the fields by stress of weather, by visiting stack-yards and out- houses, they generally manage to pull through. Hardy by nature, even through the long-protracted winter of 1878-79, their ranks were not perceptibly diminished, being apparently as numerous next spring as ever, though many other species suffered severely. 64. Fringilla montifringilla, Linn. (Bramble-Finch.) During the winter months the Brambling is pretty generally diffused, though rather local in its habits, preferring, for the sake of beech-mast, their natural food, those places in which there is a preponderance of beech-trees. In the lower part of the district they are especially common about Moncreiffe, Methven, Dup- plin, &c. When the mast fails, they resort to the barn-yard, in company with chaffinches, from which, in their winter plumage, at a little distance, they are not easily to be distinguished. Mr Horn mentions that Mr E. T. Booth has taken a nest of the 246 The Scottish Naturalist. Brambling in Glen Lyon, This is highly interesting, being the first notice I have had of its breeding in the district, and espe- cially as their nesting in this country is not common. 65. Carduelis elegans, Steph. (Goldfinch.) I am glad to see that Mr Horn has found lately the Goldfinch to be tolerably numerous, in the summer months, about Aber- feldy. This is highly gratifying, as fears were entertained that this beautiful little bird was gradually becoming extinct in the district. With the exception of a pair seen by me at Moncreiffe two or three years ago, I had not noticed it for very many years. When a boy, the Goldspink, or Goldie, by which name it was generally known, was quite a common bird in the Carse of Gowrie, where it is now entirely extinct : it bred regularly every year at Megginch, and other places in the neighbourhood. It has of late, I am glad to say, been frequently observed by Mr Malloch, Perth, about Methven ; and it is to be hoped it may now be on the increase, and that wherever met with, it will be spared. Fortunately, the trade of bird- catching is not now so prevalent as it used to be, at least in this district, so that the Goldfinch has the more chance in its favour. 66. Chrysomitris spinus, Boie, (Siskin.) During the winter months this beautiful little bird, which is frequently confounded by the people with the Goldfinch, and called by them the Goldie, abounds in many parts of the dis- trict, especially when the catkins of the alder are ripe and it is a good season for them. Last year, there being few or no cat- kins on the alders in this immediate neighbourhood, the Siskin never made its appearance, though in ordinary years, during the winter, they may be seen day after day, on the river-banks, busily extracting the seeds ; and so occupied are they, as to admit of a stranger walking up to the very foot of the tree with- out being alarmed : if fired at they will go to a neighbouring tree, and perhaps shortly return. They have been known ^o breed about Pitlochrie, Rannoch,^ Strathtay opposite Dalguise,- and no doubt do so in many other of the more Highland parts of the district; for owing to the extreme cunning of the bird, it may easily be overlooked. 1 Zoologist, 1877, P- 2656. - Horn, Proceedings Nat. Hist, of Glasgow, Feb. 1879, p. 59. The Scottish Naturalist. 247 67. LiGURiNUS CHLORis, Koch. (Greenfinch.) This is another of our hardy birds, braving the severest win- ters ; and it is numerous throughout the whole district, more espe- cially in places where shrubberies and evergreens abound, to which they are very partial for roosting purposes, where they may be seen trooping in from every part of the neighbourhood shortly before sunset. Resting first on some bare tree-top, they suddenly dart down into the dense bushes, coming night after night to the same spot. CoccoTHRAUSTES VULGARIS, Flcm. (Hawfinch.) Two of these birds were shot near Murray's Asylum, Perth, in the severe winter of 1860-61, and came into the possession of Dr M'Intosh, who kindly presented one of them to the Perth- shire Society of Natural Science. I have not been able to ascertain whether the Hawfinch has ever been, before or since, noticed in the district, or in any part of Perthshire or adjoining counties, comprising the basin of the Tay. Being more a denizen of the south of England than of Scotland, these birds may possibly have been foreigners driven over by the severity of that winter. 68. Pyrrhula vulgaris, Temminck. (Bullfinch.) The Bullfinch, though formerly pretty generally distributed throughout, has of late years become much scarcer in the lower parts than formerly. In the Carse of Gowrie and on the Braes, it used to be pretty numerous : few now are ever seen, and in this particular neighbourhood (the west end of the Carse), where they used to be common, breeding every year, they are now nearly extinct, partly owing to the Perth bird-catchers, and partly owing to the raids made against them in every direction by gardeners and others, supposing them to do much injury to the fruit-buds. Against this theory I may repeat what I stated to Mr Horn, and which he has transcribed in the paper before mentioned : " In its defence, however, I may say that I have known an apple-tree, in the neighbourhood of Pitlochrie, under which the whole ground was positively strewed with buds; and yet, when the autumn came round, this very tree, which in spring had all the appearance of having been destroyed by Bullfinches, bore a heavier and finer crop than any other tree in the garden. This may have been from the fact of being partially disbudded, or the buds that were 248 The Scottish Naturalist. destroyed having been affected with caterpillars, and so pre- vented their spreading, leaving the buds that remained to perfect their fruit in security." In corroboration of this, I quote the following from a correspondent in the 'Journal of Horticulture,' vol. iii. p. 15 : "In the spring of 1857, living in a part of the country where Bullfinches abounded, on looking over some dwarf standard apple-trees on a certain Monday morning, I found the ground strewed with their buds, the Bullies having taken advantage of the previous Sunday, when all was quiet, to commit their work of havoc ; one tree in particular was so di- vested of its buds, that I considered it ruined for the season. Business called me away for some time, and I did not return till the autumn of the same year, when, on examining my little trees, to my amazement I discovered that those which had been at- tacked by the Bullfinches were loaded with fruit, especially the one which was apparently stripped of all its buds, — so much so, that the branches had to be propped, and nearly three dozen fine fruit were gathered off it." Another article of the same nature appears in the * Cottage Gardener Magazine' for January 21, i860, p. 277, by Mr P. B. Brent; but the trees operated upon on this occasion by the Bullfinches, and disbudded, were plums, cherries, and gooseberries, which appeared completely destroyed by them, to the great despair of the owner; but in the following summer they bore large crops of fruit. I have thought it right to bring these instances prominently forward, there being in the present day so inveterate a prejudice in many parts against these l)eautiful birds, that if the war of extermination goes on much longer, they will be shortly lost to us altogether. In some of the upper parts of the district, in the larch forests about Dunkeld, I am glad to say the Bullfinch still holds its own ; and long may it do so. PiNicoLA ENUCLEATOR, Gould. (Pine Grosbeak.) I should not have mentioned this bird here had not Mr Horn, in his paper referred to, given me as an authority for^ its appear- ance at Dunkeld, and my mentioning it at all was by way of throwing out a mere suspicion that certain birds I had seen were possibly the Pine-Grosbeak. Not having been able to obtain a specimen, the mere fact of seeing what appeared to me to be the bird would be of no value. However, having since become well acquainted with it, or the closely alHed species, in Nova Scotia, I have little doubt but that the birds in question were The Scottish Naturalist. 249 really Pine - Grosbeaks. It is now a great many years ago, some time in early winter, that I observed at Butterstone Loch, near Dunkeld, not far from the road, several birds (about five or six in number), most of them of a bright red colour, feeding on some young larch- trees. They were so very much larger than either the Bullfinch or the Crossbill, that my attention was at once attracted to them ; but as there is no record of their having been observed, either before or since, even if right in my con- jectures, their appearance must be held to be purely accidental. 69. LoxiA cuRviROSTRA, Linn. (Crossbill.) The Crossbill, I believe, is to be found more or less every year somewhere in the district. Some years it has been known to visit us in countless numbers — a remarkable instance of which occurred in my own recollection in the year 1838, which was a wonderful year for the superabundance of cones on the spruce- trees : " We were visited in the Carse of Gowrie by hundreds of Crossbills, and many were seen in the following year, but not in such numbers. I have never seen them in the same locality since, or have I ever again noticed the cones to be anything like in the same quantity as they were that year."^ As mentioned by Mr Horn, I have frequently noticed these birds in the Dum- fallinday fir-woods, near Pitlochrie, in the months of February and March, at which time, being an early breeder, they were no doubt nesting:. '&• LoxiA LEUCOPTERA, Gmcl. (American White-winged Crossbill.) Some few years ago, what I took to be the American White- winged Crossbill was seen by me in the Kinfauns woods, near Perth, in a small party of six or seven ; but I was unable to obtain a specimen. Knowing the bird well in Nova Scotia, I hardly think I could be mistaken. 70. LiNOTA CANNABINA, Bouap. (Linnet.) This bird is particularly abundant throughout the district at all seasons. Not only do we see them in pairs on our roadsides and moorlands in the summer months, but also are they common in winter, congregated in large flocks in many of our fields, industriously searching for their food, small seeds, of which they find a bountiful supply in that of the Sheep's Sorrel {Rumex ^ Scottish Naturalist, vol. iv. p. 97. /''^^•^^ t»SMv I. I B n & Bi 250 77^1? Scottish Naturalist. acetosel/a), Creeping Persicaria [Polygonum aviculare)^ and other vegetable pests of the farmer. On fine winter evenings, when not so employed, they may be seen densely crowded on the top of some solitary tree, twittering out their songs in a full chorus of voices. This same sociable habit of singing in chorus is also peculiar to the Redwing (see Scot. Nat., v. p. no). 71. LiNOTA MONTiUM, Bonap. (Mountain-Linnet.) During the autumn and winter months, these birds assemble in small flocks on the braes of the Carse and other high grounds, but are mostly composed of young birds. I have no notice of their breeding in the district, and suspect that their nesting-places are much farther north, as I have found them abundant in Orkney in the summer months. Mr Horn does not mention having seen the Mountain-Linnet in Strathtay. Though much resembling the Common Linnet, it is easily to be distinguished by its yellow bill, its difference of note, and being rather more lengthy, as it were, in appearance. ^GIOTHUS LiNARiA, Baird. (The Mealy Redpole.) Though alluded to by Mr Horn as mentioned in the new * Statistical Account of Scotland,' I do not think there is suffi- cient evidence to warrant its insertion here as a bird of the district. I have obtained it in Shetland, but have never heard of it in Perthshire, or had any notice of its being found in any part of the adjoining counties which may be considered as falling within the limits of the basin of the Tay. 72. ^GiOTHUS RUFESCENS, Gould. (Lcsser Redpole.) This is not a common bird in this district. They are occa- sionally seen in winter, either singly or in small parties of three or four individuals, feeding on the ground. The only notice I have of them in summer is from Mr Malloch, Perth, who has observed them breeding about Methven nearly every season. 73. Sturnus vulgaris, Linn. (Starling.) The Starling, like the Missel-Thrush, everywhere so numerous, was, within my own recollection, unknown to the district ; and Sir John Ogilvy of Baldovan has mentioned to me having noticed the same fact in Forfarshire. Now, in the present day, on some fine autumn evening, should you be enjoying a pull upon the river, many thousands of Starlings may be seeU; united in one The Scottish Naturalist. 251 gigantic body, wheeling about over the great reed-brakes on Mug- drum Island, and other tidal parts of the Tay (their great roosting- places), into which, after performing a series of most eccentric evolutions, they suddenly, as it were, at a given signal, precipitate themselves, in one vast mass — buried out of sight, but joining in one universal chatter and confusion of voices, which, after a while, subsiding, they settle down for the night ; and at early dawn, separating into small parties, they wing their way to their several haunts. And it is most amusing to hear them, on their return, perched on some high tree-top, giving out to each other the lessons they have evidently learned during their sojourn in the abode of the Curlew and the Sandpiper, — representing the several cries of these birds, and a host of others, such as Golden- Plover, Peewits, Redshanks, &c. — imitated so perfectly that it would take a nice ear to detect the deception ; and many a time have I been quite startled on hearing the loud, trilling notes of the Curlew proceeding from the tree straight above me. Pastor roseus, Temm. (Rose-coloured Pastor.) Though there are several instances, but not of late years, of the Rose-coloured Pastor being noticed in the district, it can only be considered as an accidental visitant. Mr Horn makes mention of one obtained at Dunkeld on the 29th of September 1 831; and a very fine specimen, in the full rose-coloured plumage, was shot, in August of 1832, sitting on some pea-stakes in the garden at Megginch ; and another specimen, also in full plumage, was obtained, just ten years afterwards, in 1842, at the same time, and at the same spot, and exactly under similar circum- stances. Another was obtained at the same place a year or two afterwards ; and early ui September, seven or eight years ago, I observed a strange bird, which flev/ close past me, from out of the reeds on Mugdrum Island, which I feel confident to have been a Pastor, in the young plumage, — in which state it was well known to me in the Mediterranean. Besides these authenticated speci- mens, there may have been possibly other instances in the dis- trict not recorded. 74. CoRvus COR AX, Linn. (Raven.) Common in many of the deer-forests and higher grounds in the upper part of the district, where they are still to be found in considerable numbers. 252 TJie Scottish Naturalist. 75. CoRVUS CORONE, Linn. (Carrion-Crow.) 76. CoRVUS coRNix, Linn. (Hooded-Crovv.) After the very elaborate and carefully-worked-out argument for the Carrion and the Hooded Crow being of one and the same species, by Professor Newton, in his new edition of Yarrell, I feel scarcely justified in placing them under separate heads as distinct species, but, for convenience' sake, do so in the pres- ent instance. In olden days, the Huddies — as both the Car- rion and Hooded Crow are indiscriminately denominated in this part of the country, the name more especially, however, per- taining to the former, as being the more common of the two, in distinction to the Rook, which is invariably known, in these parts, as the Civiv — were more numerous than they are at present, and I have distinct recollection of frequently getting them, as it were, in an intermediate state; and in those days we always considered the ones wuh the greyish back to indi- cate age, and, though of this greyish colour, to be perfectly distinct from what I may call the real Hooded- Crow, which was a much scarcer bird, and generally only an autumn visitor, con- fining itself to the open moors and tidal banks of the river. The Carrion-Crow is, of the two, by far the more generally spread throughout the district, and the one, I believe, that more regu- larly breeds with us. The pure hooded variety I still occasion- ally see in the autumn months, on the mud-banks on the lower parts of the Tay ; and I have a fine specimen, in full plumage, that was trapped at Dunkeld on the 17th December 1872. 77. CoRVUs FRUGiLEGUS, Linn. (Rook.) Abundant throughout the whole district, which contains many large and populous rookeries, many of them in some parts not being much above a mile or two distant from each other. Though farmers may complain of a few potatoes destroyed, or of some young wheat grubbed up, still the enormous amount of good that is effected by these birds, in the wholesale destruction of grubs, wireworm, and other pests highly injurious to the crops, can hardly be estimated. The wonderful instinct by which the Rook will detect even a particular part of a field infected by wire- worm, and cluster round the spot in hundreds till every one is eradicated, is something quite extraordinary, and well compen- sates the farmer for the slight mischief he may do. The Scottish Naturalist. 253 78. CoRvus MONEDULA, Linn. (Jackdaw.) Abounds throughout the whole district. The Jackdaw has a bad name, both as a pilferer of fruit and a purloiner of eggs ; but what is worse, it has a strong propensity for young chickens and pheasants, which he will boldly carry off, in defiance of an en- raged motlier, with drooping wings and ruffled plumage. 79. Pica caudata, Linn. (Magpie.) The Magpie, once most common, is now so reduced in the district, that, with the exception of a few outlying places, it is scarcely ever seen. 80. Garrulus glandarius, Linn. (Jay.) This beautiful bird, like the Magpie, is also greatly reduced in numbers, both in the upper and lower parts, but especially in the latter. I am glad to find, however, that Mr Horn reports its rapid increase in Strathtay. 81. CucuLUS CANORUS, Linn. (Cuckoo.) The Cuckoo is still common in Strathtay, and many other localities in the upper part of the district. I regret to say, how- ever, that the bird is not nearly so abundant as formerly in the Carse of Gowrie and the lower part of Strathearn ; and this, I fear, is greatly owing to that abominable invention the pole-trap, already alluded to. I have been told that an admission has been made of one Juindred Cuckoos having been taken in a single season, in one neighbourhood alone, by this means, — not to say that the traps were set intentionally for the destruction of the Cuckoo, for I have no doubt the parties who did it were sorry for it ; but of course, if any bird sufficiently heavy to fly the spring perches on a pole set up on some tempting spot, it must be caught — and not only birds, but other bipeds too. An amusing story was once told me, happening not half a century ago, and certainly not fifty miles from Perth, of how two Eng- lish tourists, bent on seeing the country, made an early start one morning, and the better to view the surrounding district, ascended a wooded hill in the vicinity. On approaching the summit, they beheld in an open space what they believed to be a bear-pole, with cross steps leading up, suggestive of the " Zoo." What else could it be ? " Oh/' says No. i, '' it must be the better to view the country over the tree-tops ; I will go up 254 "The Scottish Naturalist. and see," — and nimbly ascending, and placing his hand on the top to get a firmer hold, an ominous click is heard, accompanied by a violent scream. Up jumps No. 2, to discover that his friend is firmly fixed in a trap, which, try ever so hard, obstinately refiises to open, being double-springed. There is nothing for it but to wait patiently and holloa for assistance. To be heard, however, at some hundreds of feet above civilisation, is no easy matter. The head-keeper, a good couple of miles distant, starts on his morning rounds. Suddenly his attention is arrested by a distant scream. Gazing upwards from whence the sound proceeds, a large object is seen upon the pole, and he at once jumps to the con- clusion he has caught a gigantic eagle, and rushing homewards for the glass, attentively scans the rock, and soon discovers how matters stand. A good half-hour's climb at last enables him to reach the spot and liberate his quarry. This, it is to be hoped, will be a caution to all tourists as well as Cuckoos. 82. Picus MAJOR, Linn. (Great Spotted-Woodpecker.) So many instances have occurred of this bird having been noticed in different parts of the district, that it seems quite entitled to be included in this list. I have no notice of its breeding,^ and these may only be foreigners which have reached us from the Continent. The late Dr Saxby makes mention of several large flights frequently reaching Shetland in the autumn months, and many of these may strike different parts of the coast, and so diffuse themselves through the country where best suited to them. Gecinus viridis, Boie. (Green Woodpecker.) Mr Thomas Marshall, Stanley, in a recent letter to me, in- forms me that he saw two of these birds in the woods opposite Stanley some few years ago, and that they allowed him to approach quite near, so that he could not mistake the species, and that he watched their movements for some time with great interest. They ^ Since writing the alcove, Mr Harvie-Brown has kindly sent me a notice of his in the * Zoologist ' for March 1880, with regard to the decrease of the Greater Spotted-Woodpecker in Scotland, in which he states "that there are many accounts to be found of its former occurrence as a nesting species in Scotland — more especially in the ancient forest of Rothiemurchus. " This being so adjacent to the Tay district (should the Grampian range not have been an insuperable bar), might not possil)ly the black wood of Rannoch (of 'similar character to that of Rothiemurchus) have been also a nesting-place in former days ? The Scottish Naturalist. 255 flew from tree to tree, generally alighting near the ground, and rapidly making their way to the top, sometimes in cork-screw fashion, and other times in a zigzag manner. This is highly interesting, as being the first notice I have ever had of these birds being found in Perthshire. There having been no further occurrence of their visits, however, to the district, they can only be considered as purely accidental. ^'i^. YuNX TORQUILLA, Linn. (Wryneck.) For observations on this bird, see 'Scot. Nat.,' Oct. 1878, P- ZZ^' ( To be conttmied). NOTES ON BIRDS THAT HAVE OCCURRED NEAR STANLEY, IN PERTHSHIRE. By THOMAS MARSHALL. IN drawing up the present list of birds, I have not confined myself strictly to Stanley, but have included those found within three or four miles of the village. I may also state that a few, although rare in the district, are by no means uncommon on the sea-coast, and come inland at rare intervals. Business keeps me pretty much indoors, so that I have not the opportunity of devoting so much time to the study of ornith- ology as I should like ; but I have no doubt that, with more observers, a good many birds, rarely seen, or entirely unknown, in the neighbourhood, might be observed and recorded. I. Great Grey Shrike {La?iius exaibito?-, L.) — This bird is not common anywhere in this country. It has been observed in all the EngUsh counties — in some of them several times ; it is also reported from a good many of the Scottish counties ; and it has occurred, in a few instances, in Ireland. With us it is a winter visitor, but in no well-authenticated instance is it known to have bred in Britain. The Great Grey Shrike feeds on small birds, mice, frogs, and insects. After killing its prey, it has a curious habit of hanging up the body in a forked branch, or impaling it on a sharp thorn : it is named the Butcher-bird from this strange habit of hanging up its food. In January 1877 a male was shot in Colon wood ; and a month later, a female was got near the Stormontfield ponds. 256 The Scottish Naturalist. 2. The Goldfinch {Coj'dtielis elegans,^tt^\\en'5>). — This fine cage-bird was common in Perthshire fifty or sixty years ago ; but now it is rarely, if ever, seen in a wild state. The disappearance of this species is accounted for by the scarcity of its favourite food, — such as thistles, burdock, knapweed, plantain, &c. With the reclamation of so much waste land, the various weeds on which it feeds have got scarcer every year. It is also very easily caught, — a large number are netted every year in the southern counties of England. The Goldfinch still breeds in various parts of England, and probably in the south of Scotland. In Great Britain it is a par- tial migrant : a few remain in England during the winter, but the greater part gradually make their way to the south coast, and then disappear across the Channel. About twenty years ago I caught a male Goldfinch with a limed twig : that was the only one I ever saw flying wild. It is too well known to require description. 3. Greater Spotted Woodpecker {Fiats major ^ L.) — This species is found over the whole of Europe, and also on the Amer- ican continent. In this country it is nowhere common, gener- ally being found in wooded districts, and sometimes in gardens, where it is said to do considerable damage to the fruit, being very partial to cherries and plums. Its food consists princi- pally of insects and larvae : it alarms the insects from the crev- ices in the bark by vigorously tapping the trees with its bill, the noise of which can be heard for a considerable distance. The male is about ten inches in length ; the bill is of a dark horn colour, the irides purple-red ; the forehead is of a yellowish- white colour, the crown black ; at the back of the head is a bright scarlet stripe ; on each side of the head there is a white patch ; lower down, on the neck, is a smaller white patch, and over the wings is a long white stripe ; the back is black ; three white bars run across the wings ; throat and breast buff white ; under-tail coverts red ; the legs and toes black. The female is without the red on the back of the head. One — a male — was shot at Strath- ord saw-mill some years since, and another in the Five-mile Wood, near Stanley. 4. Green Woodpecker (Gccinus viridis, L.) — This is a very rare bird with us. It is plentiful in some of the English counties, but is nowhere common in Scotland. Ten or twelve years ago I saw a pair of these pretty birds in the Cottage Wood, across the river from Stanley. My attention was drawn to them by the The Scottish Naturalist. 257 loud tapping noise made by their bills on the trees. They were by no means shy, allowing me to get within thirty yards of them without appearing to be in the least disturbed. They flew from tree to tree, generally alighting near the base, but quickly made their way to the top of the trunk. They sometimes ascended in a spiral form ; at other times went straight up for a few yards, then all at once would start off in a zigzag direction. The strong wedge-shaped bill of this bird enables it to bore into decayed wood without difficulty. The tongue of the Woodpecker is a remarkable organ : it is very long, and almost transparent. It has the power of extending it a good way beyond the bill^ and withdrawing it in a very rapid manner. From the point it exudes a sticky substance resembling liquid glue ; and thus it is eminently fitted for extracting the in- sects and their eggs, and caterpillars and spiders, on which it feeds, from the fissures in the bark. 5. Wryneck ( Yunx toi-quilla, L.) — This is a very handsome though plain-coloured bird. It seems to be nearly allied to the Woodpeckers. The toes are long, and placed two before and two behind. Its tongue is also similar, being long and hard at the point : it projects it considerably beyond the mouth in catch- ing its prey, which consists of insects. Its actions are also sim- ilar to those of the Woodpeckers, — often seeking its food in the stems of old trees. It is very fond of ants and their pupae, and larvae, which are captured by means of its long projectile tongue, to the glutinous substance on which they adhere. It places its nest in holes and crevices of trees, — the soft fragments of rotten wood being its only lining. The eggs are white. This bird is rarely found in Scotland, though it is not uncom- mon in the south-eastern counties of England, where it arrives in April, and departs again in September. A specimen was cap- tured by a lad on the bank of the Caledonian Railway at Stanley on the 6th September 1878. 6. Dunlin {Tringa alpina^ L.) — On the 6th January 187 1 a Dunlin was shot on the Tay, near the Stormontfield ponds. This is the only one I have heard of having been got in the neighbourhood; but it is common on the sea-coast. There it is nothing unusual to see a flock of over one hundred at a time. They are active little birds, and may be seen every now and again running along the beach in a very rapid manner, when, all at once, they stop and nod the head and toss up the tail : this movement is generally repeated two or three times, and off R 258 The Scottish Naturalist. they run again. They often sweep out to sea, generally flying in a semicircle ; but sometimes they return to the spot from which they set out, after flying about for a time. 7. Ringed Plover {^gialitis hiaticula^ L.) — This is a pretty little bird, and not unlike the Dunlin in its habits. It is very common on the coast, but may be considered rare inland. It occasionally makes its appearance near Stanley, and breeds in Perthshire. The nest, which scarcely deserves the name, is a slight hollow, scooped out generally in the sand or gravel. The eggs are four in number, and of a greenish-grey colour, spotted and streaked, 8. Razor-bill i^Alca tarda., L.) — This is a common sea-bird, but is seldom seen far inland. In February 1873 an adult, in winter plumage, was killed with a stone in a small burn that runs into the Tay at Burnmouth Ferry. The Razor-bill is a migratory species, and makes its appearance from the north in September, returning thither again in March and April. Of course a great many breed on the rocky parts of our coasts, but their number is largely increased by the arrival of the migrants from the north. 9. Red-throated Diver {Colymbus septentrio7ialis, Latham). — The Red-throated Diver has, so far as I know, been twice got on the Tay, near Stanley. One was shot four years since, and in the spring of 1878 one, a wounded bird, was killed with a stone, and offered to me for sale. This bird has a very awkward appear- ance when on land — its legs are placed so far back on its body that it can only walk with diflficulty ; but in the water it is very active, and, as its name indicates, is an expert at diving. It feeds principally on small fish. It is a very pretty bird. The throat, in summer, is of a bright reddish-brown colour; the breast is white, and the upper part of the head and neck and the back are of a bluish-black or lead colour. In winter the back is of a black ground, speckled with white, and the throat and breast white. TO. Cormorant {Phalacrocorax carbo, L.) — This bird is rare in the district. In October 1878 one was seen on the, Tay, near the Salmond ponds, almost daily for a fortnight. It frequented a croy at Benchill fishing-station very much. It sometimes sat on the croy preening and arranging its feathers; and now and again it was in the habit of shaking its wings vigorously, and spreading them out in a curious manner, as if to dry them. It occasionally sat for a considerable time so employed ; then it would suddenly disappear under the water, and reappear, after perhaps half a The Scotiish Naturalist. 259 minute, bearing an eel or a trout in its long hooked bill. The Cormorant is a very voracious feeder, and has great powers of digestion. Mr St John relates that one shot on the Beauly river in January 1850 was found to have swallowed a kelt grilse weigh- ing above 4 lb. and measuring 22 inches in length : the tail of the fish actually extended out of the mouth of the bird. To see the Cormorant, or indeed any bird, aright, one must visit their native haunts, and see them at home. In the summer of 1874 I visited Shetland, where these birds are very plentiful. There it was quite a conniion occurrence to see from twelve to twenty, all in a row, on the top of some favourite rock, in the act of drying their wings as already described. I can well remember the first shot I had at the Cormorants. We sailed to within forty or fifty yards of the birds, and getting them in line, I expected to make great havoc amongst them. I fired, when in they plunged in a body. I thought that I would at least have had the pleasure of picking up two or three good specimens ; but fancy my cha- grin on finding that they had been too wide-awake for me, as I believe that, by the time the shot reached the rock on which they were sitting, they had either disappeared or were fast dis- appearing into the sea. Presently, near the spot where the Cor- morants sank, as if into a watery grave, the head and a part of the arched neck of one cautiously appears above the sea, with a knowing look, as much as to say, I am all alive and kicking : another and another head and neck appear above the tide, again to be mysteriously withdrawn. This is repeated until the source of danger has disappeared. A young Cormorant was shot on the Tay, near Ballathie, last autumn. II. Canada Goose [Ber?iida canadensis, L.) — In February 1868 my father shot a fine specimen on the Tay, near the Stor- montfield ponds; but whether a tame bird, escaped from an orna- mental water, or a wild visitor, is uncertain. These birds are, however, so frequently obtained all over the country, without bearing any marks of captivity, that it is not improbable occa- sional flocks may visit us from Greenland or the American continent. This bird weighed 11 lb. ; it was 3 feet 6 inches in length ; and when the wings were extended, it measured nearly 7 feet from tip to tip. It is black on the head and neck ; the back is dusky black ; on the chin and throat is a white stripe, widest in the centre, and gradually running to a point on the sides of the neck, somewhat resembling a cravat. It is nearly white on the breast, and ash-coloured below. 2 6o The Scottish Naturalist. During the last ten years passing flocks of from five to eight have been observed at intervals. It is found on the American continent as far south as Carolina. 12. Pintail {Dafila acuta, L.) — The Pintail, both in shape and plumage, is one of our most beautiful ducks. With us it is very rare. One — a young male — was shot on the Tay, at Tay- mount, a few years ago, this being the only one I have heard of being got in the district. The male Pintail assumes the female plumage in summer, as is the case with the Mallard and a few other ducks. The female is of the same slender and elegant make as the male, but without the two long middle tail-feathers. In colour it resembles the common wild duck, but can be easily distin- guished by its shape, and by the longer tail, which is slightly pointed. The Pintail frequents the reedy borders of lakes, rivers, and ponds, and is seldom seen on the sea-coast. 13. Shoveller {Spatula clypeata, L.) — In spring last year a fine male Shoveller was shot at Ballathie, and brought to me to stuft". It is very rare with us. This is the only one, so far as I know, that has been got in the district. There was a female along with the male when it was shot ; and Mr Sime (on whose farm it was got) informs me that, in a short time after, it returned to the same place accompanied by another male. I am inclined to think, however, that the same female would be very unlikely to return so soon to the spot where its mate was shot, and that very likely it was a different pair that returned. Had they been left undisturbed, they would very likely have bred with us. 14. Pochard {Fuligula ferina, L.) — The Pochard is not so scarce with us as the Shoveller, but still is far from common. I have only heard of three being got in the neighbourhood of Stanley. This is a winter visitant to us, arriving with the first cold or stormy weather, and remaining till spring. They frequent fresh- water marshes and rivers, and also the coast. It is a v(^ry active bird in the water, and dives rapidly, remaining for a long tinie under the surface. It is a round plump bird, and is esteemed for the table. The eye is of a peculiar blood-red colour, which gives the bird a rather bold expression. It is very easily tamed. The female resembles the male, but is of a less decided colour and a more dingy hue. llie Scottish Naturalist. 261 15. Tufted Duck {Fuligula cristata, Leach). — This is also a rare duck with us. I know of three having been got in the district : one — a male — was shot on the Tay, at Ballathie, in the spring of 1875; and in May 1877 a pair were killed with one shot on a mill-dam within a mile of Stanley. They would likely have bred with us had they not been killed. It is a plump, round-made bird, and is considered good eating. It is lively and active on the water, and a very expert diver. The female is of a dull rufous-brown colour, except the under parts, which are white mixed with grey. 16. Scaup {Fuligula uiarila, L.) — The Scaup in its general character and habits resembles the Pochard very much, but it keeps to the sea more than the latter. The Scaup is wholly a winter visitor to this country, arriving in autumn, and departing in spring for the far north to breed. It frequents the sea-coast and estuaries, especially where the water is shallow and muddy. Two years since, I observed many in the Tay near Dundee, where they were in flocks of ten or twelve. My father shot a female in the pond at Stormontfield eight years ago : this is the only one I have heard of being got in the district. The male resembles the Pochard pretty much, but its head is of a greenish-black colour, and the eye is light-yellow, which in the Pochard is red, and the head is of a chestnut colour. The female is dark brown on the back, and the under parts are white, tinged with red, and it has a white patch on each cheek. Stanley, by Perth, January 1880. "Water-Spider [Argyronela aquatica, Clerck) near Aberdeen. — Among a handful of water-weeds gathered by me in a marsh on Scotston Moor, near Aberdeen, in October 1878, and examined for the usual microscopic organ- isms of such localities, I was surprised to discover a male Water-Spider. It lived in a jar in which some of the weeds were grown, apparently obtaining sufficient food from small Crustacea and larvae, which swarmed in the water. On the approach of the present winter it became torpid, and seemed to be dying ; so, to make sure of the species, it was carefully examined, and there- after put into spirits, after it had lived over fifteen months in the jar. This seems to be the first notice of the occurrence of this species in Scotland, as it is not noticed in Mr Cambridge's list of Scottish Spiders published in the * Zoologist ' in 1877. In England it seems to be best known in the midland counties. Probably it is much more widely distributed than is generally supposed, its habit of living under water rendering its discovery somewhat more difficult than with other spiders.— James W. H. Trail, Aberdeen, 26th February 1880. PHYTOLOGY. THE GAELIC NAMES OF PLANTS. By JOHN CAMERON. {Cotitiiiiied from p. 234.) RoSACEiE. (From the Celtic. Gaelic, rds ; Welsh, rhos ; Armoric, 7'oscn ; Greek, poSov; Latin, rosa.) Prunus spinosa — Blackthorn, sloe. Gaelic : ptras nan air- jieag, the sloe bush. Irish : airne, a sloe. " Siiilean air lidh airneag.'''' — Ross. Eyes the colour of sloes. Sgitheach dubh, — the word sgith ordinarily means weary, but it means also (in Irish) fear; dubk, black, the fearful black one, but probably in this case it is a form of sgeach^ a haw (the fruit of the white thorn), the black haw. Welsh : eirinen ddu, the black plum ; ehyn, a plum. ** Crun sgitheach an aite crun rlgh. — M'Ellar. A crown of thorns instead of a royal crown. Droighionii dicbh, the black penetrator (from druid, to penetrate, pierce, bore). Compare Gothic,///;-////^; Sanscrit,//-///; Latin, trit ; Welsh, V//'^