CIHM
M'crofiche

(Monographs)

ICMH

Collection de
microfiches
(monographies)

Canadian Institute for Historical Microredroductions/institut canadlen de microreprcductions historiques

©2000

Technical and Bibliographic Notes / Notes techniques et bibliographiques

The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original
copy available for filming. Features of this copy which
may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of
the images in the reproduction, or which may
significantly change the usual method of filming are
checked below.

0 Coloured covers /
Couverture de couleur

□ Covers damaged /
Couverture endommag6e

I I Covers restored and/or laminated /
I — I Couverture restauree et/ou pellicula

I I Cover title missing / Le titre de couverture manque

I I Coloured maps / Cartes geographiques en couleur

G Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black) /
Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire)

j I Coloured plates and/or illustrations /

D

Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur

Bound with other material /
Relie avec d'autres documents

□ Only edition available /
Seule edition disponible

D

n

D

Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along
interior margin / La reliure serree peut causer de
I'ombre ou de la distorsion le long de la marge
interieure.

Blank leaves added during restorations may appear
within the text. Whenever possible, these have been
omitted from filming / II se peut que certaines pages
blanches ajoutees lors d'une restauration
apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela 6tait
possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6te filmees.

Additional comments /
Commentaires supplemental res:

L'lnstitut a microfilme le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a
ete possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exem-
plaire qui sont peut-^tre uniques du point de vue bibli-
ographique. qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite,
ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la m6tho-
de nomiale de filmage sont indiques ci-dessous.

I I Coloured pages / Pages de couleur

I I Pages damaged / Pages endommagees

□ Pages restored and/or laminated /
Pages restaurees et/ou pelliculees

pTT Pages discoloured, stained or foxed /
L^ Pages decolorees, tachetees ou piquees

I I Pages detached / Pages detachees

I s/\ Showthrough / Transparence

□ Quality of print varies /
Qualite inegale de I'impression

Includes supplementary material /
Comprend du materiel supplementaire

Pages wholly or partially obscured by en-ata slips,
tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best
possible image / Les pages totalement ou
partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'en^ta, une
pelure, etc., ont ete film6es a nouveau de fa?on a
obtenir la meilleure image possible.

Opposing pages with varying colouration or
discolourations are filmed twice to ensure the best
possible image / Les pages s'opposant ayant des
colorations variables ou des decolorations sont
filmees deux fois afin d'obtenir la meilleure image
possible.

0

n

This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below /

Ce document est ftlme au taux de reduction indiqu^ ci-dessous.

lOx

14x

18x

22x

26x

30x

'

1

12x

16x

20x

24x

28x

D

32x

The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks
to the generosity of:

Raynond Eagle (Vancouver, B.C.)

L' exemplaire film6 fut reproduit grSce a la
gen^rosite de:

RayMond Eagle (Vancouver, B.C.)

This title was microfilmed with the generous
permission of the rights holder:

Mrs. E.C.
Gordon

HacOonald-Lockhart and Alasdair

Ce titre a ete microfilm^ avec i'aimable autorisation
du detenteur des droits:

Mrs. E.C. NacDonald-Lockhart .md Alasdair
Cordon

The images appearing here are the best quality
possible considering the condition and legibility of
the original copy and in keeping with the filming
contract specifications.

Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed
beginning with the front cover and ending on the
last page with a printed or illustrated impression, or
the back cover when appropriate. All other original
copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a
printed or illustrated impression, and ending on the
last page with a printed or illustrated impression.

The iBot recorded frame on each microfiche shall
contain the symbol -^(meaning "CONTINUED"), or
the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies.

Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at
different reduction ratios. Those too large to be
entirely included in one exposure are filmed begin-
ning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and
top to bottom, as many frames as required. The
following diagrams illustrate the method:

1

2

3

Les images suivantes ont 6te reproduites avec le
plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et de
la nettete de I'exemplaire filme, et en conformite
avec les conditions du contrat de filmage.

Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en
papier est imprimee sont filmes en commen^ant
par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la
derniere page qui comporte une empreinte d'im-
pression ou d'illustration, soit par le second plat,
selon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires origin-
aux sont filmes en commengant par la premiere
page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou
d'illustration et en terminant par la derniere page
qui comporte une telle empreinte.

Un des symboles suivants apparattra sur la
derniere image de chaque microfiche, selon le cas:
le symbole -» signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbole V
signifie "FIN".

Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent etre
filmes a des taux de reduction differents. Lorsque
le document est trop grand pour etre reproduit en
un seul cliche, il est filme a partir de Tangle
superieur gauche, de gauche k droite, et de haut
en bas, en prenant le nombre d 'images
necessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la
methode.

1

2

3

4

5

6

MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TEST CHART

lANSI and ISO TEST CHART No 2l

1.0

I.I

1.25

■I 1 o

■^ Kb 2.2

- lis llllll£

1.4

1.8

1.6

^ APPLIED IIVMGE Inc

C .,^.iei,tef, ..„ Y.j,v 14609 JSA

; ''6; *8^' 0300 - Phone
(716; 28>? 59B9 - ^"o.

,4lfr.||.i»«|-

Qz&^qjL tOJX^^^^^ C/^a^vuyMi^

i^&xQ-

XCJL

C^Cl.p^^*^^^'^^^ .

•I

r.i'

>WP

BIRDS OF THK LOCH
A N D M O I N T A I N

^1

t'.l

* i '

I

GOLDEN EAGLE SEVEN WEEKS OLD.

\ >

\.

Ds OF Mil 1 ori

\U )\ V

W <Ai\<i)( )"\

^

I N

iff

w

M) vOMTA'

l.lMi ! ' '1

1 ■ i<K. I

'V-

-f.

.it:-' ,•*--.

.*4J^. JX JV ..\^ V '^■-<t '•

^4 -, •

4>' - ■ ■ ' -

.^t

/>»<

■3%l

*'

„>^'d&..* ' i^'

r-**'^^

^

BIRDS OF THE LOCH
AND MOUNTAIN

BY

SKTON P. GORDON, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.

>

CASSELI AM) COMPANY, LIMITED

London, Paris, Nkw York. Toronto and Mf.li'a)L'RNK. mcmvii

AI.L RUiHTS KKSKR\H)

^'

fl

1

Mi

LLL

MV MorHKR

lO \V!l()^F. ^VM1•.V^HV AM) KNCDIRACKMEN 1'

1 OWE M) MICH

I

J)

PRKFACK

I ii.wi: alwavs had a f,'roat love for the soHtiule and
cahii of the lone Scottish mountains, wliere a peace
and liappiness are to be found unknown to the
dwellers in the i)lains. Here one seems to be ai)art
from the sorrows and anxieties of the world, and
the days I have spent among the Ptarmif,'an and
(iolden Plover at a height of considerably more than
^,()(H) feet above sea level I shall always r(>member
us the happiest of my experience. What can be
more lovelv than a mid-winter sunset from a dark,
loftx- mountain, with man\- a snow wreath lingering
on its slopes ? As the sun sinks, the wide expanse
of hill and vallev is lit up in the soft glow, and the
snow helds on tlie sister hills are changed from sjiot-
less white to a glorious rosy tinge, while the snow-
white Ptarmigan, wheeling across in the setting sun,
have their plumage transformed to jMuk as they
catch its ravs.

To obtain the photograph of the Ptarmigan on
her nest, I was on the hills from midnight till one
o'clock the next afternoon.

I know the mountains at every season of
the year, but think that they are at their finest
during the month of June, when all Nature at
this height looks at her best, and the air is laden
with the seen* of the mountain plants.

In the following pages it has been my endeavour
to give an account of the lives and habits of the
best known of the mountain nesting birds.

I'RlH-ACi:

riu. |,l,(.tof,Tai)]is of tlu- C.ol.lfn Ka.ul*' and
l'tanni|.'au arc, I vcntuiv n, think, if not uni.iiu-.
;it Irast alin(.>t so. To obtain tlu- photoK.apli
of tin- .■vrii- of the Col.lcn Ka.ulc a ladder and
n.n.. had to c-arric-.l np the hill. Whrn tins
was don.', it Nvas fonnd that the ladder wa> not
l,„m rnonuh to reach the Tnst branch of tin-
pin*' tree on which the evric- was bnilt. A- cord-
in{,dv when I had climbed as hif,di as possible,
the "keeper raised the hukler and snpported it
„n his chest, thus addint: several teet to its
lcnj,^th. and enablin.u me to .i^am a loot-
hold on the branch from which I obtame<l
the photoi^raph, the camera beinij hanled up
afterwards bv the rope. The photographing ol
the evrie was rather a risky proceeding, for the
eanvra was in constant danger of falling to the
ground, and the branch on Mhi.h I was standing
was old and rotten in the e.vtrenu', bnt Inckily held

mv weight. ,, r *

Mthough I have been exceptionally tortnnate
as regards weather concUtions while photograph-
ing and stndving the birds of the monntain at
their haunts, a friend and I had rather an excit-
ing experience last April on Ben Mmch Dhni.
4 'oo feet above sea level, and the second highest
nionntain in onr Island. At this season of the
year, the hill is more deei)l\- coxcred with snow than
at an\- other time, and when we made the ascent,
all the bnrns were comjiletely bridged over by
the snow wreaths, while every lochan was thickly
coated with ice. On reaching the cairn on the top,
the weather, which hitherto had been mild and
spring-like, changed completely, the wind veering
to the north, while thick mist, accompanied by a

I'REIACE

XI

l)liiulinf4 snow-storm, (MiVflopfd \\\v suniinit. Had
it not been that tin- snow was sott, anil tliat the
footmarks we matlc durins,' the asctnt si-rwd as
landmarks, tlu- ronsciucnccs mi^dit liavc bivn
ratlicr unpleasant, . on nearly cverv side were
l()ft\- priripiii's, and the mist limited the view
to a few \ards.

Manv a time I have sat up all night to take
notes on the wakening of tix; birds, which, in this
part of the world, commence to sing considerably
earlier than their l-:ngli>h relations. In June, the
ihrush and Blackbird are often in song before
2 o'clock a.m.. while the Sandpipers and Oyster
Catchers b\- the ri\er never ci-ase to call all

night long.

The work has to me been indeed a labinu of
lo\-e and none save those who have actually taken
up this branch of Natural History can form any
idea of the fascination it holds for the true lover of
Nature— a fascination which is enhanced by the
diiftculties to be overcome, and the patience and
perseverance necessary to secure the i)hotographs
of some of our wariest birds at their native haunts.

Seton p. Gordon.

•\

i

i

■W

r
» I

AiiDVNi', Ai;i;ki)1.i;nsiiiki:.
' Sipliiiilui-, M)0-.

CO NT K NTS

I'lll. (iolDIA lv\(.I.K

I'm: Ui:!) (iuorsi.
Tin; C.\pi.Kc.\ii./i!;

Tin: I'lAKMK.AN .

Tin: \V(i()i)c<»iK .

The (ioosANDKK .
TlIK (lOI.DKN I'l.oNKK
lUK C't Ki.i:w
Tin: SANDpn'KK .
Thk Rkdshank .
Tni: Oystkk Catchkk
Thk Common Ti:kn
Thk Common (Jri.i.

Thk Bl.ACK-HKADKl) (il 1,1,

Thk ("iKKY Crovv .
Thk Watkk ()i ski. or I)i
Thk RiNc; Oi ski, .
Thk Bri.i.KiNCH .
Thk Mkadow Pipit .
Thk Wiki.ow Warhkkr
Thk Pkkkcirink Fakcon
MoRVEN IN Snow

PKR

i<i

C)0

M

>s;

1)1
1 06

1 1'

i;i

.-"S

142

156
163
168
177

Lisr or ILl I S'lRATIONS

(;..i t,i N K, \..i f >K\i

Sk\ I V W't I K~ Ol i'

I'l.'llll'fu

I si; IK 111 I III

r,\ I.IK IN A Si
I ,.■( |.| \ 1 \'l K

. I ^ III.

(;,.i.i,iN i:\. I.I I- \:\u\i\ ii\s- <ii 1'

(,.,1 1. 1 \ I \'.l I - A. .Ill I lll:l V- \Vl !"->

I.IN 1 V .IK -1

1, \i.ll N1\K

\Vi 1 K- Ol n .
W KKK- OH'

I- N K\'l '

\|M \\ I hk> • •! 11

Vl>' M

l,\,,l 1 CK'.I ' INN'. 'N

1 \\M.

Ni ,i IM. Si 1 1 "I 1 HI

iiol l.fN KAi.I K \\

nil r.vKiK r

II

IJ

( '.111 M N

Kai.1 k m in; III-

1 1K>I Kl.llilll

Till. 1 lil^l \1N "1 I 111'

(•.'■i.I'K:. 1:.\i.i.k

nil. HI- 1 \M K 14

|6

.\ llFMllKK

l-IKK \l I IIK llill I'l"^

Kai.I K- llAlNI

CkOIsK -.

Nk-

I \N

I. 1-.

31

r.Kin-

-k'^ Ni-;>i in ^

Ti II 111 Ki -iiiK-

(,k.il -I ON II

llKN (.Kin-i

I l; \K-l

.Nkwi V

1 1 \ 1 1 1 1 1 I

KKIN'. • III' K--
, \ oINi. (iKor^K

\i ,1 iNi; llAi \ I "1 II

IK I '.KiH-K

jS

IIOMI. "I III

K K1..I. (in.lM

Nl -I \N

II I.

1 Ml Ki Ml Zll

(Al IK' All /IK
ll.'MI I'l nil

. Nk-i

I ■ Al I.Ki All /n.

I'l \K\I1..A'
I'lAKMl'.AN

' - N I - 1 .V N

11 F.'

,N \l -I, \MI

II >Ml\\ 1 II 111 A 1 1"!'

I KM IIANli t iiKM.I

I IIK I'l' ll'Kl

j9

\'orM

I'l \K\1K.\N < Kill ' lllN'i

Till I'l'"!-

,K llKI -nil I'l \i<'ii'

lldNU.

Tin. I'l '.KMl'.S^

11. .Ml llKAl, KlA' 11 \Mi nil SDl-RCI'. (1

I UK IlKK 42

ll'iMK

,1 Mil I'lARMl'.AN IN

.A IK M \K' 11

f.fsr or ILL 'sri,'.\ri(K\'s

XV

I III. I'l \i;\I|..\n'- II.aik si'mmi k
llll. lUlSI ..| Nil I'lVKMf.X-. Mil WlMHK
IU\ I'lMiVII'.AN HN SSiiUIIIII Mil' SlMMI-K
K.m-IIN., I|.i|l"«^'l ri<KMI,\N IN II1K>N"\V
\\.M.|ii .pikN Ncr Willi KloN'' M H' Klii. .

\\,i.>l k'^ Nt-I MIIK \ SndWIAII

Wuolii ,M u ON \l ,1

llll \V Ji Oi KS II \IM

\| I \SI' K i>l 1 111. I .ocisW I.I k

(.•Mi-\\iiKi;% NiM Willi 1 ..i;-' i.i)\mKi> u 1 1 ii 1 luw ,N lURINt. 1'

lilKh'S Ali^KNi i; . . ...

(Ioonandi.i; i>n Vi >i ... ■

Nl -riNi, Mil- 111 llll- (jiiii-AMiKK .....

.\ I I^IIIM'. IIaI N1 111'' IIIK CiliiSAM'IK ....

TlIK <;iKl> \Mil K ■•

IliiMK IN Win IKK

(ini.nts I'iiivik\ Ni-i nkakiv .i.ooo ri.Ki ai;m\k ma lmki

iKK (ROUi lIlNi; IDllKllU.k luK WaKMIII

IK ( iulliKN I'lnVCK

N . (i.illiKS

.N I ^ 1 1 \ I . ^

Ni^i .i|. Ci »•■«• .

L'l 1, 1 I w I IN Nk- r .

\ III S.. (I'KI KU

Wll I, I UK ClRIKW NK>r

Ni.-i AM> Ki;i;-> HI- Sandi'II'KK

\(H Ni; SASIilHRU (Knli IlINli
II Vrs I 111 IIIK S AMU II KU .
Nk>I OI kK|i-ll.\NK

III. Ml

kHi-.IIA'

( )VM 1 li C'AK iikk's Nk^i ami Ki.i.S

(iV'iii; Caiciikr's .\Ksr Willi Nfcwi.v IIaiciir.d Ci

N'.HN,; 0\>IH< CaM'IIKKm IIlDINi;
SlMMI.l; lliiMK nl Mil, OV^IKK CAHIIKK
*'ilM\II)N ri.i;N'> Xl^l' AMI Ki;iiS ....

\ViUNr, CdMMON TEKN .....

NF.-I cIK ("iiMMilN (In. I. ......

illK CoM.liiN (il I.l.'s MoUMAIN IIiiMK

NK>

IIIK r.l.AiK-HF.AnEI) iiUI.I

VOINC. lll.Ac KIIIADEI) (.IMS IN llll. XE.M

A IIai-.ni 01 nil. ISi.ai k-hkvukii (li i.i.

Hi.,

•IlKAllKli (ill.lS l-KKDIM

4.^
••7
49
5«
SJ
55
57
59

<'J
f'4
65

07

So
St
8J

«7
,S8
<K)
93
95
9S

■)9

'03
III

"3
"7
119

uS

XVl

LIST or ILLlSTRATIoyS

Ni^i OI- ""

Wah.k (H'-i I

Nl MINI. Mil'- <" '

IIK W.MI-K

or^r.i.

l.;7

I I,, MI ■'! IMK

Waii K Oor.i

ll KUIN'. t.K.'lN

I. ,11 l.ll

Waii k i m>i-.i.

NK>r

WMii; Oi-Ki, wn

II M.illl

I. Fl.M M'H

Nl~l AM>

I 111 I'll'

KlM. < II -1 I

1.

IMl l; llAL'N I Ml

IMF, KlN'. <H--K1,

Nl-I
I'.l 1.1 1

,1 nil r.i-i 1 I 1^' 11

IN, 11 l'.K'"'l'l\,. •

Kri.l I IN

II Klll'IN,

Vol N.

Mrs I'.ri I 1 P

I'l 1 IV 1-1 II' ,1 1

Mi.APOW I'iri r-
ViiiNi; <'i • K<^"

(-, , K,»> IN Ml M'

II 1 1 M'l

Nc. N'oi-N,

V,,i \,; 1.1
\ 1 ^ I w I 1

1 1.1 IN, 111-- 1

., IN Nf'^l

II i'y i<

Iv

1 11-11 MNIN.

I 111. I'lK'l'

.ItAllll K.

IMlM- Ni>i ^

111. Y 111 1'

,ni \.,rNc;

Till. \Viii..'\v \V\Ki;i KK

Wil.iii"' \Vaki;i IK

Cr, Ki»'> KK-I.N I IN,

SiMMiK Main i

Tl,-.lll S'.'lKh/K

In I Ki-iioN

Ni-r IN

K\i;i;li S, KAiiN,

TiiK Ar iiU'ii 'M 1

IK i:vi:li- ,'!■ II

11, I'lki'.Kl

,K l-'Al'iiN

HiKi.NKvi Vii-w "1 111

K Tl-.KK'^KI

,l's KYUIK, M

I'KKl.'.KI

I'osl 1 liiN

-, l.KI),.l.
NF.- KVKli: A

i;

.EN SlI'

Nl, Iv

>ii,nviN,

i;,iNi> "I-

AVINC, 1-

(jKOlSF,

141

H.1

145

157

I()I

I()l)

IN I'l.KFi.Kl

NK. 1 Al.i i)N

I'.VKII. Alll K Mil-.

llKN

11AI> III

I7J

175
iSi

I'liKCU'i.i: 1

IIK Mi>

4 Ji i«(iiU'i -"' fcTtwr" .7^4r-i«r-r-

BIRDS OF
THE LOCH AND MOUNTAIN

i I

i

THE GOLDEN EAGLE

Till' GoUU-n Eagle is, without doubt, the noblest
of our British birds, and has its home amongst the
most desolate forests and mountains of Scotland.
It has long since become extinct as a native of
luigland, and when one reads in the newspapers of
a '' (iolden Eagle " being captured or shot in the
latter country, it is usually a specimen of the
White-Tailed or Sea-Eagle.

These last mentioned birds are to a large extent
migratory, and so i)ass through England in spring
and autumn to and from the nesting sites in the
far north. A few— a very few— attempt to rear
their voung in the north of Scotland and in the
Shetlands, but with small chance of success, as,
although the eggs are hatched off safely, the
natives frequenth' take the >oung when half grown.

The most common and easiest way to take
the \oung birds is to lower some cotton wool into
the eyrie. The eaglets think the cotton wool is
some enemv approaching them, and turn on their
backs, striking upwards with their powerful claws.
Soon tli(>se become hopelessly entangled in the
wool, when the Eaglets are hauled up to the
sunmiit of the cliff.

1 r

: ^!<

BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN

The (".olden Eagle, although much more com-
mon than the Sea-Iiagle, is nowhere met with in
any great numbers ; but. thanks to the protection
afforded In- most of the Scottish i)roi)rietors—
not to speak of the c()mi)aratively useless " Wild
Birds Protection Act "—it is fairly holding its
own. It is welcomed in deer forests, as it keeps
down the numbers of Grouse, which often render
the stalker's best-laid plans useless b\- suddenly
rising and alarming the deer by their loud " (piack,
kurr !— go back, go back." Whether the (irouse is
really warning tlie deer of their danger, or whether
the call is u^, a only for alarming its own si)ecies,
is very uncertain ; but I am inclined to think
that the bird utters its alarm note automatically
when in danger, or else to warn any other
members of the species which ha})i)en to be in the

vicinity.

Quite reccnth- a Golden Eagle was shot near
Tom'intoul in defiance of the Order strictly protect-
ing it. There was a Grouse drive going on, and
it was noticed that the (Arouse were flying nuich
quicker than usual. Soon a Golden Eagle came in
sight, when it was shot down b\- one of the
guns ! Incidentally also, I may mention that the
Kestrel is another bird the shooting of wliich is
prohibited by law, and \et keepers and others
shoot it regularly, without any notice being taken
bv the authorities.

The Golden Eagle is the first of our birds of
prey to commence nesting operations. The same
eyrie is used year after \ear until it becomes a
very large structure. One eyrie I know was
used steadily for about fifteen years. Then one
winter there was an exceptionall\' heavy fall of

o

<3

4 BIRDS or LOCH AXD MOVXTAIN

snow, wl.ich broke down thr brancli on wl.icli
the nest xvas built. Lnckilv, l.ouever. branch and
evrie were caught on anotlier branch a httk- lower
down and there remained ; next si>rnig the luigles
returned to their home as if nothing had happened.
When a new evrie is being built, the old birds
be-in to look for a suitable nesting site in I-ebruary.
if the winter be open, and building operations are
commenced during March. The usual situation tor
the evrie is on an ancient i)ine, or on a ledge ot
rock commanding a good outlook, \\hcn a tree
is chosen, the exrie is usually i)laced on some large
branch about half-way u]). and at soni'' distance
from the trunk. It is very strange that the Kagles
prefer .mite a small cliff to nest on, or a ' -e
which can easilv be climbed, while there are
usually inaccessible i)recipices or unchmbable trees
in the ntMghbourhood.

The e\rie is composed almost entireK" of pine
branches," verv large near tlu^ bottom, and getting
graduallv smaller towards the to]). It is a re-
markable fact that the I-:agles never use dead
branches for the exrie. but always break thein of the
trees ■ and if these branches are examined it will be
found that nearh- vxvvy one bears the marks of the
Eagle's strong beak where it has broken them of .
The inside of ^the evrie is usually lined Avith rough
grasses, upon which the eggs rest. Once I found m
an evrie a large r.d rubber ring, which the Eagles
evidentlv thought improved the look of their home.
The eggs number two as a rule, but sometimes
three are found. At times the Eagles will leave
their uiJ exrie, and will build a n(>w or .; in the
vicinitv ; but thev seem loth to desert their old
home "altogether, as they repair it to a certain

.,n5P?^'

EYRIE OF THE GOLDEN EAGLE.

1

I

: ;

%

!

f

-

ii
if

♦ :

'i

111

:

I

1.;^

(, />>/A'/XS- (;/•- LOCH AM) MOl'NTAIN

extent each spring, although the eggs are laid m
the new structure. In one glen that knmv o
ere are tlnee evries within half a nnle of each
;:tV,_two of them deserted. Last spnng the
I'-x-des repaired to a certain extent one o tlu c> rus
J^i^i^U thiv had not used lor V-^. ^^th^ugh k^
did not ultimately nest there. If the l^m bird >
killed just before the nestmg season. 1 1 u m aj c
will sometimes himself repair the eyne, althou h
it is not verv neatly done, and will "^^" \^^
a kind of larder. The Golden Lagles rare xi e
anv call note, but in early sprmg male and fen.ak
soar round and round each other, uttenng a r rag-
ing note sounding not unhke the cry of the xMld
!;ie. Sometimes, when tl.e hen is Hushed from
the evrie. she will use the same note, but she
usuallv soars up in silence. .,

The eggs are laid about the first week of April,
and the voung are hatched out a month or so later
The Fagle is verv tame svhen broodmg. am w 11
not kave the evrie until absolutely obliged ^o do
so Before the" xoung are hatched the hen bird,
when disturbed, usually flies right away from the
evrie, and is not seen again while the intruder is near
tiie nest She usuallv alights on a rock commanding
a good view of her eyrie, and watches proceedings
from there. The Eaglets, when first hatched, are
lik(> little balls of down, with pink eyes, and squeak
plaintively when taken up in the hand. fhey
grow very rapidlv, and leave the eyne earh m
lulv A great deal has been said and written about
Eagles attacking anvone attempting to steal their
eggs or voung ; but, as far as my experience goes,
there is' not the slightest -^round for tins belief.
Usually, when one is photographing the young

m

. -^:

Ji -A

* IV' '.^

8 HIKDS OF UXH l-V" .W<".V'-I'-^'

birds, tlu. l-:.isl« ^re n.nvluT. t„ b<- s«|n . an.Hf
,,,,v are visibW, .lu.- ar,. m,.r.. s^^^^^^

"'■'""■"''^, SrUu^.v: :,,;;. lu.n, n..a,- the.
occasion on wnuli i nay , . , ., r,,,,,. n,.,lL'ocl

evric was while I was photop-aplunK a ^"H>-'1 <'fj

.;,U.. and then tlu-v passed and -l-scd lu
nc^t at a distance of about loo foct, but n.xcr

GOLDEN EAOLETS EIGHT DAYS OLD.

Showed the least inclination to attack, nor did
thev utter a single cry.

The vonng are very liberally supplied NMth

food bv" their parents. On one -^T^^^"" ^^'^^
photographing a young l.aglet "" > J^^^^ J^
week old, and in the evne were tx\ o Groiisc
;; to fresh, and partlv plncked bv the old birds^
?he remains of a small bird, and the skui of a
fiiui-mouse. Thi. latter had -ider^Uv pro^..
too much for the voung Lagle, as it uas hang
\Z out of its beak, and the Eaglet was looking

9.

\

I i

='1

i„ BIRDS or iJf( n i-v/^ MorM.MS

vorv uiu-oiufortublc. I nvi>it.-(l tlu- .-vric- about tw..
,„,mth^ alter, ami fcuiul that the babv ICaj^lft luul
cUAvlopcd into a splendid bird, abnost fully giown.
The dav was (>xceedinMl.v hot. and tlu- I.agle was
Kin.' gasping in the evrie. Directly he caugh
sifTht of UK. he oixned his beak wide and spread
his wings, so that 1 was afraid he would take Ihght.

GOLDEN EAGLE SIX WEEKS OLD.

,E MADr at »ARENT BIBOS AT

TMF amn FfLL f«OM THE ORIGINAL fVHlF AND >S HFHt IN
TMf FOOT OF IHt CtlFF.

However, he soon became cpiiet again, and I was able
to secure several photographs. To see what would
happen. I held a stick out towards him. when he im-
mediatelv made a grab at it and clutched it fast
All the time he was sighing an<l trembling ]ust
like a human being. In the eyrie were four Cxrouse.
part of a hare, and, strange to say. a monk stoat^
This is verv unusual, and the keeper said he had
ne%-er before heard of a stoat being found in an

lilRDS OF I.OCH AS I) MOl'M'AIX n

('\ric. Wry oftrii only one liag'*' '^ roared, and
stalkers sav that the otlu-r bird is thrown out
of thf cvrio. citlicr by the old birds or by the
stronger Kaglet. Wlien the young birds leave

!•

GOLDEN EAGLE SEVEN WEEKS OLD.

tlie eyrie they remain near their home for
several weeks, and are cjuite tame. They pereh
on some tree, and there await their parents, who
are continuallv searching for food for them. The
young are vcrv easily distinguished from the adult
"birds bv the "fact oi" their having a great deal of

I

uii

GOLDEN EAGLE NINE WEEKS OlD.

A QOOD YA*N,

liikns or ijxii i.v/j .uor.v/.i/v ^

uliitf anKHiK-'t tlii'ir |)Iuinam'. uliiic tlic old birds
arc of a uiiiforin dark colour. Tlic \oui)i,' birds
ictain the white tor soiiu> mouths after tlit'\' art'
liatriicd, and .iih- la>t September I saw one whicli
was (|uite easil\- identified as a xouiig bird,
although it nni>t iiave left the eyrie more than
two months prexiously.

YOUNG EAGLE CROUCHING IN EYRIE.

The (ioUlen Eagle preys chiefly on Grouse, Ptar-
migan, and mountain Iiares. A short while ago a
friend and I were crossing from Kingussie to Hraemar.
On the low-lying moors an\' number of Grouse were
met witli ; but as soon as we readied the home
of the eagles far up the glen, scarcely a Grouse was
seen, whih' we noticed at least three Eagles soaring
round and round in search of prey. The (iolden
Eagle will rarely attack the Hoodie Crow, but will

V .-'

NEST I

NG SITE OF THE GOLDEN EAGLE WITH EYRIE IN
THE DISTANCE

/>7/vV).S" or LOCH AM) MOVXTAIX 15

soiiK'tinifs do so when hard pressed for food. The
Hoodie, on the other hand, will not hesitate to
attack anv liagle venturinj; near its nest and young,
and sometimes the strange sjx'ctacle is seen of an

*i

\k

GOLDEN EAGLE AFTER HIS FIRST FLIGHT.

infuriated Hoodie in full cry after a Golden Eagle,
which usually seems only too glad to escape the
tierce onslaught of its small opponent. The (irouse
live in mortal terror of the Eagle, and directly
the\- sec one of these birds in the distance,
they make a mad dash for life, sometimes flying
for many miles, and crossing mountain ranges and

^V\

ii.

BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 17

\alleys. Once I saw a flock of birds flying very
r, j)idly and at a great height. I thought they
were some migrator\- birds on the wing, but i
turned out they were Grouse attempting to
escape from a (lolden Eagle.

One of the most remarkable characteristics of
this noble bird of prey is its ability to soar
tor long periods without any appar(>nt motion
of the wings, and I have seen them flying against
a very strong wind with their wings almost motion-
less all the time. On a calm day the Eagle is un-
able to soar with the same grace as during windy
weather, as there is not enough wind to support
it easily. The Golden Eagle usually flies at a
great altitude, and only recently I watched a
hen bird at such a height that she was actually
above the clouds, so that when a cloud came
over she was hidden from sight, reappearing after
it had passed.

In winter time the Eagles are sometimes hard
pressed for food, and wander for long distances.
They then run the risk of being caught in
traps set for vermin on some Grouse moor, but
the keepers usuall>- set the bird at liberty if
it is not too much injured by the trap. It is
a strange fact that when the Golden Eagle is
})ursued by any small bird — the Missel-Thrush, for
instance— it never turns upon its pursuer, although
it could kill the smaller bird with the greatest of
ease. In nature it seems to be the invariable rule
that the pursued flies from the pursuer, no matter
what their relative sizes may be-
lt is pleasant to be able to record a slight
increase of the Golden Eagle in some favoured
localities, and I hope that with the continued

w

n

:

lilRDS Of LOCH AM) MOrXTAIX U)

protection of our larff(> laiulowners it will bo
able to hold its own tor many a day, and will
continue to aiUl a charm to tlie lone glens and
moorlands of the Hiirhlands.

THE RED GROUSE

Altholt.ii perha|>s not quite such a fascinating
bird as his near relative the beautiful l-tarmigan,
the Red Cironse— La ^op its Scoticus — has neverthe-
less a great charm on his native hillside, as he rises
near the intruder with a noisy " Kirr-kobak-kobak."

The (irouse is, I believe, to be found nowhere out-
side the British Isles, and is far less plentiful on
the west coast than in the east and centre of Scot-
land, the reason being that along the west sea-
board very little heather is met with owing to the
excessive rainfall, and thus the Grouse does not
find congenial haunts.

Elevation seems to be of little consideration to
these hardy birds, and they are met with nesting
on moors at sea level, and up to the elevation of
a little over 3,000 feet, which is the highest level
at which I have ever found a nest. At this
height they have as their companions the Ptar-
migan, while occasionally a cross between the
two birds is met with. Their nesting season is
com])aratively early, considering the storms to which
they are subject on the mountains, and often a later
snowstorm than usual plays havoc with their nests.
Especially was this the case during the spring of
1906, when, about the third week of May, a ver\-
severe blizzard visited nearly the whole of Scot-
land. In places drifts of great depth were rapidly

\l

20 BIRDS or LOCH AXD MOlWTAIS

fcrnu-d. and ni cne district after the storm a kc>e,x^r
found no less than nnK. hen Cronse ^^^'^^ ' ^^'J
nests durin, a single mcrn.ng's .alk on the moors
In am>ther case a keeper told me tha a er^
(;ronse had just linished lavmg. but had not con
,,,nced to brood, when the storn. -une on a.^
covered nest and eggs with n.any niches o suonn
The hen bird, however, rcmamed nea. for o^ r
a week, until the eggs once more aj.pea cd rom
beneath the snow, when she took up the duties
of incubation and hatched out her ^rood as (
nothing had happened. However, '"-;^> "/J^^^
birds were not so fortunate, and m seNeral in>tances
I Lw a pair o( old birds with only one or t..> voimg
ones and in some cases none at all. 'i a xut
S raordinarv thing was that the shooting season
.as the most successful for years, and on a moo
which suffered more than an>-. bags of 140 brace
and upwards were got for daxs on end. 1 he
onh- eiplanation seems to be that in the ma3ont>
o^casis the birds had only just commenced
brood, and so were able to lay a second dud
within a short time ; for as late as the end o Augnst
I came upon voung birds still weak on the^ving^
vTepherd informed me that at the beginning of
;L monUi he had flushed a hen from her nest so
^ak hat she was unable to fly. She had P" ^bably
Tat for two months at lea^-t on her egg., and the.e
most likdv had been rendered infertile by the Ma^^
Towstorm. I think, however, that, as regards
late nesting, the Ptarmigan is easily hrst for as
late as September 23rd I have seen and photo-
tranhed a Ptarmigan chick not yet fully groxNn.
fnd on Lt date came upon a Ptarmigan's egg
'" cl 1 should say was not more than a fortnig it

i 1 1

>•-%

^m^

I

r ;i

il

A'\

I: i

■^y¥'i'^*

GROUSES NEST AND EGGS

!.| II

22 BIRDS OF well AM) MOL'XTAIS

old at the outsidi'. Crouse have been known to
nest as carlv as February, but personally I have
never seen eggs befon; the end of April, and the
usual nesting time is the first three weeks of May.

GROUSES NEST IN A TUFT OF RUSHES

The nest is, usualK", made amongst fairly 'ong
heather or ling, and is well hidden. The eggs
number from six to twelve ; sometimes e\en more.
They are beautifullv speckled and blotched with
dark brown, and harmonise ver>- well with the
surrounding heather. The hen is a fairly close
sitter, espocialh- when incubation is far advanced ;

Al

lilRDS Of LOCH

AM) MorXTAIX .',;

but I'Vi'ii then is not nearly so easy to pliotograph
as the Ptarmigan, which one can often stroke
without causing her to leave the nest.

Last spring I discovered a hen (irouse brood-
ing on the exceptionally large clutch of eleven
eggs, and as she was sitting hard and I had
no camera with me, I returned next afternoon,

"^ -^^J^^ ■'^"^^'■•'^■'^^^^^

^.^^^^^X"- '■ " ■ j '■^^..*-(:a' ^/"^^

\

,v •

J ■

■ -"K

GROUSE ON HER NEST.

and after a long climb reached the nest, which
was situated high up the slopes of a mountain
well on to 3,000 feet in height. Unfortunately, the
position of the sitting bird was such that her head
was under the shadow of a neighbouring tuft of
grass ; so, although a good negative resulted, it
was almost impossible to make out the bird in the
print. Rut in natural history photography one
soon becomes resigned to all sorts of disappoint-
ments, and so I put the bird off her eggs and

i

%

retircl brhin.l a n.Mghb.mrinji hillock, hoping that
„n her return the lu-n w<.ulcl sit more obliKing v.
\s I was King in in\' place of coiucahncnt t he
sun s,.t in full splendour hexcn.l the niightv hills
to the north-west, on which the wint.T snow still
lav in deep wreaths, untouched bv the sununer
sun Suddenlv. in the istance. that most beau-
tiful of all the sounds of the bird wo,kl-the clear,
mournful whistle of the soarinj; Curlew-was borne
up from tlu- moors to me. while everv now and again
tlu. wailing pipe of the C.olden Plover, which were
nesting freelv in the neighbourhood, and the c-ad
„f a cock C.rouse. as h<' settle.l down for the mght,
disturbed the silence of the evening. At lengtli
after a wait of close on an hour. I ventured back
to the nest • but, alas! the motluT (.rouse had not
vet returned, and so I had to give up the attempt
■for that dav. having had mv ten miles' journey
for nothing." On mv wav down the luh. a cock
(irouse rose at mv feet in a great state of excite-
ment ; and, looking about, I saw crouching low on
the ground a hen bird with her children beneath
her wings. To photograph her reqmred a good
deal of carefiil stalking, but in the evemng, when
the frost begins <> be felt, the old birds are more
conliding than during the day, as the young birds
would, if h-ft uncovered, die of cold in a very short

""\lthough on this occasion my pb.otographs
of the brooding Grouse on the nest were not satis-
factorv I iletermined to make another attempt.
So a dav or two later I set out in the early
morning." so as to get the sun in a good position.
This particular hillside is a very favourite one with
the Re.l Grouhe. and on my way up the hill 1

/,7/v7>.s OF I.oni AM> MOrSTMX 25

caino upon perhaps half a dozen nests, from several
of which the youui; birds had just been hatched.
Mv (iroust- was sitting obligingly close as \isual,
but unfortunately 1 walked almost upon her before

sHx:-^^^

• "'^^^i

,-l.,-a^

HEN GROUSE TCOVt^RING CHICKS.

I noticed her, and to my dismay she fluttered off
at my feet in a great state of alarm, and it was
well that she did so, for nu" next footstep would
have been right on the top of her. However,
hoping for the best, I walked on about lialf a mile,
and then lav and waited for her return. A pair of

IS

.'(. /.7A7» (>/• l.(t( II ASI) MOl \r.lL\

( urKw had \(tim^ snmtwluii' iitur. iiiul lor loiii^
tlu-y ImviTcd Mi>|»i(i(»u>l\- roniid iiic, uttniiig tlirir
wliistlf, " Wlioo-cc, \\li()(i-»'f," while s(\ cral pairs (if
Cioldt'ii Plowr joined in i-xpres^inj,' their reseiit-

NEWLY HATCHED YOUNG GROUSE.

ment at my intrusion in no half-hearted fashion.
Presently, however, all became (piiet, and I had
the rare experience of listening to a Sk\lark pournig
out its rich song at a height of about 2,000 feet
above sea-level. 1 had just starteil to return to
the nest when a couple of (irouse rose at my feet,
and bv their behaviour I surmised that they had
young, which turned out to be the case. I think

/,7/v7).s Ol- l.(>( n .\SI> MiHSIMS

-I

tli.it |tcrliiii)> \<mii},' (iiinix- .IT iimH' (litlinilt tn
(liscovtr tliiiii iiiiv otlitT Viiimi,' bir(l> ; l)ut ;it li-n«tli
1 found tliicf or tour (|o\vn\- \(miij;->t»'rs, <nil\- w lew
lunirs old, liiding in tlu- lu'iitli. wiiilc tin- nest con-
taining two infertile eggs was only a few yanl> off.
Marking the spot with my handkerchief. I returned
a^ fa><t as possible for niv camera: hut b\- the time
I got back, a few minutes later, the tinv voung>ters
had gone through long heather and ling a distance
of In'tween ten and twenty vards, which is ratlu'r
an extraordinarv record lor such small chicks in
so short a t'me. On returning to my (irouse's
nest I was delighted to lind her sitting as close
a> ever, and succeeded in getting some very good
pictures of her on the nest at a distance of about
si\ feet.

Sometimes a dwarf egg is found in a (irouse's
ne-'t, and I have in my possession one which is
little bigger than a Blackbird's. Tlu" period of
iucnbation is betwt>en seventeen and twenty-
one days, depending somewhat, I think, on the
altitude of the nesting site, and the amount
of frost exp'.'rienced. .\t times the hen (irouse
will nest on an islet in a bog, antl in such a
l)osition it nnist be a very difficult undertaking
to get her voung through the marsh. Often the
hens are greatly disturbed b\- ants, and I have
seen a nest, from which the mother bird had just
risen, swarmmg with these insects, so probably
she had been having a ^•er^• micomfortable time
of it.

By the end of June the majority of the young
Grouse are strong on the wing, for the young of
both the (irouse and the Ptarmigan are able to
rt\- long befoie the\- are full grown, and when only

m

I

jl

2S niRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN

little bigger than Sparrows. It is remarkable how
the behaviour of the parent birds changes once
the chicks are hatched. While tliey have only
eggs, the hen bird when flushed usually flies straight
awav anfl the cock " whirrs " off as if he had no
nest in the vicinitv. When the hen's patience has

NESTING HAUNT OF THE GROUSE

been rewardeil, however, and she is the proud
mother of seven or eight healthy chicks, all this
changes. Both birds are constantly on the look-
out for enemies, and the hen (irouse will rise at
your feet and flop along ahead of you as if badly
wounded. Sometimes, even, she will not take wing
at all, but will walk genth- off, every now and
again looking back at you reproachfully. The cock
bird behaves m much the same way, only he does
not apjjcar so anxious about his chicks as the hen
bird. When' a pair of Golden Eagles are to be found

i

i.

J.) />7A7;.S OF LOCH AXI) MOCXTAIX

near u (irousr moor, they take enormous toll of
the " boiin\- brown birds." Often the Itlagle will
chase a covey of Grouse without any apparent
reason other tlian that of enjoying himself, and
it is astonishing to see how easily he catches them
np without a movement of his wings, although
his Aictims are flying for their very lives. Usually
in an T^agle's eyrie containing a couple of Eaglets
will be found a (irouse or two perfectly fresh and
half plucked, for the Eagles always make a point
of thoroughly plucking all their i)rey before offering
it to their young. I once saw a cock Grouse
which had fallen out of an eyrie, with his crop
packed full of tender heather slioots, showing that
he had made a hearty meal just before being cap-
tured by the king of birds.

As the summer wears on, the Grouse form into
packs ; and as early as August i8th I have seen
fulh- hft\- together, flying high and stead}-, as
though changing their feeding grounds.

During the winter months they often have
difiiculty in obtaining sufficient food when all
the country side is covered with a deep coating
of snow. Then they descend to the fields, and
wander about amongst the stubbles, picking up anv
grains of corn they can find. If the harvest is a
backward one, and the cro{)s are not all secured
before the snow comes, the farmers in the upland
districts often suffer great damage to their crops,
as the Grouse descend in large numbers, and would
devour nearly every grain of corn if the farm
hands were not constantly sent to the fields to
scare them off.

M

BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNT AIX 31

THE CAPERCAILZIE

At one time this handsome member of the Grouse
family was met with abundantly all over Scot-
land." Owing, however, to the d-struction of the large
pine forests and the growth of civilisation, it had
become completely extinct by the beginning of last
century. In 1837, or thereabouts, it was re-mtro-
duced, and has increased so rapidly that now
it is met with nesting throughout Scotland, but
has not as yet, I think, found footing in the sister

country.

Like its near relative the Black Grouse, the
cock bird is vastly different to the hen, being of
much greater size, and also of quite a different
colour. While the hen bird is claa in very subdued
fashion in much the same colours as the hen
Pheasant, the cock is resplendent in a bluish-black
plumage, and his red comb is very pronounced.

He takes unto him several wives during the
nesting season, and, hke the Blackcock, leaves
them to hatch off their broods without showmg
much further interest in them.

The Capercailzie's usual nesting month is :May,
but in the higher forests the eggs are sometimes
not laid till June. The favourite nesting site is at
the foot of an old pine tree, and the hollow
destined to receive the eggs is scraped between two
of the roots of the tree. Very often a pme
growing at a slant is chosen, probably because the
overhanging trunk protects the sitting hen from
the rain. The eggs are usually laid on the pme
needles which cover the ground in the forests,
and no attempt at a nest is made. When the hen

I! il

ti''

tM

■;

i

•i. \

'(T

NEST AND EGGS OF THE CAPERCAILZIE

.\l

lilRDS OF LOCH AND MOl'XTAIN jj

is la\ing, slu' covt-rs the ej^gs carefully with pine
needles on leaving the nest, but I have never known
lu'r do this after incubation has commenced.
Tlu' eggs number from eight to ten, but the usual

;l

CAPERCAILZIES NEST.

THE PARENT BIRD M*S COVERED THE EQGS DURING HCH ABSENCE.

clutch is from six to eight. They are verv prettv,
being thickly spotted with reddish-brown, the ground
colour being of a lighter tinge, and are some-
what similar to those of the grey hen, only larger.
The })eriod of incubation is nearly a month, and
the chicks on issuing from the shell are quite able

■ f f

u me
'V *

I'

;:

I'

* (

■I

i
1

I

\

34 lilRDS or LOCH AND MOUNTAIN

t„ take care c,f tl.oms.-lvcs. The hen is a fairly
close sitter, but rarelv allows the ornitholopst to
approach near enough to " snap " her. 1 only once
secured a photograph of a hen bird on her nest
and this was at a distance of over tweU'e feet Une
nest that I found was situated in a very favour-
able position for photographing the sitting bird, so 1
visited this nest several times until I got within
about six feet of my sitter, and was just about to
release the shutter when the bird, who had stood
the ordeal bravelv up to now, suddenly rose from
the nest with a great flapping of wings, and my
chance was lost, l-'or several days afterwards I
attempted to regain her confidence, but all in vain.
Fvidently her ner\es were completely unstrung,
and she never afterwards allowed any near

^^^Tt^'is'often the case that when these heavy
birds rise luirriedlv from the nest they carr>-
some of the eggs witli them for several feet ; and as
thev never seem to have sufficient sense to replace
these in the nest, no matter how close they may be.
the eggs are rendered useless. Especially is tins
the case with the Ring Dove ; five times out of
ten when this bird rises from her nest one of her
egg's is carried out of the nest with her. and
usuallv caught on the branches of the tree

The Capercailzies roost on the branches ot
the firs and often at night, when one is passing
through' the forest, their heavy flapping is heard
as they leave their roosting sites. When a nest
is discovered from which the young ones have
been hatched, it is noticeable that the egg-shells
are almost invariablv broken in the centre, and one
half placed within the other. This I think can-

BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOCNTAIX 35

not liappen by chance, but is probably the work
of tlie parent bird. I once flushed a Capercailzie
from her nest, in which the chicks were just hatching,
and although some of the young birds had left the

U

HOME OF THE CAPERCAILZIE.

shell onh' a few minutes previously, they would
not keep still for a moment. This was most annoy-
ing, as, owing to the lateness of the hour —
it was past nine o'clock at night — I had to give
an exposure of several seconds, during which the
birds had, of course, hopelessly moved. Further

i t

/, /^//v7).s- 01' wen i-^'^^ MovsTAiy:

south it Nvonlcl probabls- have- b..n impossible to
have exposed a plate at all at this late hour ; but
in Aberdeeushire. at the longest day. the sun is
still above the hori/.on at nine o'clock p.m and
it is possible to read a newspaper outside at

midnight. ^;i.,;o

Although such a large bird, the C apercail/u
sec-ms singularlv unable to protect her eggs, and
these suffer greatlv from the attacks of the Hoodie
(roNN md four-footed marauders, such as the stoat
and weazel. Often I have seen a deserted nest
Nvith the sucked eggs lying all around-a ver>
pathetic sight. At other times I have discovered
k Capercailzie's nest with a full clutch of eggs, and
on revisiting it have each time found one or
two missing, until at last the poor mother bird
had none left to care for. The haunt of these
birds mav often be discovered by the droppings
beneath their favourite trees, and. as a genera
rule, they prefer ancient pine forests to those ot

more recent date.

Black Game and Capercadzie frequently in-
terbreed, and some very tine -crosses" have been
obtained in Aberdeenshire recently: sometimes,
too a single nest will be found containing eggs
of both these birds, but this is a much rarer oc-
currence than in the case of the Partridge and
Pheasant. The voung Capercailzies are a consider-
able time before reaching maturit>-. and the male
birds are not full grown till ver>- late in the season
Thev keep with the parent bird until August
and are verv carefuUv looked after. Often,
however, a chick falls a victim to a hungry
Suarrow Hawk, or a plundering stoat thins the
brood The voung birds, while fairh" good eating.

BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOCXTAIN ^7

aro not inucli souf^'ht after for tlie tabic. A lien
bird with her brood is ver\' couraj,'eous, and
often will fearlessly attack the intruder, rushing at
him with beak agape and tail widespread, in the hope
of scaring him from her chicks. {From " The Illus-
trated Sportiui:, (iiiii Drunuitic News.")

THE PTARMIGAN

Xo bird, perhaps, so appeals to the ornithologist as
the beautiful, confiding Ptarmigan. I-ar beyond
all traces of civilisation, on the lone mountain tops
and plateaux, the Ptarmigan has his liome, and his
weird, croaking call as he rises at your feet is a
charming sound to the bird lover.

In summer, when at last the huge snowtields
have disappeared from the mountain slopes, the
Ptarmigan have for their companions the mournful
(iolden Plover, the Common Gull, the Wheatear,
Meadow Pipit, and Twite. The Snow Bunting,
too, remains to breed on a few of the highest
Scottish mountains, and his clear musical notes are
heard at their best on the precipitous rock-strewn
hillside, where his mate is sitting. But when
winter storms descend and the powder\- snow
blows into drifts, perhaps loo feet deep, then all
other bird life seeks more sheltered quarters, and
the Ptarmigan have the hillside once more to
themselves. Even when the ground above 3,000
feet is snow-covered and the lower hills quite bare,
they disdain to seek more sheltered grounds, and
seem to revel in the snow. Only when a
severe snowstorm comes on, unaccompanied b\-
wind, are the Ptarmigan ]nit to sore straits, as the

. i

t ;

1 \

V^

!-l

I: : fi

li ;

n

i

3.S HIRDS OF LOCH AXD MOCNTAIN

wind blows the ridges bare of snow, thus allowing
the birds dear feeding ground.

The Ptarmigan are, I believe, the only birds
that have four moults in the year— in spring,

PTARMIGANS NEST AND EGGS.

summer, autumn, and winter. From Noxember
till well on in April their plumage is of a spotless
white, while during the summer they seem of
a lichen-grey until taking wing, when their white
wings give them a charming appearance. I noticed
last April while ascending Ben Muich Dhui (the

PTARMIGAN ON NEST, WITH SNOWFIELD AT TOP LEFTHAND
CORNER OF THE PICTURE,

ji*. -

i: I:

II

I

iU.i

a

4(. l!lh'l).> (H l.()( II .l.\7> M(>( .V/ I/-V

liill ,,r tlif hhuk >o\v). 4,J«)7 l»-ft uh"^'' -^ii-l.v.l,
tluit tlif l't;irmif^;in wlii.li wm- in.-t with at .ibout
tlu- ;,(H.()-|o()t liiw wnv ('.lan^^in^ |.lumu-.\ wliil.'
tlioM- nc'iinr the Miinmit wnv >till l<.i th. m<.>t
part. s|)<)tlf>>lv wliitc. and it wa- aK.. icmarkcd
that a nuk and hen w.iv ranlv at the >ani.' ywunl

of tln'ir moult.

It has Invii stated that, while ahuiKhuit on
their slopes. l»tanui,L;an are rartlv ni.t witii on the

YOUNO PTARMIGAN CROUCHING.

summits of the hiKlu>st Scottish mountains— that
is. those abovt- 4.000 feet ; but I have by no
means found this to be the . a>e. as only recently,
while ascending' Brae Riach (4,200 feet). I did not
see or hear a sinj^de Ptarmigan until I had reached
the summit plateau.

Last year the Ptarmigan were most un-
luckv in their nesting affairs. On May ibth an
uni>recedented storm for that season of the year
swept over the Highlands, and (luite 2 feet of sn()W
fell on the Ptarmigans' nesting grounds, while
drifts 20 to 30 feet deep were common. In one

i

Hi

li

S-.

i il

1

1 1

42 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN

wav the Ptarmigan of the lower hills were more
unfortunate than their brethren of the higher ranges,
as the former had begun to lay. and even perhaps
to sit, while those on the higher mountains had
not yet reached this stage. On visiting a mountain
under 3,000 feet high at the beginning of June,

THE PTARMIGANS HOMEBRAE RIACH AND THE SOURCE
OF THE DEE.

most of the Ptarmigan were going in jmirs, and
once I saw three together, showing what havoc the
storm had played among their nests. In fact, twice
I found an egg laid on the hillside, showing that
the hen bird had been unable to find her nest in
the snow, and so had been obliged to drop her
egg anywhere. The (iolden Plover had suffered as
badly, and I saw a flock of as many as twenty.
It is a fact worth recording that in such cases the

■•: ■ t

44 lURDS OF lAH H AM) MOLWTAIX

VU)\vv still call as thoiii^h tlu'\- had ni'sts, and
then all take winji toj^ftlur ; so, cvidfiitly, the
parental instinct remains stron^^ within them.

The ax'eraue time for the Ptarmij.;au to begin
to la\- is abont .Ma\- ioth, and they commence to
brood perhaps seven da\s later. Last year, on
the hii^dier j^'ronnd where the\' had got off compara-
tiveh' lighth-, the\' did not connnence to sit until
Jnne 4th, on which (la\" I fonnd three nests. ICven
then, when the eggs Were i)erfectl\- fresh, the birds
Were sitting hard, so on retnrning a week later
I was enabled to secnre an excellent j)hotogra])h
of one of them on the nest.

.\long with m\- friend — a fanions binl photo-
grapher— I set ont for the hill at midnight, so
as to escape the heat of the snn during the long
climb that lay before ns. Even at that liour the
heat was oppressiw, and the birches were giving
off their delicions perfnme. As we connnenced the
climb, a Redstart smklenly nttered his song at
1.45 a.m., while the dawn was still grey. The
moon was rising behind the monntain to the south
of us and shining through the i)ines with beautiful
effect. B\- two o'clock it was broad daylight, and
the snow-clad Cairngorm Mountains stood ont
to our west. About .5. .50 the sun appeared above
the horizon, turning the snow to a reddish tinge
and lighting up the hills with a weird, unearthly
effect. The (irouse were now waking, and their
calls resounded on all sides. Crossing the first
snoulield we found it was (juite hard, although
the atmosphere felt very far from frost. No one
who has never bei'U on the mountains at this early
hour can have anv idea of the deathly stillness
that i)ri'\ails— everything looks mireal, and one

4f) BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN

'ias a fcc!inL( of lonclim'ss and a dosire for coni-
panionshii).

At last wo rraclu'd the sitting,' Ptarmigan, but
she was onl\' found after a careful search, as she
harmonised in an astonishing manner with her
surrountlings. The dew had fallen on her back,
and each time she breathed it glistened in the rising
sun. She was ^'.tting in close proximity to a snow-
field, which is shown on the top left-hand side of
the photograph. We reached civilisation once more,
thirteen hours later, and from eight o'clock the
night before till live the next day, one or two sand-
wiches were all we had by wa\- of refreshments.

Latterly I think the Ptarmigan have suffered
more than usual at the hands of the Common Gull.
This bird nesis on the high mountain tarns, and
seems greatly to like an egg diet. I have seen
these (iulls hawking up and down the })lateaux,
and few nests can escajie their keen eyesight.
Last \'ear I knew of at least four sucked nests,
and probably half the birds in the neighbour-
hood had their eggs destroyed. Amongst them I
am sorry to sa\' was the hen whose photograph
forms one of *he illustrations. One pair had
evidently j)rofited by i)ast experience, and had
made their nest under a largi> stone, which is a
most imusual situation.

The eggs of the Ptarmigan number from seven
to nine. They are very similar to those of the
Grouse — in fact, very often it is imjiossible to dis-
tinguish them ; but sometimes they are redder in
colour, with their spots and blotches closer together.
The nest, unlike that of its near relative, is usually
in the most exposed situation, sometimes on a hill-
top, where the sitting bird catches every breath

4

rwz

4^ /^/A7>.s- (il- LOCH AM) MOIWTAIN

of wind— in fuct, I liavt' sci-n an v<i^ tontaiiiinf;
a fully cU'wlopctl chick blown dean out of the nest.
Altlioufih this is merely a hollow scraped amongst
the blaeberries or f,'rass — the Ptarniif^an nesting abo\'e
the heather line— the nest is easily recognised after
inan\- \ears. The blaeberry, it may be remarked,
is found tlourishing at a height of 4,000 feet.

The period of incubation is several days longer
than in the case of the (irouse, probably owing to
the greater cold of these heights, and a day or
so before the young are hatched the hen bird is
so confiding that one may sometimes take an egg
from underneath her without causing her to leave
the nest. When the hen is put off the eggs, the
cock bird immediately joins her from the i)oint of
vantage where he has been keeping guard, and
together they half run, half fly a short distance.
It is interesting to watch the cock working his head
up and down at his mate as if reproaching her for
her want of courage.

The best way to find a nest is to watch the
cock bird's behaviour when flushed ; he usually flies
round in a large circle, and lighting on some rock,
watches you an.xiously. Then it is fairly certain
that he has a sitting mate within a radius of 300
yards, and an hour or two's searching is generally
crowned with success. In this way the cock Ptar-
migan is a far more loving luisband than the (irouse,
and he and the hen show great signs of distress
when the nest has been discovered. The cock bird
on rising utters his cry, " Croak ; croak, croak,
croak," the last note being more prolonged ; and
on alighting runs along with tail spread out after
the manner of a strutting pigeon, while the hen
runs (piietly along beside him.

I

I

50 IHRDS or LOCH AXD MOIWTAIN

T\\v faxouritf nesting site is on the sontli sl()i)es
of a liill well over j.ooo feet high, which is well
slieltered. and has a good growth of the blaeberries
and grass which form tlie bird's chief food — in
fact, 1 have never found a nest on the north side
of a liill, altliough a few birds probably bret-d in
this situation at times. Even after the young are
hatched, the troubles of the parent bird have by
no means ended. Towards the end of Juh' I came
upon a newly-hatched chick— the mother's first
clutch must in some wa\- ha\-e been destroyed—
whose head had been bitten right off by some stoat
or Hoode (row. The body was (piite warm, and
bl .od was still dropping from the wound. Scattered
round were the pieces of down and tiny feathers,
so that probably more than one bird had fallen a
victim to the ])oacher. The mother bird was run-
ning round anxiously, and I felt sorry indeed for

her.

The voung birds are able to lly very shortly
after thev are hatched and while still (luite small.
The old bird watches over them with great care,
and resorts to all kinds of tricks to lead the in-
truder away from her children. Once I was photo-
graphing a small >oung one, when suddenly it
and its brothers and sisters rose cheeping and flut-
tered down tlie hillside. Immediately the old bird
flew right up to nu" feet and looked uj) at me
appealinglv ; but unfort" irately my supply of plates
had run out, so I lost a splendid oi)portunity of
obtaining a unique i)hotograph. I have seen a
Ptarmigan's voung in great danger from a herd
of fr="litened deer, and the old bird half running,
half flving along in front of the herd.

By August the chicks are full grown, when

lilRDS OF LOCH AND MOIWTAIX 51

youiif^ and old form into coveys ; but I liuvr seen
pairs in every montli of the year. The pliotograph
of the hen Ptarmigan outHned against the snow-
lield was obtained in June. The pair hatl evitlently
had their eggs sucked, and whih' the cock Hew-
right off. the hen hghted on a stone about twenty

ROOSTING HOLLOWS OF PTARMIGAN IN THE SNOW.

vards away. Little dreaming of success, I fever-
ishlv put up my camera and began to stalk her
foot bv foot. Strange to sav, she did not seem at
all disturbed, and I was enabled to get two or three
shots at her. It will be seen that her bill is open,
as she was greatly distressed with the heat. As late
as the end of June, after a month of fme summer
weather, winter again descended on the mountains,
which were covered with several inches of fresh
snow, and I fear this must have killed some of the
voung birds on the highest nesting grounds. In

I

itil

If

t

! •

!^

A

3-' /^/A7).s- or LOCH AM) MOl'MAIX

winter tlic birds sleep in eovevs on the leeward
side of ;i liill. scraping' hollows in the snow.

I think that a line June day aniontist the Ptar-
niii,'an inn>t e\»'r li\-e in the nieniorv of a trtie lover
of'^natnre, as, <piite apart from tiie ornitholo-ical
point of view, the .yrand seenerv and the delirion>
srent of eonntle>s blaeberrv plants, elad in the
s(.fte-t green, broken here and there bv a lin.uerin-
wreath of the winter's snow, all tend to form an
e\(piisite picture which, once seen, will ever li\e
in the memorv. /•>""/ " Tlic Il/uslnilcd Spottin<^
and Dranuitic AVaS.".

THE WOODCOCK

Ai.Tiioif.ii for the most part only a winter visitor
to ICnuland. the Woodcock remains throughout
the sister coimtrv to the north, but
, are in all probabilit\ considerably
the winter bv birds from

)me

tl

le season ui

then- num

biT?

auqmenti'd during

Scandinavia an<

1 the 1-ar North, which havi- c(

south to esca]

)e the severe cold.

One of the eai

iiest of our ne

>ters, the Wood-
the latti'r half of
March, and bv April almost all the binls are brood

coc

k lavs her e-'us e\ en a> soon as

mu

A favourite nestin;^ Liround is

amoui

t tin

withered and fallen bracken in a wood where the
trees ar.' not too close to.gether, and i)lantations ot
birch and oak >eem much sougdit after, especially
if tlu'V are near a river or loch where the birds

can o

ibtain food without much trouble

No nest woi

th tl

le

name
sliiiht hollow is scraped anion

is constructed, but a
>t the bracken or

fallen lea\e:

ind here the e^K^ are ileposited. These

k

WOODCOCKS NEST WITH ELONGATED FGG

5*

/.7/v7^s (H- i.()< II .i.\7> Morxr.nx

miinhci froiii time to four, !-iif imlikr ino-^t other
hinh ot tliis fiimilv, \\lii< li inv;iri.il)l\ la\ tour. tli<"

W

()( MIlM 11'

Uf^t

,l\'f SCCU

lia\f as oltcu as

tio

t ( ontaiiird tlirtc fii;^-^ •»i"'v. \vlii(li liarmonisc to

SI

id

1 au a•^

toni-'liinu extent witli the surrouiKlint,'

ohjei t-> that it take^ a xcrv sharj) eve to diMover
tlieui. Ill >h i|>e tlie\ are not so |>\ riforin as those
(»t the ( urlew or Lapwinf,', and lia\e an oh\t'
ground eolour with numerous spot- oi a (hirker
brown : >-on)etiuu> the ;,'ronnd colour i- more of
a ,i,'reeni>h tin.Cf.

Ihe motiier bird i> usuallv an exceedini^lv *l<>^t'
sitter, and as slie entuches low on the ,L;round the
(»nlv thinu that betravs that she is not a stiek or
piece (.f i)ark is her lari,'e bri;,'ht eve, which, it is

'aid

>lie w

ill half close in her attempt to av(»id

detection. A \'ear (

ir two ;mo I di>coVered a Wood-

cock >ittin,u \tr\ hard near the borders ol a lir
wood; and, as it was late in the afternoon, I
c;irefull\- marked the spot and retiirned with my

camera in the mornnii

When the bird saw me

>he >at absolutelv motionless, and I carefully

stalked her with m\ canu

■ra foot b\- foot, luich

moment I expected her to tly otf : but. no— even

than four feet from luT she

hen I was not m(»re

still kept her j^round. and, havinj,' exhausted my
stock of plates. I left without thishing her from
her eg}:s. .\ day or two later, on revisitiuf,' the spot,
I found these hatched off and the younj- gone,

so that the mo

cock have o

ther's braver\- had been rewarded,
a result of such i-arlv nestin.g. the Wood-
ften to sit throutih snowstorms, and

verv pathetic thev look as they brood with snow
King all around them, and a biting northerly gale
blowing through the tree?. If the storm should

HfRDS or UK H AM) MOl'M'AIS 55

l;i>t tlu'\' will probably be <)blif,c(l to It'iivt- thf
Mtst'^, iiiul tluMi the t'KK's will vcrv lik.lv In- suckftl
b\- a ImiiK'rv stout or Koodif. Tlicsc rascals will
x.inctiiucs rarrv oil tli(> I'nns wliilt- the rightful

WOODCOCKS NEST AFTER A SNOWFALL.

owner is away lookinj; for food. If the marauder
has not time to purloin all the eggs before the
mother bird returns, h(« will probably come back
every dav until he has stolen the whole clutch.

A very interesting point about the Woodcock
is that during the nesting season, from March till

1 f

; ^1

• i

»

1 I

1 !

Sh BIRDS 01- LOCH AM) MOIXTAIX

mid-July, tlicir llij^lit is (jiiitc difftTi'iit from wluit it
is (lurint; the aiituiiiii and winter months. During
this latter period on*' rarely sees them on the wing
unU'ss thished, and then their flight is a /.ig>.ag one,
much the same as the Snipe's. In the spring and
early suuuuer, ho\ve\tr, the\- appear as dusk is
coming on. and for several hours lly backwards
and forwards o\-er large stretclies of countrv,
though the\- seem to prefer to lly a little distance
abo\-e the forests where the\' nest. I heir wings ari'
moved very rapidlw and their (light is absolutely
different from that during tlie winter. I-^crv
hundred yartls or so thev utter a sharp "("hisik,"
whicii is heard a long wa\- off, and gives warning
of the bird's api)r(K',ch.

I think this particular note is the male bird's
lo\-e-song, and it is extremely interesting to obserx'e
his special note and tlight at this season of thi'
Near. Sometimes I ha\e seen one bird chasing
another, and then their crv is louder and shriller
than is usuall\- the case. If a Wootlcock is Hushed
from the ground during the spring months, its flight
is e.xacth^ the same as in winter, and it seems to

)nl\- duriuL' th

that tl

\emng Jiours mar ims specia
tlight i> made use of.

During .Ma\' and June one can count on se«'ing
the birds any e\-ening, but before darkness has set
in tiiey hax'e disappeared, ha\ing probablv gone
off to their fei'ding ground, where they s])end most
of the night.

I>v till' month of .Ma\' most of the \<>ung Wood-
cock lia\(' been hatched, and, like all the bird>
of their famih', are able to run almost iumvliatelv
after breaking the shell. \Mien tlii'y are small
and little able to look after themseh'es, the ])arent

niRDS OF LOCH AXD MOl'XTAIX 57

birds II sonu'tinus carry tlu-in from danjiiT. II
one su< acnlv conu'S upi)n u Woodcock and lu-r
brood, sho will probably snatcb uj) tlu- cliick near-
est to lu-r and bear it oif to a place of safety, and

»

■n

WOODCOCK ON NEST.

I lia\"e known tbeni carry a cliick across a
wide river. The drawback to this latter plan of
campaif^n by the mother Woodcock is that althouf^di
she has one cliick safe, her other children have
not benefited much ; and when danf^er is i)ast she
has either to «"arrv her child back to its brothers

5'^

lURDS or IJHII AM) MOCXTAIX

aiul sisters or else \vd\v luT chick on the other
side to sliitt lor itself.

I tliink one of the most charniinf,' sounds of
an »';irl\- summer evening, when the air is heavy
with the aroma of the birches just burstintj into
haf and the nuuinur of the swift-tlowin;,' river in
tlie distance strikes pU-asantlx' on the ears, is to
hear the note of tlie silent-tlyin;.,' Woodcock as he
Hits Hke a f^iant bat in thi' f^atherint; dusk. His
cry is first heartl faintly in the far distance, and
},Madually comes nearer and nearer, and one strains
to catch a t^limpse of the bird as he flies (juickly here
and there over the tree-tops.

AlthouL^h such an early nester, the e,tjj.;s of the
Woodcock are not unfreipiently fotuid as late as
the be.^inniu,!.; of .Vut^ust. and I think thesi' are
undoubt(>dl\- the nsult of a second hatchiui,', thoUi,'li
most likel\- onlv .i few birds rear a stcf»nd brood.
DuriniL; the winter months the Woodcock i^ovs
into ntinincnt, and is onl\" occasionally seen unless
the thick woods are \isit((l, when he will rise at
one's feet and Hit off like an arrow throuf,'h the trees.

Sometimes, when the birds have arrived
on our coasts after a loni( sea journey against
contrary winds, they are in such a state of
extreme exhaustion that one can take them with
the hand, so utterly worn out are they b\' their
battle against the storm. Numbi-rs, too. are killed
by flying against the glass of lighthouses, da/zled
by the brilliant light.

The Woodcock's food consists chietly of worms,
for which the bird probes with its long bill amongst
the bogs, and the proximity of which it is to a cer-
tain extent al)le to tell by thrusting its sensitive
bill deep into the ground and waiting until it

- \\
I ^1

i )

SI

■■t^?<

()(l

/>7A7).s OI- LOCH AM) MorXTAiW

nrcivts " impressions" of the lU'arnos of food. It
has been statril that luitluT a CiirUw. Woodiock,
or SniiH" has ever been found starvi-d to death.
A few winters a.uo, however, I noticed (huing severe
weather a \Vood<-oek llvint; about a plantation,
althouf^'h there was no mar>hy hmd near, and a
(lav or two later found it lyint; dead amongst some
leaves, and so thin that starvation was evidently
the eause of death.

There is no doubt that within recent years these
birds have !.;reatly in-reased with us as a nestin.u
si)ecies, and jtrobably before lonji will be cnmmonlv
met with durin},' the sunnner months throu.uhout
(ireat I>ritain.

THt GOOSANDER

rNT!i, iSjc) this handsome duck was not known to
nest in tlie British Isles, but is now met with fairly
ai)undantly on many Scottish ri\-ers, where it
remains throufihout the year, although I think its
numbers increase during the nesting season. 1 he
birds mate in early spring, but the eggs are not
laid before the beginning of June, or even later,
riiey number from nine to twelve, and ari> similar
to those of the .Mallard. onl\ considi'rably larger,
and perhaps of a darker tinge.

While nearlv ever\- keep<r I have tome across has
told me he knows the bird well, vet not one has ever
s(>en the nest, although they have often met with
till- \()ung ones. The rt'ason for this is that the
nest is placed in the most unlooked-for situations,
usualh well down an old rabbit l)urrow. I had for
vear> looked unsuccessfully for a nest, until one

..vXv-

. - . ,.-^— „ -■^..^^^■^-; „„^

NEST AND tGGS OF THE GOOSANDER

ii

'i

% .

?*

ill

i

i

hi BINDS Ol- LOCH AM) MOl'XTAIN

(lav I cunic upon a rabbit biirrow, at the mouth of
which la\- a (ioosandcr's cf,'},', lU'wly laid, and sur-
roundi'd h\ several broken shells of a considerable
aj,'e. Looking inside I was delif^hted to sec a
(ioosander sittint,' closely— so closely, indeed, that
althouf,'h I felt the eggs under her. she would not
lea\e the nest, but pecked vigorously at my hand.

jOOsanders nest with eggs covered with down during
parent biros absence.

iierc were altogether nine eggs, but the mother
! 1(1 was onl\- sitting upon seven, as one was lying
.It the entrance to the burrow and another was
outside tlie nest further down the hole.

When the eggs are first laid, the nest is only
a slight depression scraped in the binrow ; but as
incubation advances the parent bird adds (piantities
of down, with which she covers the eggs when she
is off feeding, wliich may be for hours at a time.
Although not exactly nesting in cohmies, the (ioos-
ander has favourite nesting sites, and xveral pairs

HIRDS OF LOCH AM) MOIXTAIX

()

nmv be met with breeding in close proxinutv t..
lach other. I have noticed that the hen (.oosander
i^ not particular where she deposits her eggs, and
I have seen a fresh and a last-year's egg m the nest
It the same time. It also seems to be the case

GOOSANDER ON NEST.

that the bird often uses the same burrow
more than one vear in succession. When ihs-
turbed the hen birds flv rapidly up and down the
river, (piacking softly all the while, an<l are some-
times joined bv their mates.

This summer I was shown a nest of the species

under some thick fallen branches on an island.

Ihr hen sat closelv. and bv dint of careful >talkink'

1 was able to get within about t(Mi feet of her. and

obtained a i)hotograph oi the bird on her mst. lor

NESTING SITE OF THE GOOSANDER.

niRDs or !.()( H .LV/> Morxr.iix f»5

marly a wwk I visitctl tlu- nrst daily, but tlif bird,
ii aiutliinfi. bi-camc sliyi-r t-viTV time, so tli<' lirst
photoi^rapli turiu'd out tlu> best. Tlu-rc wen- flcvcn
I'l^j^s in the lust and a f^oodly supply of down, but,
siid to say, till" youn(4 ones Wfri- nivcr liatclicd.
One dav a friend of mine observi-d soniconi'

A FISHING HAUNT OF THE GOOSANDER.

<rossint,' to the island, and soon after lu-ard the
rii)ort of a f,nin. On wadinji over shortly afterwards
I found the n<st all torn and every e^'K taken,
and liave no doubt but that the j)arent bird was
shot on leaving the nest.

The \-ounfj: are hatched off about tlie end of
June, and \<rv prettv it is to see a brood and their
mother feeiling bv the river banks. Th«' voung
are verv en.-rgeti'-. and e\-en when only a da>- or

\h

ll

:;;

■

i!

It

()()

so (I

li;i\»

lilKDS or IJX H AM) MorMAIS

1(1 (.in h.'lf >wim. half tlv aloiiK tlir surface of

birds

October, but these wen-

the water with astouishiuj,' rapiditv. Vouuf,'

been

si'eii as

lat<

probably a -ecoiul dutch.

I have often been puzzled by the behaviour of

the hen birds duriuL,' the nestiuf,' se

iisoii. When the

iie>tinK haiuit is appnuu

bed

se

al (

loosai

^der^

of both sexes, b it chiefly females— seem to apinar
1 flv backwarils and forward.s.

from nowhere an(

cpiackinK excitedly all the whil«

rather stranuc becai -^e in

ined the hen alwa\s

bird

This fact seems
the nests I have exam-

s one sees

sits very hanl. wluieas th'-
llyinf,' backwaxls and forwards must
have left their nest (if the\ had one) while tlu'
intruder was yet a lon^ wav off. The Noung ^nAv
(luicklv and are will <m the wing by August, when

lot

a ke«per told nie he killed liv«- at one si

\'trv olten the Oy-ter (at. her and doosander
est in the same localitv. and once I saw what was

between a (ioosander and

n

verv nearlv a ( ((ilision

an

Ovster (at. her; the latter, in its an

xietv for its

\-oung, making
onU' avoided a
effort.

straight for the (ioosamler which
bad accident bv a desperate

Most li-h.is would probably be pleased it
1 to be afforded to this duck,
ideiable amoimt of
ahuon frv in the rivers.

protection cea>e(

as it must cause a cons

(lama'.

amou!

tl

le smal

and has betn known to " ilo for" a couple of trout,
both (piite .{ lb. in weight, in a very short space ()f
time. One evening I was lying by the river side
when a (ioosander came unsuspectingly close up
and began diving for trout, making a charming

ther bird of the same

picture. After a time ano
sj)ecies IK w rapidlx up the ri\er

and, catching sight

r i

MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TEST CHART

iANSI and ISO TEST CHART No 2l

1.0

I.I

1.25

;- iiiM

1.4

IIIM

II 2.2

[2.0

1.8
1.6

^ /APPLIED INA^GE Inc

—^ '■-...-ester, Ne* 'jr" '*&09 JSA
■^ . '"^. te: - D300 - f^none

(hS

/>7A7AS Ol' LOCH AM) MOl'MAIX

of iiu'. uttcml a warnin.u "([uack," ui)<)n which the
lirst (hick made otT as fa>t as possibU^. Possibly
the (ioosaiulcr has always nested with us, as in
former times less notice was i)aid to birils than
at the l)resent day ; but keepers seem to be of
the opinion that it has increased considerably
within recent years, and I hope it will hold its
own for manv a day to come.

THE GOLDEN PLOVER

Oni: of the most charmintr o

f the birds of the

Clu

mountain i> uiuloubtedlv the (iolden Plover (( Inmi-
driiis pliivla/is). and on vast tracts of desolate
moorland its plaintiv(> long-drawn cry is heard
at its best. No bird has, I think, such a note of
e\(iuisite sadness as the " rain bird," as it is some-
times called, on account of its supposed ability to
forecast changes in the weather.

When the soft bree/.es of spring have melted
the winter's snow on the heath-clad hillsides, the
(lolden Plover appear on the uplands in large
flocks Two \ears ago the month of March was ex-
ceptionallv line and open, and I noted the lirst
flock of Golden Plover on March i()th. They had
evidently just arrived from the coast, and were
busilv engaged in searching for food on some sheep
pasture in a wild glen. Among them, strange to
sav was also a small flock of Starlings.

" Should a large tlock of Golden Plover be dis-
turbed it is a wonderful sight to see how the\- wheel
and manaMivre. Thev seem to be making straight
for a certain point, when suddenlv the leader turns
almost at right angles, and the whole tlock follows

BIRDS OF LOCH AM) MOUNTAIX 69

hiinwithoir. Mie least hesitation. Tliis often goes on
for some tii:.e, and the Hock usualh' returns to the
same place from which it rose. It is. I think,
([uite certain that the leader must communicate
with the flock before a sudden movement is executed,
although the note is so low as to be inaudible to
the observer, otherwise it would be almost impos-
sible for them to turn so abruptly without warning.

The line weather of March jnoved very deceptive,
however, as on April 4th— by which date the (ioldeii
Plover. Curlew. Kedsliank, and Black-headed Gull
had all arrived on the moors— a se\-ere snowstorm
conunenced, and lasted for fulh' a week. No
ordinary s|)ring snowstorm was this, but a regular
mid-winter blizzard, covering the ground with an
average depth of 6 inches of snow, and piling up
wreaths behind the dykes fully h feet in depth.

I have good reason to remember this storm, as I
started out on the wildest day for a remote glen
some twertv miles distant. On the low grounds the
snow was of little depth, but gradually immense
wreaths were encountired, and the snow was
drifted along the ground in blinding clouds.
Soon an intense frost set in, which froze the
cycle tyres vo the mud-guards, and thus rendered
progress almost impossible. However, after a live-
hours' ride— or, rather, walk— my destination was

reached.

What sufferings did the Golden Plover undergo
during this storm I All the landscape was shrouded
in spotless white, and immense tiocks of Curlew,
Lapwing, and Golden Plover could be seen vainly
searching for food. After a few tlays they were
so weak from want of nourishment that they were
scarcelv able to utter their call notes. Just before

u

II

i,.

tV,

fr
til

•i

V:

7„ BIRDS or LOCH AND MOUNTAIN

tlu" snow came, a l)ii)i)fr had conii)k'tiHl her nest
on a rock beside a tiny ^vaterfall. On visitnig this
during the storm I found no traces of tlie nest,
which Mas completely covered by a snow-wreath
se\'eral feet dee)*.

I-or some davs after arriving on the moors, the
C.olden Plover remain in Hocks, but most of them
have paired b\- the beginning of April. However, I
have more than once seen Hocks during the latter
lialf of Mav. and this fact is dinicult to account for.
On the low groumls. if the season be an early one,
the I'ggs are sometimes laid in \pn\, but the principal
nesting month is undoubtedly May.

The C.olden Plover has a very wide range during
the nesting season, some pairs nesting almost at sea-
levt'l. while the majorit)' seem to prefer some grassy
hillside for a nesting haunt. On one mountain of
>,0()() feet, the (ioldeii Plover, Ptarmigan, Curlew,
and Lapwing— not to nu-ntion the Wheatear and
Meadow Pipit— all nest in perfect unitv within a
stone's-throw of each otlu-r. In many respects
the CioUU'U Plover differs widely from its near
relative, the Lainving. I'nlike the latter bird it never
—as far as I know— attacks Crows or otlier
birds whicli are on the look-out for its eggs or
young ; while the Lapwing will attack anything
that ventures near its nesting site— from a (iolden
JCagle down to a Starling.

.\gain, the Lajnving keei)s almost continuously
on the wing when uttering its alarm note, but the
Ciolden Puiver usually calls while on the ground
and will never swoop and rush through the air as
does tlie (ireen PIovct. The nest is far more diffi-
cult to discover than that of the Lajnving, as the
birds harmonise with their surroundings, and slip

'\\

i:

GOLDEN PLOVERS NEST- NEARLY 3.000 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL.

1 i

II

•1

/-

HINDS OF !.()( H AM) MOl'MAIX

at the K'i'st sif,Mi of (huif^'cr. but

off tlicir I'.nt,'^
rarclv ll\' awaw

The 'ioldcn I'lovir make use of three (Ustinct

notes. Ihe one most freciuen

tlv heard is its lon;^'-

(Irawn " Tu-et

sonu'times varied by " Twee

ri

lese

sec

•m to be used i)rincipally as alarm notes. Another

di

It

some

times uttered on tlie winji. and is not, I think, an
alarm note. It sounds something like " Whew-
wlu'oo." When in lloeks, and also during the nest-
ing season, the ('.olden Plover uses a sort of i)urring
note, something resembling that of the Dotterel,
and sounding like " Trueoo. trueoo, trueoo."

The male ("lolden Plo\er usualh' stands on some
prominc'ut rock or knoll, conunanding a wide out-
look, and when he catches sight ol the intruder,
utters his melancholy whistle " Tuee, tree." Then
he runs along in front as fast as he can, and
after a little' while takes wing. On hearing his
alarm note, the hen slij-s off the eggs and
joins her mate at some distance from the nest.
Sometimes, however, she disregards her mate's
cry, hoi)ing to escape detection by her jjrotective

colouring.

Towards the end of May I was near the summit

of a mountain 3.(>"<> f^'^'t liij^'^i- T^^^'r^' ^^'^^ ^ ^^^^"^^
mist near the top, but I thought I would attempt
to reach the cairn. All at once I came upon a
(■olden Pl(>ver covering her eggs. She was exception-
allv confiding, and sat (piite still, while I was watch-
ing her not hve feet off. The gold feathers on her
back made her a fairly i^rominent object against
the dark surroundings. What a chance it would
have been if onlv I had had my camera with me !
But unluckilv all I had was a field glass, so I built

lURPS OF LOCH AM) MOrXTAlX -.>

a cairn near bv to mark the spot, and. this done,
rcturiu'd to tlu' lust. I found, however, that tht-
bird had slipped off whik- my back was turned.
This, I think, shows that she fancied she was un-
detected, and so sat closely, but left the nest directly
she had a chance of getting away without bemg

observed.

Next da\-, I returned to the sjwt with my camera,
but tlu' hen left the eggs while I was yet a long dis-
tance off. Howe\-er, I succeeded in getting some
good photographs of the nest, one of which illus-
trates this article.

It is a fact worthv of note that during a nust
all birds— specially the Ptarmigan— sit very much
closer than on a clear dav, probably because they
are aware that owing to the mist, danger is upon
them before tlie\- are aware of its presence.

Htfore the hen (Golden Plover has commenced
to sit, and when there are only one or two eggs
in the nest, the cock bird stands on guard about
50 vards off, the hen usually taking up her position
a few vards from the nest. When disturbed, she
flies right away, and does not run along the ground
as is the case "when she is brooding.

The eggs invariably number four, one being laid
each day. They are slightly larger than those of
the Lapwing, and are of xer>- great beauty, being o
a greenish-brown ground colour and spotted and
blotched with dark red. The nest is placed among
heather or bent, sometimes among boggy ground,
and the eggs are exceedingly difficult to detect,
although vou mav be not a foot from them. Should
the nest be discovered, the birds do not call loudly,
but watch intently to s.e if their home will be
spoiled. Sometimes if the nest is reached without

^11

11

|:>

74 lilRDS or IA)( H AM) MOL'XTAIN

aiiv wurnini; to the sitting' lu'n, she rises and
lliitttTs iiUnv^ in front, so as to try to decoy you
from tlu' vicinity of her cj^'gs.

riu' (ioldcn Plover seem to be mucli more shy
when thev nest on hills which serve as sheep pas-

, «^*

YOUNG GOLDEN PLOVER CROUCHING TOGETHER FOR
WARMTH.

tures, as wliere there are sheep, shepherds are con-

tinnally walking; to and fro on the hills and
must fiive the nestin^^ birds i^^eat anxiety. When,
however, they nest on desolate hillsides they are
much more conhding ; but the responsibility rests
almost entirely with the cock bird, and if he is
absent from the nest, the hen will sit until you are
almost upon her.

/^//v7>.S- or LOCH AXD MOl'STAIX 75

riic pt-riod of incubation is abo»it thru- weeks,
but varies somewiiat according to the dryness of
the weather. The youn^ are ahnost all hatched
out by the first week in Jiuie ; the earliest date on
which I ever saw them was May loth, when they
were probablv .luite a week old, and this alth.ouKh

1

NESTING SITE OF THE GOLDEN PLOVER.

April had been a very stormy month, with frost
and snow almost daily.

When the voung have left the nest the old birds
are very anxious about them and show signs of the
greatest distress when they are approached. The cock
and hen will both run round and round all the while
vou are near, keeping at a safe distance, and every
now and again taking short flights to try to decoy
you from the vicinitv. Occasionally they will circle
round the intruder's head two or three tunes,

1 1

M

>\

i

fl

%

ii

I;

: IS !

.1%

7<» /.7A7;.s OI- !.()( II AM) MOCXTAIN

.allinu loudly all the wliiU- ; but tlicy will nt-vir. like
ihc I.a|)\vinf,s keep on tlu' wing for a lonj,' period.
ICvcn afttT vou have j^om- hundndsof yards from the
young birds, the parents will still call sluillv, and once
I was followed about half a mile by the old birds.
This was on a flat moor, and when I had reached

a (le|)ression

at the I'ud of it, one of the (iolilen

IMoxer came straight towards me and circled round
m\' head. Then, seeing that I was really lea\ing
the vicinitv, they both returned at once to the other
end of the moor, where the voung ones were cro

uching

the heather.

among

The young are full grown by July, and soon
after they are able to tly both >-oung and old depart
for the sea coast, where they haunt the estuaries of
rivers m large Hocks, along with the Curlew, Red-
shank, and Lapwing.

The winter months nnist be an anxious time
for them, .or, besides the scarcity of food, fowlers
are very often lying in wait for the luckless birds ;
and manv a Plover which led its young in pride
and joy down to tlic coast will return no more
to its beloved nesting grounds, where it hatched
off its brood in peace and happiness.

THE CURLEW

T}Ii:rk is something very fascinating about the
wail of the Curlew. When, after wintering on
the sea coast, he returns to his nesting haunts,
his wild sweet whistle on the lone mountain tracts
fills e\er\- true bird lover with a great happiness,
bringing back to him memories of former spring
days passed on the hills, with the wailing of the

I

. !

lilRDS or !.()( ff A.\n Mor MAIS'

II

CrirlfW ;i> the only souiul to (li-tiirl> the iiDnntiiin
solitudes.

During tlic winter inontlis, when tliev ke-p tor
the ino>t piirt in hiri^e tlork>, hauntint,' the otuiiries
,,f rivers in ronipanv with the Ue(hliank>, C.old.-n
Plovers, and their other eonipanions oi the nioor-
land>, the ( urlew> use a ditferent note ironi that
wliich adds such a rharm to the moorlands -or,
latiier, thev s(.nietiines use this note during the
ue>tinu season, as well as several others, ainon«
whieh is the wild, vibrating,' ery which thev be-m
to utter directlv thev arrive from the coast. '1 his
i> the love-son,^ of the male bird, and commences
with a whistle uttered in a U)W kev. the succeeding
whistles beiufi littered rapidly, all the while m a
risin,u kev. until the top note is reached, when the
whistle becomes more prolonged, until it dies away
in a sort of loni^-drawn wail.

It there is any wind the Curlew hovers a.^ainst
it. something after the fashion of a Kestrel, all the
while uttering its plaintive whistle, but the call
note is used more frefpiently when the bird is

descendiiii;. . .

The Curk'W is \ery local in its distribution
and max- be found in great numbers on a hill on one
side of the valle\-, while on the other side it is almost
unknown. The ideal nesting haunt is a hillside
with not too much heather, but a plentiful growth
of long and coarse grass, and a good deal of boggy
ground here and there, as the Curlews obtain most
of their food from the marshes.

Towards the midtlle of March, if the weather be
tin(\ the Curlews begin to appear on the moor-
lands, adding an immense charm to the mountain
sides and loneh' moors. They usually arrive in

I : I

I

t i
I

it

\\

7.S /.7A7).s ()l- /.(>( H .\M> yorXTAIX

Wurk^. hut alinoNt iniiiudiuttlv break u|> into pairs;
until tlitii. Iiowfvcr, tlicv rarclv. if cvrr. uttrr tlirir
lU'stiiiK »'V. Soniftiiiu'S tlit\- an- misled by a spell
of warm weatlier in Manli into thinkiiif,' the winter
must be over ; but soon after tliey liav»' riarlied the
moorlands winter af,'ain sets in with all its severity,
and thev are put to terrible straits.

It seems verv stranj^'e why the Curlews
should not descend a^ain to the sea roast on
a return of winter, as with their powt-rful ih^lit
thev could reach the sea, even from th.e most in-
land districts, in the s|)ace of an hour or two ; but
this. I believe, thev never do. In fact, I have seen
them starvinf4 in frost and snow when less than
an hour's thght would have taken them down to
tin- coast where food in plent>- is ever to be found,
and \et to do this apparently never entered their
heads.

The spring of I()Ot was especiall\- severe, with
fresh fails of snow daily, and the Curlews could be
heard calling mournfully to each other when a
new storm was commencing, as if they knew that
fresh hardships were befori" them. One day in
March of that year, there was a heavy storm
overnight, followed by a day of cloudless skis
and brilliant sun, which had a curious ettV'ct
on the hills. On their southern slopes the snow
had all disappi'ared ere dusk, and the mountain
burns on these sun-exp )sed sides were in flood.
On the other hand, the northern sides of the hills
remaint>(l si)otlessly white the whole day. Thus
the sunny sides of the hills were crowded with bird
lift — CurU'ws. R(>dshanks. Lapwings, and (iolden
l>lovers— all searching diligently for food, while
the snow-clad lands were absolutely de\'oid of wild

/^//v7>.S' 01' !.()( H AM> M(>( \r.il\ -<»

lift'. Durinf,' this storm I >a\v a Whcattar one
of the earliest of m\r summer visitors f;ii'''"K ^^'<'i
iA-ident astonishment at the -now-covered k'<">»<I.
|)rohablv sei-ing snow for tlie lirst time in its hfe.

After having been at their Munmer haunts for
six weeks or so, the CurU-ws b«-gin to think of
nesting', and bv the first week in Mav manv ol
tlie birds have v^^^. The (*urU-ws are extremelv
shy at all times, but especially during the nestmg
season. Then the male bird is usually on the
watch, and at his whistle the hen inunediatelv
'.eaves her nest, when you are still perhaps half
a mile awav. The hen always Hies right off the
nest, and does not. like the (".olden Plover and most
ground-nesting birds, run for some distance lirst.
As it is, the nest is extremely ditBcult to lind, and
if the Curlew were to run along the ground bi-forc
taking flight, it would be almost hopeless to attempt
to discover it.

The Curlew's nest is a cup-shaped hollow scraped
in the ground, generally in marsh land and some-
times on a little knoll surrounded b>- water, as in
the photograi)h illustiating this article. Th<> nest has
hardly any lining— sometimes a few straws or sprigs

of heather.

The eggs invariably number four : they are
pear- form in shape, and ar(> very large for the
size of the bird ; they are always i)laceil with
their small ends lying in the centre of the nest.
It is usually the case with ground-nesting birds
that thev lay very large eggs, as the young chicks
must be strong and vigorous directly they emerge
from the shell, so as to be able to hold their own
with the number of enemies which are alwa\s
abundant on the moorlands. Birds of the Hawk or

I''

i

' ! i
J I
i I M

M

tt'i

I-.!

/ .--'^-^y > ^;7

s-\ ^'

Jt>^ <

h.?^/-

.'^■>

^•^/v

^^;.-'.*

f^^v vi> - '

o
u.

o

'■■V.->.'

'^:^-^

\i yr-/ V-

^

UJ

z

■>y1'

\v ■

^ \ ^

BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN Si

(-roxv familv on the other hand lav comparatively
small e-gs." for their vounji have no need ot any
exceptional strength, as they remain m a safe nest
for manv weeks and all their food is bronght to
them bv their parents. As an illustration of this,
the oss" of the (Golden Kagle is only shf,ditly larger
than that of the (-urlew. although the former is a
verv much larger bird. .

The eggs of the Curlew varv greatly in colouring,
even in the same nest. Sometimes the ground
colour is buff, at other times green, and the spots
and blotches varv greatly both in si/e and shape.
The e"gs are beautifullv coloured, and harmonise
co.apletelv with their surroundings, so that you
might almost tread upon them and be none the

''"'The Curlew which I was fortunate enough 1o
photograph was an exceptionally contiding bird;
and after a good deal of perseverance I succeeded
in picturing her on the nest. The hrst time she
saw me she rose when I was about 200 yaras away,
and I never dreamt of photographing her. 1 re-
turned with mv camera a day or two later, in order
to pliotographthe nest. This time the bird allowed
me to approach within 100 xards or so, but even
then I had not hopes of " taking " her.

\boutaweek ifterwards I again visited thene^t,
and to mv astonishment was able to photograph
the sitting bird at a distance of some 50 feet, bverx
dav or so I managed to get a little nearer unti at
last I fixed up the camera within about b feet
of" the nest, and obtained a good photograph.
Had I been a second later in releasing the shutter,
all mv trouble would have been useless, as im-
mediately the photograph was taken she flew off

n

i 1

I
1 I

\

i

•3,

\

i^2 BIRDS OF LOCH AM) MOCNTAIN

the nest and lighted in the ht'uther quite near,
calling l()udl\', and was soon joined by her mate.
But, strangely enough, she had never previously
uttered her alarm note, but had llown off the nest
in C()ni})lete silence.

Three of the eggs were hatched off safely, but

CURLEW ON NEST.

for some reason she left the fourth, even although
the shell was already chipped, and the young bird
in a few more hours would lia\e gained its liberty ;
as it was, it died miserably in the shell. How-
ever, I think the remaining three youngsters were
reared in safety.

The \oung Curlews are hatched by the middle
of June , those forming the subject of the illustration,

BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOrXTAIX N;,

lunvever, were
as nine o'clock
and fruitlessK'
graph, and at
came upon a
ones, although
The young

photographed on July 5th. as lat*-
in the evening. I had searched long
for some young Curlews to photo-
length, in an upper Donside glen.
Curlew which evidently had young
I failed at first to discover them,
birds were in a grass field bordering

YOUNG CURLEW.

the road, and as long as the intruder kept walkuig
or cycling along the ro^d. the mother bird took
no notice of him; so I cycled past as if I did not
know there was such a thing as a ( urlew. a 1 the
while keeping the tail o^ my eye on the bird an<l
her voung. When I had reached the point nearest
to them I suddenlv dismounted and immediateh"
the Curlew rose with a wild cry, and all the xoung
ones crouched flat in the grass. But I liad carc-
fullv marked the exact spot, and had no dithcultv
in findfng the downv chicks. Meanwhile the ( urlew

i\

i 1

! i

,S4 I^IRDS Of LOCH AM) MOUNTAIN

was swooi)ing at nie. vitterinj,' tlie most frantic cries
and shrieks; so imniediatel\- after the i)hotograph
was 1 iken I made off as (luickly as i)ossible and
left her to return to her family. 1 often saw the

WHERE THE CURLEW NEST.

mother and her chicks while i)assing along the road
and on July 19th— the last time I saw them— they
had grown considerably.

B>- the beginning of August most of the young
Curlews are strong on the wing, and by the middle
of the month both young and old commence to return

H

BIRDS OF LOCH AXD MOUNTAIX S5

to the sea coast. By tlie earl\- part of September
the last of the ("urlews hax'e reached the coast,
and until spring comes again the wild ringmg
cry of the soaring Curlew will no more be heard
at its beloved nesting-grounds.

ri

THE SANDPIPER

Tin- Sandi)iper is one of the most endearing of our
summer visitors and adds an immense charm to
the rivers and streams where it has its sununer
home and rears its Noung. When s].rmg has r.-
turned once more and the rivers are swollen b>-
the melting of the upland snows, the Sandpiper
makes its appearance on its beloved river sides,
and it is alwa\ s with a feeling of gladness that one
hears its clear, sweet whistle for the first time

The usual date of its arrival is about the middle
of \pril. Last spring I heard its whistle for the
first time on April 17th. I was wandering along
the banks of a rushing mountain stream amongst
the glens of the Highlands, when suddenly this
little summer visitor flew whistling bN', adding
a new jov to all the burn side.

Soon 'after their arrival the Sandpipers i^air,
but usuallv are comparatively late in nesting.
The eggs are laid towards the end of May or
the beginning of June. They invariably number
four and are pvriform in shape, being always
placed with their small ends at the centre. Should
the experiment be made of turning the eggs so as
to lie with their small ends pointing outwards, the
mother bird on her return always restores them
to their former position, as she would scarcely be

Sf, HIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN

able to cover tlu-ni wen' tlu' small oiuls not towards
tlif centre. They arc very beautiful, the
colour varvinK' from a buthsh to a greenish

and

th

are thickly speckled and bl

ground
tinge,
tched

with crimson or brownish red.

t is always in the vicinity of water,
the river banks amongst the luinnes or

The nes
usuallv on

thick grasses. It is scarcely a nest in the projx'r
sense of the word, being mer(>ly a hollow scraped
in the groimd and scantily lined with dried grass,
stems, and U'a\'es. Sometimes it is devoid of any
lining. Although the Sandpii)er seems to prefer a
river for its summer haunt, yet it is often met with
nesting on the shores of a highland loch, and very
bi'.iutiful do till' birds look as they skim whistling
over the locli's mirrored surface.

Altitude seems to count for nothing with them,
and I have seen two or more i)airs nesting on
the banks of a mountain tarn almost 3,000 feet
above sea-leNel. However, they seem to be in
no hurr\- to arrive on the high ground, and
they are usually seen at the mouth of a river a
day or so before their advent is recorded on its
uj)per reaches.

When brooding, the Sandi)ipcr is sometimes a
verv close sitter, and will almost allow herself to
be taken with the hand. W'len at last she sees
that further decei)tion is useless she flutters off,
hissing loudly, and trailing her wings along the
ground in the atiempt to draw the intruder from
her nest. But once she knows that her secret has
been discovered, she no longer sits closely, but slips
off the eggs long before you are near.

Whether the Sandpiper is a close sitter or not
dei)ends a great deal on her surroundings. Should

BIRDS OF LOCH AM) MOl'M'AIX

^7

the nest be well concealed under a bush or tuft
of grass, then the mother bird will sit until \<)u
have almost trampled on her; but, on the other
hand, when the nest is placed in an open situation,
the bird is a very light sitter and will leave the

'■"i.-:

'""^•^7^-

.1

NEST AND EGGS OF SANDPIPER.

eggs at the slightest hint of danger, even though
the young are just hatching.

Although the Sandpiper does not nest in colonies,
it has its favourite breeding haunts, where a nest
may be discovered every twent\- or thirty yards.
So long as you are in the vicinity of their nests
the Sandpipers whistle plaintively, every now and

I!

;

/ /:

,>r," - .' --.■v ^.

*:^7,

7riY

YOUNG SANDPIPER CROUCHING.

i

BIRDS OF LOCH AM) MOCXTAIX S«)

af,'ain taking short tlij,'lits across the river ami n-
turniiif,' inimcdiatfly.

Wlicn on the winy tlu-v always skim tlu> surface
of tlu' water, often beinj,' so dose to it that tluir
winfis actually touch the surface.

No bird, I think, calls so much as the Sand-
l)il)er. They are continually whistling to each other
all through the day, and even during night tlu-ir
beautiful cry, often accompanied by the Oyster
Catcher's whistle, maybe heard down by the rush-
iuL' river and are the onlv sounds to break the
midnight stillness.

The young Sandpipers are hatched out in June.
Very soon after the\- are born tlie\- are able to
leave the nest and are led by their parents along
the river banks. The young Sandpipers are almost
impossible to discover. Harmonising perfectly with
their surroundings, they crouch motionless at the first
warning cry of their parents and remain so until
all danger is j^ast.

Were it not for the parent birds, one would
never guess that young Sandpipers wer- in the
vicinitv ; but both the old birds show signs of the
greatest anxiety when their young are approached,
trying in every way to draw the intruder off. They
will allow \ou to approach within a yard or two
of them, when thev rise and alight a little farther
on ; all the while they bob their tails up and down
incessantlv and show signs of the greatest distress.
During tfie daytime they rarely remain very near
their young ones, i)robably because if they
should "suddenly be disturbed, the young have a
better chance of escape when they are scattered

about.

The usual note uttered by the Sandpiper when

1 1

■ i

'!

m

it

it

lURDS or LOCH AM) MOUNTAIN <)i

its young are in danger is a long drawn " Twec-
tweo." Then it {:oos off into several short notes
re[)eated rapidly, sounding like " Tx\ tu twee tu,
tu tu twee tu." although 't is, of course, almost
in)i)ossible to rejjroduce in writing the note of any
bird.

The young birds take a little more than a month
to become fully fledged, and immediately they are
readv, both young and old lea\e their moorland
homes for the estuaries of rivers, and, after a short
lialt, set out for their winter homes across the
sea. About the third week of Julv the Sandpipers
are still to be met with e\erywhere, and \()U can-
not lind yourself b\' the river side without hearing
their musical cry. The next week > ou may wander
along the same river banks and be conscious of
something lacking. Suddenly you realise that the
SandpijK'rs have left for sunnier climes, taking
their young with them, and that they will be seen
no more till the snow and storms of another winter
have gone and spring has come to us once again.

THE REDSHANK.

0\ the lone marsh lands, far up amongst the silent
hills, the ringing whistle of this ])laintivc bird, as he
soars and hovers above his nesting site, falls jileas-
antly on the ears. In many counties the Redshank
nests almost entirely along the coast line, but in
Aberdeenshire, although this is to a certain extent
the case, nearly every moorland bog has its
pair of Red-legged Sandpipers, to tpiote the local
name.

After wintering at the sea the Redshanks,

.!

in

i)2 lilKl)

S Ol- f.()(H .IM> MOCMAIS

oil thf rttuni ot spriiiK, i<iivt

f(»r their \vtll-l<i\f(l

nrstitiK - Kntiiiu

Is ;iii(l aif iisuiillv piiind on tlu-ir
!l\- ;i little liit«r than that

arrival, which is iiMia

„f the < iirl.w nr (-...Idcii IMov.r. Alter being cm
tin- niourlamls f..r a month or so, the binh betlnnk
themselves (.f noting' and scrape a >liKht hollow
on a (Irv spot in a bo^,'. very oft«'n on a little km)ll
with water all around.

riiere is no nest in the true sense ot the word,
but sometimes the lu.llow is lined with a hw blades
of grass, and here the hen, in the t-arly i)art of >hiv.
lavs her four eggs. Thev are pyriform m shape,
and. as is the case with all the " wc.ders,"' are
placetl with their small ends in the centre. In
colour and shape they might be mistaken tor those
of the ( ".olden Plover, were, it not for tluir smaller
si/e and the presence of the i)arent birds.

The nest is verv ditlicult to discover, as the
hen usuallv is a verv light sitter, especially if she
knows that her nest has been previousl\- found, and
she often leaves the eggs before the ornithologist
has an\- idea of a nest being in the vicinity. Some-
times howi-ver. I have known the hen to sit closely
oven when the eggs were onlv freshlv laid, and her
cry is almost human in its distress as she leaves
her treasure-.

There is one nesting spot that I know well,
where a highland road passes through a bog antl
divides it into two ]iarts, and on each side of
the road a pair of Redshanks every year rear their
brood and usuallv at almost the same spot. On
one occasion, after hnding the nest on the one side of
the road. I .^pent several hours searching for Snipes
nests on the other, some 500 yards distant, exi)ect-
ing that the Redshank wmild return to her eggs.

niRDS oi- i.<>( u .iA'/> Mors IMS' <».;

lUxt, no ; as lonu as I tviiuiintd in thr viciiutv she
did not nnuv back, ami on f«rlinK' tin- r-^s on inv
(Irparturc I fonnd tlu-ni to be (jnitr cold. Hnt not-
witlistandinL' tlir lon^ abst-ncf of tlu- i>annt bird.

NEST OF REDSHANK.

tlu' yonn^' were in dne conrse hatched out none
the worse.

l"or \ears in succession I have looi<ed m \ani for
thi- nests of two pairs of Redshanks on the niarf,'in of
a hij-hland lochan, wliere they nest every spring,' ;
but, altliouf,'h I have found the broken e^'f^s after
the young have been hatched out, I have never
been able to discover the nest.

It is interestinfi to notice that the Wood-
cock and, usually, the Curlew leave the broken

!

i

i p. . I

m

<)4

lURDS OF LOCH AM) MOl'XTAIX.

v'^^-^\\v\U ill tlu' iK'st, while tlu- Redshank carries
eacli shi'U some tlistance ii\va\- when tlu; young
bird has enierj^ed. It is difficult to understand
the reason for this, seeing,' tiiat the young leave
the nest almost ininiediatel\- after they are hatched,
so that the i)roxiniity of broken slu'lls could hardly
betray the young bird's presence.

When the birds have eggs they are conii)aratively
silent after they have left the nest. When the young
\vd\v emerged from the shell, however, the parent
birds, both male and female, betra\- the greatest
anxiety on behalf of their chicks, circling round
tile intruder's lieatl and untiringly uttering their
alarm note.

fowards the end of -May the young birds put
in an appearance, but are extremely difficult to
discover, as at the alarm note of the old birds
the chicks immediately crouch on the ground
and remain jierfectly motionless until the danger
has passeil.

During the spring months the Redshank uses
several dillerent notes. The male bird is very
fond of .■>oaring up against the wind, something after
the manner of a Skylark, and, after remaining for
a few seconds poised, descends rapidly to earth,
all the time uttering his song, whicii, during his uj)-
ward flight, sounds something like ' ("In. clu, clu,''
ami during the downward "Clueu, clueu, clueu."
The alarm note is sharp and short, and the
birds also use a cr\- whicli seems to be jirincipalh-
a call note, sounding like " Tuc a tuc tu," and by
imitating this it is possible to make the birds imme-
diately respond to th(> human whistle.

There is one colony where I should think hun-
dreds of birds nest together, and in the month of

^iNii'i'i' I'll 'iiiiiiiiPi a»i'iiJiifiiiiP<i'inniM ii'ii> iiiiiri I |ii II .^■ijKsmFimD-Ji^.«^K-!(^-fwtMiry::^BB^

BIRDS OF LOCH AXD MOINTAIX 95

June, when tliev luive younji. tlie noise which the
birds make on the approach of danger is simply

deafening.

The Redshanks feed principally durmg the night,
and mav be heard calling as they ])ass swiftly over-
head. When standing on a wall or fence they have

HOME OF THE riFOSHANK.

a very Sandpiper-like way of jerking their tail up
and down, and it is probably due to this that they
are called locally the " Ked-legged Sandpiper."
Their range is not so high as that of the Sand-
piper, and I have not met with them nesting much
high 'r than 1,500 feet above the sea.

Like most of the waders, which feed during the
night and yet seem (piite lively during the day,
it is difiicult to see when the Redshanks obtain

! I

msss.^Kf'^f^.mm

()(, />7A7).S- or LOCH AM) MOrXTAIX

any rest, but undoubtedly it is the case that
they can do witli a very httle, snatched at odd
intervals.

They leavi' the moorlands comparatively early,
and hardlv one is seen later than the first half
of Julv. When thev are at the sea, they usually
keep in large flocks, and it is wonderful to watch
them wheeling and turning as one, following the
leading bird with marvellous dexterity.

They feed at the seaside chiefly on the molluscs
and worms left by the falling tide, and it is very
interesting to watch tliem follow a receding wave,
jiicking up choice morsels before another incoming
one forces them to retire. During the sojourn on
the coast mam- a Redshank falls a victim to the
gunner, but still, on an average, I think there
is no decreasi' in their numbers from year to \-ear,
but, if anvthing, a slight increase.

THE OYSTER CATCHER

W'kri: it not for this handsome bird the rivers of
Scotland would indeed seem forsaken to the bird-
lover during the months of spring and summer.
After wintering on the sea coast, haunting the
estuaries of rivers and mud banks, where even
during the severest frost the\ obtain food in plenty,
the ()yster Catchers, about the iirst days of March,
begin to think of their nesting haunts and to
ascend the rivers and burns where they love to nest.
I.ast year I watched the inland migration of
these birds on March 4th. After a long spell of
severe frost and snow, tlu' weather on that day
suddenly changed to almost summer-like mildness.

Ti,-' ^•ai-^ts:

BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUXTAIX 97

and all bird life at once responded to the welcome
change. On the river Dee, some three or four miles
from its mouth, it was most interesting to watch
the Oyster Catchers migrating in pairs up-stream.
They seemed to take the journey very leisurely
and halted every now and again. In fact, three
da\s afterwards there were none to be seen at a
distance of thirty miles from the mouth, although
one flock had been heard passing up the river at
night.

The birds seem to pair before they ascend the
rivers and keep together from the very first. Often,
a storm of snow /isits their nesting haunts
not long after thcr arrival, and then man>- of
them are found dead on the river banks. It is
difficult to understand why they will not return
to the coast, however bad the weather may be.
But their motto evidently is, once having come, to
remain at all costs ; and after a severe frost it is
pathetic to see a pair of Oyster Catchers discon-
solately standing at the water's edge, seemingly
waiting for the sun's rays to put life into them.

Six weeks or so after taking up their summer
quarters, the birds begin their family cares, and
towards the end of April or the beginning of May
the first eggs are laid. The hen bird usually scratches
the scanty hollow destined to receive the eggs on
a shingle stretch by the river ; sometimes, however,
the nest is situated quite awa\- from water. It is
lined with small pebbles, and sometimes with a
few pieces of coarse grass.

The birds have favourite nesting haunts, and
very often several pairs may be met with nesting
near each other. A very favourite nesting site is
a large island in midstream, covered with stunted

H

;! 1

\

\ ■■

n

;-]

. I

9S

BIRDS Uf LOCH AM) MOIXTAIN

hcatluT and K'rass, where the birds ni-st in security
from most of thi'ir enemies.

Tliey are very hght sitters, and U'ave their
nests while von are yet a Ion},' distance off. The
ef;gs usuallv number three ; sometimes only two
are found, and occasionally. I believe, as many

OYSTER CATCHERS NEST AND EGGS.

as four, though I have never yet seen the latter
number. Thev are rather larger than those of the
common hen," and are be-dutifully speckled and
streaked with dark brown. The ground colour is
usuallv of a bufiftsh tinge, and the eggs are ir com-
plete harmony with their surroundings, beint; very
difficult to discover.

The period of incubation is about a month,
and towards the beginning of Jun. the young birds
are hatched out. They are of a uniform greyish
brown, with their under-parts tinged with white.

HIRDS OF LOCH AM) MOIWTAIX 09

and harmonise in an astonisliing mannt-r witli tho
j^rass and heather in wliich they hide.

Last summer I was very anxious to obtain
photographs of the young birds at liome, but this

OYSTER CATCHERS NEST WITH NEWLY HATCHED CHICK.

was easier said than done. On a fair-sized
island, a pair of Oyster Catchers had their nest
rather late in the season, having deserted their
first clutch for some reason or other. I was photo-
graphing a Goosander sitting on her nest at the
time and came upon the Oyster Catcher's eggs by
axident. When I first saw them, the young birds
were just chipping the shell and could be heard
whistling faint'y inside. I returned next day,

; i

i„„ BINDS 01- LOCH AM) MOIXTAIN

tliinkinf4 tlu' voun^' onos would be hatolu-d. but
tounci tlu- -'lu-lls were onlv sonu'what niorr clupped.
l.-vni on the toUowin^' dav the youn^ birds bad not
freed themselves, and so on revisiting the spot that
rvening I thought I Mas fairly certain of hnding
the %-oungsters near the nest. To my great dis-
api)ointnient. however, the nest was empty, and
although I looked long and carefully they were
nowhere to be found. ICven the egg-shells had
been carried awav from the vicinity of the nest by
the watchful parent birds, who all the tmie I was
on the island kept up a continual whistlmg and
showed signs ol the greatest distress.

It is a noteworthy fact that the Oyster ( atcher,
while it has eggs, cannot be called a very
demonstrative bird when its nesting site is dis-
turbed bv the intruder ; but when the young
have left "the shell all this changes, and both the
parent birds show signs of the greatest anxiety
for their children, uttering their shrill Kabeek.
kobeek " repeatedlv. and hovering round the dis-
turber of their peace until he is well clear of their

nesting ground.

Knowing that the voung Oyster Catchers above-
mentioned must be somewhere on the island, 1
left mv camera there all night and waded across
next "dav. I'or some reason the parent birds
were less watchful tl.an usual on this occasion, and
I had almost reached the island before the mother
bird caught sight of me. Immediately she cal ed
loudlv to her voung. which thereupon scpiatted
rtat on the ground, and though I looked carefully
where I knew them to be hiding, it was some time
before I could discover them. To all appearances
thcN- were pieces of wood lying under a large pine

-..i^flS^.'

lilRDS OF LOCH AM) MOUXTAIN loi

tree, and to inako the deception more realistic,
their lieads were buried in tlie grass.

When the parent ()>ster Catchers saw tlieir
young had been discovered, tliey evidently knew

■•'- x„. -.:■

•1 ,>•

^'*

'>„i< ..

YOUNG OYSTER CATCHERS HIDING.

that further demonstration was useless and be-
came cjuite silent, watching to see what turn events
would take. Having exposed two or three plates
on the chicks, I made all haste to leave the island
and allow the parent birds to return to their children.
Although the nest is usually made in a very

i,.2 lilRDS OF LOCH A^'I> MOrXTAIX

exposed situation. I found one in tin- niiddk' of
a larch wood on a rivor island, and the Oyster
Catcher looked strangelv out of i>Uict' as she got
off her eg^'s and ran rapidly through tin- wood.
When the sitting hen sees the intruder from afar,
she never Hies off the nest, but nnis rapidly along
the -hingle. and although you see her and
give chase, she will not rise, but wdl run
along as fast as she can until she has put a
consitlerable distanci- between herself and the

Last May the Scottish rivers came down in high
spate consequent upon three days of continuous rain,
and manv eggs of the Ovster Catcher must have
been swept awaN . At that time I noticed pairs
of C.oosanders flying disconsolately about, so that
probablv their eggs shared the same fate.

\W the latter half of July the young Oyster
(ateliers are strong on the wing, and then they
assemble into flocks and leave the rivers for the
e„a<t Manv of the birds, however, remain inland
throuuhout August -^nd even during part of Septem-
ber ■ the latest date I have seen one inland being
September ioth. N'erv often the Lapwing and
Ovster Catclu-r nest together, and although the
former is a xer\- pugnacious bird. the\- usually seem
to get on (piite well together.

-rhis is not alwavs the case, however, as on one
occasion I watched for some time a Lapwing mak-
ing repeated attacks on an Ovster Catcher whic.i
was standing on the ground. Soaring to a good
hei'dit the Lapwing would swoop down on tlie Sea
Piet— to give it its local name— which received
the attack with head down and tail in the air, but
did not .Httempt to r.>taliate. At last the Lapwing

liHWS OF LOCH AM) MOIXTAIX loj

set'ined to tire of this one-sided encounter nm\
U'ft its adversary in peace.

Althou{4ii the Oyster (ateliers seem to i)refer
a fairly lar}j;e river to nest near, I have con-

SUMMER HOME OF THE OYSTER CATCHER

stantly met with them on the banks of moun-
tain streams. Two years ago I noticed, on
the banks of a burn, a bird which at first I took
for a Common Gull, but on its taking wing, I was
surprised to see it was an almost pure white

I
I
I

(

I'

!- i

i(,4 nnWS OF LOCH AND MOl'MAIN

Oyster Catchor. ICxcept for the tips of its wings
and a part of its head, tlu- bird was as white as
snow, and appeared to be looked at askance by
the other members of the bird world, as I saw a
Lapwing chasing it a few moments afterwards.
Its call note also seemed more husky than the
usual clear ringing whistle uttered by these birds.
Last May I was jileased to sec that it had escaped
the gunner and returned to its summer haunts,
but whether it was a cock or a hen bird I could
not determine, most probably the former.

At one of their favourite nesting sites the
Oyster Catcher and Goosander nest together,
and when their haunt is disturbed, both fly back-
wards and forwards in a great state of alarm. One
dav a Goosander was living fast and low along the
river when an Ovster Catcher, not looking where
it was going, almost dashed into it before it had
time to swerve off. missing the Goosander by

inches only. xu ^v.

An interesting point in connection with the
Oyster Catcher is that when it is using a certain call
note its wing-beats are much slower than at any
other time. The note " Ko-beek " is uttered ha f
during the upward stroke of the wmg and half
during the downward. The Oyster Catcher flies
very rapidly, much like the Common Wild
Duck, but when this particular note is uttered
the wings beat at about the same speed as those
of the Black-headed Gull. This seems almost in-
variably to be the case when the particular
note is being used ; so that with practice you can
tell how the bird is flying by listening to its call
note If the bird has been using this note
and changes to the more usual whistle, directly

BIRDS or LOCH AM) MOl'NTAIN 105

the cliangf takes place the winK-beats are also
changed. The only other bird in which I have
noticed this peculiarity is the (iolden iMover.

Another note used by the Oyster Catcher
is one which seems to be indulged in only
when three or four birds are together, and very
often in the calm of a summer «-vening. The
notes are uttered slowly to begin with, but soon
follow each other in rapid succession, and all the
time the companv of birds run backwards and
forwards with their heads down and bills almost
touching the ground, seemingly indulging m a kmd
of " follow mv leader " game.

It is an interesting fact that the Oyster ( atchers
can do without practically any sleep durmg the
twentv-four hours. They are to be heard at all
hours" of the dav and during the summer nights
as well, when, along witn the Sandpipers, they may
be heard at midnight down by the swiftly rushing

river. , ^^ ,

I once saw what appeared to be an attempt
by a pair of Oyster Catchers to evict from a small
island the pair that were already in possession
First one bird appeared on the scene, and vvith
repeated swoops attempted to drive the sitting hen
from the eggs, which he easily succeeded in doing.
Then he and the pair in possession rushed back-
wards and forwards across the islet, whistling loudly
and looking very comical with their heads almost
touching the ground. Whenever the hen attempted
to go back to her nest, the intruder went for her
immediately and swooped repeatedly at her, she
receiving the onslaught with tail in air. which seems
to be the recognised mode of defence among
ground-nesting birds. After an hour or so of this

I

H)(t

lilKDS Oh l(>( H AM> Mor MAIS'

the iiivadrr. now joiurd bv liis inatf. stt

iiu'd still

in IK) mnud t«» (,'i\f in

\ f«'\v (liivs afttr. tlu- island

ipptarrd drstrtcd. and so fur as I could make out

tl. hut the

tin- rif^litful owntTs had bt'i-n driven oi
otlur pair had not taken possession. Trulv. bird-
land i> a strange world, little understood by us
t'V»n in these davs of rivilisation.

THE COMMON TERN

Oi all our suininer visitors the Terns are anioiiM the
last to trust themselves to our fukle climate and
are rareK- seen before spring has n-ally set in.
Pretty birds, thev add an immense charm to the
>imi\ iln lies and river banks where they have their

summer home.

Often have I noted the arrival of the ( ommon
Teri.s on a grassv islet on a lone mountain loch,
and about Mav 7th is the usual date for the lirst
■\\-ru to make its appearance. I'or a day or so
one or two birds only are to be seen, but by the
middle of the month the island is occupied by a
dozen pairs or so. which almost immediately com-
mence nesting operations.

On this island the birds can hatch off their
eggs and rear their voung iu safety : but the
same cannot be said of the majority of their
nesting haunts. Many of these one can scarcely
visit without noticing footmarks all over the sand,
l-ollowing the tracks, one sees that they go from
nist to nest, or what were nests a very short w-hile
ago, but are now mere depressions scratclied m the
sand. Notwithstantling this incessant robbing of
their eggs, the birds pluckily lay again and again.

lilRDS or l.()( H AM> Mor.MMS i»7

[urliups at la>t Muri-rdiiiii in luitrliiiifi «»ll a

clutdi.

I havf visitfd a colony of niaiiv I, .ndnth of
tlu'Sf birds during' tlir m-stinK st-ason. and lia\.-
foiuid scarcclv a single nest which ha> iscapf.i tli<-
,Acs of the phmdcrcrs. Notwithstanding tlii>. thr
birds still hover over their nesting haunt, and it is
pathetic indeed to hear them uttering th.ir wild
note, and to see tlu-iu endeavouring to drive ott
the intruder, although they ha\e been deprived of
their treasures.

The Coninion and Arctic Terns are practically
indistinguishable while on the wing, and tlu-re is so
verv little difference between them that the\- can
scarcely. I venture to assert, be quite a distinctive
species. The Arctic Tern is supposetl to be the
more common in Scotland, and the Common Tern
further south. In Aberdeenshire, however, the
Arctic Tern is rarely nu-t with — nextr. I be-
lieve, as the breeding species— while the Common
Tern nests in great abundance.

The Sea Swallow— the local name for the Conunon
'I\.rn— is a charmingly graceful t)ird m e\err- sen-
of the word, and it is a very |)retty sight to watch
them hovering above the surface of the water m
quest of small fish. With (piickly beating wings
they keej) perfectlv motionless, poisi-d in mid air.
and then dashing suddenly into the water reappear
with a fish in their bills, which is at once earned
off to the brooding mate or young ones.

Unlike the Little Tern, which, I believe, m-
variablv nests on the sea-coast, the Common Tern
rears its voung ones on the banks of the majority
of our Scottish rivers, wherever there is a shingly
beach suitable for a nesting site.

t I
i ,
i

1

|.|;|i

i! ■■ i

loS lURDS OF IJ)(H AM) MOrXTAIX

In connection with tlu' riwr-nestini; birds, it
is, as far as my observations j^o, a curious fact
tliat neither the Tern nor the Oyster Catcher will
ever tlv under a brid^H- if they possibly can helj)
it. -Many a time I liave watched these birds flyin;<
up the river Dee at a i)oint where it is crossed by
a suspension bridge, but never have I seen
either an Oyster Catcher or Tern i\y under it.
Althoufih tiie Oyster Catcher and the Tern
come ujt die river flying onl\- a foot or so above
the -.-.cr. directly they reach the bridge, instead
of c :■■ "nuing their tlight on the surface of the
river, they rise fully 5<> f<'t't and Hy well over
the bridge, wlu rcas by continuing their original
course the\- could save themselves a deal of
trouble.

The Tern, although not a rapid flier, is able to
keep on the wing for a long time on end, and
will go great distances uji and down the river in
search of small fr\- for its young ones. Usually
it works the ground once only in search of tish,
but should it come upon a good pool, it will
fly backwards and forwards repeatedly, every
now and then hovering motionless about a dozen
feet above the river's surface.

The Tern must see a great many flsh it is unable
to capture, judging from the number of times it
hovers without dropping down into the water.
But the explanation may be that the bird does
not always see a flsh when it stops suddenly in
its flight! but hovers so that it may the better
search the surrounding shallows for pre\-. It is
a pretty sight to see a Tern beating up the
river in the teeth of a strong summer breeze, carry-
ing a large worm or flsh in its bill for its sitting

s'SVTx:..

r^.^Mit.

BIRDS OF LOCH AXD MOrXTAIX loq

iiiatr or vouiii

ones on the shinglo bid a little further

u

]) siieani.
With slow-measured wing-beats, which have a
tremendous amount of power behind them, it makes
its way rapidly up the river in a r-'^/ag coarse—
whence its name of Sea Swallo,, e\eis- now and
again uttering its harsh " Kik, k)k. kirree " as it
eagerly returns to its family.

Although principally catching its ii>h on the
wing, I have sometimes seen one standing motion-
less on a stone among the shallows for a con-
siderable time. Possibly it was catching its i)re\-
after the manner of the sedate old Heron, althougli
no one could, by any stretch of imagination, picture
that bird capturing its dinner in the fashion of the
energetic Tern.

On the island mentioned above, the colony of
Terns have not the sole possession of the nesting
site, but share it with a j^air or two of Oyster
Catchers and Sandpipers, and, strangely enough,
several pairs of Common Gulls. Now every keeper
will tell vou that the Common Gull is an incor-
rigible thief and will not hesitate to steal the eggs
of any bird when it has the chance. If this be
the case— and to a certain extent I admit it-
how can all these birds nest in harmony to-
gether on a small island not loo yards from end

to end ?

All the same, the island is quite an arcadia for
all kinds of water birds, and on it I have, in one
season, found the nests of tlie Oyster Catcher.
Common Tern, Common Gull, Sandpiper, Tufted
Duck, Moorhen, and Coot, while sometimes the
single tree the island boasts of is used as a nesting
site by a pair of Hoodie Crows. U the birds

i !

f

:.i

i^

!« 3

m

11 W

1 1

m\

IIO

/>7A7).S- or LOCH AM) MOIXTAIX

which use the ishmd as a nesting f^nound were to
combine against the Common (lulls or tlie (irey
(rows, the\- could (h'ive them awav with the

tlie contrary, howeviT, thev all

i/reatest of ease

on

their

seem to get on excellently together, and to rear
broods in complete harmony. The only tune I
e\-er saw the slightest sign of disagreement was
when a (iull ha})pened to alight, before going to
Iier nost, rather near a Tern's eggs. The Tern re-
xnted this bv swooping at the (iull several tunes,
but bexond ducking each time the (iull completely
ignored its adversarv ; and, as it made no attempt
on the eggs of the Tern, the latter soon ceased its
attack and harmony was once again restored in
the conununity.

(an it be that the (iulls of the island have
pledged themselves to abstain from all egg-stealing
and other sins, and in return are allowed to rear
their broods in i)eacc ? It seems like it. It is, of
course, true that the (iulls and Hoodies are dways
more read\- to jiurloin the eggs of such birds as the
Pheasant, Partridge, or Duck, which are unspotted,
rather than the eggs of the (irouse ; but whether
because the former are more easy to find or not
it is difficult to say.

The Common Tern commences nesting operations
almost immediately it reaches its nesting haunts
after its long liight across the seas, and by the
third week in May the majority are brooding on
eggs. When the nesting site is on the seashore,
the Terns form large colonies, consisting of many
scores of birds ; but on the river banks it is
rare for more than one i)air to nest on the
same stretch of pebbles, although there may be
ami)le room. Probably the reason is that, if several

BIRDS OF LOCH AM) MOl'XTAIX in

pairs were lo nost together, there would not be
a sufficient food supply fc them, as the river
offers a much narrower scop( for tislung oi)erations

than the sea.

The Tern is an extremely shy bird, and leaves
the eggs while the intruder is yet a long way

COMMON TERNS NEST AND EGGS.

off. On very warm sunny days the Terns some-
times allow the sun's heat "to hatch the eggs, and I
have seen them leave their eggs quite unconcernedly
to the sun's tender mercies and fly off for a holiday.
It will be found that ground sloping towards the
north is rarely used for nesting, as the rays of
the sun have less power on north-lying ground.

A first visit to a large colony of these birds is
an event which will not be readih' forgotten by the

n

\m

112

BIRDS Of LOCH AM) MOl'XTAIX

ornitholo^^'ist. Risitit,' in clouds in the air, tlu'V fly
round tlic intnuU-r. >onK' of the bolder spirits swoop-
ing fearlessly at his head, all the while uttering
their harsh, wild cry. It is only sometimes that
the nest is a nest in the true sense of the word
—more often than not it is merely a slight hollow
scraped among tlie pebbles or sand. Once I found
the eggs King on the top of a sand liioic without
even a hollow to receive them and looking as if
the least movement would send them rolling to
the bottom. Sometimes, however, tpiite a re-
spectable nest is made, composed chielly of stems
of bent stalks.

The eggs number two or three. They are of all
shades and shapes, and occasionally there will be
found in the same nest one egg of a nearly black
ground colour with very dark blotches, another of
a bluish ground colour with dark brown spots,
and a third with buff for a ground colour and spotted
and blotched all over with reddish brown. As a
rule, and especially when laid amongst pebbles,
the eggs harmonise perfectly with their surroundings,
and it is an extremely difficult matter to discover
them. Sometimes, however, the birds lay eggs
which are almost black on the pure sand, rendering
them conspicuous at a great distance.

On one occasion I was visiting a Tern colony
late in June when the eggs were hatching.
Suddenlv I heard a most frightful commotion-
all the ferns screaming in lury. Looking up, I saw
a poor Rook which had strayed on the sacred ground
and was being jnirsued by the enraged Terns. The
Rook seemed to be completely stupefied by the fierce-
ness of the attack, and instead of flying off, almost
fell to the ground and then hid amongst the bent.

I '

BIRDS OF LOCH AXD MOrXTAIX nj

As long as it remained on tlic f^Tound the Terns
paid little attention to it, but directly it recovered
tioni the shock and attempted to niak(^ oif, the
M-liole* colonv was after it instantaneously, so that

YOUNG COMMON TERN.

it aiiain sank to earth in a dazed condition, and
that was the last I saw of it. Let us hoi)e it escaped
what must have been a terrible ordeal

Finding a Linnet's nest amongst the Terns, I
placed mv handkerchief o\-er it and returned foi my
camera a short distance away. Scarcely had I left my

if

L=.

■i:

114 />7/v7XS- OF LOCH AM) MOlXTAIX

hiindkcrcliicf when the whole clonv of Terns tU-w
scrcainiim tcmunls it and >woop('(l and dived at it.
all the while iiiakinji the most tremendous uproar.
Whether th-v thou.yht it was some egfi-stealing
animal or \vh<'ther the unluckv ("row had turned
tlieir heads will ever remain a mystery.

Hv the be.uiimin^' ot Julv the majority of the
vounu Terns iiave left the eiit^s and are earefullv
watciied b\- both tlu- parent birds. Within an
hour or two of bein^^ hatched tlu-y are able to move
about <iuite stron^dv. ("are. however, must be
taken not to keep the old birds lonj,' away it
the weather is sunless and cold, as the spark oi
life burns verv weaklv in newlv-hatched chicks,
and too lonti an exposure to the cold winds has
verv ofS'i. a fata! termination.

■\ -ood wav of linding the nest is to follow
up the footmarks of the birds in the sand, when
it will be found that thev usuallv lead to a nest.

I':speciallv is this the case with the Lesser lern.
whose e^^is are e\en more difficult to discover than
those of the common specii'S. as they harmonise
perfecth- with the shinjile on which they are placed,
and a nest is never constructi'd. This bird is
the most charmini,' of the species, and as ret^ards
rti-ht and call is not unlike the Swallow. I n-
fortunateh-, the\- are now UK^t with in onl\- a few
favoured localities. Like many summer visitors
arriving in the late spring, the Terns are
among the first to depart. Their usual time
of leaviim the River Dee is the hrst week in
Vugust. when thev mav be seen in small flocks
to the numb(T of half a dozen or so making
readv for their departure and playing with each
other in tlie air.

HIRDS OF LOCH AM) MOlXTAIX 113

I liopo that all bird lovers will do what tlu'\- can
for tlu- bc'ttt'r prottrtion of tlu-se charming' visitors,
as I iviir that unli'ss tlu- o^'gs arc i^rotcctcd, the
Lesser Tern will in a few years have ceased to
exist as a Scottish breeding spi-cies, and we shall
have lost om- of the most fascinatin.L? of our birds.

THE COMMON GULL

WniLK in most districts thesi' handsome members of
the (".all family nest on the coast, in Aberdeenshire,
stranj^e to say, they choose as nt>stinf,' sites the
highest monntain tarn>, and rear their young with
the Ciolden l':agle and Ptarmigan as their near
neighbours.

Tiiere is one lonely mountain loch that I know
well, lying at a height of nearly 3,000 feet above
the sea, which is a favourite nesting haunt of the
species. At this great altitude the spring is very
backward and the surface of the loch is usually
frozen hartl until well on in .\pril. Once, on the
i6th of that month, while on my way to the loch.
I noticed a flock of (nills flying at a great height,
and evidently coming from their nesting site. They
were calling loudly to each other in a querulous to- \
and on reaching the loch I at once saw the reason
jT their disaiipointmcnt, as the tarn was completely
ice bound and deep snowdrifts lay everywhere around.
In all probability the company of Gulls was an
advance guard sent on b\' the main colon\- to report
as to the state of the loch, and was returning with
the unwelcome intelligence that it would be quite
impossible for them to take iip their quarters there
for some time at least.

f"

m

hf

H^i

, 1} T

-f tiii

II*>

IlIRDS or iJnH -l-V/^ MOIMAIX

loch is I.oclum-ati-Moin,
of the r.irds." As tli<'

Tlu' (iiu'lic iKiiiu' of tlu-
which niruns tlu- " Locli

<,1,1 lanMiKiuc has practicuUv .hcl out in the n.-.Kh-
bourhood, the nanu- shoxv> that the (.uUs have
made the h)ch their home for jieneratums.

The winter is spent on the sea coast, and the
(-.nils miurate inland eadv in March if tlu- sprm^
is favourable ; until Mav. In.wever. thev frecp.ent
the vallevs. It is a most intenstm.u si.uht to see
them coming <lown to rest after their lon^ Hi^l't
from the coa^t line. Arriving at a j^reat hei^dit.
thev reconnoitre carefuUs' ere descendm^ m a body
iit some favourite localitv which altords a wide

outlook. , ,,

Their nesting season is late, and few of the (mils
connnence to brood till the last davs of Mav-m
fact, if anvthiu^s thev are later nesters than the
Ptarmi^'an.' The usual nesting site is on a little
knoll at the edf^^e of a loch, and it there are any
prominent boulders the Culls lienerallv j.lace their
lu-sts on these. A Nvrx" favourite site is on a large
stone some little distance out in the watcT. xyhere
thex- are comparativelv secure from the attacks ol
foxes, stoats, and other enemies, and hatch their

brood in safety.

The eggs number two; sometimes three are
found, and occasionalh- onlx" one. They are large
for the size of the bird and are beautifully coloured
bein-^ of an olive green colour and spotted and
blotched with dark brown : but the ground colour
and markings varx- considerably. A very scanty
nest is constructed, usually a few ineces of dry
,,rass while sometimes a hollow merely is scraped
by the hen. and the eggs deposited witliout any
attempt at nest-making.

NEST OF COMMON GULL.

0-4 THE t 'UE ■ F A L0:HA'< NfAH

LY 1 OO') F((T ABOVE THE St A.

! T

II'

^^1'

> ir-
\ I '
it.:!

i

: ill

If

II

S /)7/v7AS or L()(H AM) .i/or.v/.i/.v

Diiriiiu tlic pel

i()(l of inciihutioii the iiKilf l)ir(l

is (•oiistaiitlv on tl- • look-out and ottcn nuiv be
scfii soaring about in the vicinitx of tlir not. Onri'.
from the top of a pncipicr, I was \vatcliin,i4 a pair
of Culls on a tinv loch bcl(.\v, the iicn sittini; on
her n(>t on an i>l»t and the cock tlvin.u about and
rallin'4 loudlv in a most dissati>licd manner. I
\va> anxious to luid out the cause of hi^ diMontiiit,
so lav jH-rfectlv (piiet. Soon a herd of deer, which
had been j-ra/in^' out of sij.;ht, came trottin,ti con-
tentedly tlown to the ed.ue of the loch, ea.uer for the
cool water, for tlie dav was very warm. .Mthou.uh it
was the month of June, lar^e >now-lields w«'re ^till
Ivinj,' around the loch, and on these many dei'r,
both sta.iis and hind>, were lyin.Lj half asleej). As
the herd of di-er entered the water, which at no
point was more than a few feet deep, the hen Cull
rose from the nest, and throu.yh m\- binoculars I
could clearlv make out the two e.i,'K'> althouj,'h the
nest was fully half a mile awav. Then both
birds sailed anj^^ily around the deer, calling loudly,
" Kick. kieu. kieu, kieu." and evidently causing
the latter no little anxiety, as thev very soon
left the water. One s()litar\- individual, how-
ever, persist<'d in browsing at the edge ol the
loch after his fellows had moved aw..\-. The
male dull siood it for some time, but at length,
losing all ])atience. made an angr\- swooj) at the
startled animal, which did not stop to argue, but
lied in a dazed wa\-— whereupon the C.ull settled
on a rock and visibly swelled with imjiortance,
receiving the congratulations of his mate.

An added charm is afforded the ornithologist
who studies these interesting birds in their summer
haunts at these great heights ; his only com-

(

%

f

^

1

\

i\

t>

/

:>:

T

1

K'

^>* -. ^'-

14l

i_'c /.7A7>s (fl- l.(>( II .I.V/> .Uor.V/.l/.V

piunoii-

hoi

(US

thr ("itilh Ihmii}4 tlir bfiuitifiil
I't.uiiiif^aii ;in<l tlir lonllv ('">hWu \v^iv.U\ \vitli
an (>.c.i>i(Mi;il abMinIK (oiilidiiiK l)<)tt«'nl. Ww
view liom tli»M' iHt)imt;iiii> is iinMUpasMd, and
(,n a « Kar daw from the " I-ocli of the Minis."
tlir ti\<r I).*' Im'H' onlv a tiny stream— is st-t-n
<las|iiMK «l<>wii liiii"' KiiK'li'^ f^':i"t prrripio', a dis-
taiitf of |)«'tlia|)s twcntN- iiiih-s away.

1 think that tlir Coinnion dnll and tin- (ioldtn
Kaf,'lr arc on ([iiitr friendly terms with each other,
an.l ev<-n if an Iva^le shcnild take it into his head to
trv to cateh a Cnll he \vo\ild have a very diltUult
task, as tlu' Cull's soaring' powers are nearly—
if not «|nit( — as ^ood as his own.

The male (iuH is very pugnacious and will
atta( k anvthinf,' that ventures near his nesting site.
At the hands of a colony of these birds a fox has
a vcrv bad time, and. on one occasion 1 watched,
from a distance of over i mile, a ("loosander sw inmiing
and diving in the vicinity of a stone (m which a
Cull was perched. I felt pretty sure that the latter
would not stand this long, and sure enough, when
the Coosander boldly swam close i)ast the stone,
the Cull swooped at him in a fury and effectually
banished him from that part of the loch.

The young Culls are hatched out by the latter
part of June, but some do not leave the shell till
Jul>-. They take to the water almost immediately
the\- are hatched, and are very carefully looked
after by the parent birds. While the intruder is
yet a very long wav off, one Gull is seen to leave the
ioch and" make for him with strong wing-beats.
Then another rises, and another, and the air is filled
witli wailing cries as the Gulls rise in a body.
One dav last Julv I visited the loch to try to

/.7/v7>s Ol- l.()( II .l.\7> MOIMAIX ui

(>l)t;U

llDlUC

tlian

n xMiic I

ilioti

;riil

Oil a tiii\ locli.

ills i>f tlif \nimK birds at
KiiiL; ((tusidtraljls liij^li''!'

that

• 111 w

liirli tli«' main ImhU ii«'st»-(l. a pair

.[ (itills had (■f,';^-' <arht'r in thr >«a

were no >lUii'^ <»

•on ; but then-

I <<)lltliuli<l

that the \«iuii|,'

f \\iv as I passed,

birds had Idt. Ju^t after (piittm«

the lochan. licwever. I saw a (.nil ronnnK np
fast a> he eoidd llv and railing loiw

wards nie as

to-

llv.

e sinal

He did not stop, bnt went straii^lit np to th

bablv ii«' liad left the vonn^ f«>r a
hastening back to >••«■

loeh, where pro

short time, an<l was now

if anv harm had befallen them.

On arri\in
)f (inlls especiallv demon

14 at the main loch 1 fonnd one pair
>trative, swooping ;it "i^'

1 then I noticed two tinv youngster;
1(1, lloating behind a large ro

rei)eatedl\-, am

onl\- an hour or so o ,^

in the centre of the loch, where they ha<l ovulentlv
been hatclu-d. Although able to float perfectl\-,
they found it impossible to swim against the waves and
were graduallv carried to the shore. As there was
little cover for them to hide in, 1 thought I was fairly
sure to get a successful i)hot()graph, but one hid so
effectuallv that I could hnd no trace of it, and. on the
wind dropping, the other made for the loch again. So,
as the parent birds were in a great state of anxu-ty,
I left them in peace. These were an exreptionall\-
late brood, as often bv the third week In July there
is scarcelv a Cull l(>ft on the loch ; but on this occasion
the spring had been very stormy. I noticed another
young bird in the water, but several weeks old,
and (luite a >trong swimmer.

Late in the nesting season, when the young
have learned to take care of themselves to
a certain extent, the adult Culls sometimes leaM-
the loch for hours on end, and mav be heard in

il

, m

n

.M

.^^^

12 HINDS OF LOCH AM) MOl'XTAIX

Iviiii; noisily up to tlu-ir

the (luict of till- evening
lU'stinj^' liaunt.

The yoiinii birds wlicn fullv lU'di^u'd arc ot a
dark brown colour, even darker than a Curlew,
and would certainlv not be takt'U for Culls bv the
novice I'or some weeks thev remain in thi' valleys,
near where thev were hatched ; but bv the end of
\u^nist both vounji and old have left tor the coast,
where thev will remain until the voice of si)rnig
calls them onci' uwrv to the mountains.

THE BLACK-HEADED GULL

TiiF Black-headed (iull (Liiyns ruWmndus) is one
of the most numerous of our sea-birds, and is met
with abundantlv in suitable localities throuKh-
(,ut the British Isles. Its chief nesting haunt is
Scoulton Mere, in Norfolk, where it congregates in
thousands during the nesting season, and where at
o\w time the surrounding farmers made a considei-
able sum bv selling the eggs.

During "the memorable winter of 1803. when
Kinghshers were found frozen fast on rails, the
Black-headed C.uHs left their haunts by the sea-
coast and were driven inland by the almost com-
plete absence of food. On their way up the Thames
thev were received in London with open arms,
manv of the poorer inhabitants dividing their
scantv meal with the confiding sea-birds; while
men made small fortunes by selling sprats to en-
thusiastic bird-lovers on the Thames Lmbankment
Ever since then the l^,lack-headed Gulls have visited
London regularly exery autumn, and it is a very
prettv sight to see them catching on the wing the

BIRDS OF LOCH AXD MOCXTAIX

lish thrown to tlicm by tlu- spt'Ctators. Besides
the river Thames, another favourite resort is St.
James's Park, where they mix witli tlie wildfowl ;
and once, when the pond there had been tlried, I
saw them busil\- enj^aj^^ed in catching' small rain-
bow trout which had somehow escaped from a
pond in Buckinjiham Palace /jjrounds.

Some of the (iulls lui\c tin ir sunnner i)luma,i,M'
by the be^Mnninf,' of l'"ebruu \ , but it is not until
a month later that the majority don their siunmer
dress. About the first week in March the\- leave the
sea coast for the inland bogs and lochs, where the\-
construct their nests, but straj^.ulers ma\' be seen
by the sea throuj,diout the summer. These, how-
ever, are })robably un})aired birds. The nests are
commenced about the second week of April, to-
wards the end of which month the first eggs are
deposited.

Should the first batch be harried, as is often
the case in sjiite of the Wild Birds Protection Act,
which is in force in most counties, the birds will
lav a second and even a third time ; and I have
often found freshly laitl eggs towards the end of
June, bv which time the earlier hatched-off birds
were (juite strong on the wing. The nest is some-
times rather a bulky structure, at others merely a
slight depression lined with a few pieces of dead
grass and heather, and is almost invariablv situated
in the vicinity of a swamp or loch.

The usual number of eggs is three. Four are
said to be occasionally laid, but I have never seen
a nest containing the latter number. They vary
greatly in colour and markings, at times being of
a \er\- dark brown ground colour, with e\-en darker
spots and blotches of the same shade ; at others

t, i

124 />'//v7).s- Ol- LOCH AM) }'()rXTAIX

tho -round colour i> of a light yellow or lircon, and
the marks of a liglit brown. They also vary .greatly
in •^ize and shai)e, some being pear-shaped, re-
sembling those of the (ireen Plover, and others
almost as round as those of the tawny Owl.

It is noticeable that the old and experienced
birds choose for a nesting site those iK)rtions
of the swamp which are most difficult of access ;
whereas the voung and inexperienced Gulls often
construct their nests where they are harried as
soon as a single egg has been deposited in them,
and this is continued until the mother birds are
compelled by sad experience to make their homes
in a less accessible position.

When the nesting site is approached, the CiuUs
rise in a crowd while the intruder is yet a good dis-
tance awav and circle round his head, uttering all the
while their harsh grating note, not so very unlike
the " ("raw " of the Hoodie Crow. Sometimes a
parent bird more zealous than usual will swoop at
the intruder's head ; but generally he loses courage
before he has actuallv struck the object of his
anger The Black-'xr-ided Gull rarely attacks if
^•ou are facing him, and it is amusing to wheel
sliar})lv round and note how suddenly he shoots
upward as vou turn vour face towards him.

It is a ver\- regrettable fact that \uthin recent
years gamekeepers have laboured under the de-
lusion that the Black-headed Gull steals the eggs
of the Grouse and other game-birds dear to the
preserver's heart, and so, in open defiance of the \\ ild
Birds Protection Act, which renders it illegal to
kill this bird during the nesting season, they
destroN- numbers both b>- shot and poison.
I know personally of several swamps, that

'»,■

NEST AND EGGS OF THE BLACK-HEADED GULL.

i_>r. BIRDS or LOCH AM) MOrXTAIX

a year or two at^o were ti-nanted b\- prosperous
colonies of (inlis, from wliich everv bird lias
been driven. With pathetic love for their old
homes they return each sprinf,\ in ever-decreasing
nmubers, only to be ruthlessly destroyt>d by the
keeper's gun and their corpses left floating among
the i)eat and rushes.

Some years ago I was grieved to hnd on a moss,
wlure the vear before they had nested in ])eace
and securitv, a solitarx" (iull rendered (piite helpless
bv a broken wing, the result of a keeper's misplaced
zeal. I carried it home under the focussing cloth
of nn- camera and a friend succeeded in keei)mg it
for a considerable period, during which it became
(piite tame. One day, however, it escaped and
was never seen or heard of since.

As far as I am aware there is not the slightest proof
that the Hlack-lieaded Gull purloins the eggs of
game-birds ; and I believe the reason of the war
waged against it by certain keepers is the result
of confusing this species with that of the Common
Gull, which certainly does at times carry off the
eggs of the Ptarmigan.

In one instance that I know of, there were
several " Gulleries " on a marshy tract of moorland
within a fe-^- miles of each otjier. Owing to the
constant persecution of several keepers, however,
the Gulls were driven from all their haunts with
the exception of one. This latter, always a favour-
ite resort, was thereupon invaded b\- all the birds
which had been driven from their erstwhile re-
treats, until thousands of Gulls were nesting in
the swamp. The wrath of the keepers knew no
bounds, but luckily the proi)rietor of the moor
was an enthusiastic bird-lover and forbade the

/^/A7XS OF LOCH AXD MOUSTAIX 127

keepers to slioot the C.ulls on his im)perty. They
then asked and obtained leave to " scare " tlie buds
awav, but after their visit I cUseovered at U-ast

YOUNG BLACK-HEADED GULLS IN THE NEST

half a dozen Gulls lying dead at different points

in the moss. ^ „ , r

\t times the Black-headed Gull chooses for a
nesting site a bog in close proximity to a public
higlnvav, and I have often clearly discerned the
birds brooding while cycling along the road. On
calm davs thev ma\- be seen skimmmg the surface

t-li

W ff

i2cS BIRDS OF LOCH -1^'^^ MOl'MAlN

(,f sonic mountain loch in search of insects. At
one loch tliev almost continuously haunt the

A HAUNT OF THE BLACK-HEADED GULL.

localitv where the burn ilows from the loch,
and I "think the explanation is that they are hsh-
in-v for the shoals of minnows which are often to

ri

BIRDS or LOCH AM) MOrXTAIX iJf)

be seen around this spot. They aro vory pugnarious.
and I have soen several of thorn mobbing a sedate
old Heron which had xuiwarily wandered over their
nesting grounds and which Hew from its small
adversaries in evident alarm.

During the nesting season the male birds go
long distances from their usual haunts, to return
at sunset, and ver\- beautiful they look as they
wend their way westwards, with the setting sim
tinging their breasts and wings with i)ink. The.
majority of the young birds are strong on the wing
by the latter part of Juno, at which time the journey
to the sea coast is begun. On their way down, the
birds remain in the neighbourhood of villages for
considerable jioriods, and a splendid chance is
afforded the ornithologist of making photograjihic
studies of them if the trouble is taken to throw
out food ; as almost instantaneously hundreds of gulls
congregate and devour whole platefuls of fat, bread,
etc., in a remarkably short space of time.

The Gulls at this time have begun to lose their
breeding })lumage, and patches of white may be
noticed on their black heads ; indeed, it is hard
to believe that the birds of this year are of the same
species as their parents, as the former have very little
white on them and their feathers are almost all of a
dirty brown colour. All through J uly the Gulls gradu-
ally dwindle in numbers, until by the end of the
month hardly any exoejjt young birds are to be mot
with at a distance from the sea coast, although
they may be seen haunting the estuaries of rivers.
I would appeal for the better protection
of this beautiful little Soa-GuU, as, taken all
over, it does a great deal more good than harm.
Its chief food in spring is the grub so injurious

;*' s

/^/A7).s" Ol- LOCH AM) MOIXTA/X i;,i

to tlif tender slioots of tlx' corn ; ;uul do/.eiis of
birils may be seen nuiKin^^ a Held for the f^rubs,
every now and a^'ain dropping snddenly down npon
one of tliese inserts. Last Jnne, when many liehls
of oats were badly damaj^^'d by j,'rnl). I remember
c ongratnlatin,^ a farmer whose land was in the viemity
of a large " Cnllery " on the exet'llence of his oat
erop. His reply was : " O. aye ; bnt ye see them
white beasts eats up a' the grubs." At lirst I
could not imagine what he meant, but discovered
that " them white beasts " was his name for the
Black-headeil Culls.

THE GREY CROW

Fi:\v birds are more persecuted than the (irey or
Hoodie (row. This persecution is abundantly justi-
tied when there is the least game j)reserving, as the
Hoodie is perhaps the worst culprit so far as the
stealing of Pheasants' and Partridges' eggs is con-
cerned.

I have noticed, however, that they are much
less ready to purloin coloured eggs— sr.ch as those
of the Grouse and Lapwing— than eggs which are
of a uniform brown colour, as those of the Mallard
or Pheasant.

This spring I discovered a Teal Duck's nest
amongst some coarse grass, and, when the hen
left the nest, was much surprised to see the drake
rise from close beside her. when the\- both flew off
together. The nest contained onh' four eggs, and
there were several sucked eggs in the vicinity, so
that probably a Hoodie was the culprit, and the
drake was stationed on guard to beat off the intruder.

la

/^//v7).s- or L()( n i.v/^ MOrSTMN

Wlu'n driven from
oiU-u make their lioiiu' in

where, of course

here thev sometime:

trees ni

the ("rows seem to i)re

tliemselves shot.

This spriiifj; a pair o

their haunts, the Hoodies

J tlie vicinity of a larj^e town

there is no game preserving,', and

,t in numbers in the tall

ften harried, but

nes

the parks. The nests are

fer losing their eggs to being

f (irev ("rows built a nest

the top of a high spruce tret

within the
lence where the sitting

on

gronnds of a suburban resu.,.

hen had a cnuimnding view on all suh I ir.t
saw her carrying up nestmg maternds on Ma ch
, ird. Then for some time nothmg was done to the
m^st. and I had begun to think they had for..aken
it when theN- went at the work with renewed
energv and soon had the nest linished. The eggs
;"rc Jd about the middle of April, but never

hatched out. \,.r.v..A it

The hen was Nerv shy, and if >ou looked at
the nest through "your field glasses at some
distance off. she immediately flew awa>-. hhe
used to ilN- to a ueighbounng tree and perch
on the topmost branch, where she remained
for hours. (^.raduallv, when she saw that nc>
one ame near the nest, she grew bolder and
would sit cpiite close ; but bv this time the eggs
ac been r.Mulered unfertile owing to her prolonged
absences, and after sitting for about a mcjnth^ie
deserted in disgust. l-'or over a month afttr-
^^^rds the birds were still frequenting the grounds
so that possiblv they had thoughts of nesting a
second time, though this. I believe, is very unusual
with the Crow famil>-.

The nest was a large structure, and the eggs
numbered six. The strange thing was that

lilRDS or IJ)( II AM) MOCMAIX

altli()Uj,'li tlu' nest was witliiii .50 yards of a
nuiin road, alon^ wliirli t-lcrtric cars wtTt- |)a->sin},'
every few inimites, the sitting' bird was (luite
indifferent to tlu-ni. Whenever I mentioned to
keei)ers that there was a (Irey (row's nest in the
f^ronnds, tlu\ ahnost invariably said: "Of course
you've poisoned them ? " and were very indignant
when I rephed in the negative.

Some ornitholof^Msts state that the (irey and
Carrion ("row are not two thstinct s[)eci';s. In
Aberdeenshire, at all events, tiiey not infre(iuently
interbreed, and in the above-mentioned instance
the hen bird was a (irey (row, while the cock was
a ("arrion.

In the kuKc deer forests of the Hi«hk-nds, the
(irey (rows still live in comparative security, as
thev ])rove very useful in eatini^' up the entrails
of the deer which are shot. Keepeis have told me
that immediately a rifle is lired in the forest tlu
(ire\' (rows approach on ever\- side, so as to be
in time for the impendinf,' feast. Should a wounded
deer die on the hills, the carcase is soon eaten b\-
the Hoodies.

The (ire\ (row is a feark'ss bird, and although
alwavs making off when i)ursue(l by a bird with
young, he will not hesitate to attack any bird when,
in turn, his own nest is in danger ; and I have seen
one hotly pursuing a (u>lden I'-agle, which was
making off as fast as possible.

The (iolden Eagle seems to dislike attacking
the Hoodie, and I have know (iolden Eagles in
captivitv refuse to eat young (irey ("lows. During
winter the Grey Crow feeds jirincipally on refuse
round the coast, but in the spring he is a deadly
enemy to a feeble sheep or new-born lamb. If he

•At

A

i.M lUNDS or lAH II AM) MOIWTAIX

i-> lortunatc ciiouj,'!! t<» conif upon <>n«' of tli«'S«', liis
rliirl aim is to puk out tluir cyrs, wliicli an-
s|H' iall\' palatable to liis taste.

Should a Hoodie liud a (Irouse or riiea>aiit
sitting,' on lier nest, lie waits |)atiently in the \ieinit\-
till the un>usp«'(tin;4 victim leaves her v^'^s in search
of food, when the (row inunediatelv llie> to the
spot and steals as man\- e.i^'K's as he has time.

Sometinus the (ironse surprise:^ him in tlu- act
and mana;4<'s io (lri\e him away, but this is seldom
the case.

IIow»ver, it isbut rart'ly that he mana;,M'S to steal
the efi^'s of the Lai)winj,,', as one or other of these birch
is alwavs on },uuird ; and whenever the Hoodi*' -
or an\' speci<'s of the ("row familw for that matter —
makes his a|)pearance, he is immediately driven
off bv the imnry rushes and swo()i)S of the enraged
I.ai)winj,'s. These latter will attack almost any
bird straying near their eggs or young ; and I have
seen a large number of them swooping fmiously
at an old ccck Pheasant, which ducked and rushed
about as if he had (piito lost his head.

Some time ago I was \isiting a very large colony
of the ('ommon and Lesser Tern, when sudtlenly I
became aware of a tremendous uproar and saw
that a (row had wandered o\er the nesting grounds.
Hundreds of infuriated Terns were swooping and
l)ecking at him, and he was tl\ing from the danger
zone as fast as ever he could.

On the whole, I think that as regards the Grey
Crow thert' is very little decrease in Scotland, as it
nests in safety all along the coast and also in
most of the deer forests, although banished from
almost evei\- estate where game i)rescrving is
practised.

/^/A7>s Ol- /.()( If AM) M()!.\r.ll.\ 1.55

THt: WATER OUSEL OR DUMT.R

I'Al KV ii\tr ami nearly r\rr\ liij^iilaiul >tnam i>.
Iiaimt»»; l)\' this clianniii^ little bird , .ukI a> lu'
list- at \()ur lV«t and skims alonf< tin- sinia<f «>t the
wait r nttcrint,' his rhfcrv nt)tt', " T/ttt, t/t-t't." In-
prtstiits a \frv pn-ttv' piiturf. Nt) nioDi-
lantl is tt)t>\vilt|, nt) hcijijlit too j^n-at for thf DipjuT :
lit' will bf ft)un(| hauntin},' strt'ani> alnio>t at
sca-U'Vcl, while at a height t)f .5,000 fVft. whtif
the mountain siU-ncc is broken t)nl\- b\ the t)tta-
sional croak t)f the I'tarmif^'an. the Water Ousel
sutUlenly rises from the souree t)f some moorlantl
burn ami tlies rapidly off.

Although the Dipper's call note is to be heanl
an\' day, his sonj^ is comparatively rarely usetl,
but is of extraordinary sweetness, resembling tt)
a certain extent that of the Wn-n, but being nnuh
purer and more litpiid than that of the lattir binl.
What gives it an addetl charm is the fact that it
is utti'retl all through the winter months, when
other birds are silent. Sometimes the Ousel sings
on the wing as he wends his way rapidly above the
stream, but his favouritt> s])f)t when singing is a
large stone standing out into the stream. His st)ng
appears sometimes to be used for the purpose of
calling his mate to his side.

During the winter, when the weather is
severe and the moorland bums are to a great extent
snow-bound, the Oustls may often be seen on the
rivers near their estuaries, where I have noted quite
a number " working " the river together — a state
of affairs which would not be tolerated during the
nestmg season, when each pair of birds has a

i-

i

If!

J I,

1'^

I'l

i.;() BIRDS or LOCH AM) MOl'XTAIN

crrtaiii jjortion <»f the stream as tlu'ir beat and
trcspassiiif,' I)ij)|)(Ts arc \<'ry soon driven off by
the rightful owners.

The Water Ousel is perha|)S as early a nester as
any bird of the highlands, and early last spring I
watched for some time a pair constructing their

NEST OF WATER OUSEL.

marvellous donu'-shaped nest on the foimdation-
stone of an old disused bridge, about a foot abo\-e
the burn. Both birds were busy carr\ing materials
for the nest, ami it was a charming sight when
they arrivetl together, the cock singing a few-
snatches of song to his mate to cheer her on her
labours. The morning was very tine, but towartls
noon heavv snow-clouds cam<' down from the west,
and soon a dense snowfall commenced, the flakes
being of exceptional size. I wondered what the

i i

''ill

111

W'l

NESTING SITE OF THE WATER OUSEL.

i.;S /;/A7).s OF IJHH AM) MOIXTAIX

A

Dippers thought of the storm and whether they
iinajiined tlicy had made a premature start in
house-huiUMnf,^

riiree weeks hiter the nest was finished and
one egi; hiid, but when the younj,' birds sliould liave
been nearl\' readx' to leave the nest, a tremendous
storm of snow and rain swept down from the north,
and the burn rose rapidix' until it lifted the
nest from its foundations and bore it seawards
in its current. The last I saw of the nest was just
before it was washed awax", but there were no si.t^ns
of the old birds ; so jierhaps they had sueoeedi'd in
,!;ettini; their brood to a ])laee of safety. Let us
hope so, at all I'Vents.

The Dipper usually lays live I'l^'j^^s of a pure white
colour, but when fresh, the yolk shiniufj; throu.gh
gives them a pink tinge. They are rather elongated,
and are vi'r\- similar in shape and colour to those
oi the Swift, although, of course, the nesting site
is totally different. The mother bird sits very
close, and often the first intimation you have of
the nest being occupietl is when your hand touches
the brootling hen insitle.

The Dii)pers seem to take longer to rear their
famih- than most birds of their own size, and si.\
weeks after the eggs are laid the young may still
be in the nest. Sometimes, when you have
inserted your hand to feel how the young inside
ari' progressing, the young birds pop out one
after another directly it is withdrawn, and jump
into the stream below, chirping loudly and swim-
ming off in all directions. Then the parent birds
inuiiediateh- make their appearance ami with loud
cries of alarm endeavour to collect their scattered
familw

i ■ i

' ^.

HOME OF THE WATER OUSEL.

I4«) lilh'DS or lAH II AM) MOrXTAIX

•Nh

A wry fa\()iiriti' lu-stiii/^ sito is in the niches
of a rock behind a small waterfall, the bird entering
at the side, where the rnsh of water is almost absent ;
sometimes, however, the ])arent bird has to fly
right through the fall. Often, the nest is con-
structed under the arch of a bridge where a stone
has fallen out, and sometimes on a stone in mitl-
stream. In one of Mr. Kearton .-. charming books
is a ])hotograi)h of a nest in a tree about lo feet
above the level of the stream.

ihe nest is a large domed structure, with a
small <'ntrance hole near the bottom, and this hole
is usually so small that it is almost impossible to
feel the eggs inside without enlarging it somewhat.

The usual nesting materials jre moss and leaves,
and these are put together with such marvellous skill
that, although the water is often drii)i)ing continu-
ously on the nest, the inside is alwa\s perfectly dry.

The I)ipi)er has often bi'en accused — wrongly
so, I think — of fe(Hling on the s|)awn of trout and
salmon in the bed of tlu' stream. .Mthough it is
tru. the Water Ousel spends most of his time in
f«((Iing below the >urface of the water, still I think
his food consists chiefly of the in.H'Cts which have
their home in the bed of the stream. It is also said
that lish bones iUf found round the nest, but that
has ne\'e!" been the case in m\' experience.

When the frost is intense and the stream on
each side is frozen ()\er, the centre only remaining
open, it is \er\- inti-resting to watch the Dippi-r
feeding. Standing on the ice's edge, he constantly
di\-es into the stn>ani, reappearing each time a \arcl
or so further down, and when his hunger has been
s;iti>ru'd he preens his feathers contentedK' in the
frostv sun.

iimm

1 I
Lif

1?

H

3 1

lis

I

r

*'

I-

u

Ki

Li

s t

14-^ lURDS or LOCH AM) MOCM'AIX

^

As a nsult of iicstin;^' so early, tlu- Ousel soinc-
tiniesjias his not destroyed by tlie snow, and in one
<.as<' that ( anie under ni\ ol)si'r\atioii the unfortunate
birds had their home covered with a snow wr<'ath
nian\' feet dee]), and when this had melted
their nest had \anishe(I. The birds will return to
tlie same nesting j)lace year after year, but this
particular pair ha\«' not n turned to the spot
since the snow tlestroyed their ni'st.

I lui\'e seen a I)ii)|)er disappear into the f^round
when flushed from a stream, the explanation beinf,'
that, a short distance further up, the stream went
underground and was lost to \iew, tlu' bird likewise
disappearinf^ ami followiufi the course of the stream.

I have found the Water Ousel at the j^ools of
Dee, between i^)rae Riach and Ben Muich Dhui, at the
boundaries of the counties of Inverness and Aberdeen,
where evi-n the (irouse wore left below and his only
companions were the lordly (iolden Jvai^lc and the
snow-white Ptarmij^'an.

Once I found in the month of .May a Dipper's
nest with half-j^rown young. On returning to the
place some time later, I was \ery much astonished
to find that a Spotted l-lycatcher had built her nest
on the top of the Dipper's, })r()bably after the latter's
brood had left, and had reareil her young in this
uni(pie situation.

THE RING OUSEL

Tin: Ring Ousel, or Mountain Blackbird, is one
of the sweetest songsters of the mountains, and
his song, though to a certain extent resembling
that of his near relative the Blackbird, has a far

NEST OF WATER OUSEL, WITH SPOTTED FLYCATCHERS NEST AND
EGG ON THE TOP

-r

141 /^//v7).S OF I.OCH AM) MOCXTAIX

l^)'

it!

f,'rt'at<T wildiu'ss in its long-drawn, pluintivf nott-s,
as the bird pours it forth from the liif^dn-r
brandies of some hardy larch or mountain ash far
up on the lonely hillside. Does it not se<'m stranj^H'
that, althouf^li our Blackbirds remain with us tlie
whole yeai throuj^di. and never — or at least
rarely — \'entnre on the drear moorland wastes
where the \<\n^ Ousels nest, the latter, while
scorning civilisation so long as they are with
us. are unable to face the winter and migrate
to summer climes ?

When April, with its soft winds from the south-
west, has at length ilispelled the winter's snows
from off the moorlands, and the birches of the
upland glens have begun to put forth their leaves,
diffusing a sweet aroma all round, then the
Mountain Hlackbirtls commence to arrive at the
nesting sites they love so well, and where probably
they themselves first saw the light, while the moor-
lands seem all the more joyous for their presence.

Sometimes, however, they reach the uplands
before winter is really over, and on one occasion
were everywhere to be seen on the mountains
on April 3rd, a day of summer warmth and sun-
shine ; while two days afterwards all nature was
co\ered by half-a-foot of snow. Although some
of the less robust birds j)robably perish during
storms such as these, still the majority somehow
manage to hold out until spring once more "..-^serts
itself.

The Ring Ousels are tlie first of our
summer visitors to begin nesting operations, the
nest being commenced during the latter part of
April ; full clutches of eggs are generally found
bv the first week in Ma\'. The number of eggs is

/^/A7;.S" or LOCH AM) MOlWr.UX 145

usually four, but ofton three only are laid, aud
occasionally only two. They very often are in-
distinguishable from those of the Blackbird, but
as a rule are k-ss thickly marked, and with larger
spots and blotches than those of the latter bird,
while tile eggs are often more circular in shape.

' i • '-

!'' 1,1

h ill

RING OUSELS NEST AND EGGS.

A favourite nesting site is on a hillside where
juniper bushes grow in abundance ; for the birds
love to nest under the shelter, and the eggs are
often so artfully concealed that it is impossible
to see them until the bushes have been parted.
The birds seem to prefer to be near a stream
whenever possible. The nest is very similar to
that of the Blackbird ; only, as it is placed on the
ground, it is rather less substantially built. Another
favourite spot is a wild mountain ravine, and
here the birds often construct their nests on the

lift'

iii

Ir

V:

146 HIIUIS or LOCH AXD MOl'XTAIX

M

■ui

:;i

U'clgcs of the cliffs. Tliry nest usuall\' in small
colonies, but are very local in their haunts,
and one may walk for miles on some of the
moorlands without seeiufj a single one of the
species.

The hen bird at times is a ver\' close sitter,
at other times she leaves her nest while the in-
truder is still far off and in these cases her secret
is difficult to find. She is very demonstrative,
and shows the f,'reatest anxiety while her nest
is in dauf^er, flyinj^,' uneasily round the intruder
and usinj^ her alarm note, an oft-repeated
"('hack, chack. chack." The period of incubation
is a fortnight, and the youn/s' birds are hatched
out about the middle of May. They are fed
most assiduously by both the parent birds, and
bv the end of another fortnight are able to leave
the nest.

A secontl brood is rarely reared, but as late
as June 22nd I have found a nest containing
small voung, these in all probability being a second
clutch.

During the first week of last May I discovered
a King Ousel's nest containing four eggs, well
hidden under a thick juniper bush. The bird was
sitting hard, and had evidently been brooding for
a dav or so at least. Ten da\s later a snowstorm
of unparalleled severity for the time of >ear came
on suddenly, and, being dri\en by a northerly gale,
soon formed deep wreaths e\er\-where. A day or
two later I visited the King Ousel's nesting site
and was sorr>' to find a snow drift many feet deep
covering the nest, which, of course, was completely
buried. It was pathetic indeed to see the birds
flitting disconsolately round their erstwhile home

I i

z

<

X

2
S

li

hi!

i I

^Nj

t;| fi;

ifciii

ill

m

I jS /;/A'/rs Ol- !.()( fl A\l) MOCXTAIX

and M('min;,'I\ Ircliii;^ tl'cir lo^s dtj-plw Tlu' n<'st
rciiiaincd tlins coviird tor (|nitc a wfck (in end,
l>nt h\- that tinir the birds had jirobablv forj^'ottcn
th<ir <ar<'.-. and wnc lookini^ ont for a n»\v nt-stin^
>itc.

When tli«'ir m-sting season is over, tlic birds,
X'onn/,' and ohi, form into small [lartics, and niav
often be seen frecpientin;,' the hif,'h ^rotmds of the
moiMitain>.

Ihe rail notes of the cock and hen are very
similar, bnt that of the male bird is louder and
>har|)er and uttered more repeatedly when danjier
threatens.

The Rinj,' Ousels seem ver\' loth to leave their
summer haunts, and it is not until the chill winds of
October remind them (>f the near approach of
winter that the\' lea\e for the South. On their
journey they often aiif^dit in all varieties of strange
places, but they may always be distinguished from
the common lilackbirds by the snow-white crescent
on their necks, as well as by tlieir more subdued
iidl notes.

As showing the harmlessness of the Kestrel
where bird life is concerned, a very favourite nest-
ing haunt of the King Ousels is a rocky ravine less
than half a mile long, and here the Mountain Black-
birds nest within a stone's-throw of a Kestrel's
nesting hollow. They seem to have no fear of the
little Hawk, which on its part never molests them
in the slightest, but confines its attentions to mice
and field voles, with the down of which its nest
is thickly covered.

lilh'ns Oh lAHH AM) Mors IMS I J.,

THE BULLUNCH

Thk HuIIfinch is one of the most conlKlin,!^ of our
smalU-r hirds and offers a splendid opportuuitx'
for tlu' naturalist photo;,'! aplier. It sceins to
prefer the more uncultivated districts for ;> not-
ing site, and I have often seen it ne.T a (iolden
ICat^le's e\Tie, where, strange to say, many of our
song-birds— such as the Redstart. Chafilinch, and,
more numerous than any, the cheery httlo ("oal
Tit--are met with in large numbers. The
" King of Birds " apparently disdains such small
quarry, and a keeper who lives near an <\rie tell.s
me that the\' do incalculable damage to his fruit.
The M\illlinch is very local in its habits, and
seems to prift-r a distiict rich in birch trees, the
catkins of which form the chief food of the
young birds.

The series of photographs which illustrate this
chapter was obtained h:st suumur under the most
favourable conditions. The nest was built in ;'
small spruce tree at a height of about four feet
from the ground, and the hen began to sit on Ma\- Jist.
About a week later I made my first attempt
at photographing the bird, which, as inculu'.tion
achanced, became exceptionally tame. e\en for so
confiding a bird as the HuUlinch. .\t last she
would allow me to stroke her on the nest and
took not the slightest notice of the camera.

Once wlu'n, photographing her on the nest, the
cock bird begaii to call gently for Imt. She list-
eneil intently and then, gi\ing aii a:iswering cr\-,
left the nest and joined him to be fed. The young
ones were not hatclied until Inn,' ihth, and I h;>(l

J

if*

ii.

m\

I
z

10

I

Biia)s or i.ocff AM) Moiwr.ux 131

hcfiun to Icar tliat tl:.- ^ ,'s nii^'lit prove nnfrrtilc.
Howfvcr. tliar of tlu '\vv v^^^s luitclud out, the
otluT two lia\in{j; stiirk tof^t-tlu-r in soim- wax*.
Jiotli cock ami lu-ii cainr to tlu- m>t tof^'ctlur, hut
the cock Sfcnud to do most of the actual fccdiut;,
the hen looking,' on admirin^lw I was ahh- to
secure a very j^'ood photof^Mapli of the cock feediuj,'
the \-oung. He is alone at the mst, as In- usuall\'
arri\ed a short time hefore his mate.

Thr«'e or four da\s after the hatchiu},' of the
xounj,' I af,'ain rif,'f,'etl up m\- camera and waited
patiently. This time the hen came alon*' all the
afternoon, and for two or three davs there was no
sif^n of the cock, so I supposed he had been trapped.

One afternoon, however, after tlu- hen had come
to the nest sexcral times alone as usual, a cock
bird bej,'an to call from the top of a neighl)ourinj^
])irch tree, and continued for abctut ten minute>,
at the end of which he was joined b\- the hen.
I doubt, however, whether he was the ori^'inal
husband, as he ne\'er came near the nest and only
accompanied the hen for food occasionalK', alto-
},M'ther behaviufi cpiitt- differently from what he had
previously done if he was th.e ori,i,Mnal mate.

One afternoon I timed the hen's visits to the
nest. Her lirst visit durini,' mv watch was at
2.J5. the second -'.53. the third J.io, the fourth
,}.23, the fifth 4 o'clock, and the si.xth 4. 23. The
Nounj,' always welcomed her with f;reat sifins of
joy, and the strongest seemeil to f^et most food, as
the more feeble were practicallx' swamped by th<'
stronger. The young left tiie ne>t on Jul\' ,;rd,
having taken (piite sexcnteen da\> t<» become
fuli\" Hedged, winch is, I think, s(»mewhat longer
than usual.

:i

; i

RULLJ^INCH BRO( DING

lURDS or I.OCH AM) MorxTA/x 15;.

Towartls tln' cikI, I used to frctl tin' lifii witli
heni)) stTcl, and sIr* was so confuliiif,' that sin- would
actually take it from my lips aiul w(iuld ])crcli on
nn' hand without tin- It-ast siirn of ft-ar. Slu- was

^"<rv.-f

^^" Ml

:.m

A''l% ^^/

'■■■ '^

COCK BULLFINCH FEEO.NO YOUNG

vtTV clever at slu'llin;^ the seeds, and after ^iiellin,;,
about a dozen would fei'd her youni,' with them :
but she seemed to know tliat too much hemp xcd
was not good, as she would onlv tak*- a certain
(juantitw and then tl\' off to look for birch
catkins. When the mother bird wa- feedinj^ from

I'

154 lUh-nS or /.()(/{ AX/) MOCMAIX

m\- liaiid. the xoiiiii,' did not mind m\- presence,
l)ilt diicctlv >lie lett tlie\ sliowed >i,yns of f,'re;it
.daini, opeciallx- when tlie\- had reached the a^'e
()l nearl\ a lortnii^ht.

I \\a> \er\ unhickv in in\ eltnrt> to pictnre
the lien pMilirnuh at the not. Nearly everv after-
noon I watched the ne^t for liours on end, hnt the

el

HEN BULLFINCH FEEDINli vouNti

•-'in had a na>t\- trick of shinin,^ hrilhanth' as
loiii^ .!-< the bird was awa\ , and wliene\er she came
l)ack it would disappear l)ehind a clond, in the
mo->t exa^piiatini; manner.

In till- \i.init\ a Meadow I'ipit and a Willow
Wren wtre hu-v fe-dint; their \-ounf: ones, and
ne\er scciufd to nnder>tand the Hnlllinch's con-
lideiK c, Altlion,i;h their ne>t> were some distance
a\\a\-, the\ kept hoxcrin;.; about in i^reat anxietw
e\<n when the Ihilllinch was feeding fearlessh" from

{iMSJ^'V^'iti.

jummi'^mssmm^i'^^m

/>7/v7).s OI' !.()( II AM) MorXT.lIX 155

ii)\' liand. After Indiim the \(nin,i,', the niotlicr
l)ir(l tisril to ga/.c at tlif nest for a frw luonu'iits
and tlu'ti attciul to it> >aiiitar\- arraiij^cmcnts.

I lioMcd to sec till' vouiii^ birds after tlie\' Iiad

-<£ "^ ■■■

\

i, -

'■ <.

1. !

" '.i '»■'

8>

^'- '

^M^

M.

c:.^

*

M2P

FULLV FLEDOED YOUNG BULLFINCHES IN NEST.

left the nest, but in this I was (Hsai)i)oiiite(l. The
call of the hen was (sf exceptional >weetne>s, and
was uttered in a hi},'lier ke\- than tiiat of the cock
l)ird. Tin- l^nllhnch is a \'er\- late iiester. and tlii>
particular pair reared a second brood, which did
not Iea\f the n«'sf till late in AuiiM^t.

II

^^jimi^jis^mm

i

i.V> /.7/v7/s or ijH II AM) Moixr.i/x

f\

THE MEADOW PIPIT

liii: M.adow Pipit -or. ;i> it is cominoiilv named.
tlM- Hcatlicr l.iiitit- is one of tlic most al)im(laiitl>-
<listril)iitf(| l)inis on the m(»untains, and on almost
t\(i\ moor its >Iirill note mav be heard.

Altlionj^li roident in this coimtry tlirouj^liont
the xcar, thexdo not remain on the hi^'lier j^ronnds
tlnoui^h the winter months, bnt seek more slieltered
<|uarters near tlie coast. At the earhest sif,Mi of
>\niui:, lio\\e\(r. thev retnrn to tlie moorhinds
and til. re remain till late autnnm. Diuinj,' the
winter thev are mostl\- in tlocks, bnt very soon
after tlieir return to the high f^'ronnds they break
up and fc'in ■ 'o pairs.

onwnencement of Mav the nest is

:' althonj,di the usual situation is

n- heather, all kinds of sites are

ider whin bushes, in l)ank>, small

an I ill kinds of unlikel\- spots.

About fht
eon^tructi
amon;,'st
made use
rabbit s( p.
The uest . .
hea'h. r d
t:ra» i
a dai
sju'ckji

hoWe\ti

-•r\-

o\\
Ith

and

•r(

Th

e perioi (»l

! -it little structure made of
' t>. and lined with thin. dr\'
ir or hve ej^fjis are laid, of
and thicklv blotched and
Ml. TIie\- vary very nuich,
etinies more ,i.;re\- than brown,
ubalion is about a fortni.yht.
or >ii,i^ht!v uiHiri. and the hen, when the i'l^^s
are hard mI. is a ver\- close >ittt'r. and when
di>turbed hah tlie>, half runs, from the nest as
though wounde<|. Often after a few yards she runs,
or even walk>. constantl\- lookin.i,' back to see what
is hap|)emiij,' to her nest.

I his bird i> victimised more than an\- bv the

hi

niKDs oi' /.<)( H AM) M(>r.\r.i/.\ 157

Cuckoo, iiiid prolnihly tlic reason lor tliis i> fliat
tile latter bird is often very plentiful on the moors,
and tin- Heather I.intie is the most lonunon of
the small uioorland-nestiiif; birds. It ha> been
proved that the Cuckoo does not invariablv

MEADOW PIPITS NEST WITH CUCKOOS EOG.

lay her vii^ in the nest of her \ictim. as in one
instance a ^h'ado\v Pipit's nest was found under
a rock in such a position that a cuckoo could not
possibly havi- f,'ot in to lav her e^f,'. but must have
(h'posited it outside and then placed it inside with
her bill. l'robabl\- this i> more often the case
than is fjjenerallx- >ui)i)OM'd. as Cuckoos ha\-e been

11

■5W"»'«^«

In-"* /^//v7;.s i)I- lAKH AM) MorXTAIX

^ll(.t

With rii'^s in tluir hills. An «'Xtiaor(|iiiarv
tiling, when the si/c of the bird is taken into ron-
>i(l«Tati(»n. i> the sinallncss of tlic Cuckoo's v^^.
\Vli<n laid in a Meadow Pipit's nest, it can scarcelv
he di>tin;4ui«.lied from those of the ritrhtful owner,
so alike are the\- in >i/e and inarkinf,'>.

I.a>t June I (ame upon a Heather I.intie's nest
containing four lawful «-^jj;s and one ('uckoo'>. 1
half thou;,'lit of taking' the one laid hy the Cuckoo,
hut in the end left it to he hatched Out. .\ fort-
ni/^'lit later on I found the xoun^' Cuckoo, oiiK a
(lav or so old ; hut even hvthat time he had |)itched
out the rijihtful occupaut> of the nest, which were
Iviiif,' stark and >tirf within an inch or two ol
tlu-ir ri;,'litful dwelling, while th«' u,i,dv black little
\illain was in sole poss»ssion. J-;\-en at that early
period of his life he stron.LjIv resented m\- takiui,'
him up to look at him, o|)eninj,' his bill wide with

.\s the Cuckoo is M» \-er\- voun;,' when it throws
out the other occupants of the nest, it is prohahlv
due to instinct, and not to premeditated wickedness,
that it treats its fellow-nestlinf,'s so callouslv. Hut
perhaps the >tranf,H'>t thint,' f»l all is the indifference
of the parent birds to the fate of tlu'ir olfsprin;,^ ;
for they will not make the slij,dit<st attempt to
nplace their vounj,' in the nest when they have
been thrown out, but will devote their whole atten-
tion to the alien, while their own children slowh
perish outside.

This at tir>t sij^dit seems to he a terrible state of
affairs. l)ut it is reallv only the wonderful provision
of nature; for if the foster parents had their own
brood to feed as well as the Cuckoo, the food they
l)ro\ided would not be sufficient for all. as it takes

lUKDS OI- I AH II AM) M(H\TA/\ i^f

tlu'in all tluir time to ft-cd tlu' Ciickcto alone wlicii
it is nearly rea(l\- lor leaving the nest.

\\'li\-. then, it ma\- he a>ke(l, do not the Ciukoos
rear their hroods themselves as their l"orei{,Mi

"^ y

YOUNG CUCKOO DISDAINING THE PHOTOGRAPHER.

relatives do, and as the\' thein^eho undouhtt'dh'
tliil at one time ? To this (juestion I fear there
can be no satisfactory answer. Sometimo, hem-
ever, the ( uckoo la\ s her egj,' in the wrong nest,
and instances are on record of an egg being laid in
a ("arrion (row's nest, and when the >«>nng birds

/■ iSS-iHS+^ir

r-^, .*^ --, » -.T jfwr ^- ■■P.

W 1

II

I'M. /;/A7>.s or IA)( II AM) MorsiMS

utic h. itched imt <il tlir ( lu kuo bciiij^ killed, citlitr

indiitiniiallv (U not, and tliiown out of the iicst.

riii«. piirticiilar \ouiiiL; ( iit kno to wliicli I lia\«.

nitrii'd a> throwing out his foinpanions, j)ro-

4

CUCKOO IN MEADOW PIPIT'S NEST A TIGHT SQUEEZE

sptTfd rxcffdiiif,'ly, and about three \veek> later
had .Ljrown to such an extent that the nest would
not eonifortahly hold him, and he was huddled
up in a N-ery eraniped jxjsition. When I took him
out of tin- nest and placed him on the Krass in order
to take his photoj^raph, he resented it ver\ stronglx

lilh'DS or /.()( II AM) \l()(.\T\/.\ H.i

and made lunj^o at mv liaiul wIuikaci I put it mar
liiin. Hf tlncu liis wiiij^s apart and <>|Kiit(| lii>.hrak
wide in liis attempt to overawe int-. Ail tlie tim*-
the jMtor In^ter-pan-nts kept calling near l)\- in a

... ^r'i^i^

r ,
* *- X "

1 /

.,, I ■ ■

" "^^

.■■^7i-5j^-

/ -wr£

■-c

7 i ^' J

&»• '

/ ' --/. /l^

-^^■^-^-^ ..-'cl^ >'-.^.

^•/.
^

FULLV FLEDQED VOUNG CUCKOO RESENTING INTRUSION

^Teat state of anxiety. Iioklin},' in tli( ir i)eaks choit e
morsels for tlieir foster-cliil«l.

In one case, a yoiuig ("uckoowas so lierce that it
used to leave its nest and run after an\o.ie ventur-
injj to disturb it, and when it tliought it had scared
the intruder off went calmly back to its nest.

(!■

I'

1!

ar-Ti

MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TEST CHART

ANSI ond ISO TEST CHART No 2|

1.0

I.I

1.25

1.4

I If IS

t 1^ III 2.0

»- u — —

1.8

1.6

^ APPLIED IN/HGE Ir

f'^c-esi^r, Nffw v-rh 146C9 jS*

t^'6' 48; - 0300 - Phor^e
(7'6' 28« - ^989 - Faw

ll

1^

fl

■,;li

!i-i ■

N

162 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN

The young Cuckoo heaves its companions out
of the nest by getting underneath them and hfting
them on 10 its shoulders, and then flings them out
to j)erish miserably. When the Cuckoo is fully
fledged and has left the nest, the foster-parents
continue feeding it for some little time until it
is fully able to take care of itself.

Occasionally, two Cuckoo's eggs are found in a
Meadow Pipit's nest, but this is very rarely the
case.

The Heather Lintie's call note is an oft-repeated
" Zi/Ack, zizick," or " Sphink, sphink." The male
has a song very like his near relative the Tree Pipit.
ITying up to a good height, he descends ])recipitately
to the ground, meanwhile uttering his song, but the
notes he uses on his ascent are different from those
during the downward flight.

The first brood are able to look after themselves
by the month of June, when the majoritv of the
l)arent birds start housekeeping afresh, and I have
seen newly-hatched young as late as the middle
of July. The Linties are very anxious when
any danger threatens their young, and flv rest-
lessly around the intruder with their bills full of
food, calling incessantly.

It is interesting to notice that the fact
of their having food in their mouth in no wa\'
interferes with their call notes. They feed the
young j)rincipally on insects, daddy-longlegs being
a very favourite morsel, and the long legs may be
seen sticking out of the captor's mouth.

Even as late as August an occasional Meadow
Pipit will be seen collecting food for her brood,
but by this month the majority of the birds have
linished their nesting cares. Until late October, or

I.' ^ I

BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 163

even November, however, they linger at the nesting
haunts as if they would prefer to remain always
on the uplands, if there were a sufficient supply
of food. ** -

u

THE WILLOW WARBLER

This beautiful little songster is almost everywhere
to be found throughout the Highlands. In the
dark pine forests, amongst the slender birches, and
on the open moorlands, his patheticallv sweet
song is heard as he flits from branch to branch
m quest of food ; and when the cold winds of early
autumn have driven him south, the wood-
lands and moors seem indeed deserted.

The first of the Willow Wrens arrives, should
the spring be favourable, about the first week in
April, but in some seasons I have not heard their
song until the first of May. Some years ago
we exjierienced a heav\^ fall of snow about
May 7th, after a fine, mild April, and the Willow
Warbler's notes seemed strangely out of place as
he flitted about amongst the snow-covered birches.

The birds usually arrive in considerable num-
bers—that is to say, their song is heard in widely-
separate districts about the same time. When they
first reach us their song is very soft and low ; but
after two or three days' rest they regain their' true
form, and on all sides their sweet undulating song
is borne on the wind.

For a month or so after arrivmg they seem to
take little thought of domestic d'lties, and it is
not until well on in May that the -arliest nesting
birds begin to make their nests. Both cock and

I!

1^4 B/«/).S 01' LOCH ASI) MOUNTAIN

I (

H

hen lu'lp in the work, and wny charming it is to
watch them Hitting to and fro, bringing nesting
materials for their home.

By tile first days of June the eggs are usually
laid and incubation connnenced. The eggs number
from four to seven, occasionaIl\' more. They closelv
resemble those of the Common or Brown Wren,
being of a white ground colour and sjjotted with a
beautiful rich red. The spots usually are more
numerous at the larger end, but sometimes are
distributed erjually all over. When freshly laid,
the yolk, shining through the shell, gives the latter
a di'licate ])ink tinge.

The nest is marvellously constructed, being
domed, with a side entrance, and lined with feathers,
\\hich form a warm and soft bed for the eggs to
lie on. The outside of the nest is conij)osed princi-
pally of dried grass with an occasional sprig of
withered heather. The nest is so well hidden that
even after marking the exact spot it is difficult
to locate, and often the eggs are tram})led on by
unwary gardeners and keepers.

The hen bird sits very closely, and when flushed
Hits noiselessly away, but almost immediately re-
turns, showing the greatest signs of anxiety as she
hovers round the intruder, uttering her plaintive
alarm note, " Whoo-ee, whoo-ee." This soon brings
her mate to her side, and they both hover rest-
lessly round.

The period of incubation is about fourteen days,
and the young, when first hatched, are very help-
less little things, with eyes shut and bodies almost
naked. A fortnight's careful feeding by the parent
birds works wonders, however, and by the end of
that time the young ones leave the nest and are

BIRDS or LOCH AM) MOiWTAIX 165

shown tlu' \va\'s of the bird-world by their father
and mother.

When the young are safely hatched out,
the parent birds have a very busy time,

THE WILLOW WARBLERS SUMMER HAUNT.

and from three in the morning until nine at night
are constantly feeding their offspring. Every two
or three minutes either the father or mother enters
the nest with caterpillars or green fly for the hungry
youngsters, whoLC eager cries for more can plainly
be heard.

]

I

I !

i6f) BIRDS OF !()CH AND MOUNTAIN

One never sees a Willow Warbler idle; he is
always on the move, flitting from bough to bough
and eagerly examining the under part of each leaf
for the succulent green fly of which he is very fond.
In fact, I have repeatedly seen Willow Warblers
engaged in eating the green fly from sicklv rose
trees and producing quite an appreciable effect on
the ]lants.

The Willow Wrens rear only one brood during
a season, and after the beginning of July gradually
become silent for about a month during their
moult. Itarly in August, however, their song is
recommenced, and during last summer they con-
tinued in full song throughout August, although
after the nesting season is over the song is
usually uttered only occasionally. The notes are
begun in a high key. and gradually descend
lower and lower, but often rise again just
before the close of the song. The bird does not
need to be still while he sings, but pours forth his
sweet music while busily hunting for food, without
even pausing in his search.

Though the nest is usually placed on the
ground, amidst the long grass or heather, it is
occasionally found in a tree at a distance of lo feet
or even more above the ground, while the i)hoto-
graph of the nest here reproduced was situated in
the mouth of a rabbit scraping. The nest, however,
was unfortunatel}- dcstroxed before the \oung were
fledged. Occasionally tlie Cuckoo victimises the
\\'illow Wren, but this is rarely the case comj^ared
with the Meadow Pipit.

^ To ascertain the hour of the morning at which the
Willow Warbler commences his song, as compared
with other birds, I noted the time when various

'n'

BIRDS OF LOCH AM) MOUNTAIN 167

birds commenced their song on the morning of June
2ist last summer. These' were:— Blackbird. 1.50 a.m.;
Thrush, 1.51 ; Robin, 2.7 ; Yellow Hammer, i.iq ;
Willow Warbler, 2.24 ; Wren, 2.4.S ; Chaffinch. 3.1 :
and Hedge Sparrow and (ireenhnch both at 3.17.
It will thus be seen that the Willow Warbler.

WILLOW WARBLERS NEST IN RABBIT SCRAPING.

though not so early as the Thrush or Blackbird,
easily beats the Chaffinch or (ireenfinch. In the
quiet June evenings the Willow Warbler is in song
till shortly after nine, while the Thrush and Black-
bird do not retire to roost till about an hour later.
The alarm cry of the Willow Wren has an extra-
ordinary sadness and appeal, and he nuist be hard-
hearted indeed who destroys the nest while the
jiarent birds are pathetically begging him to spare
their treasure.

i'l

r'pj.

r

if)N nih'/)s ()/■■ /.()( If AM) MorxT.i/x

Towards the ciul of Scptcnibcr the cold winds
tvWinii of autninii warn tlu'se delicate little suninier
visitors that tliev must be movinj,' South, and bv
tlie end of the month they all have departed for
sunnier climes, till the voice of sj)rinf,' once
more calls them North.

THE PEREGRINE FALCON

It is a most re,t;ret table fact that the noble IVregrine
is fast decreasinj,' as a nestinj,' species in this comitrv.
This is due to a j,'reat extent to the constant warfare
wa,i,'ed against it b\- nearly all gamekeepers, many
of them acting under orders from their masters, who
ar rea(l\- to sacrifice the Peregrine for tiie sake of
a w additional (irouse on the Twelfth.

In one Scottish count\-, where the ground is emin-
ently suited for them, I have heard of only two pairs
attemj)ting to nest during recent years— sad to say,
with little success. In one instance a keeper
boasted of killing a Peregrine on the wing with a
rirte, though he had absolutely no excuse for this
contravention of the Wild Birds Protection Act, as
the birds were nesting in a deer forest, where thcv
are of great use to the sportsman b\- keejnng down
the numbers of Cirouse.

This year I visited, on April 24th, a rock
some forty feet high on the summit of a
mountain, where the birds usually attempt to
nest. The rock stands nearly 2,000 feet above sea-
level and conmiands a wide outlook, es})ecially
eastwards, where a splendid view is obtained of
the North Sea some twenty miles distant. On the
west side the rock is quite insignificant, and, in fact,

THE AUTHOR AT THE EYRIE OF THE PEREGRINE FALCON

17') IUIU)S or LOCH AXI) MorXTAIN

is not miicli mor.' tluin a ^nissy slope, but the
cast faro is almost iMrpcndicuIar ; and. on roundinf,'
tlu> rock, sure cnouj-li the Pcrcfirinc sailed out from
a ledge some jo feet up and circled round,
calling,' repeatedly. Her note doselv resembled that
of the S|)arro\v Hawk, but was not (piite so clear
and ringin;,' as tlx- (all of the latter bird.

I succeeded in j^'aininj,' the nestin;,' ledi^'e after
rather a risky climb up the face of the rock, and was
rewarded by finding,' live ejjf^'s ]\ \n}i in a slij^dit depres-
sion scraped in the earth. There was absolutelv no
attempt at nest-makinu, but a few bones ofCirouse —
captured during the i)receding season — lav in the
hollow and one or two feathers from the jjarent bird.
The eggs were very similar to those of the Kestrel in
colour, but were larger in size, and a clutch of five
is, I believe, a very rare occurrence. On the wax-
up the hill we were struck by the great number
of (".HMise which rose in front of us, and from
this surmised that the Peregrine could not be
nesting in the vicinity. Within fifteen yards of
the Peregrine's rock a cock Grouse was' flushed,
and his alarm note sounded very weird as the
echo was thrown back from the rock. A blue hare
also was sheltering near, and it was quite evident
that the Hawk was not dreaded by the birds and
beasts in the vicinitv.

Having no camera with me at the time, I re-
turned nine days later to the e\rie with )>hotograj)h-
ing apjiaratus. The previous afternoon had been very
stormy with heavy snow on the hills, accompanied
by a southerly gale — a rare occurrence for early
Ma\-. Leaxing not long after daybreak, the eyrie
was reachetl before eight o'clock, and on cautiously
peering round the rock we had a very fine view

( . ■

BIRDS-EYE VIEW OF THE PEREGRINES EYRIE. SHOWING EGGS ON

THE LEDGE.

: i

1!

t^i

M!

I '

:i !

i;j lilKDS or /.()( fl AM) MOCXTAIX

of the lion as she stood rraily for flij/ht at the eclf,'e
of the nesting ledge. Immediately on seeing us
she Hew olf at top speed and did not return while
we were at the nest. W'c were rather surpriseci
at this, for at our last visit she sat closely and
hovered round us the whole time, calling loudly,
and once or twice half-swooped at me while
I was at the nesting ledge. .\ freshly-ilischarged car-
tridge, however, lying at the foot of the rock told of
an unsuccessful attempt on the part of some keeper
to add the sitting Peregrine to the list of his victims,
notwithstanding that the bird is strictly pro-
tected throughout the year. I-ortunately, she had
escaped, but her e.xperiencc had doubtless made
her more wary, and she had probably been warned
of our approach by the (irouse which we flushed
and which flew past her.

r:ach ascent to the nest made the rock more diffi-
cult to climb, as the grass which previously afforded
somewhat of a foothold was rendered insecure by the
strain j)ut upon it. My companion, also, in his
endeavours to climb, clutched somewhat wildly at
any grass that was near, and succeeded in pulling a
good deal of it out. Having gained the nest, the
camera was hauled up by a rope, and, after a good
deal of manoeuvring, I got it in position in a some-
what jirecarious point of vantage and exposed
four plates, all of which fortunately turned out
well. The eggs, as will be seen from the accom-
panying illustration, were placed in a curious crescent
forn^ation.

Irom the rock a grand view was obtained.
Eastwards the sun was shining brilliantly on
the North Sea. which was lit up with beautiful
effect, and fishing boats could be clearly made

»-
lit

in

o

z
o
m

o
z

o

X

Q

z
<

Ul

(/)

ul

z

K
O
Ul
X
Ul

a.

I-i

;i

ill

It!

174 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN

out. Westwards the giant hills, which during
the ascent had been hidden by snow squalls, now
stood out in spotless white, and through the field-
glass one could almost see the drift blown
before the wind. During the descent we flushed
Grouse in such numbers as I have rarely seen
during the nesting season, and this despite the
statement by a keeper that the Peregrines were
numerous on the hill — a statement which, of course,
was absolutely without foundation. On the
lower ground, too, we met with great numbers of
Golden Plover and Curlew, most of them with
young, although on our jjrevious visit we had not
seen a single Golden Plover.

I had hoped to obtain a series of photographs of
the young Peregrines at different stages of thcu
growth ; and with this \iew on the morning of
May 1 8th my com])anion and I set out before
five o'clock. A more depressing morning con VI
scarcely be imagined. A strong northerly wind
brought with it heavy squalls of sleet, and on the
hill we were caught in a blinding shower of snow,
with thick mist, so that we could only guess where
the rock was situated. Soon we saw it appear-
ing in the distance in a ghostly shape, and, just
as we reached the base, flushed a hen Grouse sitting
on her nest, which contained seven eggs. As the
wind was bitter and the ground powdered with
snow, incubation under such circumstances
could not be too pleasant a task. Chmbing
the rock from the west side, we crept cautiously
to the summit, as the mist had lifted some-
what, and we expected every moment to see the
Peregrine leave her nest. But, alas ! for our hopes.
The nest was seen to be deserted, and I at once

:i(

o

z
(fl

■Xv^i;

r -— ,"•

'• -f. <^ ■-/♦»„' ^ •• .'»% ••« ^.

V -'■*• '■

CD

O

<
I

z
z

Ul

I

H

Ul

>
Ul

±
O

o

Ul

z
£
o

Ul

cc

Ul
0.

-> ♦■.'...-■' . •■

10

o
o

Ul
U.

o

z
o

o
a.

iii

■m

I/O niNDS Oh LOCH AM) MOIXTAIX

(onrludi'd that tlu' licii had hfcii shot. Near b\-
were ttic remains of a Lap\vinf,\ cvidontlv one of
the last birds taken by the hickless IVrej4:rine, while
a few skeletons of (irouse were also Kinj,' near. On
clinibini.,' to the eyrie I found that two of the eg^'s
had been moved alonj,' tlu' ledge a distance of
nearly two feet, and also found the mark of a pellet
on the rock with a corri'sponding groo\-e in the
nest. It was plain that the keeper had (•rei)t up
the rock from the west side and shot the bird
while she was misuspectingly brooding. On re-
ceiving the shot she had, in her agony, fluttered
along the ledge for about two feet, carr\ing two
of the eggs with her, and I could see the marks
made by her claws as she writhed in her death agon\-.
Numbers of her feathers were lying around, some
of the imder-feathers being of extraordinary beautv
— tinged with greenish yellow.

To show how the eggs were found, I called for
a rope to be thrown to me, by which to pull up
the camera, and asked my companion to come uj)
also. However, the rock proved too much for him,
and after several desperate efforts he had to own
himself beaten.

While at the nest I saw a Peregrine flying in
the far distance — probably the cock— but he did
not venture to come near to his former home.
[From " T/ic Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic
AVk's."]

/>7A7>>.s' or I J HI!

AM) .^forXTAIX 177

MORVEN IN SNOW

A \VI.\ri:R CLIMB

Ahdit six mill's north-wt'st of Dinnet, Morveii,
" tlu' (iri'ut Hill" (2,Sf)> ft'i't above sca-lfwl), lii's
nii(l\va\' between the \allcvs 01" the Dee and Don,
and from the summit cairn a view of surpassing;
beauty is obtained in eNcry direction.

At the time wo make the ascent tlu- new yi-ar is yet
only a few da\s old. but a succession of warm south-
westerly winds has causixl most of the traces of
the recent snowstorm to disappear. Motorin.i; from
Aboyne, we ha\e, at the old mill of Dinnet, to take
the car tlnou,i;h a lield, as an immense drift, which
a day or two ago was estimati'd at 20 feet in
depth, lies across the roadway. The route is by
Ordie and Loch Davan, and two wreaths ha\'e to
be cut through ere we reach Mor\'en's base. The
air is soft and mild and extraordinarily clear, but
a gale blows from the south-west and it is not
easy to make much i)rogress against it.

The hill is wonderfully clear of snow, but
one huge drift is noted in a low-lying corrie
and the fence is comph^tely hidden by the
snow. The first white hare is seen just below
the 2,000 feet level, and he runs off, looking
for all the world like a small snow wreath, as
he is spotlessly white with the exce))tion of his
oars. Just before reaching the mossy plateau lying
about the 2,000 feet line, we put up se\eral
Ptarmigan. These mountain thvellers are rarelv
mot with below 2,500 feet, but we have noticed
them several times at this spot, even during the
nesting season, which is rather interesting, seeing

I

.'!

1/

rai-i

II

178 />7A7;,S" or LOCH AM) MOrXT.UX

tluit on Lfu'Iinajiiir, Hvn Miiicli Dliui, and tlirir
other >tn)n,!,'li<)I(ls tlicy do not dcscdul niiuli below
J, (»()() feet. All round the plateau pack after pack
of (irouse '^vt up, antl, risinj,' a.yainst the wind,
i,Ma(luall\- swer\<' off and lly down-wi; 1 at express
speed. The birds are e.\ce|)ti()nally wilil and take
winj; while we luc \-et se\-eral hundred \-ards from
theni.

Although it IS onl\- two o'clock the sky to
the south-east, from Alount Keen to Kerloch, is
lit up a beautiful pink, as thou{,di the sun has al-
ready set. Mor\'i'n's southern slopes have many
de(>|) and soft wreaths on them, but we strike off
to the ritiht and t;ain the summit ])lateau at the
eastern cairn, which is partly of natural formation.
I'-re rv\'ichint( the sununit, howexcr, we hax'e some
snow climbin,LC to do, as a drift some 200 yards lonji;
and excee(lin,iil\- steep bars the way, and at one
point we are almost blown from our scant\- footinj,^
by the force of the j.jale. On the distant wreaths
co\eys of (irouse stand or run weirdlv about, looking
\'ery comical on the snow, and a number of hares run
quickly for safi't\- from their natural en<'mv. Several
roosting hollows of the (irouse are discovered, some
containing fresh drojipings, and it is suggested that
a bed on the snow nnist |)rove rather chilly when
there is so much bare grountl all round.

.\s we emerge on the summit plateau the wind
blows with hurricane force ; but at length we gain the
shelter of the cairn, about 400 yards distant, and
gaze our full at the glorious view which it is given
us to ('njoy. During the ascent a thin grev mist
has at times ])assed over the higher reaches of the
hill, but has been borne onwards by the gale. We
have climbed Morven many a time, but never has

^:'

111

HIRDS OF LOCH AM) MOrXT.UX i-q

til'.' \ii'\v l)i\'ii such a> it i> to-dax'. Diu' south,
Mount Kern {^^>7/ hi-t) and the IJniid Ciiirn, a
few hundred fct-t lower, arc ( oniparativrlx' tree of
snow. The siuiHuit ol ( loch-iui-l>tn is clearly X'cn,
as arc also Kcrloch and ("airn .Mon luirn. i'^\idcntly
there is less wind I'urther tlown the \allev, tor the
smoke of Hanchor\- is lyinj,; abo\ c the \illa,i;c and
the North Sea is hidden 1)\' the smoke of Abt-rdcen.
It is the north anil west, however, that supplx-
the j,Mandest view. Due north, P)en Rinncs is
bathed a most j^lorious pink b\- the scttin;.,' sun,
and here the sk\' is of surpassin.u loxclincss. Xorth-
west the blue is tingeil with f^rcen ; this s^raduallN'
merf,a'S into dark blue, and still further cast the
sky is tiuf^'cd with pink. The Brown ('c»w (j.ooo
feet), between (iairn and Don, carries an immense
drift on its south side, locally known to the natives
as the " Brown Cow's White Calf." To the north-
west, about eleven miles distant, the road from
Cockbridgc to Tomintoul is seen windinj.; uj) the
hill and filled with hu,i,H^ drifts. Ben Axon and
Cairngorm arc occasionallx" hidden by mist, and
at times the giant stones on the former's summit
are the only part of the mountain left visible.

The setting sun shining on the westward
slopes of the hills to the north-west has a marvel-
lous effect, and we seem to be transported to a
fairy world. Abox'e Strathdon the road appears to
carry a considerable depth of snow, but between
Dinnet and Donside the road is com})aratively free
of drifts. Looking south-west, ice-bound Loch
Muick is seen nestling amongst the mountains, and
Lochnagar and the Cuidhe Crom make a beautiful
picture with the setting sun bchi'.ul them.

Suddenly a mist envelojjs the cairn behind which

1i

Hi

'-ii'

ill

! 1

iN<. /.7A7>.s f>A /.(>( l{ AM) MorXTAIX

uc iUf >licltrrinj4:. ;iii(I wc >(■»• lur tlic liist time tlir
slui(|(»\v of Morxcii tliKiwii on tlic clouds. All the
time tlir iiii>t rots on ijic Miiuiuit a liorsc-slioc-
>li.i|)c(l r;iiiil)o\v or " j^iory " is ontlincd aj^aitist tlit-
iiii>t ('a>t-nortli-ca>t of tlic liill, iuid for a few seconds
a (loid)lc " mock " laiiibow a|)i)rais. As tlic mist
cl'.-ars oil the liill, \vc notice the «reat distance
to which tile shadow of .Morxcn extends. l'"\-eii
east of lowie man\- miles down the Don all is
in shade, and every moment the sun sinks lower
and the shadow corres|)()ndini.;l\- increases. .\l)out
.;..;o the Sim disappears beneath an .\tlantic storm-
cloud comin;..; u]) on tin- hori/on, and the cloud's
edf^n-s are for some minutes tinjied with purest j^old.
Just as the sun is disap])earin!,', a co\-e\- of eif,dit
snow-white Ptarmi.yan wheel across the hill near
the summit, coming from the Donside direction,
\vhicli is in shadow. .\s they reach the sunlij^ht
their snow-white plunuii^e is su(UlenI\- lit up a rosv
tinge with beautiful effect.

A curious piienonienon is now xisibh'. l-'rom
the eastern hori/on three great ra\ s gradualh'
spread owr the wiiole sk\- to the east. One
points south-east, another north, and the tliirtl
north-west, while a fourth is faintly defined
shooting up to the westward. Tlu' sunset has
a marxfUous elfect in the \alle\- of the Don,
lighting up wood, iield. and heather with a lierv
tinge and ha\-ing a grand elfect on the snow\-
hills. 1 lu Bin Iiill of Cullen, many miles to the
north-east, iias also its full share, while I.oclmagar
against the sunset is a dark bluish black, and down
by ("ambus o' May the Dee runs full and fast.

But now the descent must be comir.eiiced ; so, after
lingering a while to look on this b^'autiful ])anoraina,

/^//v7>.s- (fl- !.()( U AS I) Morxr.lIX iSi

\vc strike (Inwii tlic south >i(lc ot the liill. \N<'
!i(i|)f(l to lici\c hrcii rcwiirdfd with > nuv ;;lis-
sadin,!,' ; hut, unlortU!i.itf|\-, tiic snow is coiupiira-
ti\('l\' s)lt, .111(1, alter .^ Ai'iMJ iin>ucc-es>lnl at-
tempts, we iia\c to f^ivc it up.

i'dr another hour at h'.i>t tiie l)eautitul sunset
I'ontinues, each niiiuite receihn^' turtlier west, wliere
lor loni; the sk\- is Ht up with a (•rini>on liue im-
possible to describe in words. I lie (irouse rise
startled at our feet, calhni; loudI\- in alarm, and
darkiu'ss rapidlx' descends on the mountain ; whik'
the ylow in the west becomes yradnally fainter
and fainter, until at last iiiL^ht rei.i^ns supreme.

"through the mist;

11

ll

i'KiNri;i i;v

CAssl-l I ,\ (.1., lIMirih, l.A l.KM.I. >Al\.\..F
1 iiMiiiN, I.e.

i

ill-

r,
i .

ill