THE LIBRARY

OF

THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA

LOS ANGELES

SPORTSMAN AND NATURALIST'S

TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE

A SPORTSMAN BHD NATURALIST'S

TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE

BY
CHAELES ST. JOHN

Author of " Wild Sports and Natural History of the Highlands,'

POPULAR EDITION

LONDON: SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, & CO
GLASGOW: THOMAS D. MORISON

1891

PREFACE.

IT is with real diffidence that I offer this volume to
the public. I am induced to do so by the wishes
of many of my friends and companions in the woods
and fields, who, having received with indulgence my
former volume on Highland Sports, have persuaded
me to launch another barque laden with a similar
cargo of odds and ends. That it should have as
favourable voyage as its predecessor, is more than
I can venture to hope. If, however, these pages
serve to entertain for a few hours any of my fellow-
lovers of nature, or if any whose occupations in life
are of a graver and more laborious kind, find relaxa-
tion and amusement in their perusal, my object is
fully gained.

I do not fear the criticism of the learned ; my
flight is far too humble to obtain even their censure :
nor do I aim at instructing any of my readers, but
solely at amusing them. The scientific naturalist

873365

must excuse my errors of description and my want
of skill : but thus far, and thus far only, I can
venture to say a good word in favour of my rough
notes — that they are the result of actual and personal
observation, and not of hearsay or second-hand in-
formation ; and that, therefore, some reliance may
be placed in them.

The present volume consists of extracts from a
Journal, written during a wandering excursion through
Sutherlandshire, one of the most interesting counties
in Scotland, and one of the least known, of a series
of field-notes for each month in the year, written
during my residence in the pleasant land of Moray,
and of a few miscellaneous chapters on matters of
interest to the sportsman. Such as they are, I offer
them to the public, trusting that they will receive
them as the off-hand thoughts and observations of
one who is more accustomed to the hill-side than to
the study — to the gun than to the pen.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

Sutheiiandshire ; its Wild Birds not sufficiently known — Our
Start and Conveyance — Kyle of Sutherland — Woods of
Kosehall ; old Keeper there ; his Recollection of me— Oykel
Inn — Altan-nan-cealgach ; Origin of Name ; Fishing at —
Conveying Boat to Loch Urigil— Wild Geese and Divers on
the Loch— Large Trout of these Lakes — Drive to Inchna-
damph — Value of Rare Eggs— Heronry — Peregrine Falcon
and Buzzards' Nests — Climbing over the Rocks, - - 13

CHAPTER U.

Inn at Inchnadamph — Liberal System of the Duke of Suther-
land—Facility of Travelling — Be,°uty of Country — Loch
Assynt — Nest of Osprey —Large bpring of Water — Water
Ousel — Dense Mist — Wild Country near Kylesku — Country
between Kylesku and Scowric — Nest of Osprey ; curions
position of—Eagle, 22

CHAPTER III.

Inn at Scowrie — Another Osprey's Nest— The Old Ospreys ; Eggs
of — The River Laxford — Inn of Rhiconnich— Drive to Dur-
ness — Beauty of Scenery — Drive Round Loch Erriboll —
Glenmore — Loch Maddie — Crows— Grey Geese ; Time of
Breeding — Old Nest of Osprey — Stag in the Loch — Fox-
hound— Black-throated Divers — Aultnaharrow — Loch Laig-
hal— Squall of Wind, - 27

CHAPTER IV.

Return to Sutherland- -Travelling from Edinburgh— Skye Terrier ;
peculiarities of — Lairg — Loch Shin — River Shin — Reserve
of the English — Mr. Young's Experiments respecting
Salmon ; Anecdotes of Salmon ; Manner of Spawning; Food
of Salmon — Drive to Aultnaharrow — Curlews, &c. — Loch
Naver — Phalaropes — Widgeon — Greenshank, &c., - - 35

CHAPTER V.

Length of Day — Sedge Warbler — Different Birds near Loch
Naver— Ben Cleebrick — Rain — Loch Maddie — Frost-
Ben Laighal— Foxes — Sheep Killing — Catching Wild Ducks
— Peregrine Falcon ; Manner of Catching their Young —
Golden Eagles— Tongue — Fine Scenery of Bay of Tongue
and Islands— Wild Cat -Seals, 45

CHAPTER VI.

Ferry from Tongue— Difficulties of our Start — Seals — Shepherds,
&c. — Emigration — Heilamlnn — Storm — RiverHope — Drive

CONTENTS.

to Durncss— Cave— Rock Pigeons— Inn at Rhiconnich—
Si-arch for Osprey's Nest— Swimming to Nest — Loch of the
Eagle Fisher— Stalking the Osprcy— Row up the Bay-
Loss of Fishing Line — Scowrie — Island of Handa— In-
numerable Birds, &c., 52

CHAPTER VII.

Another Osprey's Nest ; Variety of Eggs — Golden Eagle ;
Manner of Hunting ; Decrease of — Egg Collectors— Mr.
Hancock's Collection— Nests of Eagles ; Animals Killed by
— The Mountain Hare— Fishing of Osprey, - - - 67

CHAPTER VIII.

County of Sutherland ; Variety of Climate and Soil— List of Birds ;
of Hawk ; Owls ; of the smaller Land Birds ; of the Crow
Tribe: Pigeons, &c., 73

CHAPTER IX.

List continued — Game Birds ; Destruction of by Shepherds —
Plovers— Sandpipers and Snipes, &c. — Waterfowl : Swans,
Geese, varieties of Ducks, Grebes, Terns, Gulls, &c. — De-
crease of many kinds of bird.s — Egg Dealers, - - - 82

CHAPTER X.

Deer Hounds— Deer Forest in Sutherlandshire— Effect of the
Forests on Deer— The Stag Casting his Horns— Hinds and
Calves— Courage of the Hind— Poaching Shepherds— Value
of Horns — Fighting of Stags — Highland Forester — Breed of
Deer-Hounds, 87

CHAPTER XL

Agriculture in Sutherlandshire— Facilities of Reaching the County —
Caledonian Canal— Travelling in Sutherland— Inns, Ex-
cellent Management of — Lairg— Tongue — Durness — Scowrie
— Inchnadamph— Inveian — Conclusion of Sutherlandshire, 95

CHAPTER XII.

JANUARY.

Wood-pigeons— Feeding of Widgeon and Mallards— Wild Fowl-
Water Rail— Wild Duck Shootiug— Change of Colour in
Trout, - 101

CHAPTER XIII.

FEBRUARY.

Change of Colour in Stoats- Affection of Otters for their Young—
Roe-hunting— Attachment of Birds to their Males— Food of
Fieldfares during Snow— Widgeon— Wildfowl Shooting at
Spynie — Incidents in Shooting — Winged Swan — Cats —
Food of Wild Geese— Brent Goose, - * - - - - 106

CHAPTER XIV.

MARCH.

Wild Swans— Loch of Spynie ; Wild Fowl on it -Pochard— Carrion
Crows— D.-ath of Wild Swan— Domestication of Wild
Fowl ; flavour of— Arrival of Geese, 114

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XV.

APRIL.

Field Mice — Brent Geese — Anival of Migratory Birds — Instinct of
Thrushes — Disappointments in Shooting Wild Geese — Death,
of White-fronted Geese— Shetland Pony — Heronry — Anec-
dote of Roebuck— Wild Duck's Nest, 120

CHAPTER XVI.

MAY.

Nests of Birds— Cross-bills, &c. — Lateness of Sea.son — Bean-Geese —
Partridge's Nest — Northern Diver — Coot's Nest — Teal and
her Young — Wren's Nest — Badgers; cunning of; anecdote
of — Aurora Borealis ; sound made by, - • - - - 128

CHAPTER XVII.

JUNE.

Trout Fishing— Sea Trout in the Fiudhorn — Breeding-place of Black -
htadud Gulls — Salmon Fishing — Grey Crows — Hair Worms
— Fishing — Cromarty— Goats —The Peregrine Falcon, - 134

CHAPTER XVIII.

JULY.

Shore Birds ; arrival of — Foxes— Herring, and Herring Fishing ;
Birds, &c., feeding on them — Herring Fishing in Suther-
land— A Sharper — Numbers of Flounders — Young Wild
Fowl — Roe ; habits of — Midges— Angling — Floods in the
Findhorn — Prophecy of a Woman — Escape of a Shepherd, 142

CHAPTER XIX.

AUGUST.

Golden Plover— Ring Dottrel— Migratory Birds— Butterflies— Crabs ;
their manner of casting their shells — The Sea Angler — The
Deal Fish— Habits of Wood cocks— A pet Roe— Grouse Shoot-
ings and Grouse— Wild Fowl, 151

CHAPTER XX.

SEPTEMBER.

The 1st of September— Partridge Shooting — Migratory Birds —
Grouse-shooting in September — Widgeon — Jack Snipes;
Breeding places of — Landrail — White variety of the Eagle
— Sea Trout-fisher — Stags' Horns — Deer-stalking— Cunning
of Deer — Disappointed in getting a Shot, - - - 160

CHAPTER XXI.

OCTOBER.— PART I.

Migration of Birds— Quails— Anival of Wild Geese— White-fronted
Geese — Arrival of Wild Swans ; decrease of — Feastings of
pur Ancestors— Food of Ducks, &c.— Field-mice— Roe feed-
ing— Hawks — Peregrine and Wild Duck — Training of
—Migration of Eagles, 168

10 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XXII.

OCTOBER.— PART II.

A SEA-SIDE WALK IN OCTOBEI!.

Beauty of a fine October morning— Departure and arrival of Birds—
A walk along the Coast— The Goosander— Golden Eye and
Morillion— Plovers— Widgeon ; habits of in Feeding ; oc-
casionally bred in Scotland— Sands of the Bay— Flounders
— Herons— Curlews, Peewits, &c.— Ovster-bmis— Mussels
Scarps— Sea View— Longtails — Mallards— Velvet Ducks;
mode of Feeding— Rabbits and Foxes— Formation of the
Sand Hills ; Remains of Antiquity found in them— Seals—
Salmon-fishers — Old Man catching Founders— Swans — Un-
authorized Fox-chase — Black Game —Roe, ... - 176

CHAPTER XXIII.

NOVEMBER.

The Snow Bunting— Regularity of appearance —Tomtit and Thrushes ;
worthy of protection— The Water Ousel— Trout— Otters ;
the defence of their young — Otter-hunting — Habits of
Otters — Seals ; power of remaining under water ; habits
of; decrease of — Wild Swans — Plovers, &c. — Dun Divers —
Hares, ...... - 189

CHAPTER XXIV.

DECEMBER.

Owls ; destruction of Mice by them — Frogs — Snakes— Roebucks —
Fondness of Birds for Sunshine— Loch r.f Spynie— Habits of
Wild Fowl ; rapidity of their flight— Retrievers— The
Otter; shooting of, by night— Eley's Cartridges— Wild
Swans — Accidents in Shooting — Variety of Country in
Moray— Forres ; public Walks of— Rabbits— Foxes— Im-
migration of Birds— Conclusion, 196

CHAPTER XXV.

Deer-stalking ; enjoyment of— Fine Stag ; ill-luck in stalking ; es-
capes of Stag ; start in pursuit of him— View of Country —
Roebucks— Hare and Marten— Tracks of Deer ; find the
Stag ; death of— Meet the Shepherd— Cottage, - - - 209

CHAPTER XXVI.

Sleeping in Shepherd's House— Start in the Morning— Eagle— Wild
Geese — Find Deer ; unsuccessful shot — Rocky Ground —
Wounded Stag— Keeper and Dog— Walk Home, - . 218

CHAPTER XXVII.

Length of Life of Birds— The Eagle— Swan— Geese— Falcons-
Fowls— Pigeons — Small Birds — Great age of Eagles and
Foxes— Red-Deer— Destruction of Old Stags— Roe— Sheep
—Rifles ; size of their bore— Double-barrelled Rifles— Size

CONTENTS. 11

of Small Shot — Cartridges — Impossibility of laying down

fineral rules — Necessity of discretion in all writers on
_ atural History, 231

CHAPTEE XXVI I I.

Disease amongst Grouse ; difficulty of assigning its cause — Supply
of Grouse to Poulterers — Netting game, legal and illegal —
Disguised Poachers — Game-Laws — Preserves — Criminality
of Poachers — Epidemics amongst Hares, &c. — Black Game
— Hybrids — Woodpigeons — Geese — Sentinels, ... 237

CHAPTEE XXIX.

The Landrail ; Arrival and Habits of— Cuckoo — Swift — Associa-
tions connected with Birds — Enjoyment of Life by Birds —
Falcons — Water- Fowl ; their different modes of Swimming
—Wild-Fowl shooting — Wounded Ducks — Retrievers ; care
which should be taken of them — Plumage of Water-Fowl ;
its imperviousness to wet ; the cause and limits of this, - 244

CHAPTEE XXX.

Taming and Education of Wild Animals — The Eagle ; his want of
docility — Courage and Intelligence of the Noble Falcons —
The Hound — Return of Cats to their home — Maternal
Instinct of Cats — The Carrier- Pigeon — Wood-Pigeons —
Dovecot Pigeons — Sight of Pigeons — Blue-rock Pigeons —
Crested Titmouse — The Robin ; pugnacious disposition of —
Sparrows ; impudence of, 249

CHAPTEE XXXI.

Instinct of Birds — The Woodcock carrying her young — Herons —
Water-Ousel—Nest of Golden -Eye Duck— Habits of Birds
—Talons of Falcons aiid Hawks— Stuffed Birds— Plumage,
&c., of Owls— The Osprey and Sea Swallow— Manner of
Fishing — Carrion-feeding Birds — Manner of finding their
Food— The Eagle— Sense of Smell in Birds— In Ducks and
Geese — Power of communicating with each other — Notes of
alarm— A few words respecting destroying Hawks, &c. —
Colour of Birds adapted to concealment — Instinct of
Birds finding Food— Red Deer— Tame Roe-buck, - - 255

CHAPTEE XXXII.

Rivers, Streams and Lakes in Scotland— The Tweed— The Lakes and
Streams of Argyleshire — Loch Awe — A contest with a Salmo
ferox — Inverness-shire, Ross-shire, and Sutherland — Pike
not an injurious destroyer of Trout — Char — The River
Shin — Pertinacity of Salmon in ascending Streams — The
Beauly— The Findhorn— The Spey— The Dee— Decrease in
the number of Salmon : its causes and its cure — Extent of
the trade of Fly-making, 266

CHAPTEE XXXIII.

Learned Dog and Show-woman — Education of Sporting Dog —
Hereditary Instinct of Dogs— Their thievish prosperities
descend to their offspring — Bad-tempered dogs — Breaking
of Dogs — Their jealousies — Their Hunting alliances — Attach-
ment of a Dog to his Master — Dog-eating reprobated — Blood-
hounds— Skye Terriers — Dogs combining against a common
enemy — Old Dogs — Singular instance of sagacity in one, - 273

12 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

Grouse ; Hardiness of — Difference of Climate in Morayshire —
Migratory habits of Partridges — Grabs, &c., destroyed by
Pheasants — Ptarmigan — Ptarmigan Shooting during Winter
— An Expedition to the Mountains— Early start — Tracks of
Otters — Otter-hunting — Stags — Herons — Golden-eyes —
Wild Cat— Mallards— Tracks of Deer— Grey Crows— Eagle-
Shepherd's hut — Braxy mutton — Ascent of the Mountain —
Ptarmigan —Change in the weather — Dangerous Situation —
Violent Snow-storm — Return home— Wild-duck shooting —
Flapper-shooting, 283

CHAPTER XXXV.

Introduction of Sheep into the Highlands — Aversion of Highlanders
to Sheep ; disliked by Deer also — Prophecy — Activity of
black-faced Sheep ; instincts of — Mountain Sheep in enclo-
sures— The Plaid ; uses of ; various ways of wearing ; manu-
factures of; invisible colours — Shepherds — Burning of
Heather— Natural enemies of Sheep — Shepherds' Dogs —
Origin of Dogs, 296

CHAPTER XXXVI.

Poulterers' Shops — Supply of Game— Red Deer — Deer killed in the
Fields — Roe — Grouse and Black Game; calling of— Shoot-
ing Hares by night— Pheasants — Advantages attending the
sale of Game by the fair Sportsman and the Landed Pro-
prietor—American Game — Wild Fowl in Shops — Bird-
Dealers in Leadenhall Market — Norway Game — Manner of
collecting — Hybrids — Introduction of new species of Game
into Britain— Prolific Birds— Sea-fowl ; their breeding-
places— Solan Geese — Migration of Fish. .... 394

CHAPTER XXXVII.

Supply of Fish in Scotland— Herring-fishery-Highlanders coming
to Herring fishing— Fishermen of east coast— Difference of
Language in Nairn — Departure of Herring-boats ; dangers
to which they are exposed — Loss of Boats and Lives— Fish-
ing in good weather— Loch fishing— Fishing Stations on
west coast— Fishing for Haddocks, &c.— State of British
Sea-fisheries. qio

Jl Sportsman anb Naturalist's
TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

CHAPTEK I.

Sutherlandshire ; its Wild Birds not sufficiently known— Our Start and
Conveyance — Kyle of Sutherland— Woods of Rosehall ; old Keeper there ;
his Recollection of me — Oykel Inn — Altan-nan-cealgach ; Origin of Name ;
Fishing at— Conveying Boat to Loch Urigil— Wild Geese and Divers on
the Loch— Large Trout of these Lakes— Drive to Inchnadamph — Value of
Rare Eggs— Heronry — Peregrine Falcon and Buzzards' Nests — Climbing
over the Rocks.

AMONGST the thousands of scenery-hunters and tourists there
are very few who have ever made an excursion through the
county of Sutherland, although it is a district as interesting
as any in Europe, both for its magnificent and varied scenery,
including sea, mountain, valley, and lake, and also as con-
taining many rare subjects interesting to the naturalist and
botanist. There are many birds and plants to be found in
the wilder parts of this county which are scarcely to be seen
elsewhere in Britain. The naturalist may here observe
closely the eagle, the osprey, the wild goose, and many other
birds, whose habits are little known, but who in this region
breed and rear their young in comparative security.

The wild cat, marten cat, fox, &c., though seldom seen
by daylight, are still tolerably numerous where the ground is
riot kept for grouse-shooting. In the latter case, however,
traps and poison have pretty well destroyed these and all
other carnivorous animals.

In the spring of 1848 I made nn excursion through some
part of the county of Sutherland, which I shall endeavour to
describe, in the hope of inducing others to follow my example,
being confident that whoever does so will find himself amply
repaid for his trouble.

My object in making the journey was to enjoy the
magnificent scenery of the north coast, to see and observe
2

TOUR IX SUTHEELANDSHIBE.

the breeding habits and localities of many of the rarer birds
of Britain, and to ascertain the fact of some of these birds
rearing their young in Scotland, which, from the contradictory
and uncertain statements of many naturalists, seemed to be a
nwtler of great doubt. Not being a collector of eggs or birds
myself, I had no wish to destroy more of my feathered friends
than sufficed to prove their identity, and to procure a few
specimens for a gentleman who is as great a lover of nature
as myself, and a far more scientific one.

Our start from Bonar Bridge was a most amusing affair,
not only to ourselves, but also to all the inhabitants of that
small but beautifully situated village. The vehicle which we
travelled in was a small and lightly built flat-bottomed boat,
made of larch, and mounted on wheels. It was constructed
to ship and unship in half a minute. By simply imscrewing
two bolts, it could be taken off' its wheels and launched into
the, water. Being on springs, it made a very easy carriage,
and was large enough to hold four persons, with plenty of
space for luggage. On the present occasion our party con-
sisted of a friend of mine, Mr. J., who (although for many
years a wanderer over Switzerland and many parts of
Europe) had never been through the wilder and more
mountainous regions of Scotland ; Mr. Uunbar, whose assist-
ance was of much use as a naturalist and interpreter
amongst the shepherds and others who spoke more Gaelic
than English ; myself, and Leo, my retriever.

Having adjusted the harness, traces, &c., of the boat to my
horse (a stout Highland " garron "), we started at an early
hour, trusting to the chapter of accidents and the pace of our
horse as to where we should sleep that night, but determined
to make out as many miles as we could, or in other words to
advance as far as possible into the mountainous part of
Sutherlandshire. Bonar Bridge is situated on what is called
the Kyle of Sutherland ; a narrow estuary formed by the
confluence of the Shin, Oykel, Casselia, and Anak -rivers, all
of which streams, a short distance above Bonar Bridge meet
the salt water of the Dornoch Firth. In winter this 'water
abounds with wild fowl, but now (May 14) all these birds
had gone to their breeding-places with the exception of a
solitary goodwit or two, who seemed to have been left
Jhind the rest of their comrades, this bird not breeding in
Sco land. The woods about Eosehall, or rather that portion

them which the axe has spared, used to abound in nrmy

THE WOODS OF ROSEHALL. 15

kinds of interesting hawks, and also in marten and wild cats,
but keepers and trapping combined seem to have entirely
swept all these animals away. I looked in vain for buzzards
on a high rock which some few years back was invariably
tenanted by them, but it seemed that they had long since
been destroyed. As I passed through the remains of the
woods too I caught a glimpse here and there of passes where
different stags had fallen to my rifle, and many a happy day
spent in the greenwood was recalled to my recollection, with
all its accompanying incidents. I called on the old Highland
keeper who was then my attendant, and found him exactly
on the same spot where I had seen him twelve years ago,
winking at the morning sun in a manner peculiar to owls
and inhabitants of cottages full of peat smoke. I doubted
his recognizing me after so many years, but was much
gratified at the pleasure and readiness with which he did so,
and at the vivid recollection which he had of the corrie in
which " my honour " had shot my h'rst stag under his
guidance and tuition — his tender inquiry too after my rifle,
" the likes of which never put down a deer in the country."
I returned the compliment by begging to be shown my old
acquaintance, " the double-barrel," a most venerable flint
gun, with singularly eccentric and unreachable triggers,
which no fore-finger but his own could ever pull. This
ancient gun, however, in his hands, had laid low many ail
an tiered head. Though he affected to despise all new in-
ventions, I had a recollection of his always preferring a shot
with one of my percussion guns to the uncertain chance of
his own flint and steel. Many an old story connected with
stag and corrie, shealing and whisky bottle, the old fellow
called to my recollection ; and I really taw with regret the
last of his weather-beaten face, as he bowed and gesticulated
to me as long as we continued in sight. I am afraid that my
companions must have thought me a bore for a few miles, as
I pointed out, with an interest which they could scarcely
feel, rock and glen, the scenes of former chaces of deer, or
even of the death of ottei or wild cat.

At Oykel Inn, softie twenty miles from our starting-place,
we stopped for an hour or two to rest our horse, and to try a
cast in the river ; but bright and clear as it was, with very
little water in the stream, we had no success. At certain
times of the fishing season there is no better river than the
Oykel. May, however, is rather too early.

16 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

Eleven miles farther on we came to a small inn, at a place
call. -.1 Altan-nun-cealgach,— a most difficult and unpronounce-
able Gsu'lic iiiiuie, and one which I cannot be sure of spelling
right. The meaning of it is the " Burn of the Deceiver."
The origin of the name, as it was told me, is amusing and
characteristic enough. The place is situated in a part of
Ross-shire which intrudes into the adjoining county of
Sutherland in a very unceremonious manner, the cause of
which was as follows : — In a dispute between the respective
proprietors of that part of Koss-shire and Sutherlandshire,
the marches were to be determined by reference to an old
inhabitant, who, being either by clanship or bribery in the
interest of the Ross-shire laird, came to this spot to decide
the question with the soles of his shoes filled with earth
from the interior of Ross-shire, the wily old fellow by this
means saving himself all scruples of conscience when he
swore most positively that he stood on Ross-shire ground.
Standing on Ross-shire ground in this manner, he pointed
out a boundary most convenient to his employer, the Ross-
shire laird. So ran the tale as it was told me ; and unde
derivatur the name of Altan-nan-cealgach, which it still holds.
Close to the door of the, inn is a fine loch, in which are
great numbers of small trout and char, and also plenty of
the large lake-trout, or Salmo ferox. We fished for an hour
or two, and caught a good dish of trout, and one char ; a
very unusual occurrence, as the char rarely rises to the fly,
except in one or two favoured localities. Indeed I have
caught hundreds of trout with the fly in lochs swarming
with char, without ever catching one of the latter. Though
not much accustomed to travellers, the good wife of the inn
put us up comfortably enough. We had clean beds, and
good tea, eggs, and cream, which, with the excellent trout
that we had taken, made us quite comfortable. The only
thing wanting was hay (corn they had in plenty); but I soon
remedied that want by shackling the horse's fore legs with a
couple of dog-straps, and turning him loose in the short
sweet grass by the edge of the lake.

On the following morning, at the instigation of one of our
party, who was very anxious to procure some eggs of the
black-throated diver (Colymbus ardicus), we started for Loch
Urigil, a lake about two miles from the inn. Our first step
was to launch our boat in the lake, close to the door ; and
having crossed this piece of water, we dragged the boat out

THE BLACK-THROATED DIVER. 17

again, and, mounting it on our shoulders, carried it across the
hill to the other lake. Little, however, had we reckoned on
the distance we had to go.

" How far is the lake from here ? " was our inquiry on
leaving the water-side.

" Oh, just ower yonder brae," was the answer of the inn-
keeper, as he pointed to a height a few hundred yards off.

" How far do you say ? "

" Just a wee bit."

But that weary " wee bit " of the innkeeper's ! Many an
anathema was poured on the head of our guide before we had
got the boat fairly afloat in Loch Urigil. Once there, how-
ever, our cares were soon forgotten. My friend put his
fishing-rod together ; while I, accompanied by Mr. Ihmbar,
went off in the boat to the islands on the lake, in order to
see what birds were breeding there. We first made for a
small island covered with the brightest green foliage that I
ever saw, which, however, turned out to be nothing but the
wild leek. The nature of the plant was most unpleasantly
forced upon my observation by the very strong scent the
leaves produced when trodden upon.

There were three of these beautiful birds (the black-
throated diver) on the loch, but no eggs. On some of the
other islands were a number of wild geese (Anser ferus), the
original kind from which our common domestic goose is
derived. They had two or three nests on one island, but we
found no eggs. Their nests were large and quite exposed ;
consisting of a large mass of down, kept together by coarse
grass and herbage. The old birds, when disturbed, flew off
the island, some of them alighting on the loch, and others on
the short green grass about the edge of the water, where they
commenced grazing after the manner of tame geese. Having
procured one or two specimens of the black-throated diver,
I landed, and sat down to enjoy the magnificent scenery and
all its accompaniments. The pewit, redshank, curlew, and
golden plover kept up a constant warfare of clamour against
me for some time, till, finding that I did not molest them,
they gradually returned to their domestic occupations. All
these birds had probably eggs near the spot. After a short
time they ran and walked about fearlessly, quite regardless
of my being so near them ; while the lively and restless little
dunlin ran almost over my feet without fear, as I sat near
the edge of the loch.

18 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIKE.

The mountains of Coirgach and Assynt, some of which I
could see from Loch Urigil, are of a very striking and peculiar
form, standing out boldly and independently from the lower
hills that surrounded them. Occasionally a curlew would
coine win-cling over my head, uttering its loud cry of alarm
and warning, something between a whistle and a scream ;
but he soon sailed back to his mate on the sloping moss that
covered the hill-side near the lake. A beautiful cock grouse
came down within a few yards of me, and picked about
amongst the stones at the edge of the water, occasionally
stopping us if to exhibit himself as he stood erect with his
bright-red comb raised to its utmost height. When at last
he saw me, instead of seeming alarmed, he rose and alighted
again on a small hillock only a few feet further off, and stood
there some; minutes watching me closely, and then flew off,
crowing a short distance up the heather. The grey geese
seemed in constant motion, sometimes feeding and sometimes
flying al'tc r < ach other in pairs with loud cries.

"After waiting some time about the edge of the loch, I re-
joined my companions, and we again renewed our portage of
the boat over that weary hill. I had left a line with several
hooks baited with small trout in the lake near the inn, and
on returning found a salmo ferox which weighed something
above two pounds on it. While taking in the line, a monster
trout ran at the fish already caught, and, notwithstanding its
si/e, nearly swallowed it, leaving the marks of his teeth in
the shape of deep cuts across the middle of the two-pound
trout. I should like to have seen the fish at closer quarters
who made an attack on such a goodly-sized bait, as he must
have been a perfect fresh-water shark. There can be no
doubt that in some of these lakes, where the water is deep
and the food plentiful, these trout must grow to a size not
yet ascertained. None of these lakes have ever been properly
fished. A few days' trolling can never be depended on as a
proof of the size of the fish in them, more particularly as we
all know that the larger a trout is, the less inclined is he to
take any bait. I will leave it for others to judge of the size
of a trout that could nearly swallow one of his own species
weighing considerably above two pounds.

I )ui ing our drive to Inchnadamph in the afternoon we had
a fine view of Benmore of Assynt, and numerous other
magnificent mountains, grey and dreary, and with but little
vegetation of any kind, although along the edges of the lakes

THE BLACK-THROATED DIVER. 19

and streams there is always a certain width of bright green
herbage, where the sheep at this season find plenty of good
grazing. The long ranges of cliff-like rocks near Inchna-
damph are very splendid in their height and shape, and are
frequented by buzzards, ravens, grey crows, and a pair of
peregrine falcons. Notwithstanding all these enemies, the
ring-ousel sings from every green corner of the rocks, while
wheatears (safer perhaps from their smaller size and their
habit of dodging under the stones) are extremely numerous
everywhere along the road side. At Inchnadamph we arrived •
-late in the evening, and fotind a comfortable, clean inn, an
obliging landlord, and all the accompaniments that one could
wish to refresh both mind and body (I am afraid that the
former is sadly dependent on the latter), at the end of
rather a hard and long day's work, for we had been actively
employed from daylight.

The black-throated diver (Colymbus arcticus) is a peculiarly
beautiful and singularly marked bird. Though generally
rare, in certain localities which happen to be adapted to its
habits this bird is not unfrequently to be found during the
breeding season. It invariably breeds on some small, fiat
island in an inland lake ; it prefers, and indeed is seldom
found except in, lakes which lie in a flat or open part of the
country, and which have shallows and grassy creeks, as it
feeds more on frogs, leeches, and similar productions of such
places, than on the trout that frequent the more stony and
deeper parts of the lake. Apparently from the position of
its legs and feet, this diver cannot walk on land, and there-
fore places her eggs within a very few feet of the water's
edge on a Hat island where it can reach them by a kind of
waddling, seal-like motion. I never found above two eggs in
a nest, and do not believe that they ever lay more, although
I have been told of three having been procured. The egg is
of a long and regular oval form, and large ; the colour is a
fine rich brown green with darker spots. This bird appears
to have great difficulty in rising from the water on a calm
day, and sometimes nothing will induce it to fly, although
when once on wing it flies strong and high. When two or
more are in company I have never seen them rise ; they
appear then to trust more to diving for safety ; but when a
black-throated diver is alone, he will frequently take to flight
most unexpectedly and leave the loch altogether. Unluckily,
the very great beauty of its plumage, and the rarity and

20 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

difficulty of procuring it, make this interesting bird an object
of pursuit amongst bird-.st tillers and collectors, and this, com-
bined with the price offered for its eggs by egg collectors, will
soon entirely extirpate it from all its present breeding-places.

The cry of this diver is loud, peculiar, and mournful, and
it has acquired the local name of rain-goose among the High-
landers, owing to its habit of uttering its croaking call with
great perseverance before rain or stormy weather. Its other
local and Gaelic names signify the loch hen, and the great
loch hen, in distinction to the red-throated diver, which is
also frequently found hi this county. The latter bird
(Colymbus septcntrlonalis) is much commoner, and is neither
so large nor handsome a bird as the former. It is also
distinguished readily by the light brownish red neck. The
red-throated diver breeds often near small pools arid lochs, and
lays its eggs more frequently 011 the shore of the mainland
surrounding the loch than on an island. It is not so shy a
bird as the black-throated diver, but not being so much
valued by collectors, has, I hope, a chance of existing some
time yet as an inhabitant of Britain during the breeding
season.

I found that all the shepherds, gamekeepers, and others in
this remote part of the kingdom had already ascertained the
value of the eggs of this and other rare birds, and were as
eager to search for them, and as loth to part with them
(excepting at a very high price), as love of gain could make
them. Nor had they the least scruple in endeavouring to
impose eggs under fictitious names on any person wishing to
purchase such things. Indeed I am very sure that many of
the eggs sold by London dealers are acquired in this way,
and are not to be in the least depended on as to their
identity.

I was told of a singular heronry situated on a lake be-
tween Oykel and the inn at Altan-nan-cealgach, where the
herons breed in great numbers on the ground in an island on
the loch. The place being situated at some distance from
the road, I had not time to look fur it, much as I should
have liked to have seen the heron building in such a
situation; but, as we drove along, I saw several herons
winging their heavy iii-ht towards the place where I was
told this lake was situated.

Before we stalled from Inchnadamph, wishing to procure

e rm,.s of the peregrine falcon, who bred in the cliff near

BIRD LIFE AT INCHN AD AMPH. 21

the inn, I procured the assistance of two or three people, one
of whom, a young man, son of the innkeeper, volunteered to
go over the face of the rock with a rope round his waist, we
holding it from above. As it was not only rainy but
extremely windy, I was not very willing for him to do so.
However, as he seemed quite confident in the steadiness of
his own head and footing, we prepared to perform our share
of the work. Having fastened the rope securely round his
body below his arms, we lowered him gradually over the
summit, immediately above the nest of the buzzard. He
was provided also with two or three joints of a fishing-rod,
and a kind of tin soup-ladle (bearing in this country the
quaint name of a " kail-divider "), which was fixed into the
small end of his rod. The use of this was to enable him to
spoon the eggs out of the nest, in case it was placed, as the
nests of these birds often are, so far under a shelf of a rock
as to be inaccessible without some such contrivance. Over
lie WL-nt then without the smallest hesitation or nervousness,
notwithstanding the slippery state of the whole rock and the
violence of the wind. We lowered yard by yard of the rope,
till he looked like a spider hanging at the end of its thread.
He then was quite lost to our view, having scrambled under
some projecting rocks to reach the nest. After a few anxious
moments, he gave the agreed upon signal for being drawn up,
and I must say that I was rejoiced when his head appeared
again safe above the edge of the cliff, holding in his teeth his
cap, in which he had deposited the eggs. We found that the
peregrine's nest would have been quite inaccessible even to
our experi need and bold climber but for his long spoon.

All the time that we had been engaged at the buzzard's
nest twro pair of hawks were hovering about us, keeping
certainly at a respectful distance. It was interesting to
observe the different flights of the two kinds of hawk — the
buzzards sailing to and fro with slow but powerful wing, and
wheeling in large circles ; while the peregrines dashed about,
turning with rapid and sudden swoops, sometimes below us,
and sometimes suddenly shooting high up into the mist,
when we could only tell their exact situation by their shrill
and angry cries. The buzzards uttered a kind of low com-
plaining cry, of quite a different expression and note, as they
floated to and fro below us.

22 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

CHAPTER II.

Inn at Inchnadamph— Liberal System of the Duke of Sutherland— Facility
of Travelling— Beauty of Country— Loch Assynt— Nest of Osprey —
Large Spring of Water— Water Ousel — Dense Mist — Wild Country near
Kylcsku — Country between Kylesku and Seowric — Nest of Osprey ;
curious position of — Eagle.

BEING under a good and liberal landlord is like being under
a good and liberal government ; and this we found to be the
case at Inchnadamph, which is held under the Duke of
Sutherland, or (as he is equally well known here) the " good
Duke"— a title, by the way, his Grace may be prouder of
than any other that could be invented. Throughout the
.Duke's property here the innkeepers hold their houses (and
capital ones they are) rent free, and have certain other
advantages in hiring their land, and in having every
encouragement that the most kind and judicious liberality
of the proprietor can give them, on (I believe) the express
condition that their inns should be decently kept, and the
charges moderate. The consequence of which arrangement
is, that strangers can travel through this otherwise wild and
lonely country with every facility and comfort, and without
the disagreeable feeling of being doubly overcharged because
they are strangers. Nevertheless, with all this facility and
comfort, but very few strangers do come to see this magnifi-
cent scenery, simply, I fancy, because it is little known, and
not yet the fashion. Most visitors to the Highlands drive
straight from their home in England, or elsewhere, to the
ground which they have hired for grouse-shooting, or other
sporting, and after a certain number of weeks drive straight
back again. Very few travel here for the sake of seeing the
wild scenery of the north and north-west part of the island,
where there is little in the way of game to tempt sportsmen.
To me, however, it is the most attractive part of Scotland ;
and the season I delight in most is during the months of
June and July, when the sun scarcely dips below the horizon,
and it is light during the whole night — light enough, indeed,
to read small print with ease without the aid of candles, or
even of the moon. Backed by that fine old-looking mountain
Benmore of Assynt, the inn at Inchnadamph has for its front
view the beautiful and extensive loch of Assynt, and one of
the finest mountains in the North, called by a name that
sounds like Ouvinnaighin. To my English ears, however,
the name was quite unattainable. This mountain towards

LOCH ASSYXT. 23

its summit forms a singularly shaped cliff, round which I
have generally seen one or two golden eagles soaring with
strong and majestic flight.

At Loch Assynt, on a peninsula (once an island, and now
occasionally so), there are ruins of an old castle. On the
summit of the highest part of the wall is an immense pile of
weather-beaten and bleached sticks, which two years ago
formed an osprey's nest, but, unluckily, this most interesting
bird has been killed or driven from its picturesque and
exposed dwelling-place. Nothing could be more characteristic
of the bird than this nest, perched on the highest corner of
the ruin, overhanging the broad lake, which abounds with
trout of all sizes. The Salmo ferox, or great lake trout, is
more plentiful in Loch Assynt than in most Highland lakes.
A short distance above the inn at Inchnadamph a spring
rises from the limestone rocks which it is worth travelling
from London to see. Direct from the ground bubbles up this
spring with such power and abundance that it at once forms
a goodly-sized brook of the most pure and transparent water
that can be imagined. The smallest trout or the smallest
pebbles are seen as clearly in its deepest pools as if no water
intervened. So bright and clear are the streams flowing out
of limestone, that they have rather the effect that a good
glass has on a picture than that of making objects indistinct.

"We started from Inchnadamph inn in good time in the
morning, intending to reach Scowrie, about twenty-one miles
distant ; but the road being very hilly, and a ferry inter-
vening, we had to reckon on many hours of travelling before
we reached our night's quarters. I walked on to look at the
osprey's nest on the old castle, and an interesting sight it is,
though I lamented the absence of the birds. Why the poor
osprey should be persecuted I know not, as it is quite harm-
less, living wholly on fish, of which every one knows that
there is too great an abundance in this country for the most
rigid preserver to grudge this picturesque bird his share.
The fact probably is that his skin is worth something to
keepers and others, as they can always get a few shillings
for it, and therefore the bird is doomed to destruction. The
" auri sacra fames " will soon put an end to his race in this
country.

In the midst of a steep and tolerably high water-fall,
perched on a small piece of projecting rock, and surrounded
by the dashing water, I saw one of my favourite birds, the

24 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

water-ousel, his white breast conspicuous even amongst the
white foam. A twisted birch, and a bunch of bright green
fern growing out of the rock, constantly watered by the
spray of the fall, made as pretty a little scene for a painter
as I ever saw. Water-ousels seein to prefer picturesque
dwelling-places, or lather, I suppose, they choose such spots
as being better suited for placing their curious-shaped nest
in than any other.

While I was examining a kind of simple but most service-
able stone-mill, used for grinding the stone of which these
excellent roads are made, the carriage came up, and we pro-
ceeded. Coming to a road leading off the main one, and
going straight up a hill norlhwards, Dunbar assured us that
this was our route ; so with rather an envious look ai the
straight, level road before us, which \ve were leaving, we
turned our faces to the hill. After going about two miles,
not quite perpendicularly (the way gradually getting worse),
we suddenly came to an abrupt termination of the track.
Through the driving mist, which had now become quite thick,
we saw a most desolate-looking house some few hundred
yards off', and there found that we had .turned off the road
too soon, and had to retrace OUB steps.

The next turning off was the right one, and we laboured
again up the hill northwards, but with a better road. The
higher we ascended the denser was the mist ; and though we
occasionally heard the grouse-cock crow pretty near us, we
could see nothing, absolutely nothing, except the road under
our feet.

I was amused by my friend's good-natured philosophy :
when I lamented loudly the curtain of mist which was
entirely shutting out the magnificent hill under which we
were then passing, he comforted me by saying that he pre-
ferred almost the scene as it then was (the mist occasionally
giving us a momentary peep at some grey rock, and then
shutting it out), as it added a kind of mysterious interest to
the wild scenery through which we were passing.

After working our weary way up hill for some time, we
crossed the highest ridge of our road, and began to descend
towards the ferry of Kylesku, by which we were to pass an
arm of the sea that runs a considerable distance inland. As
we came lower the mist gradually disappeared, and at last we
were fairly out of it, although it remained as dense as ever
above us, quite concealing all the higher grounds. I never

EAGLES AT KYLESKU.

saw such a confusion of rock and stone as we passed through
for some two or three miles. The rocks seemed to have been
splintered and broken up by some great convulsion of the
earth ; all looking broken and angular, none of them wearing
a round weather-worn appearance, or being much overgrown
with heather or herbage.

Eagles are by no means scarce in this part of the country,
but as they hunt principally in the higher districts, they are
not seen so often as might be expected, excepting by an eye
that is accustomed to them.

Having rested our horse and drank tea (the only meal we
could get) at the ferry-house, we managed to persuade the
landlord, who was also ferryman, to leave the hot whisky and
water which he was drinking with some acquaintance of his
own at that hour, twelve A.M., and ferry us across.

We entered into conversation with a shepherd on the
north side of the ferry, who told us of a nest of the " Eagle
Fisher," as he called it, on an island in a loch not very far
from the road ; so we appointed the man to meet us the
following morning at a certain place, and drove on to
Scowrie, through a .succession of the most wild and rocky
passes, along which the road is carried with a skill that does
infinite credit to the engineer who formed it. Occasionally
the scene is varied by glimpses of the sea, studded, as it there
is, with islands. The country continues still of the sanje
aspect ; consisting of the most confused and disorderly chaos
of broken and rugged rocks, but with rank heather, and warm
sheltered corners and nooks, with little clumps of birch trees
already ih full leaf. Many, too, of the innumerable deep-
looking lochs by the roadside have islands covered with birch
and rank heather — the haunts of numbers of otters. There
seems a great scarcity of birds of all kinds ; which is
accounted for by the number of marten and wild cats who
live here, amongst the great and nearly inaccessible masses
of rock, in the most perfectly undisturbed security. Cuckoos,
wheatears, and ring-ousels seemed to be almost the only
feathered inhabitants, with an occasional pair of ravens or
peregrine falcons.

The inn at Scowrie, kept by a man of a most un-Highland
name, viz., " Tough," is excellent, and most cleanly and com-
fortable did we find it, and the people full of civility. Un-
luckily there were two ship-loads of emigrants on the point
of leaving a harbour near Scowiie, and their friends were

26 TOUR IX SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

wishing them a good voyage in many a bumper of whisky,
with the usual accompaniment of bagpipes and reels ; so that
what with their songs, their music, and the beating of their
feet, as they danced under the inspiration both of whisky
and pipes, there was a tolerable noise kept up till daylight.
But mountain travelling, and a feeling that it was impossible
and unjust to be angry with the poor fellows, enable'd me
soon to sleep as comfortably as if all had been still.

At daylight, according to appointment, I started with Mr.
Dunbar in the boat, but drawn by a small Highland pony
whose services we had engaged, for the purpose of getting to
the nest of the " Eagle Fisher," as the osprey is sometimes
called in Gaelic. At the nearest point of the road to the
lake we unshipped the boat, and making traces out of rope,
we fastened the pony to it, leaving the under carriage and
wheels by the roadside ; we then managed to get the boat to
the water's edge, the pony scrambling, in a manner practised
only by mountain-bred ponies, over bog and rock, dragging
the boat after him, while we did our utmost to keep it from
injury, or from getting stuck in the rough ground.

I was delighted beyond expression at seeing the two
ospreys, one of them on the nest and the other soaring above
the loch, uttering cries of alarm at our approach.

The nest was placed in a most curious situation. About a
hundred and fifty yards from the shore there rose from the
deep water a solitary rock about ten feet high, shaped like a
broken sugar-loaf, or truncated cone : on the summit of this
was the nest — a pile of sticks of very great depth, evidently
the accumulation of many breeding seasons, as the osprey
returns, year after year, to the same nest. How this heap of
sticks withstood the winter gales without being blown at
once into the water, puzzled me. In a crevice of the rock
was a small tuft or two of green, otherwise it was perfectly
bare and steep.

We launched our little bark, and were soon pulling
strongly against a head wind across the loch. The female
osprey allowed us to approach within two hundred yards or
so, and then leaving her nest, sailed upwards with a circling
flight, till she joined her mate high above us.

Having reached the rock, and with some difficulty ascended
to the nest, our disappointment may be imagined when we
found it empty. From the old bird having remained on so
long, we had made sure of h' riding eggs in it. The nest itself,

THE NEST OF AN OSPREY. 27

however, was interesting to me, perched as it was on the
very summit of the rock, and composed of large sticks, every
one of which must have been a heavy burden for a bird of
the size of the osprey. In the centre of the pile of sticks
was a cap-shaped hollow, the size of a boy's cap, lined with
moss and dead grass, and apparently quite ready to receive
eggs. It was of no use lamenting, so we turned our boat
towards the landing-place, and drifted back quickly and in
silence. Some hooded crows, perceiving that both the
ospreys were off their nest, immediately made a dash to-
wards it, and I was much amused at seeing the skirmishing
between these mischievous and cunning marauders and the
two ospreys ; the latter fighting simply pro arts et focis,
having no eggs or young to defend ; while the crows fought
lustily in the hope only of finding something in the nest,
calculating, probably, as we had done, that the ospreys would
not have been sitting on an empty nest.

On returning to the inn at Scowrie, I found that my friend
had been more profitably employed in catching a dish of fine-
looking though muddy-tasted trout, in a small rushy loch
close to the inn.

One of the Duke of Sutherland's foresters brought in a
very fine white-tailed eagle, which he had shot the day
before : unluckily the plumage was quite destroyed in
consequence of the keeper having, to " make sure," dis-
charged his gun at/ the bird a second time, after it had fallen,
in consequence of which the head was nearly blown off. I
procured, however, some feathers for the large salmon fly
which we fish with in the Spey river, in making which the
eagle's feather is the principal material employed.

0 H A P T E R III.

Inn at Scowrie— Another Osprey's Nest— The OKI Ospreys ; Eggs of— The
River Laxford — Inn of Rhiconnich — Drive to Durness — Beauty of
Scenery — Drive Round Loch Erriboll — Glenmore — Loch Maddie — Crows
—Grey Geese ; Time of Breeding— Old Nest of Osprey— Stag in the
Loch — Foxhound — Black-throated Divers — Aultnaharrow — Loch Laighal
—Squall of Wind.

WE were loth to leave our comfortable hostel at Scowrie,
particularly without visiting the island of Handa, a great
breeding-place of sea-fowl ; but being rather pressed for time,

28 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

we got again under weigh for Dnrness. Our landlord at
Scowrie having told us that he had heard that the osprey
was building on an island in a loch about a mile from our
road, we left the horse and boat under the charge of a bare-
legged and bare-headed boy, at the place he mentioned (a
small bridge about three miles from Scowrie), and went to a
point of rock, from which we could command a view of the
loch in question. We immediately through a glass discovered
the nest of the osprey, built in exactly a similar situation to
the last ; that is, on the summit of a rock about eight feet
high, shaped like a truncated cone, and standing exposed and
alone in the loch. On coming nearer, we could distinguish
the white head of the female osprey on the nest. The male
bird was not in view. It was determined that I should re-
main concealed near the loch, while my two companions
went for the boat. This plan was adopted for the double
reason that I might be at hand to shoot any hooded crow
who might attempt to take the eggs while the osprey was off',
she having left the nest on our approach, and also that I
might have a chance of shooting the old osprey herself in
case she came within shot. I must say that I would rather
she had escaped this fate ; but as her skin was wanted, I
agreed to try to kill her.

For some time after the departure of rny companions she
Hew round and round at a great height, occasionally drifting
away with the high wind, and then returning to the loch.
She passed two or three times, not very far from me, before
I shot at her. But at last I fired, and the poor bird, after
wheeling blindly about for a few moments, fell far to leeward
of me, and down amongst the most precipitous and rocky
part of the mountain, quite dead. She was scarcely down
behind the cliffs when I he ird the cry of an osprey in quite
a different direction, and on looking that way I saw the male
bird Hying up from a great distance. As he came nearer, I
could distinguish plainly with my glass that he was carrying
a fish in his claws. On approaching he redoubled his cries,
probably expecting the well-known answer, or signal of
gratitude, from his mate; but not hearing her, he flew on
till he came immediately over the nest. I could plainly see
him turning his head to the right and left, as if looking for
her, and as if in astonishment at her unwonted absence. He
came lower and lower, still holding the fish in his feet, which
wen- stretched out at full length from his body. Xot seeing

THE RIVER LAXFORD. 29

her, he again ascended and new to the other end of the lake,
the rocks echoing his shrill cry. The poor bird, after making
one or two circuits of the lake, then new away far out of
sight, still keeping possession of the fish. He probably went
to look for the female at some known and frequented haunt,
as he new rapidly oft' in a direct line. He soon, however,
came over the lake again, and continued his night to and fro
and his loud cries for above an hour, still keeping the fish
ready for his mate. I at length heard the voices of my
friends, and we soon launched the boat. The osprey became
much agitated as we neared the rock where the nest was,
and dropped the fish he held into the water. We found two
beautiful eggs in the nest, of a roundish shape ; the colour
white, with numerous spots and marks of a fine rich red
brown. As we came away, we still observed the male bird
unceasingly calling and seeking for his hen. I was really
sorry I had shot her.

This excursion to the lake hindered us so long, that, after
resting our horse at Ehiconnich, we did not reach Durness
till late at night.

From Scowrie to Durness, particularly about Ehiconnich,
the road winds through a constant succession of the most
rocky, rugged, and wild glens that it is possible to imagine,
with here and there beautiful sheets of water, deep and
darkly shaded by the overhanging rocks, and occasionally
by small birch woods. Winding round the mouth of
the Laxford river, we saw an osprey fishing in, or
rather over, the pools near the bay. I am told that the
Laxford is one of the best, if not quite the best, sea-trout
stream in the North. There are gloriously wild and rocky
mountains rising from the landward side of the road,
with the most fantastic and picturesque outlines. The bay
at Ehiconnich, too, is very beautiful. The whole road, indeed,
commands one constant and endless succession of scenery
equally magnificent and wild ; nor does the traveller drive a
mile throughout this journey without some new and most
interesting view — varied, too, as it is by rock, water, and
mountain, by the rich brown of the heather, the vivid green
of the birch woods, and the grassy banks of some of the
streams, and also by the deep blue of the lochs. The eye
never wearies of being kept constantly occupied in admiring
the surrounding objects. I shall not forget, however, one
part of our drive between Ehiconnich and Durness, where
3

30 TOUR IN SUT.HERLANDSHIRE.

the road passes over a wild and dreary hill-side, at a consider-
able height above the valley below us. Here for some miles
we were exposed to the coldest and most driving and wettest
mist that ever disgraced a May day. Nothing could be seen
twenty yards from the road excepting the drifting clouds.
Luckily the wind was behind us, as it would have been
almost impossible to have faced it. It cleared off again, how-
ever ; and before we reached Durness the night was as calm
and bright as the morning had been. We did not arrive at
Durness till eleven at night, and then we found no one up ;
indeed \ve had great difficulty in finding the inn, as there
was nothing to distinguish it from any other house in the
scattered village, excepting it was considerably larger than
its neighbours. After some time, however, we did find one
person awake, and got comfortably housed in this very
excellent inn.

Nothing can exceed the sea view from Durness, as you
look along the varied line of abrupt rocks to the cliff called
" Far-out Head," which is very nearly, if not quite, as
northerly a point as Cape Wrath.

Having passed the end of Loch Erriboll, and having pro-
cured a feed of corn for our horse from Mr. Clark (the tenant
of the sheep farm here), we worked a zigzag course up the
largest and steepest hill we had to contend with throughout
our whole journey. Then descending, we passed the face of
a hill, cut and intersected by numberless small streams of
the most pure and transparent water that I ever saw, which
take their rise from the limestone rocks above.

Loch Erriboll is one the numerous creeks reaching into
the mainland from the North Sea, and often serving for a
refuge to shipping, which otherwise must inevitably3 perish
in every violent north and north-east wind on this iron-
bound coast. On our way from this loch we passed the
head of a fine fresh-water lake, Loch Hope, and up a
magnificent glen called Glenmore (I believe), the sides of
which, woody and precipitous, abound in the wilder ferae,
iiaturce of the island. Wild and marten cats live here in
peace, and we frequently saw eagles sailing about the higher
cliH's, and sometimes perched on some pinnacle of rock. We
found out by chance a very perfect echo, repeating every
word, and even sentence, with the greatest exactness and
passing from one side of the valley to the other, till the
sounds died away in an indistinct murmur.

BIRDS OF LOCH MADDIE. 31

After emerging from this splendid strath we arrived at the
edge of a wide loch with many green islands 011 it, called
Loch Madclie. Here again we put our boat afloat, and

leaving our luggage, &c., under charge of Leo, while J

fished, Mr. Dunbar and I went to search the islands in order
to discover what birds were breeding there. We found
several hooded crows' nests in the birch-trees on the islands,
where they had hitherto Jived and plundered in perfect
security. However, we destroyed their eggs and young
without mercy, and shot the birds themselves whenever and
wherever we could.

The hooded crow is the only bird against whom I wage
constant and unpitying warfare ; I have so constantly de-
tected them destroying my most favourite birds and their
eggs, that I have no pity on them. We also found in these
islands many nests of the Grey lag goose. To make sure of
the species I shot some of the old birds, it having been rather
a disputed question amongst several of my friends whether
the goose breeding in this country is the Grey lag (Anser
ferus) or the Bean goose (Anser segetum). All the geese on
Loch Maddie were the Grey lag ; indeed I never saw any of
the Beau geese breeding in Sutherland, excepting on the
islands of Loch Shin, where a few still breed annually in
spite of the constant and cruel warfare waged against them.
The number of eggs in each nest was from four to seven, and
they had all been apparently sat upon for some time: indeed
we found one brood of young birds at least four or five days
old. This being on the 18th of May, proved that this bird
arrives at its breeding-place very early. A goose sits a month,
so that supposing these young birds were four days old, it
carries back the time when the old bird commenced sitting
to the 14th of April ; and then allowing ten days for the
bird to prepare her nest and lay her eggs, the Grey lag goose
cannot arrive at the breeding-places later than the 1st or 2nd
of April. The Bean goose arrives in Morayshire and that
part of Scotland from the south as nearly as possible in the
third week of March, their arrival a few days earlier or later
depending on the state of the weather ; and the flocks do not
leave that country till the 29th or 30th of April, some few
even remaining several days afterwards. Th's fact shows a
great distinction in the habits of the two kinds of geese ; for
while the Bean goose (Anser segetum) is still fattening on
the oat and pea fields, the Grey lag goose (Anser ferus) has

32 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIIIK

already laid, and is nearly hatching her eggs, in the wilds of
Sutherland. In one island, containing a few stunted birch-
trees, we saw an old osprey's nest, not now tenanted ; but I
am told that the old birds were inhabiting it two years ago.
The nest was most interesting : it was placed in a fork of
the tree so low that we could see into it without climbing,
and it consisted of a perfect cart-load of sticks, varying from
the size of a very stout walking-stick down to the twigs of
birch and heather of which the inner part of the fabric was
composed. I did not measure the nest, but as nearly as I
could guess, it was not less than eight feet in length, and
nearly four in width ; the depth too was very great ; the
inner lining was composed of a coarse kind of grass that
grows in these islands. Although the nest must have
weathered many a winter storm of wind, snow, and rain, and
was quite bleached, it was still fixed firmly in the fork of the
birch-tree. To have seen the ospreys building up this great
and strong mass would have repaid one for a journey of many
a long mile.

Wilson mentions that in America the osprey builds con-
stantly in trees, but in this country it seldom does so,
probably from the want of trees suitable for the purpose. I
have been told, however, that a nest is still to be seen on a
tree in one of the large pine-woods in Strathspey.

A very curious circumstance happened on the same island,
which strongly indicated the habits of red deer during the
season when their horns are soft and liable to injury. The
island, which is scarcely a rifle-shot in length, and less in
breadth, is very rough, and cut up like an old peat moss, but
covered with very high heather and coarse grass, in which
the wild goose forms her nest. While 1 was looking about
quietly in the broken clefts and ground for these nests, a
large stag suddenly rose at my feet out of a deep hollow —
that is, deep comparatively speaking, and just sufficiently so
for a stag to lie in. The wind was high, and he either had
not heard me, or he remained quiet in hopes that I should
pass without perceiving him ; at any rate he did not move
till I nearly stepped upon him. He then rose, and in two
springs was in the water and swimming strongly and bravely
for the opposite mountain. A stag swims with very great
speed and ease : in a short time lie reached the shore, which
was a good half-mile from the island, and having shaken
himself, I saw him through my glass take a long look back,

AN INTELLIGENT FOX-HOUND. 33

and then he trotted slowly up the shoulder of the hill. In
my numerous deer-stalking excursions I certainly never was
so near to an unwounded deer ; he had evidently been living
in solitary security for some time on the island, and feeding
on the coarse grass and plants. He probably had been there
ever since lie had cast his horns, as the new ones were about
five or six inches in length.

While on this island, too, another interesting incident look
place. We heard the baying of a hound on the shore. At
first I imagined that some fox-hunter's dog had strayed away
in pursuit of and was still running a fox or deer ; but on
looking with my glass, I saw a fine fox-hound sitting on a
point of land which reached into the lake, and howling in a
manner which plainly showed he had lost his master ; and
having heard me fire at a crow, he imagined that I was the
person he was in search of. After howling for a minute or
two, till the hills around echoed with his deep voice, the
gallant dog swam into the loch, and made for an island on
which I had fired at a grey crow. I saw him land and,
with nose to the ground, take up our track ; but after a little
hesitation he found that the scent was not that of his master,
nor of any one he knew, so plunging into the loch again he
made for the main land, and having reached it after a stout
battle with the waves (the wind then being high), he
continued his search round the shore of the lake, taking,
however, no further notice of us, although I fired one or two
more shots within his hearing. The instinct and reasoning
of the dog struck me as very great in his manner of trying if
we belonged to the party who had been up to the high
ground before daybreak in pursuit of a lamb-killing fox ; for
we afterwards heard that the fox-hunter of the district had
been following his avocation on the heights of Ben Cleebrick
that morning, and that some of his dogs had strayed away
from him in pursuit, probably, of a deer, though he owned
only to their having followed a fox.

As we were rowing back to the point where we launched
the boat, we suddenly came upon no less than six of those
beautiful birds, the black-throated diver. We pursued them
immediately, and drove them up into a small bay of the
lake : there after much trouble we managed to shoot one, the
rest escaping by diving under the boat or round it, and
getting off into the wide part of the loch. None of them
attempted to take flight, although so hard pressed and

34 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

hemmed up into a corner of the lake. When one was
separated from the rest, he generally began to croak in the
voice peculiar to these birds. In consequence of their
swimming so low in the water and their great strength, it is
very difficult to shoot them, particularly as when they are
once alarmed they dive so suddenly that they are frequently
too quick even for a percussion gun. When alone, this bird
takes wing readily enough, and lies off to some neighbouring
lake with a quick and lofty flight.

We found our luggage safe under the care of the faithful
dog, who had never left his charge, and before dark we
arrived at the inn of Aultnaharrow, which is situated near
one of the finest lakes in the country, Loch Naver. Like all
the inns in Sutherland which are under the efficient and
liberal management of the Duke's factors, Aultnaharrow is
clean and comfortable.

The following day, leaving my friend to fish in Loch Naver,
I drove off in the boat, accompanied by Dunbar and one of
Lord Ellesmere's foresters who lives close to the inn, for a
loch called Loch Laighal, or, as it is pronounced, Loch Loyal.
This is another fine sheet of water several miles in length,
with a few islands, the breeding-places of grey geese and
ifumberlcss gulls. There were vast flocks of that magnificent
bird the great black-backed gull (Larus marinus), and also
of the lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus). The former
is a most splendid and beautiful bird, with its pure black and
white plumage, and a stretch of wing little less than that of
the golden eagle.

We had scarcely launched our boat on the water, leaving
the forester on shore, as our tiny craft scarcely held three
people comfortably, when a squall of wind came on, blowing
down the side of Ben Loyal in a perfect hurricane right from
the shore which we had just left. Short as the distance was,
we could not row back against it, and had nothing left for it
but to go before the wind right across the large loch, fully a
mile and a half in width at that part. At the same time,
owing to the lowness of the stern, our only chance of safety
was too keep the head of the boat to windward, a matter of
no small difficulty, as the wind blew in the most violent
gusts and increased every moment. The slightest turn of
the boat, which would bring her at all broadside to the wind,
must have instantly swamped her, and with this pleasant
prospect before us we went with fearful speed across the loch.

A LARGE ADDER. 35

The only thing I dreaded was, that anything should give way
about the oars, or the pins that they worked upon, as nothing
could then have saved us. However, Diis aliter visum, and
we landed safely, but wet enough, on the opposite shore, and
right glad we were both when we looked back at the water,
which was perfectly white with foam, to feel our feet once
more on terra firma. I mention this incident as a warning
to any person who may fish or sail on any of these fresh-
water lakes surrounded by mountains, to beware of sudden
squalls of this kind; for in this instance nothing Ijut a strong
arm and good rowing saved us from certain drowning, which
would nevertheless have been our fate had the least bolt or
fastening given way about the oars, for once broaching to
must have swamped us. The wind soon fell, the day be-
came hot, and the beautiful lake with its green banks was
again as smooth as glass. Few of the gulls had laid, but we
found some more eggs of the Grey Ing goose. One nest was
in a very peculiar situation for a wild goose, being in the midst
of and overhung by a thicket of small birch trees. The otter
seems to live in undisturbed security in the islands on all these
lakes, as the heather, &c., is full of their roads and marks.

On the stones near the lake I picked up a large adder.
As I held her up by her throat it was curious to see the
fierce expression of rage the creature vput on, and also how
long its teeth projected, as if eager to be fastened in my
hand, while a drop of bright yellow liquid oozed out at the
points of each of its venomous fangs. I knew that this was
the poison, but had no idea that these reptiles could produce
so large a quantity at once.

Loch. Laighal, Loch Maddie, and Loch Naver all abound in
the finest trout, and contain also plenty of the Salmo ferox
or great lake trout, which is caught only by trolling, or by
lines baited with small fish. In Loch Naver there are plenty
of salmon : I am told that they rise freely and well when
the wind is from the south-east, but seldom when it blows
from any other quarter.

CHAPTER IV.

Return to Sutherland- -Travelling from Edinburgh — Skye Terrier ; peculiari-
ties of — Lairg — Loch Shin — River Shin— Reserve of the English — Mr.
Young's Experiments respecting Salmon ; Anecdotes of Salmon ; Manner
of Spawning; Food of Salmon — Drive to Aultnaharrow— Curlews, &c. —
Loch Naver — Phaiaropes — Widgeon — Greenshank, &c.

June 9th. — HAVING been called suddenlv to England in the

36 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

midst of my rambles in Sutherlandshire in May, I did not
find myself again in that country till the 9th of June.
Travelling (that is, the mere net of passing along the road)
takes up very little of your time nowadays. You go from
London to Edinburgh in about thirteen hours, and a good
steamer takes the traveller from Granton Pier to Invergordon
in Eoss-shire quickly and comfortably enough ; that is, I left
Granton at 6 A.M. on the 6th, and landed at Invergordon
early in the evening of the 7th, accompanied only by a Skye
terrier, who from his earliest childhood, or rather puppyhood,
has always managed to stick closely to me. In wild-fowl
shooting, when no dog is required save a quiet retriever,
Fred (so was he christened by some of my children) is always
allowed to accompany me, as from his quiet discretion he is
never in the way. In roe-shooting also he is allowed to
remain at my feet while 1 am waiting in a pass. At the
same time, if permitted to hunt, no kind of animal, running
or flying, quadruped or biped, comes amiss to him, and he is
equally at home in any ground, rock, or loch. There is a
kind of quiet, discretionary courage that some of these rough
terriers have which is very amusing — nothing seems to put
them out, and Fred is as much at home in a crowded railway
station or London street as he is in a furze-cover. He rather
annoys me sometimes when travelling, for as soon as he has
seen me safely housed in an hotel, he is very apt to wander
off in search of adventures and acquaintances of his own
through the town, wherever it is ; and although it may be a
new place to him, he invariably finds his way back to rny
room for the time being, regardless of all obstacles in the
form of waiters, chambermaids, &c. I used to be afraid of
losing him, but after some experience of his ways, I find that
I may safely leave him to his own devices ; for having once
or twice despatched ostlers and boys in all directions to
search for him, I perceived that he always came back alone,
looking rather ashamed of himself, and not venturing to
make himself very prominent in the room till he had
examined the expression of my face from under a chair or
sofa, for dogs are great physiognomists. Then, on seeing that
I am generally too pleased at his return to be angry at his
absence, he comes out of his place of refuge wriggling his
long rough body about in all sorts of coaxing but uncouth
attitudes, and at last putting his honest rough face in my
hand or on my knee, he finds that peace is declared, and he

SKYE TERRIERS — LOCH SHIN. 37

waits patiently till I take hat in hand again ; for once having
explored the streets, he seems to take no further interest in
the place.

There is no end or limit to the quaint conceits of some
terriers of this kind, when they live in constant intercourse
witli their masters. Fred's great attachment to my children,
too, makes him a universal favourite in the house, and he
walks about with them amongst their pet animals, apparently
taking as much interest in thurn as the children do them-
selves. I must say, however, that he requires a formal
introduction to any new living acquisition of this kind ; but
once introduced to them, they are safe from his strong white
teeth for ever.

These terriers are excellent swimmers, and are apparently
as much at their ease in the water as on land. Fred is as
web-footed as an otter. Some dogs dislike accompanying
one to the river side only to look on. Indeed, one retriever
which I had became so bored and e.nnuye with this work,
that at last I had only to show him my fishing rod to induce
him immediately to retire to some hiding-place rather than
be asked to accompany me. Another retriever, on the
contrary, always took the most lively interest in my fishing,
watching the fly and getting into a state of great excitement
whenever I hooked a fish : indeed, if allowed to do so, he
would go in and land the fish, taking it carefully and
delicately by the back in his teeth ; but as he often got
entangled in the line and did mischief, I was obliged to stop
this. A great treat, however, to this dog was to put some
living sea trout into any shallow pool where he could catch
them and bring them one by one to whoever carried the
fishing-basket.

I have no doubt that many wild animals, such as the fox,
wild cat, polecat, &c., catch numbers of fish during their
nocturnal wanderings. Their tracks about the water's edge
have frequently convinced me of this : the fish, too, being
apt to take to the shallows at night, are easier caught than
in the daytime.

To return, however, to Sutherlandshire. On the 7th of
June I arrived at the good town of Tain, and on the 9th was
at Lairg Inn. An excellent place of rest, too, is the inn at
Lairg, and the situation beautiful beyond description — at any
rate it is so on a fine day ; but situated as it is at the end of
Loch Shin, a Highland lake about eighteen miles in length,

38 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

the prospect from the inu windows must be very different on
a wild autumn day, with wind and sleet driving up from the
west, from what it was on the fine June evening on which I
arrived. The view combines the most happy mixture of
mountain, water, and green herbage, dotted with fine old
birch trees : a few picturesque buildings, too, which are seen
from the inn, add to the happy and riant expression of the
scene.

The Shin river, which runs out of the lake near the inn, is
a fine and picturesque stream, charming to the eye of both
painter and fisherman. The Shin salmon are of a large size
and very plentiful. I stopped for half an hour or so at the
falls, two or three miles from the lake, and saw a great
number of salmon, and even trout, leaping ; some of them
succeeded in passing up, others fell back into the pool below,
in consequence of not having leaped with sufficient strength,
or from having miscalculated the distance and angle at which
to take the leap. All the scenery about the falls of the Shin
is very beautiful : the steep and lofty hill which comes down
to the water's edge is covered with wood, and, at this time of
the year, was alive with singing birds of all kinds ; whilst
the coo of the wood-pigeon, and the shrill cry of the kestrel
as she hovered with quivering wings over our heads, com-
bined to please the eye and ear.

We were rather amused with the truly English determina-
tion which was shown by a gentleman (who, like ourselves,
was admiring the falls) not to enter into conversation, or
indeed to admit that he was aware of our presence. Perched
on the extreme point of rock overlooking the falls, for above
half an hour he turned his back most resolutely towards us,
as we sat immediately behind him.

It is part of the nature of Englishmen to look upon all
strangers as intruders, if not as enemies ; and yet many a
pleasant acquaintance and friendship have I formed without
any formal introduction, being, I am happy to say, un-English
enough not to be afraid of committing myself or of losing
caste by addressing a stranger. Throughout life I always
find that civility is met by civility, wherever it may be
bestowed. At the same time nothing is easier than to put a
stop to impertinence, should one meet with it,

En route to Lairg I called on Mr. Young, who is manager
of the Duke of Sutherland's fisheries in the county. He
received me with great civility, and kindly gave me much

EXPERIMENTS WITH SALMON. 39

curious and interesting information respecting the habits of
salmon and trout, having studied their natural history, and
having lived, as it were, amongst fish during his whole
life. Mr. Young has made such good use of the opportunities
which his position has afforded him, that he has thrown
considerable light on the history of the inhabitants of an
element in which we cannot follow them. His patience in
trying experiments with the spawn and young of the salmon
has enabled him to explain many parts of their history which
had hitherto been obscure, or at best but imperfectly under-
stood. The encouragement, too, which he has always met
with from the Duke, has still further enabled him to bring a
naturally acute and inquiring mind to bear on the point in
question. For some years he managed (by forming artificial
spawning-beds or ponds) to have the ova under his immediate
observation from the hour of their being deposited to the
time that in the shape of " smolts " (I think that is the local
name) of four to six inches in length, the young salmon go
down to their mysterious feeding nurseries in the depths of
the ocean. Mr. Young kindly showed me numerous speci-
mens preserved in spirits of wine of the gradual development
and grosvth of the fish, from its egg state, when it looks like
a small pea, to its full maturity.

Strange as it seems, it would certainly appear from his
observations that a salmon may be kept for any length of
time in a river without growing beyond the weight of two to
four ounces, and he showed me specimens of salmon which,
though of perfect form and condition, did not exceed that
size ; whereas had they been allowed to reach the sea, they
would at the same age have weighed from six to ten pounds
each. The growth of salmon when in the sea is wonderful,
it having been indisputably proved that a salmon has grown
eleven pounds six ounces during the short period of five
weeks and two days : the fish having been marked on its
passage to the sea, was caught again in the same river when
ascending, after an interval of that duration.

The destruction of salmon during their passage to, and
residence in, the sea must be wonderful, and defies all
calculation. Did all the fish, which descend as fry, return as
salmon, the rivers would not hold them. Their enemies are
countless ; every fish and every sea-fowl preys and fattens
on them. At the mouths of rivers, and indeed at every
shallow on their passage, thousands of gulls and other birds

40 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

prey upon the fry, while trout and eels are feeding on them
under water. As soon as they reach the sea too, fish of all
kinds are ready to devour them.

Mr. Young told me also that his young family of salmon
fry which he hatched and kept confined in ponds connected
with the river always became perfectly tame, and the
moment that he steps on the plank laid across the ponds for
the purpose of feeding the tish from, they all nock round
him ready to dart at the food he puts in. In some of the
ponds he had put a number of small eels, which soon grew in
size, and became as tame and familiar as the young salmon.
As the cold weather came on, the eels all disappeared, and
he supposed that they had managed to escape, led by their
instinct to take refuge in some deeper pools. However, one
fine spring day, when he had long ceased to think of his
slimy pets, he happened to pass over one of the planks, when
he was delighted to see them all issue out from under the
stones asking for food, as if a day only, instead of many
weeks, had passed since he last had fed them. Does not
this most clearly prove that eels lie dormant during cold
weather ?

I asked Mr. Young if he could explain why at the mouths
of rivers, when angling, one always catches such a variety of
trout — a variety which does not exist at some distance from
the sea, each and every stream having its own peculiar
species. His opinion, founded on practical, experiment and
long experience, coincided much with mine, founded on mere
casual and unscientific observation, namely, that the sea
trout and river trout sometimes breed with each other, thus
forming a great variety of shade and colour. He also states
that the female salmon will breed with a male trout, which
he says has been clearly proved by close observation, in the
following manner : — A pair of salmon, male and female,
being seen forming their spawning-bed together, the male
salmon was killed with a spear and taken out of the water.
The female immediately dropped down the stream to the
next pool, and after a certain interval returned with another
male. He having shared the same fate as his predecessor,
the female again went down to the pool, and brought up
another male. The same process was gone on with of
spearing the male, till the widowed fish, finding no more of
her own kind remaining in the pool, returned at last accom-
panied by a large river trout, who assisted her in forming

SPAWNING-BEDS OF SALMON. 41

the spawning-bed, &c., with the same assiduity that he would
have used had she been a trout instead of a salmon ; the
female appearing to be determined that her ova should not
be left in the gravel without being fertilized by the male,
thus taking the trout as a pis oiler, and carrying out the
proverb — " si on n'a pas ce qu'on aime, il faut aimer ce
qu'on a."

The process of preparing the spawning-beds is curious.
The two fish come up together to a convenient place, shallow
and gravelly. Here they commence digging a trench across
the stream, sometimes making it several inches deep. In
this the female deposits her eggs, or ova ; and she having left
the bed, the male takes her place, and deposits his spawn on
the ova of the female. The difference may be perhaps
easily exemplified by the soft and hard roe of a herring ; the
former being that of the male, and without this the hard roe
or ova of the female fish would be barren. When the male
lias performed his share of the work, they both make a fresh
trench immediately above the former one, thus covering up
the spawn in the first trench with the gravel taken out of
the second : the same process is repeated till the whole of
their spawn is deposited, when the fish gradually work their
way down to the salt water to recruit their lost strength and
energy.

The spawn is thus left to be hatched in due time, but is
sometimes destroyed by floods, which bury it too deep, or
sweep it entirely away ; at other times it is destroyed by
want of water, a dry season reducing the river to so small a
size as to leave the beds exposed to the air. The time
required to hatch the eggs depends much on the state of the
weather : in warm seasons they are hatched much quicker
than in cold. The details I have here given are very im-
pel feet ; but perhaps they may induce those interested in the
subject to read a little work published by Mr. Young, the
result o;' his observations and experience for many years.

It is a common opinion that no food is ever found in the
stomach of a salmon ; but this is quite erroneous. On first
entering the rivers they are often perfectly gorged with small
eels ; fry, and even good-sized herring are constantly found
in them ; showing that the salmon is as voracious a fish as
his cousin the trout. When in fresh water they do not seem
to have the same voracity. That they do feed on small fish,
&c., however, in lake and river cannot be doubted, as we

42 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIKE.

know that trolling with parr is as efficient a way of killing
salmon in several waters as fly-fishing, though not so generally
practised : nay, many a salmon dies an ignoble death from
taking a worm.

This year I was fishing on a river in the North of Scotland,
near a town where there was plenty of anglers, young and
old, good and bad. There was one old piscator, who was
most assiduous in his attention to the river, and whom I
have seen for hours together at one small pool ; changing his
bait from fly to worm and from worm to fly, as he fancied
the inclinations of the fish might be turned at the moment.
One day we saw him in his usual position at the head of a
rocky pool, and found that he had risen a salmon. After
tempting the fish with every fly contained in an old bible,
which served as a fishing-book, without success, he told us,
as we greeted him in passing, that he ivould have the fish
before dark : and sure enough, late in the evening, while
taking a stroll up the river, we met the old gentleman
coming home, and after a little coquetry on the subject, he
produced the salmon, wrapped up in a stuffy pocket hand-
kerchief, and crammed into his trousers, where he carried it
in order to avoid notoriety on the subject. Not having per-
mission, I fancy, to kill salmon in the river, he had killed
the fish with a worm late in the evening, after everything
else had failed.

The first few miles of the drive from Lairg to Aultna-
harrow we skirt the edge of Loch Shin, passing through a
beautiful wood of birch, at this season (June) full of singing-
birds, wood-pigeons, &c. Beyond this we pass for many miles
through a desolate and dreary-looking range of hill ground —
the more desolate-looking too from the ground being covered
with a kind of coarse grass, instead of the rich brown red of the
heather. The number of curlews and golden plovers is very
great all along this grassy tract of country. The plovers are
very tame, running along the road in front of the horse, and
at last only flying a few yards to some higher hillock or
stone, where they stop watching us till we pass. These
birds have their nests rather high up on the hills : their
eggs are peculiarly large and beautifully marked, the pre-
vailing colour being a brown, shaded and spotted with darker
markings of a brownish-green colour. It is very difficult,
however, to describe the eggs of many of these birds, no two
of them being exactly alike. The curlews are far more shy

RED-NECKED PHALAROPE. 43

and wary, and as long as we are within sight they keep up a
loud unceasing cry of alarm, wheeling round and round, but
generally at a tolerably respectful distance. I saw some
young curlews on the ground, and got out to examine them ;
they are curious, long-legged, top-heavy little fellows, and
when pursued seemed to trip themselves up in their hurry,
and to tumble head foremost into every hole in their way.
The bill of the young bird is as short as that of a golden
plover. When I held it in my hand to examine the curious
plumage, or rather down which covered it, the little bird
looked up at me with its great dark prominent eye with such
an expression of confidence and curiosity, that had I been
the most determined collector of specimens of birds, I could
not have refrained from putting him carefully down on the
ground again : when I did so he ran up to the top of a little
grassy hillock, and looked round for his screaming parents,
who, at a safe distance, were wheeling with a most wonderful
outcry round the head of my terrier.

One cannot understand why a curlew's bill should be
curved in the curious manner in which it is. The end of
the bill is, like that of a woodcock, furnished with a set of
delicate nerves to enable it to feel its food under ground. In
those parts of the country where curlews are numerous, the
moist turnip fields are generally bored all over by them. I
tried for trout in Loch Naver (close to the inn at Aultna-
harrow), and caught some fine and excellent fish for our
supper.

In the swampy ground near the west end of the lake a vast
number of birds seem to breed. Snipes, curlews, redshanks,
plovers, &c., &c., all keep up a constant cry of alarm on any
intrusion into their dominion. While I was fishing, Mr.
Dimbar called my attention to two beautiful little birds near
the edge of the water, which he pronounced to be the red-
necked phalarope. Not having any specimens in his collec-
tion, he went to the inn for a gun, while I sat down to watch
them. The red-necked phalarope is certainly the most
beautiful little wader of my acquaintance. There were a
pair of them, male and female, feeding near the loch, in a
little pool which was covered with weeds of different kinds.
Nothing could be more graceful than the movements of these
two little birds as they swam about in search of insects, &c.
Sometimes they ran lightly on the broad leaves of the water-
lily, which served them for a raft and entirely kept them out

44 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

of the water. Though not exactly web-footed, the phalarope
swims with the greatest ease. The attachment of these two
birds to each other seemed very great : wherever in their
search for food they wandered so far apart as to be hidden
by the intervening weeds, the male bird stopped feeding
suddenly, and, looking round, uttered a low and musical call
of inquiry, which was immediately answered by the female
in a different note, but perfectly expressive of her answer,
which one might suppose to be to the purport that she was
at hand and quite safe : on hearing her the male immediately
recommenced feeding, but at the same time making his way
towards her ; she also flew to meet him : they then joined
company for a moment or two, and after a few little notes of
endearment, turned off again in different directions. This
scene was repeated a dozen times while I was watching
them. They seemed to have not the slightest fear of me, for
frequently they came within a yard of where I was sitting,
and, after looking up, they continued catching the small
water-insects, &c., on the weeds without minding my presence
in the least.

After having apparently exhausted the food in one pool,
on a signal from the male they suddenly both took wing, and
flew away to a fresh feeding-place two or three hundred
yards off', where we afterwards found them. Though \ve
could not discover their ne.Ft, I have no doubt that they had
eggs very near the spot where we saw them. Indeed, on
dissecting the female wo found two eggs in her, nearly full-
sized, so that probably she had already deposited the other
two, which would have made her number complete. I find
no account of this bird breeding on the mainland of Scotland.

A great many widgeon breed about Loch Naver. I sawr
several drakes sitting on the points of grass running out into
the lake, shining brightly in their beautiful and variegated
summer dress. I also cnme upon an old duck-widgeon, who
kept fluttering round my feet. On looking closely I found
about seven young widgeon two or three days old, very like
wild ducks of the same age, but having, instead of the green
colour of the young mallard, a kind of reddish brown tinge
over the whole of their down. They soon scuttled away into
the lake, and we presently saw them swimming far out with
the old bird. The number of young redshanks, peewits, &c.,
seemed very great. The terrier found them everywhere.
The redshank has a merry and not unmusical note as he flies

BIRDS OF LOCH NAVER. 45

round and round with great rapidity on his nest being
approached. I saw no greenshanks about Loch Naver, but
plenty of them about the smaller aud more lonely rushy
lakes on the hills. The note of the greenshank is musical,
and not quite so shrill as that of the redshank. Its flight,
too, is different, making longer strokes with the wing; it darts
with sudden jerks through the air, somewhat in the manner
of a dragon-fly ; sometimes hovering, and then darting down-
wards with great quickness. The nest of the greenshank is
particularly difficult to find. I never found one myself, and
have only once heard of its having been discovered. There
is a peculiarity about the egg which, though difficult to
describe, immediately strikes the observer, if he is at all
learned in birds' eggs. The prevailing colour is olive-green.
The shell seems of a fine texture, and the spots are small,
liu t numerous.

A forester brought rue four% eggs, which he said were those
of the jack snipe. Though I have every reason for thinking
that he would not wilfully have deceived me, I suspect that
he was mistaken in the bin], and that the action of the hen
snipe when disturbed from her nest, being unlike her usual
flight, made him believe her to be the jack snipe instead of
the common one. The eggs were certainly small for a snipe,
but not smaller than I have sometimes seen them. I have
never read any account of the jack snipe breeding in Scotland
that I considered \vell authenticated. There is every proba-
bility that a few birds, unequal to the long flight of their
migration, may remain in this country during the summer.
But notwithstanding the eager search made for the nest by
egg collectors, it has never yet been found in Scotland. I
heard that the jack snipe had been seen breeding near
Tongue, but the gamekeeper there says that this is not the
case, and that probably the dunlin was mistaken for that
bird.

CHAPTER V.

Length of Day — Sedge Warbler — Different Birds near Loch leaver — Ben
Cleebrick — Rain — Loch Maddie — Frost — Ben Laighal — Foxes — Sheep
Killing— Catching Wild Ducks — Peregrine Falcon ; Manner of Catching
their Young — Golden Eagles — Tongue — Fine Scenery of Bay of Tongue
and Islands— Wild Cat -Seals.

THE nights at this season are most enjoyable ; in fact, there

is no darkness. I went out of the inn at midnight, and was

4

46 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

much amused at hearing the different cries of the birds.
Close to the door is a small enclosed clump of larch, where
the grass and weeds are very high and rank. In this little
patch it seems that a sedge warbler had made her nest. All
day long had the male bird been singing to his mate, and
now at midnight he was still uttering unceasingly his merry
note : I never met with so indefatigable a songster ; night or
day lie seemed never to weary.

Towards the loch a constant tumult was kept up amongst
the waders and waterfowl. High in the air was heard the
common snipe, earning his Gaelic name of " air goat " by his
incessant bleating cry ; while redshanks, curlews, golden
plovers, and peewits, all seemed to be as lively as if it had
been noon instead of midnight ; occasionally, too, both
widgeon and teal were heard to whistle each after its own
peculiar fashion ; and the quack of the common mallard was
also constant. Now and then a note expressive of alarm was
uttered by some bird, and immediately a dead silence was
kept by the whole community for a few moments ; but this
was soon succeeded by a greater noise than ever, particularly
amongst the peewits, which seemed by their cries to be
darting about the head of some intruder or enemy. Probably
on these occasions a fox, wild cat, or owl had made his
appearance amongst them in search of tender food for his
own young ravening brood.

Though I had to rise very early, I betook myself to bed
with great regret, and left the window open, in order to hear
the serenade of the sedge warbler to the last moment of
being awake.

Ben Cleebrick, the highest hill (or nearly so) in Suther-
land, is immediately in front of the inn ; and the forester,
after looking at me from head to foot, pronounced his dictum
that he thought I should get to the top in two hours or so ;
at any rate, that he could do it in that time. Notwith-
standing the threatening look of the mist on its summit, I
started, hoping to see some ptarmigan nests amongst the
loose stones near the top. Dunbar warned me that we
should not succeed in reaching the summit, owing to the
state of the weather ; and he was correct ; for, although
there was an occasional clearing away of the clouds, when we
were about half-way up there commenced such a determined
and heavy torrent of rain, that we had to give in ; the whole
mountain, too, was enveloped in a cloud like a wet blanket,

DESTRUCTIVE FOXES ON BEN LAIGHAL. 47

impenetrable to .the sight. For a long time we sat down
under my plaid, which kept us tolerably dry (L) unbar, myself,
and the dog) ; with nothing else to enliven us except
watching the curious antics of two ravens on a great lump of
rock in front of us. At last, in despair, we made our way
home, as quickly as we could, splashing through the rain-
water which had converted the whole hill-side into pools.
Near the loch-side, amongst the birch trees, I saw a great
many red-polls and other small birds.

From Aultnaharrow we drove again to Loch Maddie,
where I caught some fine trout. We saw a few Grey lag
geese, and found the grey crows again tenanting the nests
which we had attacked three or four weeks ago. Of course
I smashed every egg and killed every crow that came within
my reach.

On the 10th of June the frost was so severe in Strath
Xaver, that it cut down all the potatoes to the ground, and
even the ferns and some other wild plants near the waterside
were entirely blackened. A hard white frost at this season
is always supposed to be followed by heavy rain, and the
saying was this time quite correct.

On our road to Tongue the following day I stopped for an
hour or two about Loch Laighal, one of the most beautiful of
the lakes in Sutherland. lien Laighal is a fine and picturesque
mountain, and of great extent. We learned at a shepherd's
house that the fox-hunter of that district had been up on
the mountain since three o'clock in pursuit of some foxes
who had established themselves in the rocky corries near the
summit, and had commenced killing the old sheep. It is not
the general custom of foxes to destroy the old and full-grown
sheep where lambs are plentiful ; but a colony or pair of
foxes having once commenced this habit, the mischief and
havoc which they commit are beyond calculation, more
particularly as they seldom tear or eat much of so large an
animal, but feed on the blood. According to the accounts of the
shepherds the foxes of Ben Laighal are very prone to this kind
of prey, and kill the old sheep in preference to lambs or game.

The foxes in the Highland districts must frequently be
put to many shifts for their living, and no doubt become
proportionally cunning. To keep himself in the fine and
sleek condition in which a fox always is, many a trick and
ruse de guerre of surpassing cleverness must be practised.
The stories of their manoeuvres to catch animals are endless ;

48 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

and, though many of them would be amusing enough, I do
not like quoting as facts incidents of this kind, the authen-
ticity of which I cannot vouch for, however much I may
believe them to be true, and I must confess to being very
credulous on this point. I have been assured by a person
not given at all to exaggerate nor easily deceived, that he
once witnessed the following trick. Very early one morning
he saw a fox eyeing most wistfully a number of wild ducks
feeding in the rushy end of a Highland lake. After due
consideration, the fox, going to windward of the ducks, put
afloat in the loch several bunches of dead rushes or grass,
which floated down amongst the ducks without causing the
least alarm. After watching the effects of his preliminary
fleet for a short time, the fox, taking a good-sized mouthful
of grass in his jaws, launched himself into the water as
quietly as possible, having nothing but the tips of his ears
and nose above water. In this way he drifted down amongst
the ducks, and made booty of a fine mallard. Though this
story seems extraordinary, it must be remembered that the
fox manages to capture wild ducks, wood-pigeons, hares, and
numberless other animals, sufficient too keep himself and
family ; and it is self-evident that in doing so he must
practise many a trick and manoeuvre that would seem most
improbable if related, and quite beyond the instinct of
animals. 1 have seen one in confinement lay out part of his
food just within reach of his chain, in order to attract the
tame ducks and chickens about the yard, and then, having
concealed himself in his kennel, wait in an attitude ready to
spring out till some duck or fowl came to his bait, which he
immediately pounced upon. Those, too, who have trapped
foxes can tell of the extreme cunning and sagacity displayed
by them in avoiding danger. In fact, altogether a fox in a
state of nature is as interesting an animal as he is beautiful,
and nothing can exceed the grace and agility of his move-
ments when he is hunting, or playing unobserved, as he
fancies, by his enemy man. It has happened to me
frequently to have opportunities of watching a fox, and I
have always been unwilling to put a stop to my amusement
by shooting him, which, in a country where hounds cannot
be kept, one feels bound to do, as a punishment for the end-
less mischief which he commits.

On the east or north-east side of Loch Laighal there is a
very beautiful hill covered with wood to a considerable

NEST OF PEREGRINE FALCON. 49

height, and surmounted by a curiously-formed steep cliff —
the very place for an eagle's nest : I was told that a nest had
been destroyed there last year.

The whole view of Ben Laighal is magnificent, and, in
driving round it, we had the advantage of seeing it on every
side. Towards the loch the mountain slopes down, covered
with bright green herbage ; but to the north and west
nothing can surpass the savage grandeur of its rocky
precipices. Viewed from Tongue, Ben Laighal is, I think,
the most magnificent looking mountain in Sutherlandshire.
Our attention was attracted by the cries of the peregrine
falcon, and we saw the two birds flying about a high rock.
Having hailed a shepherd's boy, we learned where the nest
was, and under his guidance climbed up the mountain — and
a good steep climb it was — till we got within a few yards of
the nest ; so near, indeed, did we reach, that with two joints
of my fishing-rod I could just touch the young birds, who
were sitting eyeing us boldly and fearlessly on a ledge of
rock where the nest was placed. When, however, we
attempted to push them out of the nest, they retired farther
in, where they were in tolerable security. All the time we
were there the old birds flew screaming over our heads. I
did not think of a plan that is adopted sometimes to capture
young peregrine falcons when the nest cannot be reached
without danger. It is very simple, and succeeds with all
the courageous kinds of hawks. A person having reached
the top of the rock immediately above the nest, ties a rough
blue bonnet, or some similar substance, to a bundle of
heather the size of a man's head ; then dropping this
attached to a rope upon the nest, the young falcons, instead
of being frightened, immediately attack it, and, sticking their
talons into the cap, hold on courageously and determinedly
till they are dragged up to the top of the cliff. Even then it
is sometimes necessary to cut the cap to pieces before they
will relinquish their hold. In this way the young birds are
captured, without risk to the capturer or injury to them-
selves. Indeed, on the present occasion I was not very
anxious to get them, as they would probably only have been
destroyed in travelling.

Between Loch Laighal and Tongue, on driving round the
corner of a rock, we suddenly came upon two golden eagles
who were hunting close to the road. They were nearly
within shot of us ; so, leaving the horse and carriage to take

50 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRK

care of themselves, we jumped out, gun in hand, to try to get
shots at them. Two or three times the birds swooped down,
and one of them carried off some bird, probably a grouse,
taking it far away round the cliffs of Ben Laighal. The
other eagle then made a sudden swoop down to the ground,
within a hundred yards of us, but just behind a small
hillock ; we ran to the place, confident of getting the bird,
but arrived just in time to see the eagle carrying off its prey,
whatever it was, in the same direction as that taken by its
mate, in all probability straight to the nest.

lieaching the brow of a hill, we came in full view of the
fine plantations and bay of Tongue. Beautiful and refreshing
to the eye were the woods and cultivated fields of Tongue,
bursting into view suddenly as they did, after some days'
travelling through the rugged wilds of the interior of Suther-
land. The beautiful bay was as smooth as glass, the timber
growing to the water's edge ; and the whole scene was made
still more striking by the abrupt and precipitous outline of
the headlands both of the main land and the islands at the
mouth of the Kyle. It is worth a journey of many miles to
see the Kyle of Tongue alone.

Tongue House, formerly the residence of Lord l\eay, the
then proprietor of a magnificent range of mountain property,
is one of the most beautiful places of the sort that I ever
saw. The house itself is irregular, but picturesque ; and the
gardens, overlooking the sea, are warm, sheltered, and most
enjoyable in every respect. The fruit, flowers, and vegetables
were growing with as much luxuriance, and were, nearly as
forward as I should have expected to have seen had they
been situated in the southern instead of the northern ex-
tremity of the island ; while the fine avenues and groves of
elm and other trees would do credit to any place in England.
All this, combined with the wild outline of rocks and cliffs
which nearly surround the bay, and the magnificent pre-
cipices of Ben Laighal — all this combined, I say, formed
a coup d'oeil which, though it may be equalled, can scarcely
be surpassed in any country. I understood from Mr. Hors-
burgh, the Duke of Sutherland's factor in this district, that
his Grace contemplates making a harbour within the Kyle of
Tongue.

The keeper pointed out to me from near the inn the sites
of two eagles' nests in the rocks of Ben Laighal, and a more
appropriate or fitting locale for eyries I never saw.

FINE SCENERY — WILD CAT. 51

At the entrance to the bay are some islands — one named
Eoan Island, or the Seal Island ; and the others are called
the Rabbit Islands, from being tenanted by numbers of these
animals. The rabbits, however, must there be of little use,
excepting as food to birds of prey. In the winter the eagles
and hawks feed greatly upon them. The eider-ducks also
breed on these islands ; and are so tame when nesting that
they allow themselves to be lifted off their nest, and the
down of which it is formed to be taken away, without desert-
ing it. I saw a few eider-ducks swimming about in the bay,
amongst numerous cormorants and other birds. The rocks
along the coast are inhabited by a great number of wild cats,
otters, &c,, who live here in tolerable peace, as the game is
not much looked after excepting in particular localities.
Indeed, the ground isear the coast here is not well adapted
for grouse. The keeper showed me at his house an immense
cat, which he said was bred between a tame and a wild cat ;
and though such an occurrence is very rare, I am sure that
he was correct in this instance. The animal showed certain
peculiarities of his wild father's race, in the size and shape of
his head, the shortness and roughness of his tail ; and in
other points had a likeness to the wild cat, which, though
difficult to explain, was unmistakeable. I have seen this
resemblance to both parents in mules of different kinds, such
as a mule between blackcock and pheasant, or pheasant and
common fowl, in all which birds something catches an
accustomed eye which immediately points out what the
parents were. The cat, too, belonging to Eoss, the keeper at
Tongue, had a peculiar wildness and antipathy to strangers,
not suffering himself to be caressed, or indeed scarcely to be
looked at, by any one excepting the keeper's wife, for whom
the animal showed great attachment. When I entered the
house he bolted out, and it was with difficulty that Mrs.
Eoss caught him ; and when she brought him in again in her
arms, the animal showed the greatest fear of and animosity
to me, and was constantly endeavouring to escape.

It was delightful to hear in the plantations at Tongue the
coo of the wood-pigeon and the songs of thrush, sisken, &c.
The trees seemed to be full of birds, most of which, to
reach these woods, must have wandered over many miles of
ground very uncongenial to their habits and tastes. Indeed
it is difficult to understand ho\v many of the birds, such as
the golden-crested wren, the little blue titmouse, &c., could

52 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

ever have found their way here. The landrails too seemed
to be numberless ; in every patch of corn they were calling
and answering each other in such quantities, that it was
impossible to tell how many were croaking at once. I also
heard two or three goatsuckers (Caprimulgus) making their
whirring noise about the stone walls and belts of plantations.
All night the sedge-warbler was cheering his mate with his
sweet and constant song.

I saw some seals playing the most extraordinary gambols
in the smooth water. The sea was as calm as possible, and
like a mirror everywhere, excepting where these animals
were swimming after each other in a circle, so rapidly that
their track resembled a complete whirlpool. Occasionally
they lifted themselves perpendicularly up in the water,
showing half their bodies, and looking as like the representa-
tion of a mermaid as possible.

I should have liked to prolong my stay had it been in my
power to do so, as there is much to interest the visitor, both
in the varied and magnificent scenery of land and water, and
also in the numerous wild animals, common enough here, but
rare in the more southern parts of the country.

C H A P T E E VI.

Ferry from Tongue— Difficulties of our Start— Seals— Shepherds, ^.—Emi-
gration—Heilam Inn — Storm — River Hope- -Drive to Durness — Cave —
Rock Pigeons— Inn at Rhiconnich — Search for Osprey's Nest— Swimming
to Nest— Loch of the Eagle Fisher— Stalking the Osprey— Row up the
Bay— Loss of Fishing Line— Scowrie— Island of Handa— Innumerable
Birds, &c.

OUR start from Tongue for Durness was amusing, though not
without difficulty. We had to cross a ferry immediately
below the inn ; but on going to the ferry-house and raising
the nag that signified the want of a large ferry-boat (the
boats being on the opposite side of the bay)] we after some
delay were answered by the arrival of a small sailing-boat,
far too narrow to take over either horse or carriage. On
making inquiry of the ferryman, he told us that the large
boat was at present out of the water and under repair, but
that if we could wait ten days or a fortnight it might be
ready. This did not sound promising; but I settled the
difficulty by sending the horse to a point, from which a boy

TONGUE FERRY — SEALS. 53

was to bring him across a part of the sands fordable at low
water. We then took the boat off the wheels, which we
managed to stow away in the small ferry-boat, and taking
our own boat in tow, we sailed across with a good breeze,
which carried us well over the bay. In one part the current
of the ebbing tide is very strong.

While waiting for the horse's arrival, I amused myself by
watching through my glass the singular and awkward-looking
antics and gambols of a large herd of seals, who were playing
and resting upon a sand- bank in the middle of the bay. It
is curious to see with what activity these unwieldy-looking
fellows move themselves about on the sand, ill adapted as
they appear for locomotion on the land. The cry of the seal
is wild and mournful, difficult to describe, but something
between the mew of a cat and the howl of a dog ; a most
unpleasant sound it is, though it sometimes harmonizes
sufficiently well with the wild scenery surrounding them.

Some thirty miles out at sea opposite this part of the coast
is an island, or range of rocks. Exposed to all the violence
of the breakers of the,Northern Sea, it is difficult to land on ;
but once or twice a year a crew of fishermen go off to it in a
strong boat, and usually manage to get about a hundred seals,
the oil and skins of which repay them well for their labour.

Blue rock pigeons live in all the caves on this coast, and
are to be seen flitting to and fro from morning to night.

For some distance after crossing the Tongue ferry the
road is dreary and bleak, passing over a brown and wet
tract of mossy ground, and for several miles we continued
ascending. The wind and rain were incessant and very
heavy. Having surmounted the highest ridge, we descended
the hill to the Hope River, which is crossed by what is called
a chain-boat ; that is, we drive upon a wooden platform with-
out taking the horse out of the carriage. The platform then,
with all upon it, is hauled across the river by means of a
chain and windless. The glen through which the river Hope
runs is very beautifully shut in by its wooded banks ; and
the grey mountains offering a new point of interest at every'
turn of the road, give never-ceasing pleasures and excitement.
Here we continually saw eagles and other rare birds. A
shepherd told us that the larnbs were killed every day by
eagles ; but he seemed to know little, and to care less, about
the breeding-place of the birds. It is nearly impossible to
get a direct or truthlike answer from many of the High-

54 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

landers ; for though intelligent enough, they seem to have a
kind of suspicious dislike to giving information.

One thing particularly struck me in this part of the
country. Depending on the Duke of Sutherland's well-
known kindness and liberality, the lower class of inhabitants
take but little trouble towards earning their own livelihood.
At whatever hour of the day you go into a cottage, you find
the whole family idling at home over the peat-tire. The
husband appears never to employ himself in any way beyond
smoking, taking snuff, or chewing tobacco; the women doing
the same, or at the utmost watching the boiling of a pot of
potatoes ; while the children are nine times out of ten
crawling listlessly about or playing with the ashes of the
fire.

The Duke, having tried every plan that philanthropy and
reason could suggest, has now succeeded in opening their
eyes to the advantage of emigrating, and at a great expense
sends numbers yearly to Canada, where these very people,
\vho at home, in spite of every effort and encouragement,
drag on a life useless to themselves and burthensonie to
others, when once settled in their new country, put their
shoulder to the wheel, and rapidly became most independent
and comfortable ; and instead of seeing their children grow
up in the midst of self-imposed squalid misery, they see them
become daily more prosperous and thriving. Certainly, in this
rocky and sterile part of the country, it is difficult for a cottager
to advance himself. The soil is not adapted for a numerous
population ; there is nothing to feed mankind on : all or the
greatest part of the necessary grain must be imported from
the lowland ; and the lowland farmers, finding a better price
and better customers elsewhere, naturally send their produce
to the best market. This mountainous country is only fit
for sheep, and sheep-farming is by far the best use to put it
to. The bays are certainly full of fish ; but it seems nearly
impossible to make good fisherman of hill-men, often as it
has been tried. The north-west Highlanders, having found
out from their friends the great advantages derived from
emigration, are now anxious to take advantage of the Duke's
liberal system of sending them out.

To continue our journey. We were obliged at last to make
for a small inn called Heilam, on the shore of Loch Erriboll ;
and glad enough were we to get there, for it blew a perfect
gale, and the rain was unceasing. Though the outside of the

A HARBOUR OF REFUGE. 55

house looked unpromising, we found the interior clean
enough, the people respectable, and plenty of fresh herrings
and new-laid eggs. So, the storm not abating, we determined
to take up our quarters there for the night.

Loch Erriboll is an excellent harbour of refuge during
gales from the north and north-east. The anchorage is good,
and the water deep ; so that no storm conies on from that
quarter without some vessels coming in for shelter. I went
out to the leeward of the rocks of the peninsula on which
the inn is built, and, accompanied by Fred, sat some time
watching several vessels come in, driving like leaves before
the storm ; and it was a relief to my mind as each vessel in
her turn swung round to her anchor, having weathered the
head of the peninsula and entered the sheltered bay formed
by the land on which the inn stands, where they rode in
perfect safely in tolerably smooth water. Notwithstanding
a stream which I found in the morning running through my
bed-room, I slept soundly enough. The wind and rain had
somewhat abated, and I walked across the country towards a
fine headland, some six or eight miles off, called Whitenhead.
The rain coming on again obliged me to return without quite
reaching it. The entire coast here is very grand and steep,
exposed to the whole force of the ocean : the rocks are cut
up and weather-beaten to a degree unknown in more southern
or more sheltered countries.

In the course of my walk I came to the mouth of the
liiver Hope, which runs into the sea half-way between
Heilam and Whitenhead. The course of the river is very
picturesque, forming as it does a green glen covered with
grass and foliage in the midst of the dreary grey country
which surrounds it. I am told that a great number of
salmon ascend into Loch Hope when the river is tolerably
high. In a corner sheltered by rocks and birch-covered
banks is a solitary hut, where Mr. Hogarth's fishermen live
during the fishing season, to be at hand to attend to the nets
laid in the sea at the mouth of the river. This hut was on
the other side of the stream, which was then much swollen ;
but a fisherman immediately came out and crossed in a boat
to where I was standing : it seeming quite an agreeable sur-
prise to him to have a human being to speak to in that
lonely spot. He complained of the mischief done to his nets
by seals: and also said that great numbers of otters were
living about the rocks near the river. The number of cor-

56 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

morants was very great ; on firing off my gun on the top of
the rocks along the coast, they flew out from beneath my
feet in scores. These birds and rock-pigeons seemed the
principal inhabitants of the cliffs, with the exception of some
pairs of ravens and hooded crows. On Whitenhead different
sea-fowl and a pair of eagles breed every year. The people
say that the nest of the latter is quite inaccessible. The
grouse seern nearly extinct about this district, owing to the
number of their enemies, in the shape of winged and ground
vermin. I was delighted, however, with the song of the ring-
ousel, which was to be heard from every grove and clump of
birch. Notwithstanding the peregrines and crows too, the
golden plover is in great abundance.

I found on the little promontory of Heilam a number of
wild flowers growing amongst the short grass, one or two of
which were new to me. Though I am sorry to say I am no
botanist, I seldom pass a wild flower without making its
acquaintance.

The next day our drive was to Durness. The mountains
at the head of Loch Erriboll are as wild as can well be
imagined ; consisting of irregular piles of grey rocks, thrown
together in every kind of confusion. On the west of the
loch there is a long slope of brown hill, down the side of
which run innumerable small streams of the brightest water.
The rain of the day before made them appear to great
advantage, as they were all seen conspicuously from the
opposite side of the bay, glittering in the gleams of sunshine,
which occasionally broke through the remains of the storm.
I was glad to get back to Durness after three or four weeks'
absence, as the scenery is magnificent, the inn comfortable,-
and the landlady, Mrs. R, and her servants, most attentive,
kind, and obliging. A pleasanter sojourn for botanist, natu-
ralist, or lover of romantic scenery I do not know.

There is a very remarkable cavern close to Durness : a
burn of good size disappears underground, and is seen again
issuing from the rocks within this cavern, through which it
runs for a short distance till it empties itself into the sea,

Numbers of the common house martin were Hying about
the cave, and building their nests in the niches of the rocks.
In some of the dark, damp corners, where there seems to be
a constant dripping from the roof, were clusters of bright
green ferns, and other plants, in great variety. On some
parts of the shore the rocks are quite perpendicular for a

ROCK-PIGEONS AT D URN ESS. 57

great height — -I should say about three hundred feet ; in
others they are worn into numerous fantastic shapes and
caverns by the action of the waves.

Although the wind had now fallen, the swell was tremen-
dous, dashing the spray half-way up the rocks. It was a
curious sight to see the rock-pigeons flying rapidly into the
caves, sometimes dashing like lightning through the very
spray of the breakers, scarcely topping the crests of the
waves, which roared and raged through the narrow caverns
where these beautiful birds breed. The rock-pigeons were
very numerous here, and constantly flying between their
wild but secure breeding-places and the small fields about
Durness. I shot a few of them, and found their crops full of
green food, such as clover, the leaves of 'the oat, &c, ; a
number of small shells were also in the crop of every bird.
The rock-pigeon is a very beautifully shaped little bird,
rather smaller and shorter than the common house pigeon, of
which it is plainly the original stock. They seem very rest-
less, seldom remaining long in one field, but constantly rising
and flitting away to some other feeding ground, with an un-
certain kind of flight ; but when alarmed, or going straight
home, they fly with very great rapidity. They are easily
tamed when caught young. The eggs seem very difficult to
get at ; nothing but a ladder will enable a person to reach
trjem, and it is almost impossible either to procure such a
ladder, or if procured, to carry it to the caverns where they
breed.

There were two or three beautiful wild flowers near Dur-
ness which I had not seen before. They grew on the short
grass that covers the summit of the cliffs. I picked up,
while wandering about there, some of the small land shells
with yellow and black stripes (Helix nemoralis), exactly
similar to those which, when a child, I used to find on the
South Downs, near Brighton. The rocky headlands jutting
into the sea near Durness are very bold and abrupt. While
looking for rock-pigeons I saw a few of the red-legged
crow, or Cornish chough, passing from rock to rock, and
busily employed about the broken stones searching for
food.

From Durness to Khiconnich is about fourteen miles of
hilly road, passing through the same description of rocky
country, abounding in wild cats, martens, and other animals
of prey. There is a loch about two miles from Durness,

58 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

where I was told that char are very plentiful. All the lochs
abound in excellent trout.

We reached Khiconnich, a tolerable inn, but certainly not
so well kept as many others in Sutherlandshire, at eleven
o'clock, and immediately started for a lake some two or three
miles off, where the osprey was said to build. The way to it
was far too rocky and steep to take the boat, so we only took
my swimming belt, as Dunbar offered to swim out to the
nest, if not too far from the shore. We had a very rough
walk of the longest two miles that I ever met with. Our
route was over a continuous range of rocky ground — so
broken that we seldom found a Hat place to put our feet on.
We did not find the right lake immediately, but at last saw
from a height a larger piece of water than any we had
hitherto passed, and at some two hundred yards from the
shore there was the conical-shaped rock, which the osprey
always seems to choose for her nesting-place.

On examining the rock with the glass we immediately saw
the nest, and the white head of the bird in the middle of it.
Our troubles were instantly forgotten, and although rather
fagged before, we made our way over the rocks with new-
found vigour. The unwillingness of the old bird to leave the
nest showed that she had young ones. While Dunbar pre-
pared to take the water, I went round to watch for a shot at
the old bird. I presently saw nothing but my fellow-
traveller's head, as he swam gallantly out to the rock : the
old osprey Hew in wide circles round and round, at a con-
siderable height, screaming loudly at the unexpected intrusion
on her domain ; sometimes she swooped half-way down to
the water, but still cautiously keeping at a safe distance.
Before many minutes had elapsed we saw the male bird
sailing high in the air, straight to the loch ; on hearing the
cries of his mate he seemed to quicken his flight, and soon
joined her, carrying a trout in his talons. The two birds
then sailed round and round the water with loud cries.
When they saw Dunbar perched on their hitherto unassailed
rock, and looking like a statue on a pedestal, their excitement
beca'me greater and greater ; the male dropped his trout, and
they both dashed wildly to and fro, sometimes at a great
height and sometimes taking a rapid circuit of the lake,
within half a gun-shot of the water. The next thing I saw
was my adventurous companion striking out for the shore,
with his cap in his teeth. In the nest he found a half-grown

LOCH OF THE EAGLE-FISHER. 59

young bird and an uuhatched egg, both of which he brought
safely to laud. He remained on the spot to try to shoot one
of the old birds, while I fished for an hour down a stream
that ran from the loch towards the inn. I think it was the
most rugged and rocky that I ever threw a ny on, but
though it was difficult to imagine \\here trout could lie in it,
1 managed to half till my basket with very nice-looking fish.
After resting ourselves for an hour or so, we again left the
inn to look for another osprey's nest in the contrary direction.
We could get but very vague information as to the exact
point of the compass we had to make for ; one person telling
us that the lake was only a mile and a bit off; another that
it was two miles and a bit, and so on. However, it was only
about half-past five, and, with the long summer's evening
before us, we cared little where the lake was, as long as we
could find it at all. There were a few scattered houses along
the banks of the sea loch at the end of which Khiconnich is
situated, and we made sundry inquiries at these respecting
the lake, but got such very different answers from each
person, that we were almost giving it up in despair; I should
not say that ive " inquired," as the whole talking was in
Gaelic, and therefore carried on by Uunbar. At last we met
with an old woman, who told him that there was a loch some
two miles off', which had always gone by the name of the
Loch of the Fishing Eagle ; her Gaelic name for it being
" Loch n' allan-yasker." I probably write the Gaelic name
incorrectly, but that was as near as I could make out what
the name sounded like ; Dunbar interpreted it to me as
meaning literally, the " Loch of the Eagle-fisher."

This revived our spirits, and we set our shoulders to the
hill again with fresh confidence, and a steep, rough hill it
was. We struck into the country in a north-west direction,
keeping separate heights, in order to have a better chance of
finding the lake. Having passed several lochs without
observing the object of our search, I began almost to despair,
and to think that we must have mistaken the whole matter —
the more so, as from the aspect of the rocks and the feel of
the air from the north, I was confident that the ocean must
be at no great distance from us ; and, indeed, that it must be
washing the other side of the very next range of rocks to
that on which we were. There is'a certain look arid feel of
the atmosphere when approaching the sea, which is quite un-
mistakeable. We had already walked an hour and a half

60 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

straight north-west, thus making the two miles into at least
five, when we came within view of a larger loch, which
seemed to wind round the hills to nearly where the sea was.
In this we again descried the peculiar shaped rock on which
the osprey builds. Although we were too far off' to dis-
tinguish either nest or bird, we at once, without hesitation,
made for the loch, over the rocks and swamps of which the
whole line of country seemed to consist, and our perseverance
was rewarded by presently making out that one osprey was
on the nest, and the other soaring above her.

Dunbar again swam off to the rock, which was about the
same distance from the shore as the last one was, and found
three young birds in the nest, which he brought to land in
his cap. I saw the male osprey perch on a rock on the
opposite side of the loch, where he sat lazily, and apparently
not inclined to join the female in her rapid flight round
Dunbar's head ; on looking at him attentively, through the
glass, I saw, or fancied that I saw, his crop much distended
with food. Knowing that if this was the ease he would
probably remain on his perch for some time, I started off
round the loch, taking a long circuit in order to approach
him from behind and from above. I hud not calculated on
the rocks I had to climb and the passes I had to take to get
at him, or I do not think that I should have undertaken the
task. I had frequently to lift my dog up the steep rocks
over which I had to climb. At last I came to a point from
which I could get a look at the bird, and with as much care
as if he had been a stag, I crept to a convenient place, an4
looking over, saw him still perched on the pinnacle of a rock,
but quite out of reach. I found that i must still make
another long circuit, or that I could not get unperceived
within reach of him.

This time, on looking carefully over, I saw that he must
be within shot of me, but the place I was perched on was so
high and steep that it almost made me giddy to look down
from it. I was completely out of breath, too ; so lying down
on my back, I waited a minute or two, and then scrambled
down to within forty yards of the bird, and immediately
above him. As my gun was loaded with a cartridge, I knew
that he could scarcely escape ; so standing up, I took a good
look at him, expecting that he would see me and fly off the
stone, and intending to shoot him flying. Whether from the
earnestness with which he was watching the movements of

GOATSONTHEHILL. 61

Dunbar, who was far below him, or from the manner in.
which his head-feathers projected, he did not appear to see
me at all. After waiting a short time without his moving, I
am sorry to say that I shot him deliberately in cold blood as
he sat. He fell down the face of the rock, and lay at the
bottom perfectly dead. I then had to consider how to get at
him, and Fred seemed to be considering the same thing, as
peering over the edge of the precipice he looked first at the
dead bird and then at me, with a countenance expressive of
" There is your bird now, but how are we to get at him ? "
This question, however, was soon settled by my marking the
place, and then having made a considerable detour, I
managed to reach the spot. In the meantime, Dunbar
having shot both barrels at the hen bird, she took her flight
straight off to the sea. After a short time she returned, but
kept at a wary distance, occasionally perching on the rocks,
but never remaining long in one place. It was a curious
sight from the high rocks several hundred yards above the
loch to watch the whole scene that was acting below, and to
see the long-winged bird sailing to and fro almost immedi-
ately below my feet, and yet far out of reach of shot.

The sun began to sink below the seaward rocks, lighting
up only the highest summits of the hills to the south of the
lake. On the highest pinnacle of the rocks I saw several
goats lying in different picturesque attitudes, to catch
the last sunbeams, one old white fellow with vener-
able beard and long horns being the topmost point of
all. Whom they could belong to it was difficult to say —
they seemed as wild as red deer. Dogs who are accustomed
to roe seem invariably to hunt goats. Returning homewards,
Fred began to snuff the air as if he smelt something he was
used to hunt. Expecting it to be a wild cat or some vermin,
I answered his appealing look by allowing him to go off in
pursuit of whatever it might be. Off he went, scrambling
over the rocks in a state of furious eagerness. After a short
time, however, a small flock of -goats rushed past me with
Mr. Fred in hot pursuit on their scent. Nothing would stop
him, notwithstanding his usual obedience, so I left him to
his chase, and some time afterwards he came up with us
again, looking heartily ashamed, and having run himself well
out of wind, the goats having probably got to some steep rock
of refuge where no dog could follow them.

About ten o'clock, it being still quite light, we found our-
5

62 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIEE.

selves above the sea, with our inn apparently some miles off,
probably about three, and three miles of such walking as,
after our hard day's work since three in the morning, we did
not much fancy. Just then, however, we saw a boat going
up the glassy loch towards our inn ; so hailing it as loud as
we could, we managed to make the rowers hear us, and they
having come to the shore, we with some difficulty scrambled
down the rocks and got aboard. In the boat was what is
here called a messenger-at-arms, which I fancy answers
somewhat to a superior kind of constable. He had been on
a strange and fruitless errand to arrest a girl of fourteen or
fifteen who had for some time been in the habit of driving
the sheep in the neighbourhood on to a narrow point of land
that reached into the sea, and having caught them one by
one she robbed them of as much wool as she could manage
to strip off'. Having carried on this system for some time,
she at last became a perfect bugbear to the farmers, and here,
luckily for us, was a well-dressed, rather dandy messenger -
at-arms returning from his chase, and going straight to
Khiconnich, to which place he kindly gave us a lift, for
which we were very grateful to him.

We had a beautiful row up the loch; but the cold air,
after the great heat of the afternoon while climbing the
rocks, joined to sitting for an hour in the boat wet through
above my knees, gave me an attack of illness which eventu-
ally cut short my rambles in Sutherland.

Between Ehiconnich and Scowrie I lost my only fishing-
line in a ridiculous manner. In the course of our drive we
passed over a fine-looking stream, the Laxford. Thinking to
catch a couple of trout for breakfast, I put my rod together,
and leaving the horse and boat standing by the roadside, I
determined to take a quarter of an hour's fishing, and if the
trout did not rise to continue our journey. At the very first
cast that I made, however, a large salmon took the fly, rather
to my annoyance, knowing, as I did, that no salmon were
allowed to be killed in the Sutherland rivers this season.
But being once hooked, he might as well be killed, so the
fight commenced by the fish running clear out of the stream
in which he was first hooked, and going down li^e a stone to
the bottom of a deep black-looking pool below. Havino-
only single line and trout-tackle, I could not force him much]
but after waiting patiently with a gentle but constant strain
on the fish, in order that he might still feel some weight

RUNNING A LARGE SALMON. 63

upon his jaws, I at last in despair gave him such a tug that
he was dislodged from his resting-place in spite of himself.
Off he went, sometimes across the stream, with nearly the
whole of my line out, the next moment right under my feet in
the deep pool under the rock on which I was standing, and from
which it was not easy to move. There I could see him
shaking his head and trying to rub the hook out against the
gravel : at another time he would take a sudden dart to the
right and left, and again shake his head like a dog worrying
a rat : but knowing that he was well hooked, and indeed not
caring much whether I lost him or not, I kept so tight a
rein on him as prevented his either slacking the line or
rubbing off the hook, small as it was. Suddenly a new idea
seemed to seize him, and shooting straight upwards, he
leaped several times out of the water immediately below me.
But this would not do ; so finding that he could not get rid
of the hook, he again rushed across the river, making the
handle of the reel spin at a railway pace. He then made
down the stream as fast as he could. I had scarcely any
line left on my reel, so had to take a leap off the rock and
follow him along the bank of the river. Presently we came
to a rather rapid but not high fall, full of broken stones, and
altogether a place where he would be sure to break my line
if he once got into it, which he seemed determined to do, so
here I halted and made a stand against all his pulling. The
fish began to feel beat, and ran in again almost under my feet.

Not succeeding in slacking the line, he again rushed right
across and took the fall, in spite of all 1 could do to prevent
him. He did not cut my line as I expected, but it gave way
close to the end, within a few inches of the reel, and before
I could catch hold of it, I had the pleasure of seeing the
line floating away, but gradually sinking as the fish carried
it off towards the wider pools near the sea. Dunbar jumped
gallantly into the water, but was too late to catch it, so the
salmon went off with about forty yards of line and a couple
of sea-trout flies hanging to his mouth. I scarcely knew
whether to be angry or amused, but considering that the
former would be of no use, and perhaps spoil my appetite
for breakfast, I undid my rod, got into the boat, and drove
off to Scowrie to breakfast, with a philosophy that rather
astonished my companion.

Havhig called on Mr. M'lvor, the manager of this part of
Sutherland, that gentleman offered me his boat and other

64 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

facilities to enable me to go to see the island of Handa,
which is situated some four miles from Scowrie, and is
famous as the breeding-place of an immense number of sea-
fowl. After an hour's easy row and sail over the beautiful
bay of Scowrie, and skirting a range of most rugged rocks,
we approached the island. On the south side, where we
landed, it has the appearance of a fine green slope, with only
a range of low rocks immediately adjoining, and reaching in
long points into the sea. About these rocks we saw
thousands of sea-gulls and cormorants, and on the point that
projected farthest into the water sat a large white cat,
looking wistfully towards the mainland. As all the inhabi-
tants had left the island early in the spring for America, this
cat had probably remained behind, and had made her living
as she best might out of small birds, dead fish, &c. I could
not help being struck with the attitude of the poor creature
as she sat there looking at the sea, and having as disconsolate
an air as any deserted damsel. " She is wanting the ferry,"
was the quaint and not incorrect suggestion of one of our
boatmen. Having run our boat into a small sandy creek, we
landed. Here, as everywhere round the coast, is a fishing
station of Mr. Hogarth's, if a hut, the summer residence of
two forlorn fishermen, can be called a fishing station. We
borrowed another coil of ropes from these men, and proceeded
to the northern side of the island, where the perpendicular
rocks form the breeding-place of the sea-fowl. The distance
across the island I should reckon at nearly two miles, and it
is a continued slope of green pasture. I passed several huts,
the former inhabitants of which had all left the place a few
weeks before; and, notwithstanding the shortness of the
time, the turf walls were already tenanted and completely
honeycombed by countless starlings, who seemed not the
least shy, but on the contrary kept their ground, and
chattered away as if they looked on me as an intruder on
what they had already established their right to.

Leaving them in undisturbed possession, I continued my
way on to the north side, and in due time arrived on the
summit of the cliffs which stretch the whole length of the
island ; and there was a sight which would alone repay many
a weary mile of travel. Every crevice and every ledge of
the rock was literally full of guillemots and razor-bills, while
hundreds of puffins came out of their holes under the stones
near the summit of the cliffs to examine and wonder at us.

ON THE ISLAND OF HANDA. 65

The guillemots stood in long lines along the shelves of the
rocks frequently within a few feet of the top whence we
were looking at them. "With a kind of foolish expression
these birds looked at us, but did not take the trouble to
move. The razor-bills, though equally tame, seemed more
ready to take flight, if we had been inclined to assail them.
When I fired off my gun, not at, but over, the birds, the
guillemots only ducked their heads, and then looked up at
us ; whereas most of the razor-bills took a short flight out to
sea, but quickly returned again to their perch on the rocks.

Being provided with plenty of rope, two stout boatmen,
and also a slender-looking lad, who had volunteered to
accompany us, having the repute of a good cragsman, we
lowered the latter over the top in order to procure a few
eggs. I was amazed at the confidence and ease with which
the lad made his way from shelf to shelf, and crevice to
crevice of the precipices. From habit and custom he seemed
to be as much at his ease as if he had been on fair terra
firnw. As for the birds, they would scarcely move, but just
stepped out of reach, croaking at him with their peculiar
note.

Each bird has a single egg of a size so large as to appear
quite disproportioned. The eggs are of all colours, and
marked in a thousand fantastic manners, sometimes with
large blotches of deep brown or black, sometimes speckled
slightly all over, and others having exactly the appearance
of being covered with Arabic characters. The prevailing
groundwork of the eggs is greenish blue, but they vary in
different shades from that colour to nearly white. The egg
is placed on the bare rock, with no attempt at a nest : and it
was very amusing to see the careful but awkward-looking
manner in which the old bird on her return from the sea got
astride, as it were, of her egg, spreading her wings over it,
and croaking gently all the time. Occasionally an egg would
get knocked off by some bird in taking flight from the rock,
to the great indignation of its owner.

Leaving Dunbar to collect his eggs, I strolled off alone
along the summit of the cliffs, sitting down here and there to
watch the different proceedings of the birds ; and it was a
most curious sight. On lying down to look over the most
perpendicular parts, the constant and countless clouds of
birds that were flying to and fro suggested the idea of a
heavy snow-storm more than anything else, so crowded was

66 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

their light, and so high was the cliff. The guillemots seldom
came to the top, but the razor-bills and puffins, particularly
the latter, came fearlessly close to me. Indeed the puffins
seemed to have the most entire confidence in my peaceable
intentions, and frequently alighted so near me, that I
might have knocked them down with a walking-stick.
Sitting on a stone, they examined rue most curiously,
twisting their oddly-shaped heads to the right and left, as if
to be sure of my identity. In some parts of the rocks there
were great collections of kittiwakes' nests. These birds, un-
like the guillemots, &c., construct a good-sized receptacle of
weeds and grass for their egg?. In the midst of all this con-
fusion and Babel of birds a pair of peregrine falcons had
their nests, and on my approach they dashed about amongst
the other birds, uttering loud cries of alarm and anger.
Towards the east end of the island was the nest of the
white-tailed eagle. The old birds flew far away immediately,
and I only occasionally saw them as they soared high in the
air. The nest was so completely under a shelf of rock that
nothing but the ends of the outer sticks could be seen. I
had not time to make any decided trial to get at it, as I had
promised to be with Mr. M'lvor at six o'clock ; and my
intention of visiting the place the next day was frustrated.

The rocks are curiously indented by the sea ; in one place
the waves have cut a kind of deep crevice the whole height
of the cliffs, for a good distance into the island, through the
narrow entrance of which the swell was roaring with a noise
like thunder. At another part there is an island, or stack,
as it is called, within a stone's throw of the mainland, but
quite isolated. It is in the shape of a sugar-loaf, with a flat
summit of perhaps twenty yards across. The top was
covered with green herbage, and swarmed with birds of
different kinds. Amongst them were great numbers of
black-backed sea-gulls, both the greater and the lesser.

In the quieter parts of the cliffs were rock-pigeons and
cormorants ; neither of these birds seemed inclined to
associate much with the crowd of sea-fowl which filled the
greatest part of the rocks. Their stench alone might drive
away so delicate a bird as a rock-pigeon, and bad as this was
now, by the time they had hatched and reared their young it
must be much worse.

The rest of the party having joined me, and the time
running short, I left the island in order to fulfil my promise

ANOTHER OSPREY'S NEST. 67

of partaking of Mr. M'lvor's hospitality at six o'clock ; and I
must say that after living so many days at small inns where
I could, and how I could, an evening spent in the agreeable
society of Mr. M'lvor and the ladies at his house was a treat,
as I had begun to feel like an uncivilized being.

On leaving the island we again saw the white cat seated
on the same point of rock, and still looking anxiously towards
the mainland.

Limited in size as the island of Handa is, it seems to con-
tain a fine range of rich herbage, with a gentle slope to the
south, and to be capable of feeding a considerable number of
sheep or cattle. I was told, however, that much loss is
sustained from the animals falling over the rocks, when they
are inevitably dashed to pieces

CHAPTER VII.

Another Osprey's Nest ; Variety of Eggs— Golden Eagle ; Manner of
Hunting ; "Decrease of— Egg Collectors— Mr. Hancock's Collection-
Nests of Eagles ; Animals Killed by— The Mountain Hare— Fishing of.
Osprey.

Two miles from Scowrie, on the Ehiconnich road or near it,
is a loch where the ospreys build, and where, in May, I shot
the old hen, taking at the same time two eggs. Mr. Dunbar,
with his usual perseverance, went to this nest immediately
on our return from Handa, and found that the male bird had
got another mate, and that she was already busily employed
in sitting on a single egg.

It is very difficult to describe correctly the eggs of many
birds : for instance, the two eggs which I took from this nest
were beautifully marked with tine rich red spots, while the
egg now taken by Dunbar was of a dirty white colour,
marked at one end only by a splash of brown, and was also
smaller than the others. In another nest, again, the eggs
were considerably larger than either of these, and differently
marked both as to colour and shape of spots. In the same
manner one reads the description of the size of birds as being
measured to inches and sixteenths of an inch, but the authors
forget or are not aware of the constant difference of size in
birds of the same species.

We also examined the nest that we had seen in May last
near the ferry of Glendha, or Kyleska as it is also called.

68 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

On looking at it with a glass, we saw one old bird sitting,
not standing, on the nest, and yet on Dunbar's swimming out
to it lie found no egg in the nest, which was exactly in the
same state as when we left it three or four weeks ago ; both
birds, too, continued sailing and screaming over our heads, as
if they had eggs or young ones to defend. This nest, like
the last three that we had seen, was built on the same kind
of conical rock, standing out of the waters of the lake ; in-
deed all the lakes where this singularly shaped rock was to
be seen, there also was the osprey's nest, and there it had
apparently been for many a long year, as was clearly shown
by one of the lochs being known by the old people only
under the name of the loch of the " Eagle Fisher." The
ospreys on their arrival in this country seem to seek out
these rocks in the wild solitudes, and on these and these
alone do they build. Trusting to their isolated and lonely
situation for safety, these interesting birds hold undisputed
sway over their watery kingdom. I could not help being re-
minded of a couple of lines which I fell in with, that seem
a propos to this instinct of the osprey which leads her to find
out and take possession of all the rocks of this particular
shape that are to be found in the lochs of Sutherland : —

Ni fallat fatum Scaii quocunque locatum
lavement Lapidem, regnare tenentur ibidem.

I cannot remember whom I quote from.

We drove again through the magnificently wild country
which intervenes between Kyleska and Inchriadamph.
Above the shoulder of the mountain, which stands con-
spicuously in front of the inn, a golden eagle was hunting.
The distance at which this bird can see her prey has often
been talked of, but I never saw her power in this respect so
fully displayed as on this occasion. The eagle was hovering
so high in the air that she looked like a speck, when suddenly
she distinguished a grouse on the heather, even at that
immense distance. The height was too great to make a
direct swoop, so the noble bird, instead of coming down
straight at the grouse, almost closed her wings, and wheeled
with rapid circles downwards from her first height, till she
was within a more moderate distance from the ground. The
grouse seemed then "to have hidden itself, for the eagle re-
mained hovering for a few minutes, turning her head in
every direction as if she had lost sight of her victim ; when

COLLECTING BIRDS' EGGS.

suddenly catching a glimpse of the poor bird, down she came
with extended legs, and without seeming to more than touch
the heather with her talons, she caught the grouse, and the
next moment was Hying rapidly away towards the highest
cliffs of the mountain with her prey.

Notwithstanding • the incessant war waged against these
noble birds, there are still some few eagles left in certain
districts ; but where there is much grouse-shooting, and
where, in consequence, there are many keepers, they are
quite extirpated. The shepherds seem too indolent to take
much trouble about killing the old birds ; though the mania
for collecting birds' eggs bids fair, I fear, to prevent any
number of young eagles being hatched, as the eggs have
become in such demand that they fetch from a pound to
five-and-twenty shillings each from the numerous collectors,
who, by the by, are constantly imposed upon most grossly in
their collections.

The most perfect arrangement of British eggs that I ever
saw, and one that is quite to be relied on for the identity of
every egg, belongs to my friend Mr. Hancock of Newcastle ;
a gentleman who combines with the most indefatigable and
zealous love of nature in all her forms, a refined taste and
acute perception that no trick of the trade can impose upon.

Mr. Hancock's collection comprises very nearly every
British bird's egg, and many varieties of each kind, which he
has collected, from public-spirited motives, at an incalculable
outlay of time and expense, aided by a perfect and intimate
knowledge of every bird, both in its living state and habits
and its anatomical structure and formation.

Notwithstanding, as I say, the prices given by London
collectors, the sea eagle at any rate is tolerably common on
the northern coast and islands. From its habit of building
principally on the most inaccessible rocks and cliffs of the
sea-coast, its nest is more secure than that of the golden
eagle, which, building farther inland, and frequently in more
accessible places, is liable to be killed, or to have its nest
taken by shepherds, keepers, &c.

The eggs of these two eagles are very similar to each
other ; but the different specimens of each sort vary consider-
ably in size and colour. I have seen golden eagles' eggs, of
many different shades, from one of a pure white to one
covered with light red spots: and the white-tailed eagle's
eggs vary in the same manner. The eggs of both have a

70 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

fine strong character about them, which is difficult to under-
stand without seeing the egg. The nests of both kinds are
generally formed of sticks of an astonishing size, frequently
as large in diameter as a man's arm — these, too, brought
from a considerable distance ; sometimes it is impossible to
say where they can have procured them. The white-tailed
eagle does not hesitate to use the coarse sea-ware and tangle
for her nest. They build not only in the steepest possible
cliff, but generally take advantage of some overhanging shelf,
which, concealing the nest from above, makes it doubly
secure : occasionally, however, I have known a golden eagle
build in a place where an expert climber could reach the
nest without the aid of ropes.

The remains of game of all kinds common in the moun-
tains are found in great abundance about their nests when
they have young ; lambs also, and near the deer-forests young
red deer, are taken up to the nest. I cannot say whether
they carry up the latter animals whole or not, but their
remains always form part of the larder found at an eagle's
abode, if it is in a situation where deer abound. The weight
of a new-born deer calf is not great, and once in the air the
eagle would carry one easily enough. Instances have occurred
of an eagle attacking a person when engaged in robbing her
nest, but generally speaking they have a proper dread of
man and fire-arms. Nevertheless I have known some well-
authenticated instances of this fear being entirely put aside ;
indeed it could scarcely be otherwise with so powerful and
fierce a bird as an eagle, when so weak and timid a bird as a
partridge has 1 een known to fly at and strike a man's legs
like a game-cock on her young ones being too nearly
approached. This I have seen happen, and therefore I can
easily believe that an eagle may do the same in defence of
her young.

The actual damage done to game by eagles is, in my
opinion, comparatively small, the favourite food of these birds
being the mountain hare, and every sportsman knows that
the fewer of these animals he has on his ground the better :
where they increase too rapidly (and no animal does increase
more quickly) they become a perfect plague to grouse dogs,
for however well broken your pointers and setters may be, the
manner in which mountain hares run cannot fail to make
the dogs fidgety and anxious, besides tainting the ground.
Instead of running clear away when started, like the com-

THE MOUNTAIN HARE. 71

mon lowland hare, this animal (Lepus albus) hops quietly
from before the dog's nose, and stops to sit erect on the very
first hillock she meets with within a hundred yards of the
dogs. When again approached she repeats the same trick,
and frequently remains for a quarter of an hour going
slowly in front of the dogs, and sitting up on her hind legs
in full view of them ; in this manner not only tainting the
ground with her scent, but as it were challenging the dogs
to a trial of speed. Notwithstanding the good training one
would suppose the inhabitants of the mountain ought to be
in, they are easily run down even by a quick colley dog. I
know of some grouse shootings where these hares have in-
creased to such an extent, owing to the destruction of
vermin, that they have been killed by hundreds in a day,
and are shot down at all seasons as a nuisance. A few
eagles on such ground would be of great service.

When mountain hares are not to be had by the eagles,
they feed more on carrion, such as dead sheep, than birds, a
good-sized dead animal of this kind being far more suited to
the ravenous appetite of a golden eagle than a small bird
like a grouse; and in the sheep districts there must be a
constant supply, owing to accidents and disease.

In the month of May I saw the nest of an osprey on the
very summit of the old castle built on a point of land (some-
times an island) in Loch Assynt. The nest was then tenant-
less, and had been so for two or three years. On my return
in June, I was much pleased at seeing one osprey on the
nest, and another failing over the loch.

Though the osprey is, generally speaking, so rare in Britain,
it frequents this locality, which seems particularly to suit it.
Large tracts of the country here are almost unseen by human
beings from one end of the year to the other. Covered with
grey rocks, and broken up into a succession of small hollows,
in most of which there are lochs, all abounding in trout, this
district is exactly suited for the osprey, while it is unfit for
any other animal ; the sheep remain more on the extensive
and grassy slopes, where they not only find plenty of food,
but are more under the eye and protection of mankind. A
shepherd in the broken, rocky tracts of country can have no
chance of finding or seeing his flock; while, at the same time,
the pasturage is worth but little, consisting wholly of rank
heather. Nor is the ground at all better adapted for the
grouse shooter, as he would never keep sight of his dogs for

72 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

two minutes together. For these reasons the osprey is but
little disturbed, and lives unmolested for years. Even if a
shepherd does pass the loch, the bird sits securely on her
isolated rock, out of reach of all danger ; as her nest can only
be approached, in most instances, by swimming. I generally
saw the osprey fishing about the lower pools of the rivers,
near their mouths ; and a beautiful sight it is. The long-
winged bird hovers (as a kestrel does over a mouse) at a
considerable distance above the water, sometimes on perfectly
motionless wing, and sometimes wheeling slowly in circles,
turning her head and looking eagerly down at the water; she
sees a trout when at a great height, and suddenly closing her
wings, drops like a shot bird into the water, often plunging
completely under, and at other times appearing scarcely to
touch the water; but seldom failing to rise again with a good-
sized fish in her talons. The feet of the osprey are extremely
rough, and the toes placed in a peculiar manner, so as to give
the best possible chance of holding her slippery prey. Some-
times, in the midst of her swoop, the osprey suddenly stops
herself in the most abrupt manner, probably because the fish,
having changed its position, is no longer within her range ;
she then hovers again, stationary in the air, anxiously looking
below for the reappearance of the prey. Having well
examined one pool, she suddenly turns off', and with rapid
flight takes herself to an adjoining part of the stream, where
she again begins to hover and circle in the air. On making
a pounce into the water, the osprey dashes the spray up far
and wide, so as to be seen for a considerable distance.

The rapidity and certainty of stroke that a bird must
possess to enable it to catch so quick a creature as the sea-
trout can scarcely be understood. One would naturally
suppose that the trout, in its own element, would give a bird
not the slightest chance of catching it, particularly as this can
only be done at one dash, the osprey of course not being able
to pursue a trout under the water like a cormorant. All fly-
fishers must know the lightning-like rapidity with which a
trout darts up from the depth of several feet, and with
unerring aim seizes the fly almost before its wings touch the
water ; and yet here is a large "bird, hovering directly over,
and in full view of the water, who manages to catch the
rapid-darting trout with an almost certain swoop, although
one would naturally suppose that the fish would be far off,
in the depth of the pool, or behind some place of refuge, lonsr

THE OSPREY FISHING. 73

before the bird could touch the water. In the same manner
it has often puzzled me how the terns can with such certainty
pounce upon and catch so quick a little fish as the sand-eel :
the tern's feet not being at all suited for holding anything,
these birds catch the sand-eel with their bills.

The osprey is not nearly so early as the eagle in breeding ;
in fact the latter is far advanced towards hatching her eggs
before the osprey arrives in Scotland. It is said the ospreys
always arrive in pairs; if so, however, it is not easy to under-
stand how, when one out of a pair is killed, the remaining
bird can find a mate, which it generally manages to do.
There are, too, but very few in Britain at any time, their
principal head-quarters seeming to be in America; and
though living in tolerable peace in the Highlands, they do not
appear to increase nor to breed in any localities excepting
where they find a situation for their nest similar to what I
have already described. As they in no way interfere with
the sportsman or others, it is a great pity that they should
ever bo destroyed.

CHAPTEK VIII.

County of Sutherland ; Variety of Climate and Soil— List of Birds ; of Hawk ;
Owls ; of the smaller Land Birds ; of the Crow Tribe : Pigeons, &c.

THERE is no county in Britain with a greater variety of soil
and climate than Sutherlandshire, changing gradually from
the rich and highly cultivated farms on the Dornoch Firth to
the grey rocks and mountains of Assynt and Scowrie. The
living productions are also as varied and numerous as can be
found in any district of our island. There are few British
birds or quadrupeds that are not to be found in this county;
the vegetable productions, cultivated and uncultivated, are as
numerous and varied.

The first agriculturists in England would delight in the
fine farms near Dunrobin, and might perhaps take a lesson
or gain a hint from the tenants' management of cattle and
wheat, most of which is destined ultimately for the London
market. Though no farmer myself, I pulled in my horse for
some time to admire the numerous and beautifully kept cattle
and crops of Mr. Craig of Kirkton, one of the Duke of
Sutherland's most skilful and enterprising tenants. His cows

74 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIKK

would have gladdened the eyes of any Devonshire or Cheshire
dairy-woman, as they did mine, a simple admirer as I am of
beauty in any living animal, from a milk-cow to a field-
mouse.

There is an air of well-doing and comfort about the farms
on the Duke of Sutherland's property, which is delightful to
the passer by, and must be doubly so to the kind and liberal
landlord. Very striking too is the different appearance of
the tenantry on some neighbouring properties, where, to keep
up a forced and contemptible show, the proprietor rack-rents
his tenants to the very utmost pitch of endurance.

I will endeavour to give, for the use of the naturalist, a list
of the wild birds of the county; which he must take, however,
exceptis excipiendis, as a list of an unscientific observer of
nature.

To begin with the finest of our indigenous birds : —

1. The Golden Eagle is still to be found tolerably numerous,
but gradually decreasing, in the north and north-west part of
the county ; though likely to be soon extirpated, owing to
game-preserving and sheep-farming. To the latter the eagle
is far more destructive than to the former.

2. The Cinereous or White-tailed Eagle is perhaps more
numerous than the Golden Eagle ; living, as it does, princi-
pally in the lofty cliffs of the sea coast, and feeding more on
dead fish and food found on the shore, it does not so often
fall in the way of the trapper or fox-hunter : it breeds, some-
times, amongst the inland mountains. The White-tailed
Eagle, though larger than the Golden, is not so handsome nor
finely formed and coloured a bird. All other varieties of the
eagle found in the Highlands are merely these birds in
different states of plumage, owing to sex or age, as there are
only these two distinct kinds of eagle in Britain.

3. The Osprey is more rare and local than either kind of
eagle. Though not a very heavy bird, its breadth of wing
nearly equals that of the Golden Eagle. The habitat of the
Osprey is confined to the north-west part of the county,
where the numerous lochs, well supplied with trout, afford
this bird both refuge and food. The principal, if not the only
places in which it breeds, are Loch Assynt ; a loch two or
three miles north of the ferry of Kyleska ; a loch three miles
eastward of Scowrie ; two of the fresh-water lakes near Loch
Inchard, at the head of which is the inn of Khiconnich ; and,

BIRDS OF THE COUNTY. 75

again, on Loch Maddie, the Osprey occasionally frequents a
nest built on an old birch-tree in an island.

4. The Peregrine Falcon comes next to the Osprey. There
are few ranges of lofty and precipitous rock where this bird
does not breed. The nest is difficult of access, and the old
birds shy and wary ; nor are they easily trapped, as they do
not condescend to feed on any game which they have not
killed themselves : grouse, plovers, and wild-fowl seem to be
their principal food.

5, 6. The Hobby or Goshawk I never saw in this county,
though I have no doubt of their being frequent visitors here,
particularly the former. The Goshawk seems very rare
everywhere in Scotland.

7. The Merlin, the smallest of our British falcons, is not
uncommon ; it builds in the long heather, and preys on small
birds, snipes, &c. Bold and courageous, it will sometimes
attack birds much larger than itself. Owing to its high spirit
and daring the Merlin is not difficult to train for hunting, and
this beautiful little bird seems to have baen in former days
the peculiar hawk used by ladies : —

A merlin sat upon her wrist,
Held by a leash of silken twist.

Its light weight would weary no lady's arm.

8. The Kestrel is common everywhere, from north to south
of the county; building 'in every cliff and rocky burn.
Though ignorant gamekeepers destroy it, the Kestrel, preying
principally on mice, does far more good than harm.

9. The Sparrow-hawk usually frequents the more woody
parts of the county. Bold and courageous, it strikes and
bears away a common pigeon with apparent ease.

10. The Kite being a large, greedy bird, and easily caught
in traps, is very rare now — common as it was a few years
ago. In the wooded districts it is still, though but seldom,
seen soaring with graceful flight, high in the air. By repute
the Kite is a great chicken stealer, and when she has young
of her own to provide for, no bird destroys more grouse,
young hares, &c.

11. The Common Buzzard a few years ago was very com-
mon, but now has been completely exterminated, excepting
in the wilder districts. With its fine soaring flight the
buzzard is a most interesting bird. In all its habits it
appears to me to resemble the eagle more than any other kind
of hawk.

76 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

12. The Hen Harrier is plentiful enough in the hilly
districts, and, though very destructive to game, it compensates
for this in .some degree by occasionally preying upon rats,
vipers, &c. The cock is distinguished from afar by his nearly
white plumage ; while the hen in her plain dress of brown is
best known by the white ring on her tail, unde derivatur her
name of ring-tail. The young male has the same plumage as
the female.

13. The Ash-coloured Harrier (Falco cineraceus) breeds
near Bonar Bridge. Mr. Dunbar has taken the nest and
killed the old birds in that district.

I do not know for a certainty of any other hawks breeding
in this county, but probably the Marsh Harrier, Honey Buz-
zard, &c., are occasionally met with.

14. The Scops -eared Owl has been found to breed near the
Oykel river, having her nest ou the heather.

15. The Long-eared Owl breeds commonly in the fir plan-
tations, or in ivy-covered rocks.

16. The Short-eared Owl migrates to this country in
October, and, unlike other owls, is found constantly in turnip-
fields, rough grass, &c, This kind hunts frequently in the
daytime.

17. The Common White Old lives, as in England, in old
buildings, rocks, &c., and as it preys almost wholly on mice
ought never to be destroyed.

18. The Common Brown or Tawny Owl lives principally in
the woody districts, where it is very common. In the frosty,
clear nights of winter this bird is heard hooting and uttering
strangely wild cries. In the spring it comes abroad at an
earlier hour than any other owl ; and, sitting on the topmost
and leafless bough of some ash or larch tree, may be seen
puffing out its neck and hooting loudly.

19. The Snowy Owl is not unfrequently driven over to the
north and north-east coast after severe gales from that
quarter.

20. A specimen of that beautiful little species called
Tengmalmo Owl was killed in May, 1847, by Mr. Dunbar, in
an old ruined factory at Spinningdale in Sutherlandshire.
This and many other foreign birds may be, and most pro-
bably frequently are, driven over to the wild and solitary
eastern shores of the county, without being seen or heard of.

I must here put in a word for owls. They are most
unjustly and ruthlessly persecuted. Most owls are not only

BIRDS OF THE COUNTY. 77

harmless, but in fact they are of infinite service to mankind.
Hunting chiefly by night, when almost all young birds are
safe in their roosting-places, the owls prey principally, if not
entirely, on mice and rats, which are then abroad in all
directions plundering the farmers' produce. Where the owls
have been much destroyed by pole-traps and other means,
mice and rats increase to the most mischievous extent, not
only destroying grain, but also doing immense mischief in
young plantations, by barking and nibbling the shoots of the.
young trees sometimes to an almost inconceivable extent.

21. The Spotted Flycatcher is common enough. Tame and
familiar, it builds its well-concealed nest in the creepers and
ivy that grow round a window or against the garden- wall.
It arrives in May and departs early in autumn. Being
dependent on flies for its subsistence, the first approach of
cold drives this bird from the north to seek a warmer
climate.

22. The Water-Ousel enlivens most of the mountain
streams with its lively motions and merry note. In winter
it comes nearer to the sea for unfrozen water, while in sum-
mer it is seen everywhere from Cape Wrath to Dunrobin.

23. The Common Ring-Ousel cheers the wanderer through
all the wilder parts of the county, suddenly breaking out
unexpectedly into loud song in places where the eagle or
grouse would be more looked for than a singing bird.

24. The Missel Thrush is common, breeding very early. I
saw it as far northward as Tongue.

25. The Common Song Thrush is to be seen wherever there
is wood.

26. The Blackbird, though not quite so common, is plenti-
ful also.

27. The Fieldfare and Redwing arrive in great numbers,
and do not depart till some time in April.

28. The Hedge Sparrow breeds in every hedge in all the
cultivated parts of the country.

29. The Robin, with its usual sociability, frequents the
habitations of man, as in other countries.

30. The Redstart breeds commonly about the woody glens
and gardens near Dunrobin ; but, like most other insecti-
vorous birds, departs for the south on the first approach of
winter.

31. The Sedge Warbler, singing like the nightingale during
all the hours of darkness, is common. I heard its sweet

6

78 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

note constantly during the night-time : generally it sings
about reedy lochs and swamps. The most northern spot at
which I heard this bird was at Tongue, where its song was
easily distinguished, and had a most pleasing effect amongst
the harsher notes of the land-rail, redshank, sea-gulls, &c.

32. The Willow Wren is also met with wherever there are
hedges or plantations.

There may probably be many other birds of the same
family, unobserved by me, in the extensive woods of the
southern parts of Sutherlandshire.

33. The Golden-crested Wren is very numerous throughout
the year,

34. The Fire-crested Wren (Eegulus ignicapillus) is some-
times met with. Mr. Bantock, the Duke of Sutherland's game-
keeper, who has a collection of birds killed on the property,
showed me one specimen. Being very like the golden-crested
wren, this bird may be much commoner than is supposed.

35. The Pied Wagtail; 36. The Grey Wagtail; and 37.
The Yellow Wagtail, are all numerous, particularly the two
former.

38. The Titlark abounds in every part of the open and
high districts, frequenting the summits even of the highest
mountains, where it feeds on the numerous insects to be
found amongst the stones and plants.

39. The Rock Pipit is very similar to the last-named bird ;
it frequents the sea-shores.

40. The Wheatear, coming early in the spring, ranges over
the whole county, and is very abundant along the roadside in
all the mountainous districts. It departs in the winter.

41. 42. The Whin Chat and Stone Chat are to be seen in
all the rough grounds where furze and broom are abundant.

43. The Great Titmouse; 44. The Blue Titmouse; 45.
The Cole Titmouse; 46. The Long-tailed Titmouse, — all en-
liven the woods and plantations throughout the year.
Although not exactly migratory birds, all the Titmice as
well as the Golden-crested Wren seem nearly constantly on
the move, passing from tree to tree, from hedge to hedge,
from wood to wood, and in fact from district to district, to
wherever the insects on which they prey are most numerous.

47. The Bohemian Waxwing, a very beautiful bird, though
not a native, is occasionally killed in Sutherland ; as are

48. The Hoopoe ; and 49. The Eose-coloured Starling, and
probably many other continental visitors.

BIRDS OF THE COUNTY. 79

50. The Sky Lark is seen everywhere, having few enemies
excepting the merlin and other small hawks.

51. The variety of Sky-lark called the Crested Lark is also
found about Assynt.

52. The Snow Buntings arrive in great numbers in October.
As the frost and snow increase, the male birds daily become
whiter. They appear to be never at rest, flitting to and fro
along the sea-shore, or other places where they rind their
minute food.

53. The Corn Bunting haunts the cultivated regions : he is
never far from the corn-fields.

54. The Yellow Bunting, on the contrary, seems far more
independent of grain ; and I saw it throughout the county
wherever there were any bushes or trees.

55. The Reed Bunting is common also near rushy and
reedy pools.

56. The Chaffinch; 57. The Greenfinch; 58. The Bullfinch;
59. The Goldfinch; 60. The Linnet — all common and daily-
seen English birds, are everywhere to be found, excepting
indeed the goldfinch, which bird is far more rare than the
others, being seen only about some of the gardens and
orchards in the south of the county.

61. The Mountain-finch, a bird not unlike the female snow-
bunting in general appearance, is a frequent visitor.

62. The common House Sparrow, as usual, frequents the
habitations of men everywhere as far as Tongue.

63. The Sisken is in almost every wood during the spring
and summer ; nevertheless its nest is but rarely found.

64. The Eedpole is also common : it breeds in the little
thickets of birch, &c., by the sides of many of the wild
mountain lakes ; and in winter may be seen in large flocks
feeding on the seeds of the alder and other trees.

65. The Cross Bill has of late years become numerous in
the fir-woods ; and will probably become far more so when
the magnificent plantations of the Duke of Sutherland grow
to a height suited to these amusing birds.

66. The Common Starling is widely distributed. The
greatest number that I saw in any one place was on the
island of Handa.

67. The Goatsucker, an insectivorous bird, although not
very frequently seen, is easily recognized by the humming
noise it utters, which resembles somewhat the low buzzing
.of a gpinning-wheel.

80 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

68. The Cornish Chough, or Red-legged Crow, is rare. It
fixes upon the most lofty and steep precipices for its abode.
I saw it near Durness.

69. The Raven manages, notwithstanding the constant
war waged against him, to keep his ground, and to continue
tolerably numerous. I constantly see a pair or more of
them playing grotesque antics, and uttering varied and
strange cries upon some isolated rock on the mountain side,
from which they can have a good view of any approaching
enemy. Their chief location is, however, along the sea-shore,
and about the rocky islands, where they can get a good
supply of dead fish, seals, &c.

70. The Carrion Crow is rare ; but,

71. The Hooded Crow is numerous everywhere, in spite of
traps and guns. Wary and strong, they manage to evade all
attempts at their extirpation, and to keep up their indis-
criminate and wholesale destruction of eggs of every kind.
I consider the hooded crow to be the 'greatest enemy to game,
and indeed to all other birds, that we have. I have seen a
black crow and hooded crow nesting together.

72. The Rook is as common in Sutherland as in any other
part of the kingdom, repaying by its destruction of grubs
and noxious insects the mischief it does to grain.

73. The Jackdaw is numerous, building both in rocks and
chimneys, as its convenience or fancy happens to lead it.

74. The Magpie is a common inhabitant of all the woody
districts.

75. That singular little bird the Wryneck has been killed
but rarely in Sutherlandshire.

76. The Common Tree-Creeper is everywhere in abundance
where there is wood.

77. The Cuckoo is in great abundance during the spring
and summer, more particularly on the rocky and wild hill-
sides, where there are frequent patches of birch and other
underwood. I heard it at Tongue, and everywhere to the
south of that place.

78. The Kingfisher is a rare but occasional visitor : it does
not breed in Sutherlandshire.

79. The Chimney Swallow is common.

80. The Swift, according to its universal habit, wheels and
screams as diligently round Dornoch Cathedral and other
lofty buildings in Sutherland, as it does round the spire of a.
village church in England.

BIRDS OF THE COUNTY. 81

81. The Sand Martin is numerous wherever the ground
suits its habits ; and the Common House Martin is also every-
where : it breeds, too, in many of the rocky cliffs and caves
of the coast. I particularly observed it in the cave of Srnoo,
near Durness.

82. The Woodpigeon is numerous wherever woods and
cultivation united afford it food and shelter. In my opinion
the good it does the farmer, in feeding for many months of
the year on the seeds of the wild mustard, ragweed, &c., &c.,
is a fair equivalent for all the grain it consumes. As far
north as Tongue I heard and saw this bird.

83. The Rock Dove, a beautiful and interesting little bird,
frequents most of the rocky shores of the north coast. In-
habiting the crevices and caverns formed by the constant
beating of the waves, and fearless of the surf and swell dash-
ing constantly into its dwelling-places, this bird lives and
multiplies ; seldom killed by man, but probably affording a
great source of food to the peregrine falcons who build in its
neighbourhood.

I never saw any woodpecker in Sutherlandshire, though it
is most probable that the spotted woodpecker does exist in
the old woods near Dunrobin and elsewhere. Indeed I have
heard that it has been seen there ; but I would rather run
the chance of leaving out birds that do occur than insert the
name of any bird as being indigenous, unless I had seen it
myself, or had heard of it being seen by persons whose
authority I could not doubt, either as to their truthfulness
or their skill.

I write these pages wholly for the amusement and informa-
tion of my reader, and take down the names of birds out of
my note-book, in which I have inserted them in almost
every instance after having seen them myself ; and the very
few which I have not seen living in Sutherlandshire, Mr.
D unbar has procured in that county, and has them now pre-
served in his collection.

I must apologise to the scientific ornithologist for any mis-
takes I may have made in naming the several birds, as I am
more of an out-door than an in-door naturalist ; and if my
notes are of any value, it will be for their truth, and because
they are the result of personal observation and acquaintance
with the birds. I will only request, in the words of Horace —

Si quid novisti rectius istis,
Candidus imperti : si non, his utere mecuni.

82 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

C H A P T E K IX.

List continued — Game birds ; Destruction of by Shepherds — Plovers — Sand-
pipers and Snipes, &c. — Waterfowl : Swans, Geese, varieties of Ducks,
Grebes, Terns, Gulls, &c. — Decrease of many kinds of birds — Egg Dealers.

THE next class of birds inhabiting Sutherlandshire that I will
enumerate are those more immediately coming under the
denomination of game.

84. First among which is the Blackcock, certainly the
finest game bird of Britain. In the numerous and extensive
plantations of the Duke of Sutherland this bird abounds, and
extends throughout the county wherever it has the least pro-
tection from vermin and shepherds, and wherever there are
any patches of wood. I saw several near the shore of Loch
Laighal. It is, however, a bird easily destroyed. The shep-
herds and their boys generally carry guns, under the excuse
of shooting foxes (which they never do), and in consequence
black game and everything that is eatable fall a prey to these
men at all seasons of the year, whilst grey crows and other
destructive birds pass by unharmed.

85. Grouse of course abound only where vermin are kept
under. In the north and north-west districts of the county,
excepting in one or two small districts, grouse are rare
indeed. In Assynt, where a clever keeper and trapper is
kept, these birds have increased rapidly within a few years.
The Duke of Sutherland, I believe, only preserves that part
of the country nearer to Dunrobin, and which is within reach
of his friends. Even if all his immense territory were pre-
served and protected from vermin, &c., a great part of it,
from its distance, would be useless as shooting-ground. No
bird is handsomer or more game-like than a cock grouse in
the spring time, as he struts and crows with erect comb on
some hillock, scarcely taking notice of the passer-by.

86. The Ptarmigan is tolerably numerous on the more
lofty ranges of mountains, such as Ben Hee, Ben Cleebrick,
Ben Laighal, and many others, the summits of which this
bird frequents, seldom coming down to the heather, but
living, a true child of the mist, above all vegetation, amongst
the rocks and loose stones. The Ptarmigan requires protec-
tion as well as the grouse, more particularly from shepherds
and their boys.

87. The Common Pheasant is nowhere abundant in
Sutherland ; in the lower districts, near Dunrobin, there are

BIRDS OF THE COUNTY. 83

some, but no great number ; sufficient, however, to make a
beautiful variety in the game of the county.

88. Partridges, on the contrary, are very numerous in all
the southern range, where the finely cultivated fields, border-
ing on the young plantations, offer every advantage for their
breeding. I have occasionally seen partridges in very wild
parts of Sutherland, where no bird but grouse would be
looked for.

89. The Quail appears occasionally near Dunrobin. This-
bird may be here oftener than is supposed ; for, arriving
when the wheat is at a sufficient height to conceal it, seldom
taking wing, and departing before the crops are well off the
ground, its presence can only be known by its peculiar call
or whistle.

90. The Landrail, as I have before said, is in every corner
of the county where it can find a patch of corn. I heard it
at Tongue in great numbers ; also at Heilam Ferry in a small
patch of oats. The gamekeeper at Tongue told me that he
kills it frequently during the winter.

From the landrail one naturally comes to that class of birds
which comprise the plovers, &c.

91. The Golden Plover is very numerous in all the higher
districts during the breeding season. Its eggs are beautifully
marked and very large in proportion to the size of the bird.
I saw these plovers on all the elevated moors : in winter they
collect and descend towards the shores.

92. The Dotterel, a rare bird anywhere, breeds on Cleebrick,
but is by no means numerous.

93. The Ring Dotterel is very numerous, breeding near the
lakes and streams, and also near the sea-shore : they leave
the inland parts of the country entirely on the approach of
winter.

94. The Peewit or Lapwing is numerous everywhere from
the end of February to the end of October.

95. The Turnstone is only a visitor, not breeding here.

96. The Godwit.

97. The Sanderling.

98. The Knot, and a great variety of waders and sandpipers
which, not being thoroughly acquainted with throughout all
their changes of plumage, I cannot enumerate, swarm on all
sandy and muddy creeks and bays of the county. It would
require many years, and a most accomplished naturalist, to
describe accurately all the varieties that are to be found on

84 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

these coasts. I am confident that, at different times, almost
every known kind of shore-bird could be procured.

99. The Oyster-catcher breeds here and remains during the
winter, always finding a good supply of food.

100. The Curlew, too, breeds on all the high moors, and
takes to the shores in the winter.

101. The Dunlin, and

102. Common Sandpiper, also breed near most of the lakes
and streams.

103. The Jack-snipe is said to breed in one or two localities,
as is also

104. The Great Snipe, (Scolopax major) ; but I never was
quite satisfied with the authenticity of these accounts,
particularly as regards the jack-snipe ; for the very man
whom I was" referred to as having seen this bird breeding
(Mr. lioss, the keeper at Tongue) distinctly assured me
that it never had been seen in that country in the breeding
season.

105. The Common Snipe breeds in every locality suited to
its habits.

106. The Woodcock, of late years, has commenced breeding
also in most of the large woods, laying four large eggs, similar
in colour to those of the snipe.

107. The Redshank breeds also very commonly in all
marshy parts of the hills.

108. The Greenshank is not so common, but I saw it
breeding about Loch Naver, Loch Laighal, and in many
other places throughout the county.

109. The Water-rail is not uncommon in the winter, but
from its retired habits is seldom seen : it may perhaps breed
in the larger tracts of reeds and rushes, though I have never
heard of its nest being found.

110. The Whimbrel breeds in the northern and most
retired parts of the country ; I saw several on the island of
Handa in the month of June.

111. The Heron is common everywhere, though the only
breeding-place that I know of is near Loubcroy, on the Oykel
Eiver, where these breed on an island in a loch situated some
two miles from the roadside.

112. The Bittern is rare : but I have heard its cry near
Shinness, on Loch Shin.

113. That very pretty and elegant little bird the Red-
necked Phalarope is found in the breeding season, but only

BIRDS OF THE COUNTY. 85

rarely. I saw a pair close to Loch Naver in the month of
June : they evidently had a nest not far from the spot.

The varieties of water-fowl are very numerous, and no
doubt the county is visited by nearly every known European
species at different seasons.

114. The Common Wild Swan, and

115. Bewick's Sican, are not uncommon during the winter.
Their appearance in any of the sea-lochs, such as Loch
Erriboll, is considered to foretell severe weather.

116. The Grey Lai/ Goose breeds in Loch Maddie, Loch
Laighal, Loch Urigil, &c. ; but I am sorry to see that these
fine birds have every chance of being entirely driven away
from their haunts.

117. Tbe Bean Goose breeds on Loch Shin.

118. The White-fronted Goose is a winter visitor, and
the rarest and handsomest species that frequents this
country.

119. The Brent Goose comes to most of the inlets of the sea
in immense numbers during the winter : it is one of the best
wild-fowl for the table.

120. The Bernide Goose, though an occasional visitor, is
much more rare than the last-named species. The brent
goose is more frequent on the east coast, while the bernicle
keeps to the western side. of the county.

121. The Sheldrake breeds very commonly about the sandy
parts of the coast.

122. The Pintail, a very beautiful bird, visits this county
in the winter.

123. The Common Mallard is everywhere to be found ; as
is its miniature likeness,

124. The Teal, during the whole year.

125. The Widgeon breeds in a few localities, for instance,
near Loch Naver : in the winter it is one of the most
numerous of all wild-fowl.

126. The Eider Duck breeds on some islands at the en-
trance of the Kyle of Tongue.

127. The Xing DUCK is seen in the same district, but only
rarely.

128. The Velvet Duck is in abundance during the winter
on the east coast.

129. The Common Pochard,

130. The Scaup Duck,

131. The Golden Eye, are all common during the winter ;

86 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIKK

the latter is said to breed here occasionally : I saw a pair
about the 15th of May in Loch Laiglial.

132. The Long-tailed Duck is very numerous on the east
coast during the winter.

133. The Merganser breeds about some of the lakes near
Scowrie and elsewhere.

134. The Goosander also is not uncommon.

135. The Sclavonian Grebe, and

136. The Little Grebe, are permanent inhabitants : the
latter is to be found in most localities.

137. The Great Northern Diver frequents the northern
parts of the county. I saw this bird near Durness about the
14th of May. The people tell me that it is frequently seen
about that coast accompanied by a young one, apparently
just hatched : its nest, however, has not been found.

138. The Mack-throated Diver is gradually diminishing in
number, but still breeds in the lakes of Assynt, Loch Laighal,
and elsewhere.

139. The Red-throated Diver breeds also in the northern
parts of the county.

140. The Foolish Guillemot breeds in countless numbers on
the island of Handa and elsewhere.

141. The Blaek Guillemot is much rarer, but I saw it near
the same island in June.

142. The Puffin is also numerous in Handa, &c., as is

143. The Razor-lill.

144. The Little Auk is a winter and occasional visitor.

145. The Cormorant, and

146. The Shag breed in many different places along the
coast. I saw great numbers of them about Whiten Head,
Handa, &c., &c.

147. The Gannet breeds on some rocks off' the northern
coasts.

Of Terns I have seen the following varieties : —

148. The Roseate Tern.

149. The Common Tern.

150. The Arctic Tern.

151. The Lesser Tern;

and no doubt there are many other varieties.

152. The Mack-headed Gull breeds on inland lakes in great
numbers.

153. The Kittiwake Gull breeds on the rocky cliffs of
Handa and elsewhere.

BIRDS OF THE COUNTY. 87

154. The Common Gull breeds also in great numbers on
the rocky coasts and on different islands.

155. The Greater Black-lacked Gull, and

156. The Lesser Black-lacked Gull breed in great numbers
on different lochs : I particularly observed both kinds on
Loch Laighal. No doubt many other species of the sea-gull
and skua, besides a great variety of wild-fowl, visit this
county at different seasons ; but I am determined only to
enumerate those that I have seen myself. No part of
Britain, or indeed scarcely of Europe, is better adapted for a
resting-place for migratory birds on their way to and from
their more northern breeding-places ; and the extensive
lakes and wilds afford shelter to many that are not generally
known to remain in Britain during the summer. The
numerous bays and inlets of the sea, leaving at low water
great tracts of sand and mud, afford food during the winter
for innumerable wild-fowl and waders.

Many of the finer kinds both of land and water-birds
certainly are becoming almost extinct, being hunted down by
both gamekeepers and egg-dealers, the latter being frequently
a set of mercenary and ignorant men, deceived themselves
and deceiving others as to the kind of eggs which they offer
for sale ; and instead of furthering the knowledge of natural
history, rendering it more obscure by passing off one egg for
another, and having recourse to as many tricks as a horse-
jockey in selling their specimens, which are often bought by
people who have not the slightest knowledge of the natural
history of the bird whose eggs they fancy that they are
buying.

CHAPTER X.

Deer Hounds — Deer Forest in Sutherlandsliire — Effect of the Forests on Deer
—The Stag Casting his Horns— Hinds and Calves— Courage of the Hind
— Poaching Shepherds — Value of Horns— Fighting of Stags — Highland
Forester — Breed of Deer-Hounds.

WHILE staying at the inn at Aultnaharrow, I saw several
brace of deer-hounds of the true old Scotch breed. These
dogs, which belonged to Lord Ellesmere, were kept close to
the inn, at the house of one of his Lordship's foresters. The
tract of country preserved as a deer forest comprises a most
extensive range of mountains, the best in all Scotland for the
purpose. Reaching away to the north-west and west, the

88 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

forest takes in corrie after come, and mountain after moun-
tain, of the most wild and romantic character. Fitted, too,
for scarcely any other purpose than as a refuse for wild
animals, the most determined utilitarian could not say that
the ground was wasted, nor suggest a better use to which to
.apply it. It is far too barren to make sheep farming re-
munerative, and any other way of attempting to make the
mountains in that district useful to mankind would be labour
thrown away.

In this fine range the red-desr daily increase in number ;
so much so, that I have no doubt that, unless they are
systematically shot down, they will, in the course of some
few years, degenerate in size and beauty from the ground
being overstocked ; for, although there is plenty of room in
the surrounding wild mountains for the deer to distribute
and disperse themselves, still so much do they dislike being
disturbed, and so determinedly do they adhere to the forests
where neither sheep nor shepherds annoy them, that while
these quiet places are overstocked, the deer are almost
wholy drained out of all the surrounding mountains. I
speak here only comparatively, for of course red-deer are to
be found almost everywhere throughout the county ; still all
the sheep-farms have far fewer deer on them than they had
before the forest was made, notwithstanding that the number
of these animals is probably greater on the whole than it was
then. Certain slopes and hill-sides even close to the main
road are never without deer, and the passer by seldom travels
many miles without seeing some of these noble animals.
They seem used to the sight of people on the road (although
so few do travel by it) ; and on a carriage corning into sight
the stag scarcely stops his feeding for a longer time than is
sufficient for him to take a good gaze at his natural
enemy, when he again continues his rapid grazing, although
perhaps not much more than a rifle-shot from the road-side.
In the middle of the day the deer are seldom to be seen
except by a practised eye, as they are then at rest and lying
quietly, with little more than their head and neck above the
rough heath. In the early morning or towards evening they
feed downwards towards the grassy sides of the rivers and
burns. In very hot weather the stags, tormented by midges
and. flies on the lower grounds, keep on the high mountains
and ridges, where they have the advantage of every cool
breeze that blows. Hardy as he naturally must be, the stag

HINDS AND THEIR CALVES. 89

does not seem to like exposing himself more than is necessary
to extremes of heat and cold. In this respect the hinds seem
more hardy than their antlered lords. For some time after
they lose their horns in the beginning of May the stags seem
to feel helpless and unarmed, retiring to out-of-the-way
places, where they remain as quiet and stationary as they .
can, not wandering far from their hiding-place, till their horns
having in some measure grown, they feel more able to keep
their place amongst their fellows. I have often heard people
affirm that they hide their horns invariably on casting them,
but this is by no means the case ; the horns are constantly
found ; I have frequently picked them up myself, and have
seen great numbers that have been found on the hills. A
man walking across a rugged and extensive range of moun-
tain cannot expect to find very often an object so little con-
spicuous as a stag's horn, unless he is a forester or keeper,
and as such living amongst the deer at all times. There is no
doubt, too, that deer have the habit of chewing and breaking
up horns or bones, or any substance of the kind, that they
find in their wanderings ; in the same manner that cattle in
a field will chew for hours together a bone, old bit of leather,
or any other hard substance, to the neglect of the clover or
grass, or whatever food they may be surrounded by. It is
probable also that the deer trample under the heather, in the
course of their working at it, any horn that comes in their
way.

When about to calve, the hinds retire to the most lonely
and undisturbed places, where there is little risk of their
young meeting with enemies while unable to escape. For a
few days they appear to keep them in these safe solitudes,
visiting them little during the daytime ; but as soon as the
calves have acquired a certain degree of strength, they be-
come the inseparable companions of their mothers. Where
the hind is, there is the calf following its dam over hill and
dale. At first they are covered with white marks, but,
losing these, they are of a darkish brown, and are well
clothed with long hair by the approach of the winter.
Although not coming to full maturity for several years, the
growth of young deer is very rapid for the first six or eight
months. Did they not gather strength rather quickly in
proportion to their after growth, it would be impossible for
them to keep company with the hinds in their numerous
flights over mountainous and dangerous passes, impelled on-

90 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

wards by the sight or scent of some enemy real or imaginary.
Eagles and foxes both make prey of the newly-born calves ;
though I am told that the parent will defend her young
courageously and effectively against either of these enemies
if she happens to be at hand when they are attacked : her
manner of defence is by striking with her fore-feet — a species
of warfare in which the red-deer hind is a most active enemy,
and difficult to cope with. I have seen one, when wounded
and standing in a burn, raise herself up and lash out with
her fore-feet (armed as they are with sharp and hard hoofs)
in a manner which made it a service of no slight danger to
approach her. Several times did a hind in this manner
strike at and knock under water a dog of the most deter-
mined courage that I had slipped at her ; and equally ready
was she to kick out with both her hind-legs at once, so that
it was by no means safe or easy to get at her ; till at last the
dog, after being sadly knocked about, left the water, and
sprang upon the deer's back from an overhanging rock,
seizing her by the ear and then by the throat in a manner
that soon subdued the poor animal. Having more than once
seen a hind defend herself most courageously in this manner,
I can easily believe the stories that I have been told of their
success in defending their young against fox or eagle, not-
withstanding the cunning of the former and the almost
irresistible swoop of the latter enemy.

Deer, from their size and strength, are secure from the
attacks of every other wild animal of the country.

Notwithstanding the vigilance and care of the foresters,
who in this county are, I believe, all men of honesty and
experience, the shepherds manage to kill many a deer at all
seasons ; nor is it possible for any number of keepers to pre-
vent this entirely : though they may be as watchful as
possible, the shepherd, from being constantly on the hill
amongst the deer, and knowing by experience all their
haunts at every time of day and at every season, has advan-
tages over the keeper that no vigilance of the latter can
counterbalance. A shepherd has for some days perhaps
observed that a particular fine stag, with noble head and in
good condition, frequents some certain grassy burn to feed in.
There he grazes daily, going thither about four o'clock every
evening; and having done so undisturbed several times in
succession, he becomes careless, and on leaving the braeside
on which he rests throughout the day, he feeds rapidly down

SHEPHERDS' MODE OF POACHING. 91

the burnside till he arrives at the favourite spot of grass.
The shepherd, knowing well that the deer will continue on
this feeding spot until disturbed, watches his opportunity
when the forester has taken some other direction, or has not
left his home, or in fact when the coast is clear : he then
takes his gun out of the stock, and easily concealing the two
parts till he is safe in the solitudes of the mountain, he
betakes himself to some hiding-place within an easy shot and
to leeward of the place which he well knows the stag will
visit at the feeding time. Having looked well to his copper
cap or priming, he waits patiently till the animal is within
twenty or thirty yards of him, when a handful of slugs or a
bullet settles the business. The four quarters are then con-
veyed home as convenience and opportunity suit. If the
antlers are good, they are another source of profit, there being
a ready sale for them to some gun-maker or bird-stuffer,
many of whom have constant correspondence with the
shepherds, keepers, &c., for the purpose of buying deers'
heads, birds' eggs, skins, &c., which they resell to visitors at
Inverness, or even to sportsmen who, taking the stag's head
to England with them, pass it off as a trophy of their own
skill and prowess. I have known instances of this kind,
although it is difficult to understand how a man can exhibit
as his own shooting, and nail up over his hall-door, a
stag's head, which he has bought for three or four pounds
instead of shooting it, without being ashamed to behold
such a memento of his own weakness and want of good
faith.

In my opinion, the general run of the old stags' heads in
Sutherlandshire are the handsomest of any in Scotland, in
the way the horns are set on the head and in the shape of
the horns themselves. The largest and oldest heads that I
have seen in that county form a fine, widely-stretched
circle, the tops of the antlers arching inwards towards each
other. I never myself saw horns with so fine a spread and
arch in any other county, though I do not pretend to say
that such may not be seen elsewhere. A nobler sight than a
herd of well-antlered stags standing clearly defined on the
horizon, and combined with the surrounding scenery and all
the et cceteras of the country which they inhabit, can scarcely
be imagined. On the wide grassy plains between Loch Shin
and Aultnaharrow, and between Ben Hee and Ben Cleebrick,
I have generally seen a number of hinds near the roadside ;

92 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

but the stags, or at any rate the older stags, keep higher up
the mountains.

These plains must be excellent ground for running the
deer-hounds on, and I wished much that I could have
remained long enough in the country to see some of the dogs
run a deer ; but being summoned at the time to England, I
was obliged to depart without even the treat of passing some
days in the deer forest, notwithstanding the Duke of Suther-
land's kind permission. Of course I should have gone
" unarmed," it being as early as the middle of June ; but I
am happy to say that (although sportsman enough in my
way) I can enjoy watching and making acquaintance with
the actions and habits of so tine an animal as the stag quite
as much as endeavouring to kill him. Without pretending
to disown my love of deer-stalking, I find an enjoyment in
watching unseen, and patiently, the animals in a manner
which one could not do, supposing oneself to be rifle in hand ;
for then, such is the passion of mankind for the chase, that I
fancy few people exist who would not be more intent on kill-
ing the stag than in quietly looking at him. In the present
instance, however, I had little leisure for even looking at the
deer.

There is a constant succession of fine mountains from
Assynt down to near Dunrobin Castle, all frequented more
or less by deer ; and the gamekeeper at the castle told me
that they came down into the woods close to his house, where
from good feeding and quiet they became very fine and fat,
getting into condition very early in the season. I have
frequently seen deer late in the evenings fight furiously with
their horns, till the noise of their antlers striking against
each other sounded far and wide. The two hostile stags meet
face to face, and charging straight at each other like two
rams, each endeavouring to turn the flank of the other as if
to get a chance of goring him. The weakest, however,
seemed always to have a prudent knowledge of when he was
overmatched, and, having leaped quickly aside to avoid being
gored, he generally retreated without injury. Sometimes,
when equally matched, they fight together in this manner
for a long time, making a great rattling with their horns.

Deer-stalking with the Sutherland Highlander seems an
almost invincible passion. His constant thoughts and dreams
are about the mountain corrie and the stag : get him into
conversation on any subject, and by some means it invariably

THE SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDER. 93

comes round to deer and deer-stalking. He has stories with-
out end, handed down from father to son, of wonderful shots,
and dogs that never failed to pull down their stag. On most
points silent and reserved, on this one he is talkative and
eloquent. No man, too, has a greater taste for, and a more
correct conception of the beauties of nature : he points out
to you with admiration the very mountain slope, the very
corrie that you have already marked down in your mind as
surpassingly grand. At first you may think him a reserved
and rather morose man, but when he finds out that you are
not only a brother of the craft, but also a fervent admirer of
the natural beauties of his favourite lochs and corries, his
heart opens, and he will go through fire or water to serve
you : his expression of face alters, he takes you under his
protection, and leads you to points of view which you would
have travelled fifty miles to see ; and, in fact, enters into all
your wishes and thoughts with tact and eager desire to please
you. Mercenary and greedy as, I am sorry to say, High-
landers in many parts of the country have become, I did not
find this the case in Sutherland. The shootings not having
been let much, the country-people are not yet spoiled, but
still retain in a great measure the natural good feeling, the
air of high-bred civility of which most mountaineers have a
far greater share than men of the same rank of life brought
up in the lowlands.

Though a Highland deer-stalker may sometimes break
loose and have a day's bout at whisky, he is not, generally
speaking, at all an intemperate man : two weaknesses he
may have — snuff and smoke ; the mull, with its spoon of
wood or eagle's quill (that not a grain may be lost), and the
well-smoked and short clay-pipe, are his constant companions.
If he misses his stag after a severe stalk, he takes a few
whiffs to console himself : if he succeeds, and has his
hand already on the prostrate body of the object of his pur-
suit, the pipe comes into play. The first thing in the
morning, while looking from the shealing door to see which
way the wind blows, there is the pipe between his teeth ;
and when returning from his day's work, he smokes the pipe
of retrospection, while he calls to mind all the different hits
and failures of the pursuit. Having reached home, fed him-
self and dogs, and had his moderate allowance of whisky,
twenty to one but he walks out, pipe in mouth, to see which
way the clouds are drifting, so as to speculate on the weather

94 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

of the morrow, or perhaps to listen to the nocturnal cries of
the birds and animals of the mountain or loch. You seldom
see him fill his pipe ; it seems ready charged, always fit for
action, and also self-extinguishing in some inexplicable
manner ; as on your asking him a question suddenly when
out on the hill, if smoking, ten to one but he puts the pipe,
with red-hot tobacco in it, at once into his waiscoat pocket,
where it dies a natural death in an innocent manner that I
would recommend no one else to expect his pipe to imitate.

Summer or winter the Highland deer-stalker puts on his
plaid when going out, and, if he does not carry a gun, has in
his hand some favourite stick (or " staff" as he calls it) made
of hazel or juniper, and cut during some excursion to the low
country. His telescope, though good, generally refuses to be
seen distinctly through by any eyes but his own ; somehow
no one else can hit off the focus. Though caring little for
grouse shooting, he is usually a fisherman, and can throw a
fly well enough on occasion, and a present of salmon flies
goes straight to his heart.

To return to Aultnaharrow. I was much pleased with the
kennel of deer-hounds in charge of the forester there ; some
of them fine, powerful dogs, fit to pull down any stag. This
breed of dogs, which a few years ago was almost extinct, or
at any rate only in the hands of a very few Highland pro-
prietors, is now rapidly increasing, not only in numbers, but
also in size, strength, and other good qualities. The three
finest dogs of the kind that I ever saw were at Foyers, on
Loch Ness ; and I believe they were equally admired by a
gentleman far more fit to judge of them than I am, Mr.
Grant of Glenmorriston, who was kind enough to take me to
see them. The two young dogs were undoubtedly among
the finest of their race, for with the strength of a lion they
were made as much for speed, and as compactly put together,
as the highest bred grey-hound at Newmarket. They had
all the points and qualifications of a thorough-bred grey-
hound, from their head to their round cat-like feet. Indeed
I suppose that owing to neither trouble nor expense having
been for some time past spared by many English sportsmen
in improving this breed of dogs, the deer-hound is now to be
found in as great perfection as ever it was.

Like other greyhounds these dogs do not continue fit for
service for more than six years. The violent pace and the
strains they are liable to, from th£ nature of the ground they

THE BREEDING OF DEER-HOUNDS. 95

run on, and the strength of the animal they pursue, all com-
bine to make them show symptoms of old age at an earlier
time of life than most other hunting dogs. In rearing these
dogs it is absolutely necessary that they should have nearly
constant liberty, without which they neither come to their
full strength nor development. At the same time they are
sadly inclined to sheep killing and other mischief : most dogs
learn this fault at first by being allowed to go about amongst
very young lambs, which are invariably tempting objects of
pursuit to wild and mischievously disposed puppies.

I am much inclined to crossing the deer-hound with the
mastiff or fox-hound. The former I prefer as giving strength
and determination in seizing arid holding a stag. This cross,
too, imparts to the disposition of the dog a kind of blood-
thirstiness, which is invaluable in tracking and pursuing
wounded deer, and this is the principal use of all deer-
hounds. No forest will bear too frequent coursing ; the deer
will take themselves off to quieter ground without fail, being
far more effectually scared away by the hound than by the
rifle.

CHAPTEE XL

Agriculture in Sutherlandshire — Facilities of Reaching the County — Cale-
donian Canal — Travelling in Sutherland — Inns, Excellent Management of
— Lairg — Tongue — Durness — Scowrie — Inchnadamph — Inveian — Con-
clusion of Sutherlandshire.

I WILL now finish my sketches (hurried and imperfect as
they are) of Sutherlandshire by recommending my readers,
who may wish for a week's enjoyment, to follow my example
and travel round that county ; there are few wrho would not
derive much pleasure and amusement by doing so. The
agriculturist and improver of land would be interested by
seeing the different stages of husbandry in the county, from
the perfectly cultivated farms and cattle of the southern
parts, to the rude and primitive method of raising small
crops of oats amongst the rocks of the north and north-west,
where the ground is turned up by ancient and quaintly-
shaped substitutes for spades — ploughing being quite imprac-
ticable in many places; at the same time that about Tongue,
near as it is to the extreme northern point of Britain, both
the mode of cultivation and the crops would do credit to
many a southern county of England.

96 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

The sheep, black cattle, ponies, &c., in many parts of the
county, are not to be surpassed in Britain. The naturalist,
whether his tastes incline to botany, ornithology, or any
other line of this interesting pursuit, will find ample means
of enriching his cabinets ; while I can safely promise the
lover of fine and varied scenery a treat that would repay
him for a far more difficult and weary journey.

There are three ways of reaching Inverness from Edin-
burgh : by the steamers which ply along the east coast ; by
the Highland road, which passes through the centre of the
country ; or by Aberdeen — the latter is the least interesting
road, as it passes through the bleakest and least beautiful
part of Scotland. The Edinburgh and Inverness steamer,
the " Duke of Kichmond," is comfortably enough arranged,
and makes good way through the water, but the number of
stoppages at different ports is tiresome to the traveller whose
object is to reach the end of his journey. The Highland
road has a paucity of public conveyances on it at present,
but passes through a fine and characteristic range of country.
I have occasionally taken the circuitous route going . from
Edinburgh to Glasgow, and thence up the Caledonian Canal
to Inverness ; and this is after all, though apparently rather
longer, much the most interesting and the least fatiguing
manner of reaching Inverness. Not being exposed to rough
water, the passengers by these steamboats are able to enjoy
the beauties of the whole route ; and they are constant and
varied throughout the voyage. Independent of the very
great natural beauty of the country through which the canal
passes, there is a constant succession of objects of historical
and legendary interest : while the captains of the boats are
well versed in the history of these localities, and also are
most obliging and attentive to all strangers, in pointing out
and explaining everything that is worth seeing. The
managers and proprietors of these steamers at Glasgow are
most ready and obligingly anxioiis to attend to the comfort
and amusement of travellers, and to aid them in their move-
ments in any direction, in the most easy and economical
manner. No complaint (if one is ever necessary), made
against any of the servants of the company, for neglect of
their duty, &c., will pass unheeded by the proprietors. In
fact, the tourist can scarcely be in better hands, or take a
trip that will repay him better than that by the Caledonian
Canal.

MODES OF REACHING THE COUNTY. 97

From Inverness to Tain or luvergordon the way is easy,
by land or sea. Once there, the traveller in Sutherlandshire
has two ways of going through the county — either by hiring
a horse and suitable machine, or by travelling by the mail-
carriage, a kind of open phaeton, which takes (as well as I
remember) several passengers: this vehicle goes twice a week
northwards, and as often south. I rather prefer the more
independent way of hiring a horse, which ought to be done
for four or five shillings a day, exclusive of his keep.
Although hay is not always to be had, I never failed getting
good oats at the inns, and good grass, so that a horse is never
at a loss. From Tain or Invergordon the best route to the
north of Sutherland is to Ardgye, near Bonar Bridge ; a good
inn and excellent landlord. From thence to Lairg is eleven
miles.

At Lairg is another excellent inn, in a most beautiful
situation. Lairg to Aultnaharrow, twenty-two miles ; thence
to Tongue, seventeen miles; Tongue to Durness, eighteen
miles, with a resting inn at Heilam Ferry, or Loch Erriboll,
about half-way.

At Durness I should be content to pass many a day. The
inn is one of the best in Sutherland, and the landlady, Mrs.
Koss, makes her visitors as comfortable as they can desire ;
at the same time her charges are as moderate as the most
economical traveller could wish. The country round Dur-
ness is full of magnificently wild scenery, and the sheltered
little sandy bays afford excellent bathing.

Durness, by Bhiconnich, to Scowrie, is about twenty-six
miles. Scowrie should be another resting-place : there is
much to see, and a good inn. For my own part, I have a
most pleasing recollection of Scowrie, and of the hospitality
of Mr. M'lvor (the Duke of Sutherland's manager in that
district.)

Scowrie to Inchnadamph, by Kyleska Ferry, still takes the
traveller through a country, every step of which is most
splendidly wild and picturesque. Inchnadamph inn, at the
oot of Ben More, and at the head of Loch Assynt, is another
good resting-place. Loch Inver, fourteen miles from Inchna-
damph, has also an excellent inn, and is well worth going to
see. To Inveran inn, on the Shin river, from Inchnadamph,
s thirty-two miles ; but with two inns on the way, Altan-
nan-cealgach and Oykel, at both of which tolerable accom-
modation may be had. Inveran is a small house, but as

98 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHJRE.

cleanly and comfortably kept as any inn in Britain. I never
knew an angler on the Shin river who did not say the same
of the inn at Inveran ; the landlady, in her homely,
" motherly " way, makes her guests so comfortable that they
always leave her with regret.

All the inns on the Duke of Sutherland's property (almost
without exception) are well kept, cleanly, and moderate in
their charges, to a degree that the most suspicious and
fastidious cockney traveller can find no fault with ; and there
is none of that paltry imposition which one meets with so
frequently in remote places in other parts of the Highlands,
where a stranger is looked upon as fair game for plunder.

My tastes have generally led me to the north and north-
west of Sutherland, but there is also much to interest and
much to see in the eastern parts of the county. Going by
Dornoch and Golspie, both excellent inns, thence along the
coast to Brora and Helmsdale, two fishing colonies, and
turning northwards to Bighouse, the traveller can either
return by Tongue or by Strathnaver, a beautiful green strath
which takes him to Aultnaharrow.

My description of the different routes is short and im-
perfect, as I do not pretend to write a " road " or " guide "
book ; but I simply give this sketch as the result of my own
note-book, hoping that it may be of use to anyone wishing to
see the most interesting county in Britain, and one of the
least visited. Ross-shire, Inverness-shire, &c., lie more in
the way of grouse-shooters and sportsmen, and are conse-
quently more known and written about than Sutherland,
although the latter can be travelled through with more ease,
comfort, and economy than either of the other named
counties.

I must conclude my rambles in Sutherland, but hope that
some more able and scientific pen than mine will be found to
describe the objects of natural history and of interest in the
county, which I have merely glanced at. These notes I now
commit to the public with all their errors and imperfections,
hoping that the fact of the incidents and remarks contained
in them, being the result of the personal and unprejudiced
observation of one more skilled in using the rifle than the
pen, will induce the reader to excuse their faults, and to look
more favourably on my scribbling than any merit of the
notes themselves may deserve.

FIELD NOTES FOE THE YEAR.

FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

CHAPTEK XII.

JANUARY.

Wood-pigeons— Feeding of Widgeon and Mallards— Wild Fowl— Water Rail
—Wild Duck Shooting— Change of Colour in Trout.

DURING the month of January the wood-pigeons commence
feeding greedily on the turnips. They do not, in my opinion,
dig into the roots with their bills, unless rabbits or rooks
have been before them to break the skin of the turnip. In
fact the wood -pigeon's bill is not at all adapted for cutting
into a frozen and unbroken turnip. The crops of those
which I kill at this season are full of the leaf of the turnip ;
and in feeding on these, they appear not to attack the centre
or heart of the green leaf, but to eat wholly the thin part of
it. The wood-pigeon feeds more particularly on the leaf of
the Swedish turnip, as being most succulent.

In the garden I see the titmice searching for, and feeding
on, the nests and eggs of the common garden spider. The
little blue tomtit is of great service to gardeners, as a de-
stroyer of many kinds of insects which would increase to a
most injurious extent without the aid of these prying little
fellows.

The thrushes begin to sing, and the corn-bunting and
yellow-hammer to utter their spring note.

In shooting along the bay and the streams, &c., which run
into it, I have been astonished this year (1846) by the
numbers of a new visitor to this country, the little auk. This
bird, though so rarely seen here, appears to have been driven
over this season in great flocks ; they are everywhere, and so
tame as to be easily knocked down with sticks and stones.

The widgeon and teal have now nearly acquired their full
plumage ; occasionally I bring home a drake- widgeon in his

102 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

perfect beauty of feather, but very few of them have entirely
put off their sober brown. The mallard has for some time
been in high beauty, and is most valuable to the dresser of
salmon-flies.

I see the widgeon come regularly now, at the ebb of the
tide, to feed on the grassy banks which are left uncovered by
the receding of the water. They first feed as they swim
round the edges of the small islands and banks ; but when
the tide begins to recede, the birds come out on the banks
and graze like geese.

This season the wild ducks have found out a new kind of
food — the remains of the diseased potatoes which have been
left in the fields. My attention was first called to their
feeding on them by observing that my domesticated wild
ducks had managed to dig well into a heap of half-rotten
potatoes, which had been put partly under ground, and then
covered over with a good thickness of earth, as being unfit
for pigs or any other animal. However, the wild ducks had
scented them out, arid although well supplied with food, they
had dug into the heap in all directions, feeding greedily on
the rotten potatoes ; in fact, leaving their corn for them. I
then found that the wild ducks from the bay flew every
evening to the potatoe-tields to feed on the roots which had
been left ; and so fond were they of them, that I often saw
the ducks rise from the fields in the middle of the day — in
the evening it was always a sure place to get a brace or two.
The mallard is very omnivorous at this season : in the crop
of one killed were oats, small seed, shrimps, and potatoes, all
the produce of his reseaches during the preceding night.

We find the remains of the little auk everywhere ; some I
have seen amongst the furze bushes, &c., at the distance of
fully four miles from the sea. They appeared to have been
driven there by the wind, and to have died entangled in such
unaccustomed ground. The remains which I found did not
appear to have been brought by crows, or any animal of
prey.

During the present severe frost, I am much amused with
the long-tail ducks, who at every flow of the tide swim, into
the bay, and often some way up the river, uttering their
most musical and singular cry, which at a distance resembles
the bugle-like note of the wild swan more than anything else.

As long as there is no collection of floating ice, the bay is
very full of birds, and the shores are enlivened with the

WATER-RAIL — WILD DUCKS. 103

large flock of oyster-catchers, redshanks, and an infinite
variety of other waders. The redshank begins now to utter the
peculiar whistle which indicates the return of spring : early
as it is, too, the jack-snipes, red-wings, fieldfares, &c., seem
to return northwards, as I see great numbers of these and
other birds, which had for the last month or two disappeared,
having, probably, then gone southwards.

The little water-rail seems to be a great wanderer. I find
its track, and the bird itself, in the most unlikely places ; for
instance, I put one up in a dry furze field, and my retriever
caught another in a hedge, at some distance from the water :
I took the latter bird home alive to show to my children.
When I took him out of my pocket, in which most unaccus-
tomed situation he had been for two hours, this strange little
creature looked about him with the greatest nonchalance
possible, showing fight at everything that came near him ;
and when, having gratified the curiosity of the children, we
turned him loose in a ditch of running water, he went away
jerking up his tail, and not seeming to hurry himself, or to
be in the least disconcerted.

In hard frosts during this month I get a great number of
wild ducks by waiting for an hour (the last hour of light)
near some open place in the lochs, or streams, where they
coine to feed. On my way home from shooting, when I have
been in the direction of the swamps, I often do this, and
generally succeed in filling my bag with mallards and
widgeon.

Just before sunset I take up my position in the midst of
two or three furze bushes, within easy shot of where a small
stream runs into one of the lakes, keeping the water con-
stantly open. Having given my retriever the biscuit which
I always carry for him on these cold days, I light my pipe
(the great comfort of the patient wild-fowl shooter), and look
out towards the bay for the mallards. The bay is nearly
half a mile off, but I can see the ducks between me and the
sky almost as soon as they leave it. At first a solitary pair
or two come, quietly and swiftly, probably making their way
to some favourite spring farther inland. However, with the
help of a cartridge, I bring down a brace from a great height
as they pass over ; sometimes tumbling on the ice of the loch
behind me, they are nearly split in two ; sometimes, when
winged, they fall in the rushy stream, and give the retriever
no small trouble and cold before he gets them ; however, he

104 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

always succeeds, and having brought the bird, and re-
ceived his reward of ship-biscuit, he lies down again, but
with eyes and ears all intent on what is going on. The sea-
gull, or heron, may pass, and he takes no notice of them ;
but the moment that a wild duck's quack, or the whistle of
his wings, is heard, the dog's ears erect themselves, and he
watches my face with a look of most inquiring eagerness. I
hear the wild swans " trumpeting " on the sea, but know
that they are not very likely to come where I am placed.
Presently, however, a brace of teal pitch suddenly, and
unexpectedly, within a few yards of me, having flitted in
from behind.

I kill the drake, but cannot get a shot at the duck, as she
flies low, and the smoke hanging heavily in the calm evening,
prevents my seeing her. However, all at once the mallards
begin to fly from the sea, and for half an hour or less I have
to load and fire as fast as I can, as they fly over. I prefer
shooting them on the wing, for if I let them pitch in the
water, my dog has a swim every time I kill one, and gets
half-dead with ice and frozen snow.

The mallards generally fly in from the sea rapidly, and at
no great height ; but it requires some practice to kill them,
as their flight is much quicker than it appears, and they
require a hard blow to kill them dead. If wounded only,
they fly off, and dropping at some distance, I can seldom get
them that night, owing to the approaching darkness. Some-
times my retriever marks the direction of a wounded duck
and gets it, but generally they are lost, and serve only to
feed the foxes, who seem to hunt for maimed birds regularly
round the lakes.

Having killed ten mallards and a teal, it becomes too dark
to shoot any more, although I still hear their wings as they
fly over my head Besides which, I have nearly three miles
to walk ; and my keeper, who has also killed two or three,
had, before we commenced duck shooting, sundry animals to
carry, the produce of my day's wanderings. We have to
walk home too, there being no road near these lakes. So,
after I have re-filled my pipe, and the old fellow has re-charged
his nose with a spoonful of snuff, we shoulder our game and
set off. Eight or ten fat mallards, too, are no slight load
over a rough track in the dark, so we keep the sands as far
as possible, listening to the different cries of the sandpipers,
curlews, and numerous kinds of wild fowl who feed on the

CHANGE OF COLOUR IN TROUT. 105

shallows and sandbanks during the night time. Occasionally
in the moonlight we catch a glimpse of the mallards as they
rise from some little stream or ditch which runs into the bay,
or we see a rabbit hurrying up at our approach, from the sea-
weed, which he had been nibbling.

In this way, with very little trouble, and often much
nearer home, I can generally reckon on getting some few
brace of wild ducks in the winter; shifting my place of
ambush according to the weather, the wind, &c., changes in
which cause the birds to take to different feeding-places.

Trout are not nearly so tender a fish as is generally
supposed. At the farm-yard here they have two trout,
about six inches or more in length, living in the wooden
trough out of which the cart horses drink. They were
caught in the river in August, and throughout all the
severe frost have lived, and apparently continued in good
condition, although sometimes in passing I have seen the
water in the trough so firmly frozen, and the ice ap-
parently reaching so low, that the trout had scarcely room to
swim. When fresh water is put in they always come to the
place where it is poured, and seem to look for any particles
of food or any insects that may come in with -it. They feed
on worms which the boys often bring them, and which they
take immediately, without fear. The change of colour in
fish is very remarkable, and takes place with great rapidity.
Put a living Hack burn trout into a white basin of water, and
it becomes, within half an hour,* of a light colour. Keep the
fish living in a white jar for some days, and it becomes
absolutely white ; but put it into a dark-coloured or black
vessel, and although on first being placed there the white-
coloured fish shows most conspicuously on the black -ground,
in a quarter of an hour it becomes as dark-coloured as the
bottom of the jar, and consequently difficult to be seen. No
doubt this facility of adapting its colour to the bottom of the
water in which it lives, is of the greatest service to the fish
in protecting it from its numerous enemies. All anglers
must have observed that in every stream the trout are very
much of the same colour as the gravel or sand on which they
live : whether this change of colour is a voluntary or involun-
tary act on the part of the fish I leave it for the scientific to
determine.

* In the case of some fish the change is perceptible in five minutes.

106 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR
CHAPTER XIII.

FEBRUARY.

Change of Colour in Stoats — Affection of Otters for their Young — Roe-li anting
— Attachment of Birds to their Mates — Food of Fieldfares during Snow — -
Widgeon — Wildfowl Shooting at Spynie — Incidents in Shooting — Winged
Swan— Cats— Food of Wild Geese— Brent Goose.

February 2nd. — FEBEUARY is always with us the most snowy
month of the year. I find that, in my journal for the first
week of this month, during several years, it is generally
marked down that the country is clothed in snow. The
quantity of floating snow and ice which conies down the
river fills the bay, and sends the wild-fowl to some less
dreary part of the country. Occasionally a golden eye or
long-tailed duck pitches in some clear spot of the river, but
is almost immediately driven out again by the floating ice.
In some places the course of the river is quite altered, being
choked up by the accumulation of ice on the shallows, and
the water takes some new run. What becomes of the fish
during this kind of weather ?

The rooks dig deep into the snow, and plough up the young
wheat in great quantities with their strong bills. The stoats
are now pure white in almost every instance, although I shot
one on the 3rd of this month who had only very partially
acquired his winter colour. My rabbit beagles ran him for a
long time full cry on some rough ground. Whenever the
stoat went into a rabbit-hole I turned him out again with a
ferret, in this way running him till I killed him.

While the river is in this state of confusion with ice, &c., I
see that the otters take themselves to the unfrozen ditches
and springs to hunt for eels and flounders, which fish they
feed on apparently with great perseverance, if one can judge
by the distance they hunt for them in the snow. The otter,
judging from the ground he goes over, must commence
moving as soon as it is dark, and continue his hunting till
nearly daylight.

Notwithstanding the shyness of the otter, this animal is
very determined in the defence of its young ones, and boldly
confronts a person who takes one of them up. My keeper
tells me that he has seen an old otter feeding her young with
fish : the two young ones were sitting on a flat stone at the
edge of the burn when their parent brought them a good-
sized trout. They immediately both seized the fish, pulling

HUNTING THE ROE. 107

and tearing at it like two bull-dog puppies. At last they
came to a pitched battle with each other, biting, squealing,
and tugging, and leaving the trout to its fate. On this the
old one interfered, and making them quiet, gave the trout to
one of them as his own. The other young one, on seeing the
parent do this, no longer interfered, but sat quietly looking
on, till the old otter (who in the meantime had renewed her
fishing) came back with a large trout for it also.

When she brings a fish to the shore for her young ones,
she calls them by a kind of loud whistling cry. Altogether
this is a most interesting animal, graceful in its movements,
and in salmon rivers not nearly so destructive and injurious
as he is supposed to be, feeding on eels, flounders, and trout
far more than on salmon : in such situations he is most un-
justly persecuted.

The roe now are in perfect condition, and I find the snow
does not in the least spoil the scent in hunting them with
beagles. It is a very amusing kind of shooting where the
woods are sufficiently broken and interspersed with open
ground, so as to enable one to see both roe and hounds
pretty often. In drawing the large woods I am often
annoyed by the hounds going off after a fox, who generally
leads them straight away for several miles, tires the little
beagles, and finally escapes into his earth without getting
shot : but occasionally he pays for his depredations, notwith-
standing his cunning.

Soon after throwing off in one of the large covers near the
sea, the hounds begin to find the cold scent of roe, and
gradually working up to the thickets, often start the animal
in view. Away they then go, making the woods echo again
with their deep tones, the younger dogs taking the lead. The
roe at first tries to avoid leaving the first division of wood in
which he is found, but on the hounds sticking to him, he
crosses some wide, open heather and swamp to the higher
grounds. Here the trees are older, with little underwood.;
so after a rattling run through all this, I can reckon on their
crossing the swamps again to the thickets, where the buck
was first found. He comes to the head of the brae and
stands listening to the hounds, carefully examining the wide
• flats of heath, wood, and swamp below him. The hounds
come nearer and nearer, and still the buck seems unwilling
to cross the open ground. At last the dogs are close to him,
and then only he descends the bank, springing over the

108 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

juniper, which is frequently six feet high, the staunch little
pack threading t'neir way through it. Across they go, and
over the swamps, the buck springing from hillock to hillock
wherever he can find footing. The beagles make their way
wonderfully, often in view, but as often tumbling into the
holes of water which they sometimes can scarcely get out of ;
however, I am generally at hand to help them, and once
again on terra firma, off they go headed by old " Durwood,"
who begins now to think of killing. Straight through the
thicket where we first found, across a wide tract of smaller
and more open wood they run without a moment's check,
startling the blackcocks, who, rising as the hounds pass,
perch on the summits of the fir-trees, looking down with
wonder at what is going on. Away goes the roe, not fifty
yards ahead of his persevering little followers, and they are
now all in a wide tract of fir-wood, with the rankest heather
in it that I ever saw : straight through this they go to the very
sea-shore, putting up the curlews as they skirt the sands.
But it is of no use ; the beagles become more eager every
moment, and after half an hour's hard running round this
tract near the shore, the buck seems suddenly to change his
mind, and turns directly inland again, at a sharp angle to
his course. A short, but very short check ensues ; the
hounds are soon in full cry again, and after pressing him
hard through the cover, he is driven to some sandy hillocks
in the midst of the wilderness — and here comes the trial of
the hounds. Up and down, and round and round every one
of these does the roe go at a foot's pace, but manag-
ing to keep always out of view ; by this he recovers wind ;
and, going slowly over the dry sand, leaves as little scent as

It won't do, however : the beagles, headed by the old dog,
stick to his track, and wind in and out the hillocks after
him, keeping the scent in a manner that is quite incredible.
Away goes the buck again to try a new scheme. He sud-
denly dashes across a wide opening and gets to some high
close furze : through this he winds his way, followed, however,
by the relentless hounds, who, regardless of rabbits, &c., stick
to his scent, although it is getting colder and colder. The
evening is coming on, and the frost is becoming severer. The
rabbits, too, help to put the dogs out. But the roe is viewed
as he passes out of the furze, and we run him over some high
hillocks which have great clumps of furze on them. Here

LARGE FOX KILLED. 109

again we suddenly come to a check; but, after searching
some time in vain for his track or scent, I unexpectedly find
his footmark in a deep dry drain which divides the pasturage
from the wooded wilderness. There is no mistaking it. So
I call the dogs, who, tired and stiff as they are, come joyfully
to the holloa. At first they only sniff in an uncertain man-
ner up the drain ; but at last the youngest hound gives
tongue at a spot where some grass or heather had retained
the scent longer than elsewhere, and they are all soon again in
full cry. I still keep with the hounds to help and encourage
them, when presently I hear a shot, and rightly guess that
my friend, whom I had left shivering long ago in a pass, had
killed the roe. He turned out to be a fine buck ; so after
paunching him, and rewarding the dogs with blood and liver,
&c., &c., which they wait patiently for, not attempting to
tear the animal itself, we get it conveyed to the place where
I had left my car.

Passing through a wood on our way, the old hound, who
was not coupled, suddenly threw up his nose, and before I
could prevent him was off in full cry into the cover. I
managed to stop the rest of the dogs, not wishing them to
have any more running, as they were all tired out, and went
alone to get back Durwood. From his tone I soon knew that
it was a fox he was after, as when hunting this animal his
cry was always different from what it was when on the scent
of a roe. 1 found it of no use going through the cover ; so I
waited in the wide road towards which he seemed coming.
Presently, quick as lightning, and without the slightest
noise, a very large dog-fox sprang into the road. He snuffed
the air right and left with an eager look, but seemed not to
observe me, for I was standing quite still close to the trunk
of a birch tree. He then listened to the hound ; and finding
that he was going eastward, the fox came trotting up the
road directly towards me. When within about eighty yards
he suddenly stopped, and seemed to suspect my presence.
I had had my gun up to my shoulder for some time ; and the
moment, he stopped I pulled the trigger, trusting to a B. B.
cartridge, notwithstanding the distance. He immediately
began tumbling about, dancing on his head, and springing
into the air. I ran up to give him the contents of the other
barrel, which was loaded with small shot, but he had dis-
appeared ; however, with the help of the hound, who had
now come up, I found him within twenty yards of the road.
8

110 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

He was shot in the chest, and was in the very act of giving
up the ghost when we came to him. In this country all
ways of killing foxes are considered fair, as limiting is out of
the question ; and if they are not kept down they destroy
every kind of game, lambs, and poultry.

Feb. 8. — I shot a female pochard to-day, one out of a large
flock : the rest, of course, all flew away. But presently a
male bird, probably the mate of the one I had killed, came
flying back from the lake to which the flock had gone, and
after passing once or twice low over the place where I had
shot her, he pitched on the water and swam about, searching
eagerly for his lost companion. He then went off to the
flock again ; but soon returned a second time to look for the
hen. Three times did he go and return in the same manner,
till at last he seemed to give it up as hopeless.

I have observed the same attachment to their mates in
common wild ducks, teal, swans, &c., as well as in many
other birds. I remember an instance of a hen grouse being
caught by the leg in a common vermin trap which had been
set for ravens. It happened that the trap was not looked at
till late the following day, when we found that the cock
grouse had brought and laid close to his unfortunate mate a
quantity of young heather shoots : they were enough to have
nearly filled a hat, and the poor bird must have been em-
ployed many hours in collecting them. I cannot express
how grieved I was at the hen having been caught.

Great numbers of fieldfares come down during the snowy
weather to the fields to fe^d on the turnips. - They dig holes
into the roots to an extent that astonished me. I shot two
or three. They are very fat ; but smell and taste so strongly
of turnips that they are quite uneatable.

The widgeons leave the bay, which is nearly covered with
ice, and feed on the clover fields, digging under the snow
with their bills to get at the herbage. I never saw them do
so before in this county ; indeed it is very seldom that the
snow in Morayshire remains long enough on the ground, at
least in the district near the sea, to annoy the wild fowl to
any extent.

While the snow is soft and newly fallen, the rabbits
seldom go fifty ya^ds from their seat of the day before, and
constantly return to the same bush.

About the middle of this month I was shooting, with
Captain Cumrning, at the loch of Spynie, which I consider to

WIDGEON IN LOCH SPYNIE. Ill

be about the best loch in the North for wild-fowl shooting.
Its situation is excellent ; and being for the most part shal-
low, and covered with grass, rushes, and tall reeds, it is per-
fectly adapted in every way for sheltering and breeding all
sorts of wild-fowl ; they resort there in incredible numbers,
and of every kind, from the swan to the teal. When, in the
evening, we took up position near the old potatoe fields, we
generally killed several mallards, as they feed constantly on
these roots.

The widgeon in this loch are remarkably fine, arid seem to
come early into good plumage. There would appear to be a
great proportion of drakes in the nocks of these birds, as out
of ten widgeon killed there was only one duck. The flight
of the widgeon in the evening, as they leave the deeper parts
of the lake for the grassy margin, is very amusing. AVhen
the}' first rise, and before we can see them, we hear their
peculiar whistle ; and they almost immediately appear flying
in small companies with great swiftness to their destination.
This whistling sound, which they utter during their flight, is
quite different from their cry while swimming and playing
on the water. It requires a very quick eye and a good
retriever to bag many birds in this twilight shooting; but
Captain dimming, alone, killed fourteen mallards and a
widgeon one evening while I was there. This was excellent
work, considering that it was only for a short time during the
dusk that he could shoot, that they were all single shots, and
that every bird had to be retrieved out of water overgrown
with rushes, &c. The widgeon have already began to fly in
pairs.

In the middle of February the peewits begin to appear
here. The exact day depends chiefly on the state of the
weather : the first break up of the snow and ice generally
brings them. About the same time I hear the coo of the
wood-pigeons, who now come near the house for protection.
This they do every year as the breeding season approaches.

Three otters are frequenting the mouth of the river, ap-
parently fishing for the flounders left in the pools near the
sea. The keeper is pretty sure of catching them by putting
traps at the places where they leave the water on their way
up the stream after fishing. Whilst going down the .otter
seldom leaves the water at all ; but unintermittingly fishes
his way to the sea : coming up, he takes the land at all the
rapids and strong streams. Two rather singular and yet

112 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

similar things happened to me one day whilst I was wild-fowl
shooting. I shot at a mallard, a considerable distance from
me, and evidently struck him, as after flying some distance to
the windward he pitched in a grass field : but on my approach
he rose again and went at a great height down wind towards
the sea. I happened to keep my glass on him, and when he
was about a quarter of a mile off I saw him turn over in the
air and fall. On coming up to the place I found the bird
quite alive, but with his wing broken close to the body. The
shot must have struck the bone without breaking it. The
singular part of the affair was that the bird could battle
against strong wind for at least a quarter of a mile without
the injured bone giving way. In the evening we went to wait
at a pool for ducks. Just as it got dark a rushing noise was
heard, and a pair of "swans skimmed rapidly over the old
keeper's head, and pitched in the water, making a monstrous
wave. They did not see us, and immediately began to feed.
It was getting dark, and the old man, not wishing to lose a
chance, got up from his hiding place and ran quickly to the
water's edge, firing both barrels at the largest bird as it flew
away. His gun was only loaded with No. 3, and the distance,
as we afterwards found, was above forty yards. Both the
swans flew on for some distance, until we suddenly saw the
wing of one give way, and down came the bird into the pool,
which was of considerable size, although shallow. I had left
my retriever at home to rest, and before I could stop him, in
went the old man, and then began a chase which I have
seldom seen equalled. Although the water was shallow, the
bottom was uneven ; and every minute down went Donald
head foremost. I called to him to let me shoot the bird, and
leave it to drift to the shore ; but all in vain. On he went,
tumbling over and over, and the swan swimming and struggling
in the water close to him, making an immense splashing and
noise. They got quite away from me ; and I had nothing left
but to sit down and watch the chase as well as I could
through the approaching darkness. At last he hemmed the
bird into a rushy corner of the loch, and caught her. But
this was no sooner done, than the swan, by her flapping and
struggling, tripped him up, and got away again, leaving her
antagonist flat in the water. Then, and not till then, he
began to load his gun, which he had to my great wonderment
contrived to carry all the time high over his head ; but. of
course, notwithstanding all his care, it had got quite wet and

WINGED SWAN— WILD CATS. 113

would not go off, and the conflict ended at last by a lucky
blow from the barrels which stunned the swan. I was amused
at the boyish eagerness of so old a stager ; particularly as we
never lost a shot at ducks or anything else without his laying
it to my fault. I "had lifted my head too high" or done
something else showing my want of tact. The poor fellow
was in a sad plight, being ducked to the skin all over with
half frozen water. However, I made him walk quickly home,
and he got no damage from his exploit. The swan weighed
18 Ibs., and measured above seven feet from tip to tip. We
found that many shots had struck the wing feathers without
breaking them.

Towards the end of February, whenever the ground is soft,
the badgers leave their holes, and wander far and near,
digging up the ground like pigs, in the fields as well as in the
woods.

The wild cats are brindled grey, and I have observed that
domestic cats of the same colour are more inclined to take to
the woods and hunt for themselves than any others. When
they do so they invariably grow very large, and are most
destructive to game of all kinds. A large cat of this colour
found out some tame rabbits belonging to my boys, and killed
several of them. At last we saw him come out of a hole
where some white rabbits were breeding; and he was shot.
The brute had evidently been living on them for some time.

At this season the bean goose and the pink-footed goose
feed very much on a coarse red-coloured grass which grows
in the peat mosses. They pull it up and eat the root, which
is somewhat bulbous shaped. While feeding on it they
become very heavy and fat, and have no strong or disagreeable
flavour.

Though these two kinds of geese both feed and fly together,
still while on the wing and while on the ground they keep
somewhat apart. The bean geese are far the most numerous;
but there is generally a small company of the pink-footed
kind with them, and no one but a close observer would
perceive that they do not associate as closely as if they all
belonged to one family.

A wounded brent goose, which I brought home, very soon
became tame, and fed fearlessly close to us ; indeed, I have
frequently observed the same inclination to tameness in this
beautiful kind of goose.

114 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

CHAPTER XI V.

MARCH.

Wild Swans — Loch of Spynie ; Wild Fowl on it — Pochard — Carrion Crows —
Death of Wild Swan— Domestication of Wild Fowl ; flavour of— Arrival
of Geese.

EVERY day now shows the approach of spring. The mallards
are in pairs in all the pools near the lakes, taking to the
larger sheets of water only during the daytime. My boys
catch plenty of sea trout in the river ; these fish rise better
in the month of March than at any other time. I have seen
for sonic time six wild swans on one of the lakes ; they
appear to be of two different kinds, three of them being
much larger than the others. The larger birds, too, are much
more wary and wild than the smaller ; at the head of them
all is the largest swan I ever saw.

The swans frequent one particular lake, seldom alighting
on any other piece of water. This lake is peculiarly open,
and very difficult of approach, which is doubtless one reason
for their fixing on it ; another is, that in many places it is so
shallow that they can reach with their long necks the grassy
plants growing at the bottom, on the roots of which plants
they feed. Whenever I go that way there are these swans
surrounded by numbers of ducks, widgeon, teal, &c., who are
feeding with them and looking out for the scraps and rem-
nants of the plants which they pull up.

Day by day, at the beginning of March, the brent geese
seem to increase in numbers : they feed on the grassy banks
on the shores of the neck of land called the " Bar."

I drove over to Gordonston to shoot ducks on Spynie.
Although the lochs were crowded with birds, the day was too
fine and calm to enable me to kill many. However, I man-
aged to shoot a few mallards and teal by rowing along and
quietly in and out the tall reeds which grow in patches on
the lake. The teal are now very lively, flying constantly in
small companies and keeping up a perpetual whistling. The
coots are always conspicuous amongst the other wild fowl,
swimming high in the water and moving quickly about. On
the islands I found several otter seats in the rushes, where
they appear to make forms like hares.

The keeper caught a beautiful male pochard which had
been wounded somewhere in the body, b^^t apparently was
not much hurt, although disabled from flying. I took it

CROWS— BADGERS— ROOKS. 115

home with me alive, and turned it into a small enclosure,
where it amused us much by its tameness and confidence,
beginning to eat worms and porridge immediately, and seem-
ing to enjoy itself in this new situation as much as if it had
been always accustomed to it.

There are no enemies so destructive to the wild fowl as the
carrion or rather the hooded crow, which is the kind we
have here. Eggs and young birds all come alike to these
robbers, but the keeper at Spynie manages to kill great
numbers of them by poison ; he uses strychnia, a very small
quantity of which kills the crow on the spot.

The badgers hunt more and more every day at this season
if the weather is open, and apparently they wander several
miles from their home.

On the 2nd of March I see the rooks building. There is
much snow on the mountains, but the low country is quite
clear.

The principal wild fowl on Loch Spynie, Loch Lee, &c.,
just now, are mallards, sheldrakes, widgeons, teals, pintails,
scaup ducks, pochards, golden eyes, a few swans, bald coots
and waterhens, besides an infinity of gulls, redshanks, plovers,
peewits, curlews, &c. They all keep up a constant calling
and noise, in the morning and evening particularly. All the
ducks, though collected in flocks, still keep in pairs, so that
when a large flock is on wing, it seems to consist wholly of
different pairs of birds.

I have tried two or three days to get at the largest wild
swan on Loch Lee, but without success; my fruitless attempts
I do not mark down — -Haras non numero nisi serenas. How-
ever, on the 6th, a fine sunny day, as I passed at some distance
from the lake where the swans were feeding, they rose and
alighted on the largest of the pieces of water; seeing this,
and that they were not inclined to take to the sea im-
mediately, I sent the boy who was with me round the lake
where they were, while I made my preparations for receiving
them at their feeding lake, supposing that they would return
to it if allowed to rest for an hour or so and then quietly
moved ; even if they did not alight, I knew that I was pretty
sure of their line of flight to the sea, and they seldom flew
very high. I waded across part of the loch to an island,
where I determined to await them, and set to work to make
up a hiding-place of long heather, &c. This done, I loaded
my gun with large shot and cartridges, and established my-

116 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

self behind my barricade. With my glass I saw the boy and
retriever go round towards them; the appearance of the
swans floating quietly on the water was most picturesque,
their white forms being clearly defined on the dark blue
water, and their shadows almost as distinct as themselves.
They all held their heads erect, watching the boy, who, as he
had been instructed, walked to and fro opposite the birds
and sufficiently near to put them up, but without appearing
to be in pursuit of them. I hoped by this means to drive
them over to the loch where I was concealed without frighten-
ing them so much as to make them take off to the sea; but
they seemed so unwilling to rise, and so little afraid of the
boy, whom they appeared to look at with curiosity rather
than alarm, that I struck a light in order to smoke the pipe
of patience and resignation, for, fine as the day was for
March, my situation in a damp island and wet through above
iny knees began to be uncomfortable.

The latakia was not half puffed away when I heard the
well-known warning cry of the swans, and immediately look-
ing round saw them just flapping along the water preparatory
to their flight. Cocking my gun, and holding the pipe
tighter in my teeth, I waited anxiously to see in what
direction they would fly. At first they made straight east-
ward, as if off' for the bay of Findhorn, but after a short flight
in that direction they turned, and I saw them coming three
and three together, as usual, straight towards where I was
concealed. In a few minutes they were exactly over my
head, at a good height, but still within shot, flying with their
long necks stretched straight out and their black feet tucked
up, but plainly visible as they passed over me. I stood up
and took a deliberate aim at the largest of them as he
ascended higher into the air at my unexpected appearance.
The first barrel seemed to have little effect on him, though I
distinctly heard the shot rattle on his strong quills ; the
second, however, which was loaded with larger shot, was
more effective : whilst his two companions continued crying
to each other, he remained silent. However, he kept up with
the rest, and they all went off towards the bay. In the
meantime three smaller swans came within twenty yards of
me or less, trumpeting and calling loudly.

With the glass I watched the bird I had fired at, as I knew
he was hard hit. He still, however, held his way with the
rest, and they were gradually getting indistinct when I

DEATH OF A LARGE SWAN. 117

suddenly saw him rise straight up into the air, his snowy
plumage shining as it caught the rays of the sun. I saw him
a second time rise perpendicularly to a great height ; he then
suddenly turned backwards in the air and tumbled headlong
to the ground perfectly dead. He was above half a mile or
more from me, in the direction of the bay, and the whole
intervening ground was covered with sand-hills and bent, so
that I could not see the exact spot where he fell, whether on
the dry ground or in the sea. However, I marked the
direction as well as I could, and set off after him.

Large as he was, I had a long and for some time a fruitless
search amongst the broken sand-hills. I scanned the bay
with the glass in vain, and then came back towards the
lochs. At last I hit upon him by finding a quantity of blood
on the sand, and following the drops, which had fallen almost
in a stream : in fact the track of blood, though falling from
such a height, was as conspicuous as that of a wounded hare
on snow. At length 1 came to the swan, who was lying
stretched out on the sand, and a noble bird he was. I
shouldered him as well as his great length would enable me
to do, and carried him back to where the boy was waiting
for me. I found him, too, no slight burden ; he weighed
above 27 Ibs. ; the breadth between his wings 8 feet, and his
length 5 feet. Of all the swans I ever killed he was by far
the largest, the usual weight being from 15 to 18 Ibs.

The pochard which I brought home from Spynie remains
quite contented and goes about with the other ducks. He
will eat whatever they feed upon, but prefers worms to every-
thing else, showing great activity in diving for them when
they are flung into the water. If they are given to him on
land, he usually carries each worm to the water before eating
it. Even when brought into the house he seems quite at
home. Many kinds of wild fowl might, with a little care, be
perfectly domesticated, and I have no doubt would breed
freely. Care must, however, be taken to prevent their flying
away at the migrating seasons, and also to keep them at
home when they begin to make their nests, as at that time
they seem inclined to wander off in search of quiet and un-
disturbed places. I have no doubt that the sheldrake might
be tamed in this way, and after a few generations of them
had been bred at home, that these birds would become as
useful for the table as our common ducks, and would be far
more ornamental.

118 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

After two or three generations of any bird have been
domesticated the young ones lose all their wild inclinations,
tameness becoming hereditary with them, as skill and the
power of benefiting by education become hereditary in dogs
to a very striking degree.

Though the flesh of the wild sheldrake is quite unfit to eat,
being excessively rank and fishy, the birds, if domesticated
and fed on proper food, would soon lose this strong flavour.
The common mallard, though so excellent a bird when feeding
in the stubble fields, is often rank and bad when driven by
deep snows and frost to feed on seaweed, shellfish, &c.
Widgeon and brent geese also, and in fact all wild fowl, are
good or bad eating according to where they feed, in the same
way that the dog of the Chinese, which is fatted for the table,
must be very unlike in flavour to a foxhound who has been
fed on horseflesh.

The bernacle goose seldom pays us a visit, but I saw a few
one day near the bar. I had one of my boys with me, who
was anxious to get a shot at a wild swan which was swimming
about one of the lochs, and when we came back from an
unsuccessful pursuit of him the geese had left the place. This
bird is numerous only on the west coast.

About the 20th of March I s iw a few white-fronted geese
feeding in the swamps near the lakes.

On the 22nd the dabchicks come to their breeding places
in the smaller lochs, where there are plenty of rushes, and
the sheldrakes now come frequently inland. About the
middle of March the black-backed gulls are very noisy in the
bay.

As the old keeper saw some bean geese pass over the house,
I took a long walk on the 12th to look for them in their
usual feeding-places, but without success. The old man, a
true "laudator temporis acti," complains that the whole
country is spoilt by " drainings and improvements," which
banish the wild fowl from their former haunts.

When the frogs begin to croak in the pools and ditches the
mallards are sure to be found in these places every evening
and morning.

23rd. — Nunc avis in ramo tecta laremque parat. The wood-
pigeons are building in the shrubberies close to the window.

How beautifully the different birds are constructed for
their different modes of feeding ! The tender nerves at the
end of the bills of the woodcock, snipe, and curlew enable

HOW BIRDS PROCURE THEIR FOOD. 119

them to find their food under ground as correctly as if it were
within full view. The oyster-catcher can detach from the
rock and break up mussels and other shellfish. The oyster -
catcher, by the bye, can have little to do with oysters except
in name, for strong as he is, he could scarcely manage to find
his living if condemned to feed on oysters alone. The bill of
the merganser and other birds of that kind is perfectly
adapted, by means of its curved teeth, to hold their slippery
prey, while the inward sloping plates in the wild duck's bill
are equally suited for retaining the small worms, &c,, on which
they feed. The carrion-feeding ravens and other birds of
that class have a most perfect and powerful weapon in their
strong and sharp bills. The crossbill, too, shears off the fir-
cones and extracts the seeds with his clumsy -looking bill with
a facility that no other shaped tool would afford him. In
short, go through the list of all birds, and you wrill find that
each one is perfectly adapted in form and powers for procuring
its peculiar food.

Whilst talking of the food of birds I cannot help adverting
to the absurd idea of woodcocks and snipes living "by
suction," which you see gravely affirmed as a fact ; whereas a
snipe or woodcock is as great an eater as any bird I know.
Anyone who has kept either of these birds in confinement
well knows what difficulty he has had in supplying them with
sufficient worms to satisfy their ravenous appetite. My friend,
Mr. Hancock, tells me that he has succeeded in keeping many
kinds of sandpipers, and even the common snipe, alive and in
good health by feeding them principally on boiled liver
minced small, which seems to approximate more closely to
the usual food of insectivorous and worm-eating birds than
any other substance.

It is amusing to see the arrival of the larger flocks of geese
about this time of year. A few small companies of pink-
footed and white-fronted geese usually arrive early in the
month, but about the 28th, and generally on some quiet even-
ing, immense flights of the bean goose arrive in the Findhorn
Bay. They come in, just about sunset, in four or five large
flocks, and an infinite quantity of gabbling and chattering
takes place for several hours ; but by daybreak they seem to '
have determined on their respective beats, and separating
into smaller flocks disperse over the land, and do not collect
again in very numerous flocks until they are about to leave
that part of the country at the end of April or the beginning

120 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YE AY.

of May. The wild geese decrease in number every year ; the
grey lag goose is fa very rare visitor to the oat-fields here,
although so many breed in Sutherlandshire.

The woodcocks are more numerous at this time of year in
the larger woods than during any part of the winter : they
pair early, and have probably before this time taken up their
breeding quarters. Those which breed abroad do not leave
this country till just before their time of laying. I am much
inclined to think that most birds which migrate from us in
the spring pair some time before they take their departure.

CHAPTEK XV.

APRIL.

Field Mice — Brent Geese — Arrival of Migratory ]>irds — Instinct of Crows in
Feeding — Instinct of Thrushes — Disappointments in Shooting Wild
Geese— Death of White-fronted Geese -Shetland Pony— Heronry-
Anecdote of Roebuck— Wild Duck's Nest.

THE wild geese which came a few days ago have now entirely
disappeared, either in consequence of finding no oats sown,
or from some impending change of weather on the higher
grounds.

The field-mice on the approach of cold and wet shut up
the mouths of their holes. There are a great many of these
little animals in some of the fields near the house, notwith-
standing the quantity killed by the owls, who come down
from the large woods every night, and hunt in the cultivated
grounds.

Immense numbers of brent geese float with every tide into
the bays formed by the bar. As the tide recedes they land
on the grass and feed in closely-packed flocks. On the land
they are light active birds, walking quickly, and with a
graceful carriage. On any alarm, before rising, they run
together as close as they can ; thus affording a good chance
to the shooter, who may be concealed near enough, of mak-
ing his shot tell among their heads and necks. All geese
and swans have this habit of crowding together when first
alarmed.

April is an interesting month to the ornithologist, as it is
then that most of the migratory birds change their quarters,
some leaving us, and others arriving. The regularity of
their going and coming is very surprising. Unless change

AERIVAL OF MIGRATORY BIRDS. 121

of weather or very severe winds interfere, the arrival and
departure of most birds may be calculated nearly to a day.

For the last two years I have first seen the martins on the
25th of April, and the common chimney swallow on the 27th.
The terns also come at the same time. Indeed in both years
1 have seen them on the same day, i.e. the 27th. On the
30th the fieldfares still remain, but not in the same numbers
as they were a few days ago. On the 28th large flocks both
of fieldfares and redwings passed by us on their way to the
northward. A few pair of these birds breed, I am told, in
the large woods near the Spey. And this year (1848) I was
shown a nest and eggs, brought from that district by a
brother of Mr. Dunbar. He described it as having been
placed near the ground.

Mr. Hancock tells me that in Norway, where he has seen
them breeding, the fieldfares make their nests in very large
companies, a great many being placed on each tree, and for
the most part at a considerable height from the ground.

The last jack-snipe that I killed this year was on the 18th
of April. Indeed I do not remember ever killing one after
that time. I shot a green shank on the same day. The latter
bird breeds commonly in Sutherlandshire. But I have never
ascertained that the jack-snipe's nest was seen, or indeed
that the bird is known to breed, in that county. The
widgeons began to decrease in numbers. I do not understand
the moulting of these birds : for at the very time when they
leave us, many of the male birds have not attained their full
plumage. Those who frequent the salt water are more back-
ward in this respect than such as feed in the fresh waters ;
nor are the former ever in such good condition, or so well
flavoured, as the latter.

There are very large flocks of the oyster-catcher, the
curlew, and the knot on the sand banks, &c. Whenever
these birds want to alight on any spot, if the wind is at all
high they invariably pitch with their heads straight to wind-
ward ; if they come down the wind to their resting-place,
they first fly past it, and then turning back against the wind,
alight with their heads in that direction.

At this season salmon and trout frequent those parts of the
river where the stream is the slowest, or lie in dead water,
apparently not having the strength, which, in the warm
weather, enables them to lie perfectly at their ease in the
strongest rapid.

122 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

Amongst the curious instincts which birds display in pro-
viding themselves with food, one most resembling reason is
that which teaches the common crow, on finding on the
shore a shell containing fish, to fly with it to a height in the
air, and then to let it drop in order to break the shell
sufficiently to get at the fish enclosed in it. When the shell
does not break the first time that the crow drops it, she darts
down, picks it up, and ascends still higher, till she perceives
that the height is sufficient for her purpose. Sometimes
another crow darts in to carry off the booty ; upon which a
battle ensues in the air. Cunning as the crow is, she seldom
finds any prize without letting all the neighbourhood know
of it by her cries and gestures. With perfect truth the
ancient poet said —

' ' Tacitus pasci, si posset corvus, haberet
Plus dapis, et rixaa raulto minus invidiseque."

The crows collect great numbers of sea-shells on particular
favourite hillocks, which are often some distance from the
sea. I have frequently observed in this country great col-
lections of this kind, and from the state of the shells it would
appear that they bring them to the same place for many
successive years.

In some of the woods the thrushes and blackbirds carry the
land-shells to certain fixed stones against which they break
them, in order to get at the snails. In a wood of " Brodie,"
where the round yellow and black-striped shell (Helix
nemoralis) is abundant, owing, I conclude, to the rocks under
the surface being limestone, I watched two thrushes bring
several of these shells in a very short space of time ; they
knocked them against the stone, and if that did not do, they
stuck the shell in a crevice and hammered away at it until
they extracted "the snail, with which they then flew away,
probably to feed their young. Whenever I passed through
the wood I always visited the thrushes' stone, and found an
increasing heap of broken shells. Most birds, if carefully
watched, would be found to have recourse to various most
surprising expedients in order to obtain food for themselves
and their young.

In this country April is the best month for the bean-geese,
yet many weary and often fruitless miles I have walked in
pursuit of them. There is something in the wildness and
wariness of this fine bird that makes it a peculiarly attractive
object of pursuit ; but wild goose shooting is

"Omnium rerum incertissima. "

STALKING WILD GEESE. 123

When I have concealed myself in one of my hiding-places
in a newly-sown field of oats or peas, the geese, after keeping
me perhaps a long time waiting, may arrive at last ; and
alighting on the field, may commence feeding without any
suspicion of danger till they come nearly within shot. But
although concealed from the geese, I may be visible in a
different direction, when a couple of villainous large black-
backed gulls — as happened to-day — came by, and seeing me
lying in wait in a suspicious manner, immediately commenced
screaming and wheeling over my head. The geese, who are
all dispersed in the field, no sooner hear the gulk than they
run rapidly together away from me, for they know by the
direction in which the gulls are looking where the danger is ;
they then rise and betake themselves straight to the sea,
leaving me without the chance of a shot, after all the trouble
I have had in preparing an ambuscade.

One day this month, too, after endeavouring for some time
to approach unseen some white-fronted geese, one of which I
was very anxious to procure for a friend, I saw the birds go
to a pool where I knew I could get within shot of them
without the least trouble. So making a considerable circuit,
I arrived at a part of the ground from which my approaching
the geese was perfectly easy. But just then some peewits
saw me as I was advancing in a crouching attitude up to the
birds. Had I been walking upright, these peewits would not
have taken any notice of me ; but the moment that they saw
me stooping to conceal myself, they attacked me with
screams and cries of alarm sufficient to warn all the country.
The geese of course took wing, and left me to return as I
came.

To stalk a flock of wild geese when feeding is as difficult,
if not more so, as to stalk a stag. Erom the nature of the
ground which they feed on, and their unwearied vigilance,
unless you have concealed yourself beforehand within reach
of their feeding-place, it is nearly impossible to approach
them. Even if some half-dry ditch or drain passes through
the field, and is of sufficient depth to hide the sportsman,
supposing he has strength enough of back and of resolution
to walk in a stooping position up to his knees in cold water
for some hundreds of yards, still the birds are most unwilling
to approach any such line of 'ditch, or indeed any other place
which can possibly conceal an enemy.

One of my boys, however, succeeded in getting at this same

124 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

flock of white-fronted geese in a place where a man could
never have done so. He was out for a walk with a gentleman
who was staying with me, to whom he was acting as cicerone
or guide to the lochs, as I was unable for some reason to go
out with him myself. The little boy took the telescope,
which their attendant carried, and having looked along the
shores of the lakes and through all the likely parts of the
ground, which he knew as well as I did, from having
frequently ridden that way to join me, he shut up the glass
with the exclamation, characteristic of a deerstalker — "There
they are ! " My friend's question of course was — " Who are
there ? " And on being told it was a flock of geese, he at
once understood why he had been led on from point to point
under different excuses : for he had good-naturedly followed
passively wherever he was told to go. Having been shown
the geese, he sat down with the glass and allowed the child
to attempt the task of stalking them, but without having the
slightest expectation of his success.

Having watched him for some time till he became invisible,
having apparently sunk into the ground amongst the rushes
and long grass, his attention was next attracted by seeing the
geese suddenly rise, and almost immediately perceiving that
one fell to the ground. The next instant he heard the double
report of the boy's gun. Another goose left the flock and fell
at some distance, but it was unnoticed by him and the
servant, as their atteniion was taken up by the young
sportsman, who went dashing through water and swamp to
seize the first bird that fell : it was nearly as big as himself,
and he brought it up to them in triumph, a successful right
and left at wild geese being rather an era in the sporting
adventures of a boy ten years old. The well-earned game
was then slung across his pony in company with sundry
rabbits, &c., and was brought home with no small exultation.

This Shetland pony, than which I never saw a more perfect
one, is of great use in many ways. After the hours devoted
to Latin, &c., are over, one of the boys, when the weather is
tolerable, generally rides out to meet me, if I am in ground
which I cannot drive to ; and having anchored his pony to a
weight sufficient to keep him from wandering far, but not too
heavy to prevent his feeding about the rough grass, furze, &c.,
he joins me, and the pony has all the hares and rabbits slung
across his back to save the shoulders of the old keeper.
Standing fire perfectly, the little Shetlander seems rather to

SHETLAND PONIES. 125

enjoy the shooting and to take an interest in what we kill.
With proper treatment and due care these Shetland ponies
become the most docile and fine^tempered animals in the
world ; but if once they are badly used they soon become as
full of tricks and as vicious as a monkey. The only bad
habit of which I could never break ours was opening every
gate which hindered his getting out. There was scarcely
any common fastening which he would not undo with his
teeth, and if he found a weak place iii railings he would push
against it till he broke it, and then gallop away for an hour
or two where he chose. He also had a peculiar knack of
finding out and opening the oat-chest in any stable. When
out on a marauding excursion of this kind he knew perfectly
that he was doing wrong, and would not allow me to catch
him, although at home he would follow me anywhere, putting
his nose into my hand to ask for apples or bread. At all
times, however, he allowed anyone of the children, particu-
larly my little girl, to catch him, and when caught always
came back as quietly as possible. There was a great deal of
fun and conscious roguery in the little fellow's style of mis-
chief which one could never help laughing at. When idle in
his field nothing seemed to please him so much as a game of
romps with any dog who would play with him.

When 1 lived close to Nairn, as soon as ever he heard the
horn of the mail-coach, which was blown on its arrival at
the inn, he invariably ran to an elevated part of the field,
from which he could see over the wall, and waited there for
the mail to pass. As soon as it came opposite his station off
he set, galloping round and round the field with his heels
generally higher than his head, and his long mane and tail
streaming out, evidently showing himself off to obtain the
applause of the passengers, to whom he seemed to afford daily
amusement, as every head was turned back to see him as
long as they possibly could.

Riding by the heronry on the Findhorn I saw the keeper
at Altyre searching in all the jackdaws' nests that he could
reach for the remains of the herons' eggs. These active little
marauders live in great numbers in the rocks immediately
opposite the herons, and keep up a constant warfare with
them during the breeding season, stealing an immense number
of their eggs, which they carry over to the holes and crevices
of the opposite rocks and eat them, out of reach of the herons.
The keeper took handfuls of the shells of the herons' eggs
9

126 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

out of some of the jackdaws' holes : the injury to the heronry
from this cause must be very great, as the plundering seems
to be incessantly going on.

I see that the peregrine falcon still breeds near the heronry :
a pair only remain in the rock, as every season they drive
away their young ones to find a resting-place elsewhere.
The barn owl also breeds in the rocks of the Findhorn : not
having towers or ruins to breed in, they adapt themselves to
their situation and take to the rocks.-

The male of all hawks, I believe, feeds his mate while she
is sitting on her eggs. Whilst I was fishing in the Findhorn,
at a place where a great many kestrels breed, one of these birds
came flying up the course of the river with a small bird in
his claws. When he came opposite the rock where the nest
was, he rose in the air and- began to call loudly and shrilly
for his mate, who soon came out from the rocks, and taking the
bird in her talons flew back with it; the male bird, after
uttering a few cries expressive of pleasure, flew off to renew
his hunting.

The time at which roe lose the velvet from their horns
seems to depend on the lateness or earliness of the season.
This year (1848) is backward, arid as late as the 15th of this
month I see that the horns of the bucks are still covered
with the velvet. In early seasons their horns are quite clean
by the 4th or 5th of the month. When the larch and other
trees become green, the roe wander very much, taking to the
smaller woods and grassy plantations in search of some
favourite foliage or herbage. A fine buck came to an
untimely end at Darnaway. Mr. Stuart, on his way to fish,
was going along a narrow footpath on the top of the rocks
which overhang the river, when his dogs, running into the
cover, started a buck, who, taking a sudden spring into the
footpath, found himself unexpectedly within a few inches of
Mr. Stuart, in fact almost touching him. Without pausing
for an instant the frightened animal with another spring
went right over the high rocks into, the deep black pools of
the river below. Mr. Stuart got down to the water and man-
aged to pull the roebuck out, but the poor animal was quite
dead, killed by the shock of jumping from so great a height,
although his fall must have been much broken by the water.

When a crow leaves her nest on being disturbed, her quiet,
sneaking manner of threading her way through the trees tells
that she has young or eggs in the thicket as plainly as if she

HOODED CROW — WILD DUCK. 127

littered cries of alarm. These birds are early breeders : I
found a hooded crow's nest with eggs nearly hatched on the
16th April.

The common wild duck often builds her nest in a situation
from which one would suppose it would be very difficult for
the young, when first hatched, to make their way to the
water. My retriever put up a wild duck on the 16th in
some very high and close heather at some distance from any
water. I found that she had her nest in the very centre of
the heather and in the densest part of it. The nest was very
beautifully formed ; it was perfectly round, and looked like a
mass of the tinest down, with just sufficient coating of small
sticks, &c., outside to keep the down together. There were
thirteen eggs in it, which we took home and put under a
bantam hen : they were hatched in a few days, and 1 allowed
them' to go at liberty with their foster mother in the kitchen
garden, where they soon became perfectly tame. When the
gardener digs any part of the ground, the little fellows
immediately flock about his spade, so that it is difficult for
him to avoid hurting them, as they tumble about on the
newly-turned-up earth, darting at the worms which come into
view ; whenever they see him take his spade they run after
him, as if they thought that his only object in digging up the
ground was to find them food. One tiny fellow, who is
weaker than the rest, and who consequently gets pushed out
of the way by his stronger brethren, waits quietly to be lifted
up on the flat of the spade, where the gardener allows him to
stop out of the reach of the others, while the little glutton
swallows a worm nearly as big as himself. The moment the
spade is laid flat on the ground he knows that his turn has
come, and running on it, looks out for the expected worm,
and is quite fearless although raised on the spade several feet
from the ground.

There are few wild birds or other animals which could not
be tamed and made useful to us if, instead of constantly
persecuting them, we treated them with hospitality and
allowed them to live in peace and plenty. All wild fowl are
susceptible of domestication, and there are very few kinds
which would not breed in a tame state.

Most wild fowl require very little extent of water, as long
as they have grass fields to walk about and to feed in. No
more water is necessary than is sufficient for them to wash
and take an occasional swim in.

128 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

Our brent goose seems to eat scarcely anything but grass,
and any snails or worms it may find in the field. He is a far
more graceful bird on land than the pochard, for quick and
active as the latter is in the water, his great fiat feet, placed
far behind, are of little service to him in walking.

The eye of the pochard is of a most wonderfully clear
bright-red colour, something between crimson and scarlet,
and is quite unlike that of any other water-fowl that 1 am
acquainted with.

April, if the weather is fine and genial enough to bring out
many flies, is about the best month for trout-fishing on the
Findhorn. Large river-trout, which are seldom seen at any
other time of the year, make their appearance in this month
and rise freely ; the sea-trout fishing, lower down near the
sea, is equally good, the fish being numerous and eager to
take the fly.

C H A P T E K XVI.

MAY.

Nests of Birds — Cross-bills, &c. --Lateness of Season— Bean-Geese — Partridge's
Nest— Northern Diver— Coot's Nest— Teal and her Young— Wren's Nest
— Badgers ; cunning of ; anecdote of — Aurora Borealis ; sound made by.

IN this region May is invariably ushered in by the croak of
the landrail. Generally this bird is heard on the 1st. If,
however, the grass and wheat fields are backward, it is not
heard till the 2nd or 3rd, but never later than the 3rd.

On the 1st of May we found in an old crow's nest, placed
in a tall Scotch fir-tree, the nest of a horned owl, with one
young bird, half grown, and a rotten egg. The owls hoot
now very much, and though none breed very near the house
I hear them every night in the ash-trees.

The young thrushes, blackbirds, robins, and hedge-sparrows
will soon be hatched ; but the green-finches, chaffinches, &c.,
although their nests are nearly completed, have not yet laid
any eggs ; the insectivorous birds being the first to build.

Swallows, martins, swifts, and wheatears become numerous
about the first week in May, and the landrail's call is heard
from every patch of clover. The movements of the landrail
are very peculiar and amusing : at one moment threading the
clover with its head bent to the ground, and looking more like
a weasel than a bird ; the next, standing perfectly erect, and

CROSSBILLS— BEAN GEESE— PARTRIDGES. 129

uttering its hoarse cry with a voice of brass. T saw one
to-day standing upright between the legs of a cow, and crying
boldly, as if perfectly aware that the cow was not an enemy.

Whilst fishing in the upper parts of the river I saw
numbers of crossbills and siskins in the beautiful woods of
Dulsie. The nests of these two birds are scarcely ever found,
although they certainly breed plentifully in this country.
The siskin conceals its small nest with great care at some
distance from the ground, generally near the summit of a
spruce fir; while the crossbill places its nest, which it
assimilates as much as possible to the colour and texture of
the moss, on some good-sized horizontal branch of a fir-tree,
so that it is nearly invisible from below.

When the season is late the fish are also late in taking the
fly. The natural fly does not come to maturity this year as
early as usual, in consequence of the herbage not having
come up ; and the want of flies on the water keeps the fish
from coming out to the streams and pools of the river, where
the angler expects them.

There is much snow on the Monaghleahd mountains' this
year (1847) ; and in consequence of this melting gradually
from the heat of the noonday sun, the water rises at a certain
hour daily ; here, at Dulsie, the rise takes place about three
or four in the morning. Having risen for an hour or two, it
again falls to its usual level.

May 6. — The salmon-fry begin to appear.

May 7. — I observe a flock of bean geese in the bay, probably
the last I shall see this year, as it is time for them to be
nesting in the far north. On this day, also, the spotted fly-
catcher appeared in the garden, where it builds every year in
one of the apricot trees.

During this month the oyster-catchers remain in larger
flocks than at any other time of the year, although many are
breeding far inland on the stony banks of the Findhorn, Spey,
and other rivers.

The partridge covers its nest and eggs with perhaps greater
cunning than any other bird ; entirely concealing not only
the nest itself, but so disposing the surrounding grass that no
vestiges of its track to and fro can be seen : they commence
laying here about the 10th of May. The landrails are about
a week later.

I have often observed that the black-headed gull eats a
great deal of corn in the newly sown fields ; and I now find

130 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

that the lesser black-backed gull does the same, as I shot one
which had a handful of corn (oats and barley) in its crop,
mixed up with worms, grubs, &c.

The fishermen at Nairn found, on the 26th of this month,
a very fine northern diver, drowned in the stake nets set for
salmon. They tell me that it is not a solitary instance, as
every year they get one or two at this season. This is another
proof that this bird must breed somewhere on the Scotch
coast, although I never heard of its eggs being found.

The roots and dabchicks have already commenced making
their large platform of a nest. I found one on the loch
which the bird had fastened on a floating tree that had
grounded in a shallow ; but which, having again got adrift,
owing to a rise in the loch, had been driven by the wind
until it stuck fast close to the shore, where the old bird was
still at work. One bird seems to remain in the nest while its
mate brings it rushes, which the stationary bird disposes of
by adding them to the already large structure, till it seems
sufficiently high above the water and solid enough to resist
wind and weather. The whole riest is firm enough to bear a
much greater weight than is ever imposed on it.

Everywhere on the lakes are broods of young wild ducks,
either swimming in close order behind their mothers, or all
huddled together in a heap on some little island or projecting
point of land.

As we were out driving the other day, a teal came flutter-
ing out of the dry ditch by the roadside, and for above a
hundred yards continued flying and running almost under the
horse's feet. I found that she had a number of young ones
unable to get over the wall, so we helped them into the
adjoining wood. They were a long distance from the water,
and had very rough ground to pass over to reach it. I
remember exactly a similar circumstance happening to me in
Eoss-shire, when I also saved the lives of a young brood of
teal by lending them a helping hand. These instances prove
that, notwithstanding the instinct of birds, which generally
enables them to keep their young out of harm's way, they
occasionally get them into a situation not only of difficulty,
but where any dog or mischievous boy coming along might
destroy the whole brood. At every ebb tide now, the terns
fish with great perseverance for the sandeels on which they
almost entirely feed.

The month of May this year appears to have quite changed

WREN'S NEST. 131

its character ; instead of being warm and genial, we have
nothing but cold and cutting east winds ; and the mountains
have lost but very little of their winter covering of snow ;
indeed, on the higher inland mountains their white dresses
extend down very nearly as low as in the winter. But
notwithstanding the bad weather there is much to amuse and
interest one in the sheltered parts of the low country. Every
plant and flower is bursting into beauty, in spite of the cold
blasts ; and the small birds are in full activity, and seem at
the height of tbeir happiness. It is also a constant source of
amusement to us to watch the various ways of building and
the different nests of the small birds. Each nest has its own
character, and each bird its own place of concealment. The
little willow wren forms one of the most interesting nests,
which it places either under a bush in the flower-garden, or
in a rough grass-field, where it forms a kind of dome-shaped
nest, made to assimilate completely with the surface of the
surrounding ground.

The common wren, too, is very choice and careful in the
structure of her nest, and sometimes builds in the most
singular situations. I saw one this year which was built in
a cactus, that hung from the roof of a greenhouse. Every
time the little bird wished to add a leaf, or a piece of moss,
she had to squeeze and twist herself in through a small hole
left for the entrance of a vine stem. Her perseverance and
determination were extraordinary; for in spite of all difficulties
she managed to form an immense nest in this singularly
chosen and picturesque abode. It is difficult to imagine what
could have put it into her head to come into the greenhouse
at all, and through so awkward an entrance, surrounded, too,
as she was by places far more suitable and easy of access.

The badgers live a life of great activity now. In this
country they are seldom destroyed : at least, there -is one
large tract of very wild country, the soil of which is sandy
and suitable for their digging propensities, where also they
are not often trapped. The badger, when once he has been
frightened by, or has escaped from a trap, is not easily
caught again ; but displays a cunning and perseverance, in
eluding ail attempts at his capture, which he is not generally
supposed to possess.

I seldom declare war agains.t these animals, not consider-
ing them very mischievous ; but some time ago, wanting one
for a friend, I set a strong trap with bait near one of their

132 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

holes. A large badger got in, but managed to escape before
I came to the trap. I set it again ; and the next morning, on
going to it, I saw from a distance a number of hooded crows,
perched in a tree near the place, in a state of great excite-
ment. On coming up, however, instead of the badger I
found an immense grey cat, closely resembling a wild cat,
both in colour and ferocity, and which flew straight at me on
my approaching her. Having killed her, I left her near the
place, covered over with sand ; the badgers came and
scratched her up, and nearly devoured her by the next
morning ; so I put traps about the remains of her body ; but
they managed to spring every trap without being caught, and
for several days they escaped in the same way. The traps
were always sprung; the badgers' tracks were all round
them, and the baits invariably taken away. At last, de-
termined not to be beat, I baited my trap with an apple, as
something new and unexpected to them, and immediately
caught what I wanted, a fine old badger.

My old keeper was sitting on a hillock about three o'clock
one morning in the beginning of May, watching quietly a
few wild geese, which he had discovered feeding in a field
not very far off, but out of shot. In this hillock was a
badger's hole. Presently he heard a grunt behind him,
which he took for a pig ; and looking round he saw, standing
in a clover field close to him, an immensely large badger,
whose object seemed to be to get into a hole on the hillock,
to reach which he had no alternative but to pass within a
yard of the man's legs. After they had looked at each other
for some time in this way, the badger at last uttering a most
ill-natured kind of grunt, suddenly put his nose to the
ground, and passing close to the keeper made a rush to the
hole, with all his hair standing straight on end, and showing
his teeth in so determined a manner, as completely to take
away all presence of mind from the old fellow ; so much so,
indeed, that he neither shot at him nor obstructed his free
entrance to the hole in any way. He tells me that when he
has been sitting quietly watching for geese, otters, &c., he has
not unfrequently seen the badgers going about together in
companies of three or four.

There was a heavy gale of wind at the beginning of this
month. I was out late with the keeper, and just before it
commenced we saw a very brilliant aurora borealis, or as they
term it here, " The Merry Dancers." He told me that when

AURORA BOREALIS. 133

the aurora was very bright, and the flashes rapidly waving
through the sky, he had frequently thought that he heard
the merry dancers emit a faint rustling noise, like the
" moving of dead leaves," but this was only when the night
was quite calm, and there was no sound to disturb the
perfect stillness. The idea came from him quite uncalled-for
by any remark of mine, and was entirely the result of his
own actual observation. I was pleased to hear him say this,
as I had more than once imagined that the aurora, when
peculiarly bright, and rapid in its movements, DID actually
make exactly the sound that he described ; but never having
heard it asserted by any one else, I had always been rather
shy of advancing such a theory.

The aurora is seldom seen, or at least seldom attentively
watched in this country, in situations where there is not
some sound or other, such as voices, running water, or the
rustling and moaning of trees, to break the perfect silence :
but it has occasionally happened to me to be gazing at this
beautiful illumination in places where no other sound could
be heard, and then, and then only, have I fancied that the
brightest flashes were accompanied by a light crackling or
rustling noise, or as my keeper expressed it very correctly,
" the moving of dead leaves." Whether this is so or not I
leave to others, more learned in the phenomena of the
heavens, to decide, and only mention the circumstance as the
passing remark of an unscientific observer.

In the northern mountains of Sutherland, where the aurora
is frequently very bright and beautiful, there is a fascinating,
nay, an awful attraction in the sight, which has kept me for
hours from my bed, watching the waving and ever changing
flashes dancing to and fro. I have watched this strange
sight where the dead silence of the mountains was only
broken by the fancied rustling of the " dresses" of the " merry
dancers," or by the sudden scream or howl of some wild in-
habitant of the rocks; and I have done so until an undefin-
able feeling of superstitious awe has crept over my mind,
which was not without difficulty shaken off.

The aurora, bright as it sometimes is in this country, must
be far more wildly and vividly splendid in the more northern
and Polar regions. Here it is almost invariably the fore-
runner of change of weather, or of rough winds and storm.

One night this spring the appearance of the aurora was
very peculiar. All the flashes seemed to dart from a common

134 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR,

bright centre in the heavens : this continued for fome time,
until at length assuming its usual form, it remained com-
paratively stationary above the north-eastern horizon, and
from that quarter there came the next day a severe storm of
sleet and wind.

CHAPTER XVII.

JUNE.

Trout Fishing— Sea Trout in tl;e Findhoni— Breeding-place of Black-headed
Gulls — Salmon Fishing — Grey Crows — Hair Worms— Fishing — Cromaity
—Goats -The Peregrine Falcon.

IN June the trout begin to feed more freely, and from most
Highland streams the sportsman may reckon on a good
basketful if the day is tolerable. There is a kind of trout in
the Findhoni which frequent only the lower pools near the
sea; higher up I never saw them; the -fishermen call them
" brown lugs." In appearance they are between a sea and a
river trout : they seldom exceed a pound and a half in
weight.

One day about the 1st of June, when fishing in a clear
pool near the mouth of the river, a large trout came out from
under the bank, and darted over my fly without taking it.
I changed the fly, and he did the same thing. I tried him
with a dozen different sorts, and he invariably played the
same trick, coming out from under the bank, dashing at the
fly, then turning short round or rolling over it. At last a
minature black midge in my book caught my eye, and I put
it on : the moment I cast this fly over the trout lie came
straight at it in quite a different manner, taking it well into
his wide mouth as if at last in earnest. He was well hooked,
and then came the tug of war and the trial of patience. The
fly was literally. speaking a midge, made more as an experi-
ment in fly-making than for any expected use, and it was
tied on the finest gut. The trout, on finding that instead of
catching a fly he was caught himself, immediately began to
try every device that a trout ever imagined to get rid of his
tiny enemy. Now he was down at the bottom rubbing his
nose on the gravel; the next moment flying straight up into
the air with the agility of a harlequin; sometimes with forty
yards of line out, and sometimes right under my feet ; then
away he went as if about to run over the shallow at the end

TROUT-FISHING IN THE FINDHORN. 135

of the pool on his way to the sea, but changing his mind,
darted like an arrow up to the deepest part of the pool, and
there he lay like a stone at the bottom. After a little wait-
ing I pelted him out of that mood, and beginning myself to
grow eager and desperate (moreover having now more con-
fidence in my midge, which had already passed through a
trial which a larger hook might not have stood equally well),
I turned his head down the stream, and began to take the
game into my own hands a little more — in fact to be the
active instead of the passive agent. The trout, too, began to
feel weary of the contest, and to allow himself to be led
about : at List I brought him to the edge, but just as the
landing-net was beinjj delicately slipped under him, away he
went again, and ran the line round a broken piece of bank
on the opposite side. I am afraid something very like an
imprecation escaped me ; and if it did, I nm confident that
Job himself could not blame me. Just as I had quite given
all up, the trout most carefully and good-naturedly turned
b;u/k the way he went, undoing the line again as neatly as
possible. After a little more running to and fro he fairly
gave in, and this time we got him safely into the landing-
net, when I found that he was one of the aforesaid " brown
lugs," weighing nearly 5 Ibs. — the largest trout that I ever
killed on the Findhorn, and mastered too with a fly only fit
for parr of the smallest size.

I have frequently found that when a large trout runs in
that undecided manner at my fly, he will go in right earnest
at a much smaller one. Salmon are more uncertain : it has
happened to rue that, even in clear water, a salmon has
leaped over or refused a small salmon-fly, but has taken
greedily a very large-sized one. But this is au exception ;
and my experience would lead me, as a general rule, always
to offer a fish a smaller fly than the one he rises shyly at ;
and I believe that I should be borne out in this opinion by
more experienced anglers than myself.

I never saw so many black-headed gulls collected 'together
as on the Loch of Belivat, on the property of Lethen : at one
end of the loch there are a great many rushes and water-
plants; these are, literally speaking, FULL of nests, formed of
interwoven rushes, weeds, &c. ; and on the islands in the
lake you can scarcely land without putting your foot on eggs,
which are very slightly protected by anything in the shape
of a nest. On this island are a few stunted and bent

136 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

willows ; every branch and every fork of a branch where a
nest can possibly be placed is occupied : this is the only
instance I ever met with of gulls building on bushes. The
stench on the island is almost insupportable : indeed it was
so strong that I hurried oft' again as quickly as possible : the
day was hot, and it actually seemed pestilential. The old
birds looked like a shower of drifting snow over our heads,
and were as noisy as a dozen village schools broken loose.
This was on the 2nd of June, and there were numbers of young
gulls recently hatched — curiously marked little tortoiseshell-
coloured things, who tottered about the rushes, &c., without
the least fear of us. All other birds seemed to be kept away
from the lake by the gulls, excepting a few mallards, who
were swimming about in a state of bachelorhood, their wives
and families being probably in some more quiet and solitary
pool in the neighbouring peat mosses. When the mallards
rose they were so completely puzzled and " bebothered " by
the thousands of gulls who were darting and screaming about
them, that they gave up attempting to fly away, and came
plump down again into the water.

Although the gulls may know each its own nest, it is diffi-
cult to understand how they can recognise their young ones
amongst the thousands of little downy things which towards
the end of the hatching season are floating about upon the
water. There is another nesting-place of the black-headed
gulls in the forest of Darnaway, where they have taken pos-
session of a small loch surrounded by trees. They usually,
however, like all other water-fowl, prefer establishing their
breeding-place on a loch situated in the open country, where
they can have a good view all around so as to descry the
approach of any enemy ; but undisturbed possession and
quiet have induced them to remain on the Darnaway loch,
although it is shut in by trees.

June is generally the best month of the year for angling
in Scotland : the loch trout are by this time in good condi-
tion, and rise freely at the fly. The grilse also are now in
most of the rivers, and afford better angling than any other
fish, rising well, and being* strong and active when hooked.
There appears of late years to be a great diminishing in the
number of salmon in all the Scotch rivers : the fish are more
protected from the angler, but are caught and destroyed in so
many other ways — by constant netting in the streams, by
innumerable stake-nets, bag-nets, &c., all along the coasts —

DESTRUCTION OF SALMON. 137

that they have but little chance of keeping up their
numbers. From one end of Scotland to the other along the
whole extent of the coast, these destructive nets are fixed at
every convenient place. Near the mouth of every stream,
large or small, they are to be seen, and immense must be the
number of fish taken to repay the expense of keeping them
up, and renewing the stakes, netting, &c , every spring, and
frequently also after severe storms. Near the little stream
of Nairn there are no less than three of these nets, and as
many more between that point and the Find horn, all of
which are exposed to a heavy sea, which must make the
expense of keeping them in repair very great.

On the bar, which is a kind of island, there is a solitary
hut, where two or three fishermen pass the spring and sum-
mer. In the latter end of winter, when I have been wild-
fowl shooting in that direction, I have often gone in to screen
myself from the cold. During the absence of the fishermen
the hut is tenanted by rabbits, who make themselves quite
at home, digging holes in the turf walls, &c. The life of the
fishermen in this place must be like that of a lighthouse-
keeper. During high tides they are quite cut off from the
mainland, and although at low water their place of abode is
no longer an island, yet that part of the shore opposite the
bar is a kind of wilderness little frequented by anyone, being
at a long distance from any road or path, with an extensive
tract of rough and all but impassable country extending in
every direction. It is, however, a favourite resort of mine,
being the undisturbed abode of many wild animals. The
roebuck and blackcock live in tolerable security there, and
would increase to a very great extent were their young ones
not killed by foxes and other vermin, who prowl about with-
out danger of trap or poison.

I had heard that the lochs here called Loch Lee had no
fish in them of any kind ; but seeing the numerous tracks of
otters, and also the cormorants frequently fishing in them,
I determined to ascertain what these animals came for ; being
pretty sure that some kind of fish must be the attraction.
Accordingly having made a long "set line" i.e. some two
hundreds yards of line with strong hooks at intervals of four
or five yards, I set it, as far as it would reach, across one
part of the largest lake, baiting the hooks with small trout
and worms. The next morning on examining the line I
found a great number of large eels on the hooks, several of

138 FIELD NOTES EOR THE YEAR.

them weighing above four pounds each. Although I fre-
quently afterwards put in the line, I never caught any fish
excepting eels, but of these a vast number. This proves how
favourite a food of the otter eels must be, as these animals
appear to live constantly at the loch, where they could have
found nothing else to prey upon. A highland loch without
trout is, however, a rare thing, as they are almost invariably
well stocked with them.

There are one or two grassy hillocks near these lakes to
which these mischievous robbers, the hooded crows, bring the
eggs which they have pilfered in order to eat them at their
leisure ; and until I administered a dose of strychnia, I never
passed these places without finding the fresh remains of eggs:
partridges, plovers, snipes, redshanks, wood-pigeon, ducks,
and teal, all seemed to have contributed to support these
ravenous birds. There was a nest of a teal with eight eggs
in a small thicket of heather, in a situation apparently secure
from all risk of being discovered. I only knew of it in con-
sequence of my retriever having put up the old bird. Fre-
quently afterwards I saw her on her downy nest, but one
day both teal and eggs were gone ; and when I went to the
grassy hillock which the crows used for a dining-table, there
were the remains of all the eight eggs.

Poisoning with strychnia is by far the most effectual way
of destroying crows. If you put a piece of carrion in a tree
well seasoned with this powerful drug, the ground below it
will soon be strewed with the bodies of most of the crows in
the neighbourhood, so instantaneous is their death on swallow-
ing any of it. It seems almost immediately to paralyse
them, and they fall down on the spot.

In the stagnant pools near the river Nairn there are great
numbers of that singular worm called by the country people
the hair-worm, from its exact resemblance to a horsehair.
In these pools there are thousands of them, twisting and
turning about like living hairs. The most singular thing
regarding them is that if they are put for weeks in a drawer
or elsewhere, till they become as dry and brittle as it is pos-
sible for anything to be, and to all appearance perfectly dead
and shrivelled up, yet on being put into water they gradually
come to life again, and are as pliable and active as ever. The
country people are firmly of opinion that they are nothing
but actual horsehair turned into living things by being
immersed for a long time in water of a certain quality. All

TERRIER SEARCHING FOR EELS. 139

water does not produce them alike. To the naked eye both
extremities are quite the same in appearance.

While fishing in the river one day at the beginning of
June, my attention was attracted by a terrier I had with me,
who was busily employed in turning up the stones near the
water's edge, evidently in search of some sort of food. On
examining into his proceeding I found that under most of
the stones were a number of very small eels : where the
ground was quite dry the little fish were dead, and these the
dogate; where there was still any moisture left under the
stone they were alive, and wriggled away rapidly towards
the stream, seeming to know instinctively which way to go
for safety. Trout have undoubtedly the same instinct ;
and when they drop off the hook by chance, they always
wriggle towards the water, and never away from it. I saw a
trout one day who had been left by the receding of the river
in a shallow pool. When the water in his narrow place of
refuge had got so low as scarcely to cover him he worked his
way out of it, and I saw him go over the still wet stones
straight to the river, which was about a yard from the pool.
It is difficult, indeed almost impossible, to become much
acquainted with the habits of fish ; but could we pry into
their domestic circles, I have no doubt that we should find
them possessed of a far higher degree of instinct and much
greater cleverness in providing for their food and safety than
we give them credit for. The instinct of fish in foretelling,
or rather in foreknowing, the changes of weather is very
remarkable ; and the observant angler may almost prophesy
to a certainty with regard to the approach of rain or storms
by seeing in what mood, for rising at Jris flies, the trout may
be. In certain states of the weather the angler may put
away his tackle without trying to take a single trout; but
this can only be learned by experience and close observation.

Sometimes on a fine June evening the sea-fish, such as
gurnets and coal-fish, take a large white fly readily enough,
and fight most powerfully when of any size.

I took a boat one day to cross over to the rocks of Cromarty,
in order to shoot some rock pigeons. The breeze was gentle,
but sufficient to take us merrily over ; and putting out a
couple of lines with large white flies, we caught plenty of
gurnet, &c. The fish darted suddenly and with true aim at
the flies when close to the boat as readily as when at some
distance. After coasting along the rocks for some time, and

140 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

shooting a few pigeons, at the risk occasionally of having the
bottom of our boat stove in by the hidden rocks round which
the large tangle floated gracefully in the passing waves,
treacherously concealing the rocks from which they grew, we
turned our boat's head homewards. By this time the wind
had dropped entirely, and the tide running strong against us,
we had to row for four hours in a heavy haddock boat to
reach our destination. I had only one man and a boy with
me, the latter of no use ; so I took an oar myself and pulled
steadily on, stopping only occasionally to haul in a gurnet or
other fish.

Both goats and sheep were feeding about the rocks, and
even the latter seemed to get easily to places which appeared
to be reachable only by means of wings. The small patches
of bright velvety-looking grass, which grew here and there
on corners of ground formed by the debris of the cliffs,
however difficult of access, were all tenanted by them.

On one bit of emerald-coloured grass, not larger than a
good-sized table-cloth, a sheep and her young lamb were
feeding at their ease. Although I stopped the boat and
examined the place carefully, no way of access to this little
bit of table-land could we discover. The well-contented
animals seemed shut out by perpendicular precipices from all
the rest of the world.

As for the goats, no ledge or projection of the rocks near
which grew any tempting bit of herbage seemed too small or
too difficult of approach.

About three weeks ago our tame pochard had been carried
away in a hurricane of wind. To my surprise, one day this
month I saw this same pochard swimming about the loch
alone, and apparently very tame. One of the children who
was with me, and whose own especial property the bird had
been, whistled to it in the same way in which he had been
accustomed to call it, upon which, to his unbounded joy, it
immediately came towards us, and for some time continued
swimming within a few yards of where we stood, evidently
recognising us, and seeming glad to see us again.

A few days afterwards we again saw him ; but he was now
accompanied by a flock of fourteen or fifteen others. This
was remarkable, both on account of the time of year, and
because this kind of duck is very rare in this region, and has
never been known to breed in the neighbourhood ; but all
birds seem to have some means of calling and attracting

PEREGRINE FALCON. HI

those of the same species, in a way that we cannot understand.

My peregrine falcon, who still lives in the garden, now
utters a call which is different from her usual shrill com-
plaining cry, and which occasionally attracts down to her
some wandering hawk of her own kind. The peregrine
falcon is well named, for it is found in all countries.

Our bird, from good food, and having always had the run
of a large garden, instead of being confined in a room or cage,
has grown to a great size, and is in peculiarly fine plumage ;
with the dark slate colour of her upper feathers forming a
beautiful contrast to the rich cream-coloured shade of her
neck and breast.

There is scarcely any common animal too large for her to
attack when she is hungry. She will fly at dog or cat, as
readily as at a rabbit or a rat. The latter animal she kills
with great dexterity and quickness ; and I have also found
the remains of half-grown rabbits, who, having feloniously
made their way into the garden, have fallen a prey to her
powerful talons.

On changing my residence some weeks ago, I gave a tame
peregrine falcon I then had to a friend in the neighbourhood,
who keeps her in a walled garden, where she soon became
quite at home, and learnt to know her new master as well as
she had known me. She almost startled me one day as I
was walking in his garden with a bunch of dark-coloured
grapes in my hand. The falcon as I passed by her, mistaking
the grapes for a bird or some other prey, made a sudden dash
at them, and with such violence as in an instant to disperse
the whole bunch on the ground, where she hopped about
examining grape after grape, and, at last having found out
her error, she left them in disgust.

It must be a strong bird that can withstand the rapid
powerful swoop and fierce blow of a peregrine. I have seen
one strike the head of a grouse or pigeon with one blow,
which divided the neck as completely as if it had been cut
off with a sharp knife.

Few birds of the same kind vary so much in size as
peregrine falcons. Some killed in a wild state are almost as
large as the noble ger falcon. Altogether the peregrine is the
finest of our British falcons both in size, courage, and beauty.
It possesses, too, the free courage and confidence which
facilitate so greatly the process of training it to assist us in
our field sports.

10

142 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

CHAPTER XVIII.

JULY.

Shore Birds ; arrival of — Foxes —Herring, and Herring Fishing ; Birds, &c.,
feeding on them — Herring Fishing in Sutherland — A Sharper — Numbers
of Flounders — Young Wild Fowl — Roe ; habits of — Midges— Angling —
Floods in the Findhorn — Prophecy of a Woman — Escape of a Shepherd.

ABOUT the second week of July the shore and sands are
enlivened by vast flocks, or rather clouds, of dunlins, ring-
dottrels, and other birds of the same kind, who now, coming
down from their scattered breeding-places, collect in im-
mense companies. When the tide ebbs, all these birds are
employed in searching for the minute shell-fish and aniinal-
cula, on which they feed ; and vast indeed must be the
supply required. About the lochs and swamps the young
snipes and redshanks begin to fly, and with the wild ducks
afford plenty of shooting.

The young gea-gulls, too, are numerous about the bar and
sandbanks, and are easily distinguished from the old ones by
their fine mottled brown plumage.

Great numbers of all these birds must be killed by foxes,
&c. ; for every day I observe their fresh tracks along the
shore and round the lochs. Near a fox's hole in one of the
woods I saw an almost incredible collection of remains and
disjecta membra of ducks, turkeys, fowls, game of every kind,
and even of roe : apparently a litter of young foxes had been
brought up in it.

On the 12th of July the Nairn herring-boats are all
launched to reap their uncertain harvest of herrings. Of
late years the supply does not seem to be nearly so regular
or so much to be depended on as formerly ; and frequently
the men are but badly repaid for all their expense and risk.
The cost of a herring-boat here, complete with its riggings,
nets, &c., is not much less than ninety pounds ; and the wear
and tear of the nets is very great, owing to bad weather and
other causes : the hull alone of the boat costs about twenty-
seven pounds. There are five men in each boat ; and Nairn
alone sends out about sixty boats, so that from that small
place not less than three hundred able-bodied men are for
six or seven weeks employed in the pursuit of this small but
valuable fish. The herrings are generally bought up before-
hand by the fishcurers at Helnisdale, on the Sutherland
coast, and at other parts, who contract to take the whole

HERRING AND COD FISHING. 143

proceeds of the season's fishing at a fixed price ; so that not-
withstanding the immense number caught, the supply of
fresh herrings through the country is but scanty. The fish
are, with as little delay as possible, packed in casks with
brine, and in this state are exported to all parts of the king-
dom. The barrels are made principally of birch. Fir will
not answer the purpose, as it gives a taste of turpentine to
the whole contents of the barrel. I have been out in a
herring-boat during the fishing ; and a very beautiful sight it
is to see the nets hauled in with thousands of herrings, look-
ing in the moonlight like so many pieces of the brightest silver
flashing in the calm water. When not employed with the
nets, the men generally fish with hooks for cod, halibut, &c. ;
all fish caught in this manner being the perquisite of the man
who catches them ; and frequently they make a good profit
by this, as the cod collect in vast numbers about the herring-
fishing grounds, and are caught as quickly as the hooks can
be dropped into the water. Sometimes the cod, their great
indistinctly seen forms looking" like the pale ghosts of fish,
come close to the surface round the boats, and seize the bait
as soon as it touches the water. Hauling these heavy gentry
up from the depth of several fathoms is very severe work for
the hands.

The herrings seem the most persecuted of all the races of
living creatures. From the moment when the great shoals of
them appear in the north and north-west they are pursued
by thousands and tens of thousands of birds and countless
numbers of fishes : and wherever the herring shoals are,
there are these devourers. From the aristocratic salmon to
the ignoble and ferocious dogfish, all follow up and prey upon
the shoals ; while their feathered foes mark out their track
by the constant screaming and plunging into the water
which they keep up during their pursuit. The Solan geese
from mid-air dash with unerring aim on the bright and
silvery fish ; whilst the cormorants and other diving sea-fowl
pursue the dense crowd with indefatigable eagerness. In ad-
dition to all this, sea-gulls of every kind, like the skirmish-
ers of an army, keep up a constant pursuit of all stragglers
or wounded fish which come near enough to the surface to be
caught by these birds, who have neither the power of the
Solan goose, to pounce hawk-like on their prey (even when
at some depth from the surface), nor the diving power of the
cormorant or guillemot, who can pursue them deep down

144 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

into the water. Altogether, a shoal of herring with its
numerous accompaniments is a most amusing and interesting
sight, independent of the consideration of the great im-
portance of this fish to mankind, the number of people to
whom it serves as food, and the number who are employed
in its pursuit.

Besides the natives of the fishing villages, a considerable
number of Highlanders from the western part of the country
come down to earn a few pounds during the herring season ;
it is almost the only cash these poor fellows get hold of in
the course of the year. Most of the boats belong to two or
three proprietors each, who having in the course of many
years laid by a few pounds, expend them in the purchase of
a herring-boat. These men hire the services of four or five
hands for the season, the duration of which is about six
weeks, and give them a certain sum, according to agreement,
generally about four to six pounds per man. Unluckily,
many of the families of the herring-fishers derive but little
benefit from the wages earned, as too frequently the men
spend all the money, or nearly all, in drinking and rioting as-
soon as the fishing is over, and instead of providing for their
wives and children, are too apt to lounge about the whisky-
shops as long as a farthing remains, never attending to the
haddock or other fishing till driven again to exertion by sheer
necessity. This, however, does not apply to the whole race
of herring-fishers. Those men who come to the fishing on
the east coasts from the Highlands generally take their
money carefully home, depending on it for buying clothes,
paying rent, procuring seed-potatoes, and for any purpose
where ready money is required.

To the spectator the pursuit of herrings in the magnificent
sea-lochs of Sutherland is attended with much that is inter-
esting and beautiful. When the fleet of boats makes its way
up a creek running far into the land, and overhung by wild
rocky precipices, which protect the boats from every breath
of wind, keeping the sea as smooth as glass, and echoing and
re-echoing every merry shout and call uttered by the fisher-
men during their pursuit, no description can give an adequate
idea of the romantic beauty of such a scene with all its-
accompaniments. This, however, is the bright side of the
picture, for many a dangerous gale and many a peril have
the poor fellows to encounter who shoot their herring-nets-
off the bleak eastern coasts of the country, where they are

A SHARPER. 145

exposed to the sudden gales and rolling seas of the Northern
and German Oceans. Frequently to save their lives, they
are compelled to abandon their nets, fish and all. Sometimes
boats with their crews go forth to return no more, nor even
to be again heard of in this world ; and at other times they
are driven to distant ports for safety, losing their tackle and
time, and having to make their way back with scanty supply
of provision to the port from which they sailed, and probably
losing their chance of fishing for the whole season.

Would it be believed that the herring fisher, humble as his
situation in life appears, is occasionally the object of a
regular and systematic plan of swindling ? A few years ago,
a fellow made it his occupation and business to waylay these
poor men as they returned home from the fishing-stations
with their hardly-earned money in their pockets. His plan
was to get into conversation with them, and after walking a
mile or two along the road with them, to take generally one,
but sometimes two, into a whisky-shop, of which there are
plenty on every Highland road, under the pretence of
treating them to a dram. Then, as opportunity offered, he
produced a small fiask from his pocket, which he said
contained a sample of some rare whisky (having previously
represented himself as a spirit-merchant travelling for
orders), and as a special favour gave the fisherman a glass of
its contents. It was no sooner swallowed, however, than the
man became powerless and almost insensible ; upon which
the fellow quietly emptied the pockets of his victim and
walked off, leaving him to recover as he could : which event
in most instances did not take place for some hours after-
wards. If in going out he met with the keeper of the
whisky-shop, he told him that the man was asleep from
fatigue, or made some such excuse to escape suspicion. In
this manner the fellow robbed above twenty fishermen of the
whole proceeds of their fishing before the country got too hot
for him ; when he went off by the coach arid was no more
heard of. The whole proceeding was described to me by one
of his victims (at present in my service), who was robbed of
about five pounds, and notwithstanding the cruelty of the
case, I could not help being amused at the coolness with
which the swindler appears to have turned the poor fellow's
pockets inside out, the man all the while being quite
conscious of what was going on, though utterly unable to
move or speak. To add insult to injury, too, on going out

146 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

the swindler told the landlady that he was sorry to say the
fisherman had got quite drunk, notwithstanding all the
efforts he had made to prevent it, and all the good advice he
had given him. When at length the poor fellow recovered
his senses and power of speech, he found it quite impossible
to persuade his wife and friends that he had not wilfully and
advisedly got drunk and squandered his money. However at
last the fair one was pacified, though not much comforted,
her husband's innocence being proved by the testimony of
others who had been robbed in a similar manner ; and by the
verdict of the doctor, who at once saw that some strong
narcotic had been given to the man.

Among the available products of the sandy creeks and
bays on this coast are immense quantities of excellent
flounders. These fish come in with every tide, and though
the great bulk of them return to deep water, vast numbers
remain in the pools which are formed at low water upon the
sands. We occasionally drag some of these pools with a
small trout-net, and are sure to catch a large quantity of
these fish in one or two hauls. The flounders are of two
kinds, the grey-backed flounder and a larger sort which has
red spots. The latter, however, is a far inferior fish, the
flesh being soft and flabby. Notwithstanding the abundance
and excellence of the flounders, left, as it were, for any person
to pick up, with scarcely any exertion, the country people
very seldom take the trouble to catch them,. excepting now
and then by the line, in a lazy, inefficient way.

July, although not a month during which the sportsman
finds much employment for his gun, is still to me a most
interesting season. Every day that I walk by the lochs and
swamps I see fresh arrivals in the shape of broods and flocks
of young teal and wild ducks, and this year there are
numbers of pochards swimming about in compact companies.
Occasionally, too, when walking near the covers an old roe,
accompanied by her two large-eyed fawns, bounds out of
some clump of juniper or brambles ; and after standing for
a short time to take a good look at me, springs into the wood
and is soon lost to view, or an old solitary buck, driven by
the midges from the damp shades of the woods, startles me
by his sudden appearance near the loch side, springing over
the furze and broom, on his way back to the more extensive
covers.

The roe have a singular habit of chasing each other in

FLOODS IN THE FINDHORN. 147

regular circles round particular trees in the woods, cutting a
deep circular path in the ground. I never could make out
the object of this manoeuvre, but the state of the ground
proves that the animals must have run round and round the
tree for hours together.

Tormented by midges and ticks, the bucks often wander
restlessly through the woods at this season, uttering their
bark-like cry ; so like indeed is this sound to the bark of a
dog, that it often deceives an unaccustomed ear. Of all
torments produced by insects I can conceive nothing much
worse than the attack carried on by the myriads of midges
which swarm towards evening in the woods, particularly
where the soil is at all damp. For a certain time the smoke
of a cigar or pipe protects one ; but no human skin can
endure for any length of time the inexpressible irritation
produced by these insects.

This month is not, generally speaking, favourable to the
angler. Salmon seem in most rivers to have given up
moving, and the trout fellow their example. Indeed the
rivers are at this period very subject to great changes, being
one day bright, clear, and very low ; and perhaps the next
flooded over bank and brae by some sudden and tremendous
thunder-storm in the higher grounds which renders the water
thick and turbid. The Findhorn is peculiarly subject to-
these rapid changes, flowing as it does for a great part of its
course through a mountainous, undrained, and uncultivated
country, surrounded by lofty and rugged heights, from the
clefts of which innumerable streams descend into the valley
of the Findhorn. This river, on any sudden and violent
storm of rain (fed as it is by so many burns), rises sometimes
almost instantaneously : and what a few minutes before was
a bright clear stream, fordable at all the shallower places,
suddenly becomes a turbid swollen torrent, which neither
man nor horse can cross. In those parts of the river where
the channel is narrow and confined between steep and over-
hanging rocks these sudden risings take place more rapidly
than in the lower parts near the sea, where the river has
room to spread itself out.

One day towards the end of the month I went with my
two boys and a servant to shoot rabbits on the island formed
by the junction of the Findhorn and another stream near the
sea. The river was so low, in consequence of long-continued
dry weather, that we crossed it on foot at a shallow where

148 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

the water did not reach to our knees. The day was hot and
the air heavy and oppressive ; and although we had not had
a drop of rain, we heard loud thunder during the whole
morning, and saw heavy black clouds hanging in the west,
over the mountains through which the river runs. After
idling about some time and shooting a few rabbits, &c., we
went towards a small cottage built on the highest part of the
island, in order to speak to the people who inhabited it.
Whilst standing close to the door, we heard a sudden scream
from a woman at work in the little plot of garden, and
looking round we at once saw the cause. The river, as the
woman emphatically expressed it, was " coming down." Over
a wide space of sand and shingle interspersed with patches of
broom and furze, where a few moments before we had been
hunting rabbits, there now came rushing down a wall of
muddy water, carrying with it turf, stones, and trees, rolling
over and over and uprooting every bush which opposed it.
Several of the trees must have come some miles down the
river, being large Scotch firs, with their branches, stems, and
roots, the latter frequently still carrying in their twisted
fibres great masses of the rocks on which they had grown.
The water was coming down like a wall of several feet high,
sweeping everything before it ; and in far less time than I
have taken to describe it, we were surrounded on all sides
with its muddy torrent. Independently of the risk of being
crushed to death by the floating and rolling trees, its rapidity
was so great that the strongest swimmer could not have
crossed it.

On came the flood, narrowing our little island every
instant, by undermining and washing away the bank on
which the cottage stood. Nevertheless I anticipated no more
inconvenience than perhaps having to pass the night where
we were : for the building had stood all the torrents of the
Findhorn since the great flood of 1829, although its inhabitants
had more than once been cut off from any communication
with the mainland for several days together. But the water
was already higher than it had ever been since that flood, and
the women of the house were weeping in despair, their terrors
being augmented by a prophecy which had lately been
uttered by an old hag in the neighbourhood, to the effect that
all the country within six miles of the coast should be
swallowed up by floods during the last week of this very
July. So strong an effect had this prediction on the minds

FLOODS IN THE FINDHORN. 149

of the lower orders, that almost all the Highlanders who had
come down to the coast, according to their custom, for the
herring fishing, had returned homewards without putting
their foot in a boat, to the great loss and inconvenience of
the owners of the boats and nets, who had reckoned on the
usual assistance of these men. It is singular that floods of
a most mischievous and unusual extent should actually have
taken place at the very time this woman had foretold.

For my own part I felt chiefly annoyed at the alarm our
absence would occasion at home, as it was already evening,
and we had no means of making signals or of sending word
where we were, it being quite impossible to cross the river at
any point.

The water still rose, and continued to do so for half an hour
longer, washing away our standing-place slowly but con-
stantly. On looking round I could not but feel most
grateful at our not having been overtaken by it before we
reached this part of the island. Had we been in many of
the places over which we had so lately passed we must have
been swept away at the first rise of the river, or at best have
had to wade and scramble, at the risk of our lives, to some
elevated point of land.

While standing near the house we saw two or there boats
belonging to the ferryman and the salmon-fishers whirl past
us. The flood having come on without the least warning,
their owners had had no time to secure them. The rise, as I
have said, continued for about half an hour, then suddenly it
stopped, and in a few minutes the water began visibly to fall.
Before long it fell more quickly, but still in no proportion to
the rapidity with which it had risen. After it had been
sinking somewhat above an hour, the tops of furze bushes
began to appear above the water, and soon afterwards we
saw a boat belonging to the salmon fishers, well maimed, and
assisted by a rope held on the shore, coining down to a
cottage a quarter of a mile above us. The main stream of
the river was still quite impracticable ; but this boat was
coming down an old channel which was generally dry. By
firing off my gun several times I caught the attention of the
crew ; and I was quite certain that they would know who it
was that wanted help, and would come to us if possible.
When the torrent had become somewhat less violent they
came down, whirling through the flood to where we were.
They took us on board, and by dint of skilful and strong

150 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

rowing, and help from the rope held by those on shore, we
were at length landed in a field, not across the real channel
of the river, but across the flooded land on the other side of
us, where the force of the water was less violent. Although
I have been in a good many situations of danger by water, I
never felt so helpless as 'whilst we were dashing about at the
mercy of the torrents, over bushes, banks, and stranded trees,
had we come in contact with any one of which, our small
boat must have been upset, and then all chance of escape
would have been out of the question. However, we landed
safely, and although we were not above a quarter of a mile
from my house, we had to walk round by the chain bridge, a
distance of five miles. We got home soon after dark, and
before our absence had caused any alarm. With us the rain
did not begin till the evening, but we afterwards heard that,
further to the west, it had rained in torrents for many hours
during the morning, accompanied by a most terrific thunder-
storm, and that a great deal of damage had been done by the
overflowing of different streams, which had broken up several
bridges, and injured a great extent of land. A poor woman
who happened to be wading the river a mile above us, at a
place where it is divided into several streams, was caught in
one of them, and although she managed to get upon a high
bank, the flood soon reached her, and she was kept a prisoner,
standing in the water, which at one time reached to her
middle, till the fishermen heard her cries, and succeeded in
rescuing her. Had we been in many spots where we fished
almost every day, nothing could have saved our lives.

A singular instance of preservation from a similar danger
happened during the same flood, but on a different river. On
perceiving that the water was rising, a young man hurried
across a shallow part to an island, on which were a few sheep
grazing, intending to recross with them to the main land
before the flood had attained any serious height. He was,
however, out in his reckoning ; for he had scarcely set foot
on the island when the river became so swollen that it was
quite impossible for him to return. The flood soon covered
the island, and the man had great difficulty to keep his foot-
ing, being up to his waist in water. To add to his danger,
great pieces of timber and floating trees came sweeping past,
any one of which, had it struck him, would have at once
dashed him off the island. Several people who were on the
shore, although so near, could do nothing to assist him.

INSTINCT OF ANIMALS. 151

Presently, the flood brought down, right upon the island, a
gigantic tree, with all its roots and branches, and it seemed
certain that he must be swept away at once. He was given
up by all the spectators, and they turned away their eyes,
not daring to look at this last act of the scene. However,
the very moment when the danger seemed the greatest, was
that of his deliverance ; for the tree, in consequence of its
great size and weight, grounded when within a yard of the
man. He managed to scramble on to its branches, and to
maintain his position until the waters subsided.

What becomes of the trout during these sudden floods it is
not easy to say, unless, warned by instinct of the approaching
danger, they retire to the deep holes and recesses under the
banks, where the force of the water cannot reach them. It
is very seldom that, on the receding of a flood, fish are found
on the land, though certainly it occasionally happens that
they are bewildered, and are either left high and dry or in
the small pools at the sides of the river. When, also, the
same cause that has made the stream overflow has filled the
water with clay and dirt, the trout become sick and weak,
and are unable to contend with a force of current which they
could easily have withstood in clear water.

As the flood decreases both trout and eels take to all the
eddies and corners to feed on the numerous worms and grubs
which are washed off the banks and fields into the water.

Very few birds or, comparatively speaking, even land
animals, fall victims to floods. The rabbits manage to climb
up into the highest furze bushes, or even into the branches
of trees, and it is very seldom that any birds make their nests
within reach of this danger. In the same manner that terns
and other birds who lay their eggs on the seashore seein to
have an instinct which teaches them the exact line to which
the highest spring tides ever reach, so do the land birds avoid
building their nests in places to which the land floods ever
ascend.

CHAPTER XIX.

AUGUST.

Golden Plover— Ring Dottrel— Migratory Birds— Butterflies— Cral>s ; their
manner of casting their shells— The Sea Angler— The Deal Fish— Habits
of Woodcocks— A pet Roe— Grouse Shootings and Grouse— Wild Fowl.

DURING the first part of this month the mountain-bred birds,
such as golden plover, dottrel, curlew, &c., are daily seen to

152 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

collect more and more in flocks on the. seashore or other
places which suit their habits. In the lower parts of the
country the dottrel is now a very rare bird, and it is seldom
that many of them are killed, although they are so tame and
easy of approach as to have obtained for themselves the
local name of the " foolish dottrel." It is one of the pe-
culiarities of this bird that one pair only breeds on the same
hill or mountain. Whilst you may see thousands of golden
plovers on a hillside during the breeding season, you will
never find above one pair of dottrel on each ridge. The ring-
dottrel and other shore birds become at this season more
numerous day by day. Many insectivorous birds, also, such
as the whitethroat, redstart, &c., seem to draw gradually
towards the eastern coasts of the kingdom, as if in readiness
to depart. The wheatears almost entirely leave the wild
rocky mountains of the North, where they breed, and are
during this month caught in great numbers on the South-
downs of Sussex.

The regularity of the appearance and disappearance of
birds in different districts is one of the most striking and
Interesting parts of their history, and is a subject worthy of
more attention than it has hitherto received. It is well
known to many sportsmen that woodcocks appear in certain
woods and even under certain holly bushes, or other favourite
spots, on the same day of the same month year after year,
and in like manner and with equal punctuality do number-
less smaller birds, of less notoriety and of less consequence to
the sportsman, make their annual Sittings northwards or
southwards. On referring to notes which I have made
during several years, I find that I have seen many migratory
birds for the first time in each year, on either the very same
day of the month or within one day of it.

Even in the insect world the same punctuality in their
change of abode is kept up, and an observant " out-of-door "
entomologist will tell almost to a day when any particular
moth or butterfly will first appear. The exclusiveness of
some butterflies as to their locality is a very striking
peculiarity of this insect. You may, year after year, find a
certain kind in great numbers within a space of a hundred
yards, but you may search in vain for a single specimen over
the whole surrounding country ; although both as to plants
and soil it may seem as favourable for their production as
the spot to which they confine themselves. I was told by a

BUTTERFLIES— CRABS. 153

clever entomologist that I should find any number of speci-
mens of a particular butterfly, which I wanted to procure, in
a certain stone quarry, or rather where a quarry had once
been, during the first and second week in August, but at no
other time and in no other situation. My friend was perfectly
right. Then and there, and then and there only, could I
find this particular butterfly. There are few districts of the
kingdom where a man of leisure would not find plenty to
interest and amuse him were he to direct his attention to the
peculiar habits and instincts of living animals from the
highest to the lowest, from the eagle to the insect which he
treads unconsciously under his feet every step he takes.
People little know by how many natural objects of beauty
and interest they are everywhere surrounded. How true is
a French saying that " L'oisivete est la mere de toutes les
vices ; " and how many cares and troubles would thousands
avoid did they employ their leisure hours in such pursuits
instead of letting idleness lead them into numberless evil
habits ! It is for this reason that I always like to see the
study of natural history encouraged in children.

At the beginning of August I frequently find the crabs
(which frequent the rocks left exposed at low water) either
just about to change their shell, or just after having changed
it. Nothing can be more curious than the manner in
which they contrive to draw their legs and claws out of their
last year's covering, casting their entire shell perfectly
whole and unbroken. A tough skin seems to form over the
flesh, under the shell, and of the same colour, which appa-
rently hardens rapidly by exposure (when it is uncovered)
and this skin forms the new shell.

The poor animals are quite helpless till this hardens, and
are at the mercy of their numerous enemies. The fishermen
say that whilst the female crab is in this weak state the
male constantly attends on and protects her. I have myself
often seen a crab in her still uuhardened shell, closely ac-
companied by a larger crab, whose shell was perfectly hard,
and who offered battle most valiantly when he and his spouse
were approached.

During the herring fishing it frequently happens that some
strange and rarely seen monster of the sea gets either
entangled in the nets or is cast upon the shore, during his
pursuit of the shoals of smaller fish. Among others I have
more than once seen a most hideous large-headed brute of a

154 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

fish, whom the country people calls sometimes " the sea-
devil," sometimes " the sea-angel," but whose more regular
cognomen is, I believe, " the sea-angler." Tiie first name he
owes to his excessive and wicked-looking ugliness ; the
second must have been given him ironically ; whilst the third
is derived from his reputed habit of attracting fish to their
destruction by a very wily ruse. He buries himself, it is
said, in the sands by scraping a hole with his two most un-
seemly and deformed-looking " hands," which are placed
below what may be called his chin. Being in this way
quite concealed, he allows some long worm-like appendages,
which grow from the top of his head, to wave and float above
the surface of the sand : fish taking these for some kind of
food are attracted to the spot, when the concealed monster
by a sudden spring manages to engulph his victims in the
fearfully wide cavity of his mouth, which is armed with
hundreds of teeth sloping inwards, and as hard and sharp
as needles, so that nothing which has once entered it can
escape. So runs the tale, the exact truth of which I am not
prepared to vouch for.

A rare and singularly formed fish was once brought to me
during the month of August by the fishermen. It is called
the " Deal fish," or, locally, the " Saw fish." The latter name
is very expressive of its shape and proportions, the fish being
flat vertically instead of, like a sole or flounder, horizontally.
The following is the description of the fish which I set down
at the time : —

Length, 3 feet 6 inches.

Depth, 7 inches.

Greatest thickness, between half and three quarters of an inch.

Colour, bright silver, with one very thin crimson fin running the whole

length of its back.

The tail very transparent, fan-shaped, and of a bright crimson.
A large flat eye ;
And a small mouth, which the fish had a peculiar power of elongating to a

considerable extent.

It had managed to get hooked through the back by a com-
mon haddock-hook. I wished to have preserved the skin, as
I believe that there are not above one or two perfect speci-
mens extant ; but, unluckily, through a mistake the fish was
destroyed.

August 4=th. — We caught a young woodcock full grown in
one of the woods near here. A dog disturbed it in the cover ;
and it flew fluttering into the road, where it allowed itself to

WOODCOCKS. 155

be caught by the hand, although it was quite as large as an
old bird, and its wings apparently fully feathered.

The woodcock breeds every season in the north of
Scotland, not only in the large fir plantations, but also in the
smaller patches of birch, &c., which fringe the shores of
many of the most northern lakes. That those bred in the
country migrate I have no doubt, as they all invariably dis-
appear for two or three months between summer and the
first frosts of winter. As I have seen their nests at all times
from March to August, it is natural to suppose that the
woodcock breeds more than once in the season.

I have again, this year, seen the old woodcocks carry their
young down to the soft, marshy places to feed. Unfitted as
their feet appear to be for grasping anything, the old birds
must have no slight labour in carrying their whole family
(generally consisting of four) every evening to the marshes,
and back again in the morning. They always return before
sunrise.

Occasionally I have come upon a brood of young woodcocks
in a dark, quiet, swampy part of the woods near which they
had probably been bred. In a case of this kind we may sup-
pose that the old birds are saved the trouble of conveying
their young to a distant feeding-place ; but as the young
birds are frequently hatched in long heather in dry situations,
and far from any marshes, they would inevitably perish in
the nest were they not daily carried backwards and forwards
by their parents. The quantity of worms required to sustain
one of these birds would astonish those town-bred naturalists
who gravely assert that the woodcock " lives on suction."

Whilst walking in a wood I was surprised at seeing a roe
standing within a little distance of me, with a silver bell
hung round its neck. Having taken a good look at me, the
beautiful little animal bounded oft' into the recesses of the
wood, ringing its bell, to the astonishment of the rabbits who
were feeding about the openings of the cover. This roe
belonged to the ladies at Darnaway ; and, with the usual
wilfulness of such pets, had wandered away from its proper
home, where it lived in security and plenty, petted by all,
and had taken up its abode in the wood, which was several
miles from Darnaway, and where it ran the risk of being
worried by colley dogs or shot while feeding in the neighbour-
ing corn-fields. Once or twice afterwards, when I was
shooting in this wood, the beagles started and ran the roe

156 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

some distance before I could stop them. As long as he
continued ringing his bell through this cover I seldom saw
any other roe in it, although at other times it was a favourite
resort of these beautiful creatures. Once it followed, for
some distance towards Darnaway, a servant who had been
accustomed to feed and pet it, but taking alarm at some
people at work in a field, it turned back again. I do not
know what was the end of the pretty animal, but towards the
winter it disappeared, and I fear it was shot by some poaching
fellow whilst feeding in the fields where it was often seen.
Its silver bell made it both an easier and a more valuable
victim.

August 12th. — On this (to so many people) dies memorabilia,
whilst shooting with a friend in Inverness-shire, I found a
few old grouse lying dead, killed by the prevailing disease,
which of late years has committed such havoc among these
birds in certain districts ; some which we killed were already
attacked by it. Whenever this was the case we invariably
observed that the plumage of the bird was much altered,
having a rusty red appearance instead of the fine rich colour
characteristic of the grouse. The feathers, too, had an
unnatural kind of dry ness about them, which gave the bird a
bleached, unhealthy look. In those grouse which I opened
myself the presence of the disease was indicated by the liver
being apparently rotten.

Whatever is the cause of this mortality, it is a matter of
some consequence to the proprietors of those districts where
the grouse shootings let for as high or a higher rent than the
sheep pasturage ; for it can scarcely be expected that
Englishmen will continue paying at the rate they do for the
right of shooting over tracts of ground where the grouse are
becoming almost extinct, as is the case in several places.
Instead of sparing the birds where they are attacked by this
epidemic, I should be much more inclined to shoot down
every grouse in the infected parts of the hills ; and I would
continue to do this as long as any appearance of the disease
remained. I would then give them a year or two of rest,
according to the numbers and appearance of the birds. This
seems to me the most likely way to check the destruction
caused by what the keepers call the " grouse disease." In
some parts of the Highlands there were scarcely any young
birds seen in August, and the old grouse were picked up in
dozens, dead on the heather

GROUSE SHOOTING AND GROUSE. 157

I observed one peculiarity in the habits of the grouse in
1847, which was new to me. They were collected in large
flocks on the 12th of August in the fields of oats in the
elevated districts, which were at that time perfectly unripe
and green. In every field near the moors there were large
flocks of the old birds busy in the midst of the corn ; but they
always took the precaution to leave some sentries outside,
who, perched on a piece of rock or an old wall, stood with
their necks stretched to their utmost height, on the look-out
for any approaching enemy. When the corn is ripe, and
especially after it is cut and in sheaves on the fields, the
grouse are very fond of it, and fill their crops daily with oats,
like so many chickens, but before this season I never saw them
attack the green and empty oats. There was at this time a very
unusual deficiency in the growth and bloom of the heather,
causing a great scarcity of the tender shoots which form the
principal food of grouse ; and this may have driven them to the
new kind of food, to which they appeared to take very kindly.

It is in the oat -fields belonging to the small farmers and
others living near the grouse hills where the greatest havoc is
committed amongst grouse by the poachers, for there they
can be caught with the greatest facility, in any number that
may be required for the market ; and it is more difficult for
keepers to prevent this kind of poaching than any other, as
it may be carried on by girls or children late in the evening
and early in the morning, the snares being removed during
the daytime, or on the appearance of a keeper, whose approach
in this kind of open country may be perceived from a sufficient
distance to enable the poacher to remove all traces of his
proceedings. Thousands of grouse are killed in this manner
for the London and other markets.

This year, 1848, on the very first day of the shooting, I
happened to be in a poulterer's shop in a large town in
Northumberland, when a servant came in to buy a brace or
two of " well-kept grouse, Jit for immediate use" for his master :
and a brace was instantly handed to him from amongst a
great number, which looked as if they had been killed a
week or ten days ; at any rate they were nearly putrid, and
according to my taste, fit only to be flung away. If this
system commences so long before the birds are legally sale-
able, we may easily imagine what an immense number of
grouse are illegally destroyed during the whole season, in
spite of all the expenses incurred to preserve them.
11

158 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

In my opinion this wholesale system of poaching might
easily be put a stop to by the proprietors of the land, who, by
stringent agreements with their sheep-tenants and cottars,
might prevent all trespassing on the hills, much more easily
than the tenants of shootings can do ; and really considering
the great profit in many ways that this bird is to the High-
land landowners, it seems both their interest and duty to
protect and assist sportsmen in every possible manner in
preserving the game : whereas, let the matter be glossed over
as it may, every lessee of grouse shootings knows how very
little assistance and encouragement he receives from nine
proprietors out of ten, notwithstanding the liberal and some-
times exorbitant rents which are paid. There are, however,
many exceptions to this state of things ; and landlords are
yet to be found who identify the interest of their tenants
with their own.

The rage for grouse-shooting, at present so great, is not
likely to change, like many other fashions. The fine air, the
freedom, the scenery, and all the other agremens accompany-
ing this amusement, must always make it the most fascinating
kind of sport in the way of shooting which the British isles,
or indeed almost any country, can afford. The bird, too, in
beauty and gamelike appearance, is not to be equalled. In
fact as long as grouse and heather exist, and the nature of
man is imbued with the same love for sport and manly
exercise as it now is, grouse-shooting will be one of our
favourite relaxations from the graver cares of life.

Although, like others, I am excessively fond of this sport,
yet I care little for numbers of slain ; and when following it
independently and alone, am not occupied solely by the
anxiety of bagging so many brace. My usual plan when I
set out is to fix on some burn, some cool and grassy spring,
or some hill summit which commands a fine view, as the
extremity of my day's excursion. To this point then I walk,
killing what birds come in my way, and after resting myself
and dogs, I return by some other route. Undoubtedly the
way to kill the greatest number of grouse is to hunt one
certain tract of ground closely and determinedly ; searching
every spot as if you were looking for a lost needle, and not
leaving a yard of heather untried. This is the most killing
system, as every practised grouse-shooter knows ; but to me
it is far less attractive than a good stretch across a range of
valley and mountain, though attended with fewer shots. I

WILD FOWL. 159

am also far more pleased by seeing a brace of good dogs do
their work well, and exhibiting all their fine instinct and
skill, than in toiling after twice the number when hunted by
a keeper, whose only plan of breaking the poor animals in is
to thrash them until they are actually afraid to use half the
wonderful intellect which nature has given them.

Although the 20th of August is the day appointed for
legal execution of the blackcock, yet in most seasons the 1st
of September would be quite soon enough for the shooting to
begin, as until the commencement of September the young
birds have seldom acquired their strength or plumage,
and can be knocked down before the pointer's nose with
a stick almost as easily as shot ; indeed 1 have frequently
seen them caught in the hand. When in full vigour and
plumage there is no handsomer bird than an old blackcock,
and although his size makes him an easy mark, his cunning
and strength are pretty good securities for his not falling too
readily to the sportsman's gun. But in August even the old
birds are not fit to shoot, being neither in perfect condition
nor in full plumage. The blackcock is much more addicted
to feeding in the cornfields than the grouse is, and takes long
nights for the purpose of reaching some favourite stubble-
field.

Few stags have got the velvet off their horns during
August, except iu favoured situations, where good feeding in
the spring and winter has enabled them to keep up their
condition and the strength which is required for the produc-
tion and growth of their weighty antlers.

I find that towards the end of August, when the hill-lakes
and swamps are much disturbed by grouse-shooters, the wild
ducks bring down their young broods in great numbers, both
to the bay and to the lochs. Every evening I can make sure
of killing a brace or two as they fly to the corn-fields
regularly when the sun sets ; indeed they sometimes do
considerable damage by trampling down and eating the corn
before it is cut. But some of the wild ducks which are
killed in the bogs and swamps have their crops full of the
seeds of a coarse grass which grows in these places, and also
of some of the wild fruits, such as blackberries, &c. Indeed
I fancy that a wild duck is about as omnivorous a creature as
can be found, almost as much so as the man who eats him :
nothing which he can swallow comes amiss to him, whether
fish, flesh, or grain. The teal, on the contrary, appears to be

160 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

almost wholly insectivorous : at least these birds feed only in
the swamps and shallow pools, never taking to the fields for
grain or seeds; but living entirely on aquatic insects and
some few small plants.

Although the widgeon breed in Sutherlandshire, and per-
haps in other parts of Scotland, I never saw one in this part
of the country during July or August. I believe that this
bird feeds neither on grain nor insects, but on aquatic grasses ;
and when these are not to be had, he grazes readily on the
grass- fields, and banks near the sea.

The great art in getting at most wild fowl is to discover
their .feeding- places ; for to these they always resort at cer-
tain times either of the day or of the tide, some kinds being
more dependent than others on the ebb and flow of the sea ;
whilst the common mallard is almost wholly nocturnal in his
feeding, and does not regulate his movements by the state
of the tide.

The sheldrakes, who were so numerous a few weeks ago
about the sandbanks and bar, have now nearly all disappeared;
and their places are supplied by innumerable curlews and
other waders, all of whom appear to find their food in the
moist sands, left by the ebb tide, which in this country
contain an endless supply of shellfish of different kinds, from
the minutest species, fit only to feed the dunlin and sand-
piper, to those which serve for food to the oyster-catcher,
whose powerful bill is well adapted to breaking up the
strongest cockles and mussels which are found in this
district.

CHAPTEK XX.

SEPTEMBER.

The 1st of September — Partridge Shooting — Migratory Birds— Grouse-shoot-
ing in September — Widgeon —Jack Snipes ; Breeding places of — Land-
rail—White variety of the Eagle— Sea Trout-fisher— Stags Horns—
Deer-stalking— Cunning of Deer — Disappointed in getting a Shot.

THE 1st of September is by no means so marked a day with
sportsmen in the north as it is with those in the southern
parts of the kingdom. I well remember the eager haste with
which, when a boy, I used to sally forth at the earliest dawn
to wage war on the partridges. The birds, however, at that
hour, are restless and on the alert, the ground is wet, and tha

PARTRIDGES— WILD FOWL— GROUSE. 161

sport unsatisfactory ; and in fact no one, I believe, who can
number more than sixteen summers ever got up at three
o'clock to shoot partridges without repenting his undue
activity before mid-day.

In this country very little of the corn is cut at the com-
mencement of September, and I never attempt to shoot more
partridges than I may happen to want for the larder. As
long as the fields are covered with standing corn, the only
way is to hunt quietly round the hedgerows, and banks
exposed to the sun, or in dry soiled turnip fields, during the
middle of the day, when the birds come to bask and scratch.
Both partridges and hares stick close to standing com as
long as an acre of it remains.

In this country, however, the wild fowl and other birds
which frequent the shores and rocks always afford me as
amusing sport as the best partridge- shooting ; and at this
season there is always a constant and endless variety of
migratory birds collecting previous to their departure.

There is one very numerous class of birds, the sandpipers
and others of the same kind, which are very little known.
Even the best and most quoted authors of works on natural
history are constantly in error with regard to the names and
classification of these birds, and although I do not pretend
to be acquainted with all, or nearly all, the varieties, I know
enough of them to perceive that the numerous changes of
plumage which each species goes through, according to their
age, sex, and the season of the year, have completely misled
most naturalists. Indeed to know these birds perfectly
requires much greater attention and more minute examina-
tion than has yet been expended upon them. Such also is
the case as regards sea-gulls, and some kinds of hawks,
though with these the difficulty is not so great.

I always find that the grouse are wilder in September
than in any other month. They are well scared and driven
about by the August shooting, and are not yet Lamed down
by the autumnal frosts and cold.

In this part of Scotland we have much wild and stormy
weather in September ; and many an English sportsman
towards the end of the month, when located in some small
shooting-lodge, in the wild and distant glens of the inland
mountains, begins to think of turning his way southwards.
The incessant rain driving pitilessly down the glen where his
confined and badly-built cottage is placed, rivers turned into

162 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

torrents, burns changed into rivers, and the grouse un-
approachably wild, all combine to drive away many a
southern sportsman before the end of this month ; and yet
October and November often are better months for grouse-
shooting than the latter part of September.

Here in Morayshire we have a more favourable climate,
and it is very rarely that there is any long continuance
of bad weather in the lower parts of the county. Many a
storm passes harmlessly over our heads to fall on the high
grounds a few miles from the coast. These storms of rain or
snow, although they pass over us, have always the effect of
lowering the quicksilver in the weather-glass, as certainly as
if they fell here, instead of only threatening to do so.

The earliest day on which I ever killed or saw widgeon in
Morayshire was on the 8th of September, on which day I
shot a brace, late in the evening, as they flew over my head
on their way from the bay to some inland lake. They were
both young birds. The flock altogether consisted of eight or
nine. In the same year I killed a jack-snipe on the 16th,
which is far earlier than these birds are usually seen (I have
never yet ascertained that they breed in Britain), and during
the next ten days I killed four others in nearly the same
•place, some of which were undoubtedly young birds. It may
therefore be supposed that a chance pair may occasionally
breed in the North, as it does not seem likely that those
which I killed had been bred out of the kingdom. In no
other year have I ever seen a jack-snipe before the 8th of
October; even that is very early. I have made much
inquiry on this subject in Sutherlandshire and in other likely
localities ; but have invariably found that where the jack-
snipe has been supposed to have been seen during the
breeding season, it has turned out to be the dunlin, or the
common snipe. Neither their eggs nor young have ever been
found, nor has the old bird been seen, for a certainty, in
Britain during the summer season, excepting in the case of a
single disabled bird.

The landrail is seldom seen here after the corn is cut,
notwithstanding the great numbers which breed in the
neighbourhood. It is peculiarly a summer bird ; and
although its cry is hoarse and inharmonious, I never hear it
without pleasure, associated as it has become in my mind
with the fine light nights of June and May. A fearless little
bird it is, too, when caught uninjured. I have seen it

WHITE SEA-EAGLE. 163

immediately after being made a prisoner, and while held in
the hand, peck at and catch with wonderful rapidity and
precision any flies that might pitch within its reach. Its
manner of departure from this country would appear to be
still unexplained, as it is never seen en route either by
landsmen or sailors. When this and other insectivorous
birds leave us, winter visitors arrive. The turn-stone, a bird
that breeds in Norway, arrives in this country at the first
commencement of the mouth, but appears only to make it a
temporary resting-place on its way to the south.

Like many other birds, the eagle sometimes exhibits great
changes in the colour of his plumage. This year, during the
month of September, I saw a freshly killed sea-eagle, whose
colour was a fine silvery white, without the slightest mixture
of brown. The bird was killed in Sutherlaudshire ; and I
was informed that another eagle had been seen in its company
with the same unusual plumage. The bird had quite arrived
at maturity, but did not appear to be a very old one.
Partridges, pheasants, grouse, and many small birds occasion-
ally appear in a snow-white dress; but the birds of prey
seldom change their colour. A black swan we read of as an
example of a " rara avis ; " what must then a white crow
have been thought of by the augurs and omen-seekers among
the ancients. Yet rooks and jackdaws, both parti-coloured
and white, are by no means so uncommon with us as to be
looked on as wonders.

This white eagle had been probably bred on some of the
wild rocky headlands of the north coast of Sutherlandshire,
where not even the value of the eggs can at all times induce
the shepherds of the neighbourhood to attempt their capture.
The sea-eagle is, in its habits, a sluggish, vulture-like bird,
feeding chiefly on the dead fish and other animal substances
which are cast up by the sea on these lonely and rugged
shores, and seldom attacking the lambs of the farmer to the
same extent as the golden eagle does. Although it is
frequently seen, and its sharp bark-like cry is heard far
inland, the usual hunting-ground of the sea-eagle is along the
shore, where it can feed on its foul prey, undisturbed and
unseen by human eye for months together. Like the golden
eagle, this bird sometimes so gorges itself with food as to
become helpless, and if then met with, may be knocked down
by a stick, or captured alive before it can rise from the
ground — a sad and ignoble fate for the king of birds ! After

164 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

all, the eagle is but a sorry representative of royalty and
kingly grandeur : for although his flight is noble and magni-
ficent, and his strength and power astonishing, there is a
cruelty and treachery about the disposition of the bird which
render it unfit to be educated and trained like the peregrine
and other falcons ; nor does it ever become attached to its
keeper.

On the 28th of September the last house-swallow took his
departure from this neighbourhood, although the season was
so fine that there were several nests of young greenfinches
about the garden even so late as the 30th of the month, and
a wood-pigeon was sitting on its eggs in an ash tree close to
the house.

During the latter weeks of the fishing season (which legally
ends on the 15th of September in all the northern rivers),
the lower pools of the Findhorn are full of an excellent small
sea-trout, locally called the finnock. My opinion is that the
" finnock " is the grilse, or young of the common sea- trout,
bearing exactly the same relation and affinity to that fish as
the grilse does to the salmon ; but the natural history of the
inhabitants of another element is too uncertain and difficult
a subject for a mere casual observer to enter upon. At any
rate, the finnock is not only an excellent fish for the table,
but affords capital sport, rising freely, and playing boldly
when hooked ; and has altogether strong attractions for those
anglers who somewhat love their ease. 1 have been much
amused by seeing an elderly, placid-looking London gentleman,
who was staying at Forres for the purpose of fishing in the
Findhorn. This old gentleman used to arrive at the river's
edge at a comfortable noonday hour, accompanied by his lady,
and a footman splendid in blue and red, who carried camp-
stools, books, fishing-tackle, and last, though not least, a most
voluminous luncheon. Daily did this party make their
appearance at a certain pool, and while the old gentleman,
seated at his ease on his camp-stool close to the water, with
spectacles and broad-brimmed hat, fished away with the
well-known perseverance and skill of a Thames angler, his
lady read her book on one side, whilst on the other the
red-legged fooiman either prepared the luncheon, or held in
readiness the well-stocked fly-book of his master. Very
different would be the description given of our Scotch fishing
by one who thus practised the gentle craft of angling on the
level grassy banks of the lower pools of the Findhorn, to that

RED DEER, 165

of the sportsman who followed up the pursuit of the salmon
over the rugged, and often dangerous, passes of the rocks
which overhang the deep black pools and rushing torrents of
the same river between Dulsie Bridge and the Heronry.

Most of the roebucks have, by the end' of September, put
on their winter covering of rich mouse-coloured hair ; so
different from the thin red coat they wear during the summer.
Until they have quite changed colour, the roe are not in
sufficiently good condition to make them a fit object of pur-
suit for the sportsman. The stag is, however, in perfection,
both as to condition and beauty, during this month.

The size of the horns of the red deer depends to a certain
degree on the feeding which the animal gets in the spring
and end of winter. If his food has been poor, and if he is
much reduced, the horns do not aquire their full develop-
ment and size. Fine heads of horns are now much rarer
than they were a few years ago. The reason of this probably
is, that the stag before it attains a mature age generally falls
a victim to one of the numerous English rifles, whose echoes
are heard in almost every Highland corrie. Even where
deer are most carefully preserved and most numerous, the
finest antlers are generally laid low every season ; so that
there are few left whose heads are thought worthy of being
kept as a trophy : yet small as they now comparatively are,
the value of a stag seems to depend more on his horns than
on his haunches.

I am much inclined to think that the uncertainty of
getting a shot at deer in wood is even greater than on the
open mountain, the cunning of the animals, and dislike to
being driven in any one direction, frequently rendering abor-
tive the best arranged plans for beating a cover. Sometimes
the deer are off at the first sound of a beater, at another time
they will lie quietly without moving till all the men have
passed them, and will then sneak quietly back in the
contrary direction.

I was this very year particularly struck with an instance
of deer escaping in this manner. I was placed with a friend
on passes commanding the extremity of a long narrow patch
of cover which grew on a steep brae overhanging a beautiful
river in Eoss-shire ; and the beaters were to commence their
work at the other extremity of the wrood. We had taken
our stations at a considerable height above the river, at the
most likely pass for the deer to leave the wood by ; there we

166 FIELD NOTES FOR T H E Y E A R.

waited some time without seeing anything excepting an
occasional blackcock or grey hen, which, having been dis-
turbed by the beaters at the other end of the cover, came
skimming rapidly past us. Presently we perceived far below
us four brown forms walking slowly through the high fern
and herbage which grew amongst the birch trees. As they
emerged from the cover we saw that they were three hinds
and a calf. With uncertain pace they went on, sometimes
trotting in a line, and sometimes standing in a group on
some hillock from which they looked back earnestly and
inquiringly into the wood. I was convinced by their manner
that there were other deer, probably stags, still in the cover.
As, however, the sound of the beaters came nearer, the four
deer gradually mended their pace, and in a quiet canter fol-
lowed the devious track which led them to the summit of a
steep hill to our right hand. It was interesting to see how,
having once made up their mind as to their route, they weno
steadily and rapidly on in single file, winding up the face of
the hill, sometimes lost to our sight behind a cluster of rocks,
or a birch-covered hillock, and again appearing as they kept
deliberately on their way. At the very ridge of the hill
they halted again, and after standing in a confused group
with their heads all together, and their long ears at full
stretch, they at once disappeared from our sight.

The beaters came closer and closer to us, and in spite of
my prognostications no more deer appeared. At last the
men issued out of the wood at the point nearest us ; and one
of them came up towards where we were, to call us down.
A drizzly shower had commenced, and we had put the gun-
covers on our rifles, when suddenly from under a single
birch tree, which was about fifty yards from us, and about
the same distance from the beater, rose a magnificent stag, in
the finest condition, and with " a head of ten." Before we
could get out our rifles he was behind a rise in the ground
which concealed him from us until he was too far for a ball
to reach him ; and then he again appeared galloping heavily
off for the same point at which the hinds had crossed the
hill. We were both of us dumb with surprise and vexation ;
but not so the Highlander below us, who, in the most frantic
state of eagerness and rage, halloed and vociferated in Gaelic
and English, for the stag passed, with broadside on, within
forty yards of him. Without moving from our position we
watched the animal for some time ; then, returning our rifles

ESCAPE OF DEER. 167

to their waterproof cases, we, as if by a common impulse, lit
the pipe of consolation in the shape of a cigar. Whilst so
employed, with our heads bent from the cold misty blast, we
again heard the man below us, shouting more frantically than
before, and looking up we were just in time to see him fling
his stick at another stag, who had risen from the same
spot and had cantered away in a contrary direction, passing
almost close to the beater. Like the first stag, too, he man-
aged to keep his great body out of our view as long as
within shot, although he almost ran round the man, as if per-
fectly understanding the difference between two double-
barrelled rifles and one walking-stick. We afterwards
ascertained that the two deer had been lying in a small
hollow ground at the foot of a single birch tree, which stood
a little in advance of the main wood. They must have been
lying with their heads close to the ground, hoping to escape
being seen ; and there they remained until they perceived
that the beater as well as ourselves were walking directly
towards them.

In taking up a position near a wood which the men are
about to beat for deer and roe, the sportsman should go as
cautiously and quietly as if he was stalking a deer on the
open hill, as nothing will drive either stag or buck near a
spot where he has discovered or suspected that any con-
cealed danger is awaiting him : rather than do so, he will
pass within reach of the sticks of the beaters, having, like
human beings, a far greater dread of an unknown danger
ihan of one which he sees, and knows the full extent of; and
like many people taking " omne ignotum pro horribili."

Though red deer seldom come down to the woods in this
immediate neighbourhood, I have occasionally seen one who
has probably wandered away from the Duke of Kichmond's
forest.

Instances, too, sometimes occur of a stag being found in
the act of swimming narrow parts of the Moray Firth ; a
solitary deer who probably has been driven by dogs from
his usual haunts, till frightened and bewildered he has
wandered at random, and at last, coming to the shore, has
swam boldly out attracted by the appearance of the woods on
the opposite side.

168 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

C H A P T E It XXI.

OCTOBER. -PART I.

Migration of Birds — Quails— Arrival of Wild Geese — White-fronted Geese —
Arrival of Wild Swans ; decrease of— Feastings of our Ancestors— Food
of Ducks, &c. — Field-mice — Roe feeding- Hawks — Peregrine and Wild
Duck— Training of Hawks —Migration of Eagles.

OCTOBER is, in this country, one of the finest months of the
whole year. The cold cutting winds of November are
frequently preceded by bright, clear, sunshiny weather, most
enjoyable and invigorating to all whose avocations and
amusements keep them much in the open air. The birds,
both migratory and stationary, begin now to establish them-
selves in their winter quarters ; and scarcely a day passes
which is not marked by the arrival or departure, or the
winter preparations of some of the feathered races in this
country.

On the 4th of October, during the mild season of 1847, I
found a pair of young wood-pigeons in a nest near the house.
A few day afterwards they were both dead, either from the
old birds having been killed, or from the coldness of one or
two of the succeeding day?. The latest landrail that I
killed was on the 6th, and a fatter bird of any description I
never saw.

Three or four quails were killed at the beginning of
October, in the eastern part of the county. During the
month of May I constantly heard the call of the old birds
close to my house ; and we saw them several times basking
in the sun on one of the gravel walks.

On the llth and 12th large flocks of wild geese passed to
the south. There was at the time a considerable sprinkling
of snow on the Ross-shire and Sutherlandshire mountains.
None of the grey or bean-geese seemed to alight anywhere in
this neighbourhood during the autumn ; but a flock of that
very beautiful species, the white-fronted goose, took up their
quarters about the fresh-water lakes. Being anxious to
procure one of these birds, I went the following day to look
for them. It is a long, tedious walk through the wild,
desolate country which bounds the sand-hills to the westward,
and separates them from the lochs and swamps which the
swans and geese frequent when in this region. After a long
search for the birds, a sudden gleam of sunshine showed us
their yellow bills and white foreheads conspicuously above

WHITE-FRONTED GEESE. 169

the rough grass and herbage of the swamp in which they
were feeding. They did not appear to have taken any alarm
at us ; so putting myself under the guidance of my old
keeper, who seemed to have a perfect knowledge of every
ditch and hollow of the ground by which an approach could
be made, I crawled and wormed myself along to within sixty
or seventy yards of five of the birds. To get any nearer,
unseen, was impossible ; raising my head, and trusting to
Eley's cartridges and No. 3 shot, I tired and killed a brace of
these very beautiful birds ; a third fell, but rose again, and
recovered himself.

The white-fronted geese remained in or near the same
district, with only occasional absences, during the whole
winter, and until the month of April ; their habits in this
respect being very unlike those of the bean-geese, who in
this region are never stationary for above a few days. The
white-fronted goose is the handsomest species, both as to
form and plumage, that we ever see in Scotland. The
full-grown birds are distinctly and beautifully marked with
black bands on the breast, and have a pure white spot on the
front of their head. They are of a compact, firm shape, and
walk with great activity and lightness while feeding. Unlike
the bean-goose, they frequently feed in pools and swamps
where some favourite plant grows; and in situations which
the sportsman can easily approach, sometimes close to furze
or other cover. The other kinds of geese never by any
chance commit themselves in the same manner, but always
feed and rest in the most open situations, where it is almost
impossible to approach them unseen. The white-fronted
goose has much more the form and appearance of the common
tame goose than the bean-goose. In this respect, as well as
in the peculiar shape of the head and bill, it exactly
resembles the grey lag.

A single very large wild swan appeared on the lakes on the
18th of October, and on the 20th he was joined by two more.
The wild swans, on their first arrival, almost always fly
into the bay from the south, coming in flocks of one hundred
to two hundred together. The only way I can account for
this, knowing that they must of necessity have wended their
way from the north, is, by supposing that they first alight on
some of the mountain lakes between Findhorn and Strathspey.
A large flight of these noble birds, as they circle round the
fresh-water lakes on their first arrival, is one of the most

170 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

beautiful 8ights imaginable. There is, too, a wild harmony hi
their bugle-like cry, as they wheel round and round, now
separating into small companies, as each family of five or six
seems inclined to alight, and now all joining again in a long
undulating line, waiting for the word of command from some
old leader, whose long acquaintance with the country and its
dangers constitutes him a swan of note among the common
herd. At last this leader makes up his mind to alight, and in
a few moments the whole flock are gradually sinking down on
the calm loch. After a brief moment or two spent in looking
round them, with straight and erect necks, they commence
sipping the water, and turning their flexible necks into a
thousand graceful curves and attitudes. They then break
off into small companies, each apparently a separate family,
and set to work, with seemingly a most excellent appetite,
on the water-grasses and plants. I regret to say that the
number of wild swans seems to decrease every year. Fewer
and fewer visit this country, scared away, probably, by the
yearly alteration made in their favourite haunts and feeding-
grounds by draining and other improvements, which substitute
oats for rushes, and sheep for wild fowl, an alteration by no
means gladdening to the eyes of my old garde-chasse. The
diminution in their numbers does not result from the quan-
tity killed, which, comparatively speaking, is inconsiderable.

On their first arrival the swans are much less shy and
wary than they are after a few weeks' experience and know-
ledge of the dangers which surround them. On these lochs,
which are tolerably quiet, a flock generally remains during
the whole winter. The feeding is good, and when anything
disturbs them, the sands of the bay offer them a sure refuge.
I seldom interfere with them, unless I happen to want one
for any purpose ; and in reward for this forbearance I have
the pleasure of seeing them every day in nearly the same
part of the water, either feeding on the plants or pluming
themselves on the small banks and islands. Their favourite
loch is, of course, the one least accessible to any enemy.

The flesh of the wild swan, at least of those who feed
inland, is perfectly free from all strong and unpleasant flavour,
their food consisting almost wholly of a kind of water-grass
which has a bulbous root. In these lochs there is a good
supply of this plant, and the swans become very fat, so much
so as to make it exceedingly difficult to preserve the skins,
the only part of them which I put to any use. When the

WILD SWANS— WIDGEON— SNIPES. 171

feathers are picked out, there remains on the skin a great
thickness of very beautiful snow-white down, which, when
properly dressed by a London furrier, makes boas and other
articles of ladies' dress of unrivalled beauty.

Our omniverous ancestors appear to have been great eaters
of swans. Amongst other dishes at a feast in the reign of
Edward IV., mention is made of "four hundred swans."
Those said ancestors must have had marvellous capacious
stomachs ; for at the same feast there was the like number
of herons, besides endless other little delicacies, such as " two
thousand pigs;" the last entrees mentioned being "twelve
porpoises and seals," these probably being reserved to the
last as a tonnebouclie. Truly, the tables must have groaned,
literally, \\ot figuratively, under the burden of the good things
laid upon them.

The wild swans, on their first arrival, as I before remarked,
are not nearly so wild as subsequent ill-treatment renders
them, and I never found much difficulty in procuring a brace,
or more, early in the season. Awaiting their arrival at a
feeding-place is generally the surest way of getting a shot,
or by waylaying them in their passage from one loch to
another. On a windy day I have got at them, where the
situation has been favourable, by dint of creeping up through
bog and ditch. In rough weather they are not so ready to
take wing, and with good management may be driven from
one end of a loch to the other without quitting the water.

October is the month when the greatest number of wid-
geon arrive in the bay ; and the mallards, also, keep up a
constant quacking and calling on the sands. Every evening
at sunset, or soon afterwards, the latter birds fly to the
stubble fields, preferring those where there is the least quan-
tity of grass to cover the scattered grains. The water-ousels
now come down to the burns near the sea ; and these merry
little birds resort to the very same stones year after
year. They appear to be regular attendants on the small
streams and burns where the trout spawn.

Immediately on the retiring of a flood in the river, great
numbers of snipes are seen on the mud and refuse left by
the water, feeding busily. Where they come from is difficult
to say, as at this season, except on these occasions, we have
no great abundance of these birds. Redshanks, in considerable
flocks, follow their example. On the 16th I see redwings in
the hedges ; fieldfares do not appear until ten days afterwards.

172 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

The woodpigeons now fly considerable distances to feed on
acorns. In the south of England I have killed wild ducks
with their crops nearly bursting with the quantity of acorns
they had swallowed. They collect them from the single oak
trees standing in grass fields,

From the variety of food found in the crops of wild ducks
it is evident that these birds must wander far and near, dur-
ing the night, and often into places where no one would
expect to find them. Though the peewits generally leave us
early in October, a flock is sometimes seen at the end of the
month. The golden plovers collect in great crowds on the
banks of the river to enjoy the morning sun. They are now
in excellent condition.

The proceedings of the common long-tailed field-mouse are
amusing, and indicate the care with which these little
animals provide against the cold and scarcity of the winter.
They dig deep holes in the stubble-fields, in which they col-
lect large stores of food, such as grain, acorns, nuts, and even
cherry-stones. On the approach of cold winds or rain they
shut themselves up in their underground habitations, closing
the aperture completely. The quantity of earth which they
dig out and leave at the mouth of their hole in a single night
is quite astonishing. At the instigation of the gardener my
boys wage war against these little animals. By pouring
water into the holes the poor mouse is obliged, nolens volens,
to bolt like a rabbit driven out by a ferret.

Late in the afternoon I constantly see the roe feeding on
those clover fields where there is sufficient second growth
to attract them. Nothing can be more graceful than the
light and agile movements of this animal while nibbling the
tender shoots of the bushes or trees on which it feeds. The
wild rose and the bramble are amongst its favourite morsels :
from the long twigs of these plants it nibbles off leaf by leaf
in the most graceful manner imaginable. As the leaves fall
from the birch and oak woods the roe quit them, and take to
the fir plantations, where they have more quiet and shelter.
The foresters accuse these animals of being very destructive
to their young oak trees ; and fond as I am of them, I am
afraid I must admit the accusion is just, as they undoubtedly
prefer the topmost shoot of a young oak-tree to almost any
other food. Nevertheless, the mischief done to the woods by
roe is but trifling when compared to that done by rabbits.
Many an acre is obliged to be replanted owing to their

PEREGRINE CHASING A MALLARD. 173

destructive nibbling and in some of the beautiful woods of
Brodie I saw the fine holly-trees of many years' growth, with
stems of six inches in diameter, perfectly killed by being
barked by rabbits.

Most of the hill-bred hawks, such as hen-harriers, merlins,
peregrines, &c., come down now to hunt the fields, which are
clear of corn, and also to feed on the plovers, &c., which
frequent the shore. I sometimes see the peregrine in pursuit
of wild ducks ; and one day I observed a hawk of this kind
give chase to an old mallard. The pursuit was rather
curious, reversing the usual order of things, as the falcon's
great object was to keep below the mallard instead of above
him ; the latter endeavouring all he could to get to the water,
in which case he knew, as the hawk did also, that his chance
of escape would be the greatest. Once in the water, his own
element, by diving and swimming he would soon have
baffled his pursuer. I don't know what was the end of the
chase ; the last 1 saw of them they were winging their rapid
flight straight across the sea for the opposite coast of Iloss-
shire. Either the hawk was not willing to strike his prey
while over the water, or the mallard had a vigour of wing
which enabled him to keep ahead of his murderous enemy.

My tame peregrine, after some years spent in perfect friend-
ship and alliance with our pet owl, ended in killing and eat-
ing her ; a piece of ungenerous barbarism which I should not
have suspected so fine a bird would have committed. They
seemed to have quarrelled over the remains of some bird that
was given them. At anyrate all that remained of the poor
owl was a leg or two and some of the longer feathers.

The country in its present enclosed state is not so well
adapted to the sport of hawking as formerly ; but, as far as
relates to the training of the birds, the process is much more
simple and easy than is generally supposed. Of course the
trainer must take in hand a bird of the proper kind, such as
a peregrine, a merlin, or an Iceland or ger falcon. A gos-
hawk is tractable enough ; but has not the same dash and
rapid flight as any of the true long-winged falcons.

The first step is to accustom your bird to the hood, without
which you can do nothing ; but most hawks allow themselves
to be hooded quietly enough, and are then to a great degree
under your command, as when hooded you can carry her
when and where you like on your hand, and familiarise her
to your voice and to being handled.
12

174 FIELD NOTES FOE THE YEAR.

The next step is to accustom the hawk to feed on the lure,
and only on the lure, so as to fly directly to it whenever she
sees it: indeed, the lure ought only to be shown when the
bird is to feed.

These two points gained, you must proceed to flying the
hawk in an open field, substituting a long silken string, or
" creance," for the short leathern strap, the " leash," by
which you always hold her. By taking her out hungry, and
by showing her, when mounted in the air, the lure with food
attached to it, you will find that she will swoop at once down
to her usual feeding-place, which, as I have said, should be
the " lure " only.

After doing this two or three days, if the hawk appears
tractable, and not at all shy and wild, take her out when
very hungry, and let her mount without any " creance ; " and
when she is well up in the air, toss down the lure, which
until then should be concealed, and ten to one but the hawk
will immediately come down upon it with the rapidity of an
arrow ; and a more beautiful sight that the swoop of a hawk
from a great height I do not know.

To make her kill her game, you must at first let her fly at
a pigeon, or other bird, with its wings partially cut, so as to
ensure the hawk against failure at the commencement. After
she has killed two or three birds in this way, she will
probably kill any bird you may fly her at in a favourable
country. But in this fine old sport the mere killing the
game is almost a minor consideration. The flight, the
soaring, and the rapid detection of, and descent upon, the
lure, are in themselves most interesting and beautiful.

I am not sufficiently skilled in the science, even if I had
time and space, to attempt technically to describe or make
others understand all that is required to constitute an
accomplished falconer. The moulting of the falcons, their
keeping, feeding and training, must all be perfectly under-
stood and carefully attended to ; and although almost any
person who has his time at his command may manage to
keep a single hawk in good training and obedience, yet to
carry out the amusement to any degree of perfection, a
professed and skilful falconer must be engaged, whose sole
and entire employment should be to attend to the health and
education of the birds.

The training of falcons is much facilitated by the natural
disposition of the bird, which is bold, confiding, and fearless ;

MERLIN— GOSHAWK. 175

and these qualifications, assisted by the keen sense of hunger
felt by all animals of prey, render their taming and education
far more easy than would at first be supposed.

Next to the peregrine the merlin is the best hawk to train,
being equally bold and fearless ; and, although of so small a
size, has courage enough to dash fearlessly when launched
from the hand at whatever bird it may see on wing. A
merlin belonging to a friend of mine would fiercely assail a
blackcock. This hawk, too, is so beautiful and so finely
formed, that a prettier pet cannot be found ; and when once
a hawk is accustomed to the hood, the trouble of keeping her
is very little.

The goshawk, although a fine handsome bird, has not the
speed of any of the long-winged hawks, but she Hies well at
rabbits. I am told that the instantaneous manner in which
this hawk kills a rabbit, by breaking its skull at a single
blow, can only be understood by those who have seen it.

But I am wandering into a subject of which I know too
little from personal experience to render my remarks of any
value ; and will only recommend those of my readers who
possess time and energy to procure a peregrine falcon in good
health and perfect plumage (the latter point is most
important), and then, with some treatise on hawking in one
hand, try if he cannot soon train the hawk which sits hooded
on his other. With a fair share of temper, patience, and
careful observation, he will be sure to succeed.

The goshawk is the most rare kind in this country. The
only place where I know of its breeding regularly is the
forest of Darnaway ; but I am told that they also breed in
the large fir woods near the Spey. The bright piercing eye
of the goshawk has a peculiarly savage and cruel expression,
without the fine bold open look of the peregrine. At this
season that singular hawk, the osprey, is sometimes seen
soaring, with its kestrel-like flight, along the course of the
river. I occasionally see one hovering over the lower pools ;
but, in general, this bird is seen only in transitu from one
side of the country to the other. The golden eagle, too,
passes on his way at this season from north to south,
frequently attended by a rabble rout of grey crows, who,
when they have pursued the kingly bird for a certain
distance, give up the chase, which is immediately taken up
by a fresh band, who in their turn pass him over to new
assailants. It would appear that each set follows him as

176 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

long as he is within what seems their own especial district,
like country constables passing on a sturdy vagrant from one
parish to another.

CHAPTER XXII.

OCTOBER.— PART II.

A SEA-SIDE WALK IN OCTOBE1!.

Beauty of a fine October morning —Departure and arrival of Birds — A walk
along the Coast — The Goosander — Golden Eye and Morillion — Plovers —
Widgeon ; habits of in Feeding ; occasionally bred in Scotland — Sands
of the Bay — Flounders — Herons— Curlews, Peewits, &c. — Oyster-birds —
Mussels Scarps— Sea View — Longtails— Mallards — Velvet Ducks ; mode
of Feeding — Rabbits and Foxes — Formation of the Sand Hills; remains
of Antiquity found in them — Seals — Salmon-fishers — Old Man catching
Founders — -Swans — Unauthorized Fox-chase — Black Game —Roe.

CHAKMING to every sense is the first return of Spring : but
quite as enjoyable is a fine dry Autumn day, and far more
invigorating is the first frosty morning than the breatli of
the most balmy spring breeze that ever gave life to bird or
butterfly. In this part of the island, too, Spring is at best
but a capricious and uncertain beauty, and in the course of
four-and-twenty hours one is burnt by an almost tropical
sun, and cut in twain by an east wind which seems to have
been born and bred in the heart of an iceberg.

Not so in Autumn, or at any rate during the early part of
it. In October, the equinox being tolerably well over, and the
more severe frosts of winter not yet set in, nothing can exceed
the exhilarating feeling which comes with every breeze. How
beautiful is the rising of the sun ; — bright and red, it casts
a splendour of colour, in every gradation of light and shade,
in the rugged mountains of the west, whose summits already
capped with snow have the hue and refulgence of enormous
opals : the sun, too, rises at a proper gentleman-like hour, so
as to give every one a chance of admiring him on his first
appearance, instead of hurrying into existence too early for
most of the world to witness his young beauties.

From my earliest days I rejoiced more in Autumn than in
any other season. " Pomifer Autumnus " calls forth in the
schoolboy's mind a remembrance of apples and fruit, ripe and
ruddy. In later years Autumn (and October is undoubtedly
the prime month of that season) fills us with thankfulness-
for the abundance and variety of the productions of the earth.

A WALK ALONG THE COAST. 177

As I wander in the wilds and the woods, by river and glade,
on every side the changing foliage of the different trees dis-
plays an endless variety of beautiful colours. Every thicket
and grove has its rich mixture of emerald green, bright
brown, and different shades of gold and red.

Every day, too, has its interest in the eyes of the dweller
on this coast, for the arrivals and departures of different birds
are unintermitting. An infinite variety of wild fowl come
over from the north and north-east, while our summer visit-
ants, such as the landrail, cuckoo, swallow, and most of the
insect-eating birds, disappear. One of my most favourite
walks is along the coast, beginning at the mouth of the river
and following the shores of the bay till I reach the open
firth ; then after continuing along the beach for three or four
miles, I return through the wild uncultivated ground which
divides the sea-shore from the arable lands. At this season
the variety of birds which are to be seen in the course of this
walk is astonishing. Starting from home soon after sunrise,
with, a biscuit in my pocket, my gun or rifle on my arm, and
my constant canine companion with me, I am independent
for the day. Bright and bracing is the autumn morning;
the robin sings joyously and fearlessly from the topmost
twig of some rosebush, as I pass through the garden, while
the thrushes and blackbirds are busily employed in turning
up the leaves which already begin to strew the walks as they
search in conscious security for the grey snails, repaying in
kind for the strawberries and cherries they have robbed us
of ; and welcome are they to their share of fruit in the sea-
son of plenty.

The partridges as I pass through the field seem aware that
I am not bent on slaughter, but on a quiet walk of
observation ; and instead of rising and flying off as I pass
them, simply lower their ,heads till I am beyond them, and
then begin feeding again on the stubbles.

From the pools at the end of the river a brace or two of
teal and snipes, or perhaps of mallards, rise, and probably one
or two are bagged, as I make no scruple of shooting these
birds of passage when they give me an opportunity.

Looking quietly over the bank of the river, I see a couple
of goosanders fishing busily at the tail of a pool. They are
not worth eating, and I do not just now want a specimen ;
so after watching them for a short time, as they fish for
small trout, I walk on, leaving them unmolested. If, how-

178 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

ever, I show any portion of my figure above the bank, their
quick eye detects me, and after gazing for half a minute
with erect neck, they fly off; at first flapping the surface of
the water, or almost running along it ; and then gradually
rising, wend their way to a few pools higher up the river,
where alighting they re-commence their fishing.

The golden-eye duck and the morillon also are frequently
seen diving for shell-fish and weed in the deep quiet pools,
but never fishing in the shallow parts of the river like the
goosander.

The peewits do not leave us till quite the end of October,
and during most of the month are in immense numbers on
the sands near the mouth of the river. In the dusk of the
evening they as well as the golden plover leave the sands,
and take to the fields in search of worms and snails, gener-
ally frequenting the ploughed land or the grass-fields. As I
pass along the shore of the bay, large flocks of widgeon fly to
and fro as the ebb-tide leaves uncovered the small grassy
island and banks. Unlike the mallard and teal, both which
are night-feeding birds, the widgeon feeds at any hour of the
day or night indiscriminately, not waiting for the dusk to
commence their search for food, but grazing like geese on the
grass whenever they can get at it. Although towards the
end of winter the shyest of all waterfowl, the widgeon, at
this season, owing to their not having been persecuted and
fired at, may be easily approached, and with a little care may
be closely watched as they swim to and fro from bank to
bank; sometimes landing, and at other times cropping the
grass as they swim along the edge. If a pair of mallards is
amongst the flock, the drake's green head is soon seen to rise
up above the rest, as his watchfulness is seldom long deceived;
with low quacking he warns his mate, and the two then rise,
giving an alarm to the widgeon. The latter, after one or
two rapid wheels in the air, return to their feeding-ground,
but the mallards fly off to a considerable distance before they
stop. 'Tis as well to make the widgeon pay tribute, so creep-
ing to the nearest part of the bank I wait till a flock has ap-
proached within shot and in close rank, and giving them both
barrels, four or five drop. If any are winged, my dog has a
tolerably hard chase; for no bird dives more quickly than
the widgeon : and they invariably make directly for the
deep water, taking long dives, and only showing the top of
their head when they are obliged to come up to breathe.

WIDGEON— FLOUNDERS. 179

Both male and female have the same sober plumage at this
season ; nor are the drakes in full beauty till January. I
shot a brace of widgeon on the 8th of September this year,
which is a month before their usual time of arrival. A flock
of eight passed over my head, nearly a quarter of a mile from
the sea, and I killed two of them — one apparently a young,
and the other an old bird. I am inclined to think that they
had been hatched in this part of the country. Although they
leave us regularly in the spring, I have been told by an old
poacher that he has no doubt a pair or two, probably wounded
birds, remain about some of the unfrequented lochs and breed,
as he says he has occasionally seen widgeon in summer in one
or two places in the neighbourhood ; but that is rare. As
my informant has a very accurate acquaintance with most
birds, I believe his account to be correct. The widgeon that
I saw on the 8th of September had very much the appear-
ance of a brood which had been hatched near at hand ; one
of the birds not having arrived at that fulness and hardness
of plumage that would enable it to have made a long aerial
voyage. In Sutherland they breed every year.

I have a long walk before me, and bright as an October
day is, the sun does not give us many hours of his company,
but seems to be in a great hurry to hide his glorious head
behind the snowy peaks of Inverness-shire.

In crossing the sands of the bay in order to arrive at the
neck of sandy ground that divides it from the main sea,
there are many runs of water to be waded, some caused by
the river itself, which branches out into numerous small
streams which intersect the sands, and some made by two
good-sized brooks which empty themselves into the bay.
In all these streams there are innumerable flounders, large
and small, which dart as quick as lightning from under your
feet. Their chief motive power seems to lie in their broad
tails, with which they propel themselves along at a wonderful
rate; then suddenly stopping, they in an instant bury
themselves in the sand ; and it is only a very sharp eye that
can detect the 'exact spot where they are by observing their
outline faintly marked on the sand in \vhich they are
ensconced: sometimes also their two prominent eyes may be
discovered in addition to their outline.

It is a favourite amusement with my boys in the summer
to hunt and spear the flounders which remain at low water
in the pools and runs of water in the bay. On a calm day,

180 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

by wading to where the water is a foot or two in depth, they
kill, with the assistance of a long light spear, a basketful of
good-sized fish.

When a flounder is taken out of the water and laid on the
moist sands, by a peculiar lateral motion of his fins he buries
himself as quickly as if still in his own element.

The large gulls keep up a system of surveillance over all
the calm pools at low water, hovering over them, and
pouncing down like hawks on any fish which may be left in
them. As the tide ebbs, number's of herons, also, corne down
to the water's edge, and keeping up step by step with the
receding tide, watch for any fish or marine animal that may
suit their appetite. It is amusing to observe these birds as
they stride slowly and deliberately in knee-deep water, with
necks outstretched, intent on their prey, their grey shadowy
figures looking more like withered sticks than living
creatures.

As for curlews, peewits, sand-pipers, et id genus onme,
their numbers in the bay are countless. Eegularly as the
tide begins to ebb do thousands of these birds leave the
higher banks of sand and shingle on which they have been
resting, and betake themselves to the wet sands in search of
their food : and immense must be the supply which every
tide throws up, or leaves exposed, to afford provision to them
all. Small shell-fish, shrimps, sea-worms, and other insects
form this wondrous abundance. Every bird, too, out of those
countless flocks is not only in good order, but is covered with
fat, showing how well the supply is proportioned to the
demand : indeed in the case of all wild birds it is observable
that they are invariably plump and well-conditioned, unless
prevented by some wound or injury from foraging for
themselves.

On the mussel scarps are immense flocks of oyster-catchers,
brilliant with their black and white plumage and bright-red
bill, and a truly formidable weapon must that bill be to
mussel or cockle ; it is long and powerful, with a sharp point
as hard as ivory, which driven in by the full strength of the
bird's head and neck, must penetrate like a wedge into the
shell of the strongest shell-fish found on these shores.

Beautiful, surpassingly beautiful, is the view befoie me, as
I rest myself on a height of the sand-hills facing towards the
north. The bright and calm sea close at hand, and the
variously-shaped and variously-coloured cliffs and rocks of

VELVET DUCKS— RABBITS— FOXES. 181

Cromarty and Ross-shire, at a distance in reality of twelve or
fifteen miles, but which, as the sun shines full upon them,
appear to be very much nearer, and all these are backed by
mountains of every form and outline, but of a uniform deep
blue tipped with white peaks. The sea as smooth as a
mirror except where some sea-fowl suddenly splashes down
into the water, making a few silvery circles, which soon
disappear. Every here and there is a small flock of the
long-tailed duck, diving and sporting in the sea, and uttering
their strange but musical cry as they chase each other,
swimming rapidly in small circles or taking short flights
close above the surface ; the whole flock dropping all at once
into the water as if shot, not alighting gradually like the
mallard and other ducks.

The heavy but handsome velvet ducks ride quietly on the
sea in small companies, at the distance of about two hundred
yards from the shore, apparently keeping over some ridge of
sand or other feeding-ground, down to which they are
continually diving. These birds drift along with the tide till
it has carried them beyond the place where they feed ; then,
they rise, and fly back for some distance, looking more like
blackcocks than ducks, and dropping again into the water,
they continue their diving till the tide has drifted them
beyond the end of the feeding-ground; and this they do
again and again.

The rabbits which inhabit these sand-hills are certainly
larger and heavier than those living in the more cultivated
country, though their food must consist almost entirely of
dry bent, with the variety of a little sea-weed and the furze
bushes, which they eat into numerous shapes, like footstools,
ottomans, &c.

Foxes almost as tall and powerful as greyhounds frequent
this region ; and their fresh tracks are seen after every tide
close to the sea-shore, whither they have been in search of
cast-up fish, wounded wild fowl, and such like.

I never pass over these sand-hills without endeavouring to
suggest to myself some new theory respecting their origin,
and what was the state of the country which they now cover
over. That beneath the accumulation of sand there has once
been a range of fertile fields cannot be doubted, as in
different places are seen furrows and other well-defined
traces of cultivated land ; yet no account exists of the
destruction of these fields by the inroad of the sand;

182 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

evidently the change was accomplished suddenly. In many
parts of this sandy region there are distinct marks of rushing
waters ; ridges of both sand and shingle are cast up in a
manner which could only have been effected by some
tremendous rush of water ; and strange pyramids of stones
also are heaped up in several places, to all appearance by the
same agency.

Few remains of antiquity have ever been found here ;
indeed, it is rarely these sands are trodden by any foot save
that of some poacher in search of rabbits. I have, however,
seen a most curious bracelet-like ornament which was found
here. It is made of fine bronze, in the shape of a snake,
which, it has been supposed, had a head at each extremity,
formed of some precious stone : these, however, are lost, the
fastenings having corroded. In shape this relic appeared to
me to resemble one of the bands which bound together the
fasces carried by a Eoman lictor. On further examination it
has, I believe, been ascertained that the bronze must have
encircled some ornament or weapon of wood, which has
rotted away, leaving nothing but the more durable metal.

It has twice happened to me to find human skeletons, or
rather the remains of skeletons, lying on the sand, laid bare
by some drifting wind, or half disinterred by the subterraneous
proceedings of the rabbits. In both cases the remains were
evidently of great antiquity, but had been preserved by the
dry sand.

Those curiously carved pieces of flint called elf-arrows are
not uncommon in some parts of the sand-hills.

On one part of the sands, whicli forms a peninsula at low
water, but an island when it is high, I perhaps discover two
or three seals lying. Clumsy-looking as they are, at the
slightest alarm they scuffle off with great rapidity into the
water. Once there they feel secure, and rising at a short
distance from the shore, they take a good look at the intruder
on their domain. Ugly and misshapen as a seal appears on
land, he is when in the water by no means an unsightly-
looking animal ; and he floats and dives with a quiet rapidity
which appears marvellous to the looker-on. You see a seal's
head appear above the water; and you sit down half
concealed, with ready rifle, to wait his reappearance. In a
minute or two you are suddenly startled by its rising quietly
in quite a different direction ; and after gazing intently at
you for a few moments with its dark, mild-looking eyes, the

SEALS. 183

sleek, shining head disappears again below the surface
without making a ripple on the water, just as you have
screwed yourself round, and are about to touch the trigger of
your rifle, leaving you almost in doubt as to whether it is a
seal or a mermaid. The Highlanders, however, are by no
means prepossessed in favour of the good looks of a seal, or
" sealgh," as they pronounce the word. " You are nothing
but a sealgh " is a term of reproach which, when given by
one fishwoman to another, is considered the direct insult, and
a climax to every known term of abuse.

It is curious to observe the seals resting on some shallow,
with only their heads above the water, and their noses
elongated into a proboscis-like shape. They will frequently
lie in this manner for hours together, until the return of the
tide either floats them off their resting-place, or some other
cause induces them to shift their quarters. The greatest
drawback in most localities to shooting seals is the difficulty
of getting the animal when killed. Tenacious of life to a
surprising degree, a seal, unless shot through the head,
escapes to the water, however severely wounded he may be,
and, sinking to the bottom, is lost to the sportsman. When
shot through the head, he struggles for perhaps a minute on
the surface, and then sinks like a stone to the bottom. A
strong courageous retriever sometimes succeeds in towing a
dead seal ashore, if he can reach him before he sinks, and
has the good luck or judgment to take hold of one of the
animal's feet, or " flippers," the only part which the dog can
get into his mouth.

A seal has a very acute scent, and can never be approached
from the windward I conceive that their eyesight is less
perfect ; at any rate they are endowed with a certain danger-
ous curiosity which makes them anxious to approach and
reconnoitre any object which they may have seen at a little
distance, and do not quite understand. I have seen a seal
swim up to within twenty yards of a dog on the shore, for
the purpose apparently of examining him, as some unknown
animal. Music, too, or any uncommon or loud noise attracts
them ; and they will follow for a considerable distance the
course of a boat in which any loud musical instrument is
played, putting up their heads, and listening with great
eagerness to the unknown strains. I have even seen them
approach boldly to the shore, where a bagpiper was playing,
and continue to swim off' and on at a hundred yards' distance.

184 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

Notwithstanding their wariness and the difficulty of
capturing them, seals are gradually diminishing in number,
and will soon, disappear from our coasts. This is owing
chiefly to the constant warfare carried on against them by
the salmon fishers, who either destroy them or frighten them
away as far as they can from their fishing stations.

On the neck of land at which we have now arrived there
is a hut inhabited during the season by a couple of salmon
tishers, whose business it is to attend to the stake-net, which
stretches out from near their hut into the sea. A lonely life
these men must lead, from March to September, varied only
by visits from or to their comrades, who are stationed at the
depot of ice at Findhorn, where all the fish caught are sent
to be kept till a sufficient quantity is ready to load one of
their quick-sailing vessels .for London. But if their life is
lonely it is not idle, as the exposed situation of their nets
renders them liable to constant injury from wind and sea,
At every low tide the men scramble and wade to the end or
trap part of the net to take out the fish which have been
caught, and to scrape off the net the quantity of sea-weed
that has adhered to it. during the last tide. Although they
do not always find salmon, they are seldom so unlucky
as not to catch a number of goodly-sized flounders, which
fall to the share of the fishermen themselves; and perhaps
once or twice in the season a young seal gets entangled and
puzzled in the windings of the net, and is drowned in it.
More frequently, however, the twine is damaged and torn by
the larger seals, who are too strong and cunning to be so
easily caught.

Frequently on this barren peninsula I have fallen in with
a small colony of field-rnice. They are in shape like the
common large-headed and short-tailed mouse, which is so
destructive in gardens, but of a brighter and lighter colour.
These little animals must live on the seeds of the bent and
on such dead fish as they may fall in with.

The brent goose is not a constant visitor here in the
winter. This bird, though very numerous in the Cromarty
Firth, does not find in this part of the coast the particular
kind of sea-grass on which it feeds. There are generally,
however, a small company of these geese about the basin. A
few white-fronted geese are constantly here from October to
April or May, living either in the lonely mosses near the sea,
or about the sands. Of other wild geese we have no large

OLD FLOUNDER FISHER. 185

flocks, except during the time of sowing the oats, when bean-
geese arrive in great numbers.

This bay, like that of Findhorn, is always swarming with
waders of every description, from the curlew to the redshank,
and from the smallest kind of sandpiper to the old man we
see yonder, who is wading mid-leg deep in the tide, keeping
even pace with the water as it flows in to till the basin. His
occupation was for some time a mystery to me, till approach-
ing him, I saw that he had a singular kind of creel slung to
his neck, and a long, clumsy-looking kind of trident in his
hand. Walking slowly backwards, but still keeping in two-
foot water, with poised weapon and steady eye, he watches
for the flounders which come in with every tide. When he
sees one, down goes his spear; and the unlucky fish is hoisted
into the air, and then deposited in the creel.

I waited until, having either filled his basket or being
driven to land by the increased depth of the tide, the old
man quitted the water. He either had not noticed me or did
not choose to do so before he landed. When I accosted him
by asking him what luck he had had, I got at first rather a
grunt than an answer, as he seemed in no very communi-
cative mood ; but having refreshed himself by a spoonful of
snuff, which he crammed into his nose with a little wooden
kind of ladle, he told me that he " had na get muckle vcnnison
the morn," adding that he " did na ken what had driven the
beasts out of the bay of late ; " venison, or, as he pronounced
it, '' ven-ni-son," meaning in this country any eatable creature,
fish, flesh, or fowl. The old fellow seemed of a most bilious
and irritable temperament ; and I believe had I not won him.
over by dint of whisky and fair words, ho would have laid
his bud success in flounder catching to my shooting wild
fowl in the bay. As it was, he gradually became tolerably
gracious, and told me many marvellous stories of the good
old time, when salmon fishers were fewer and seals more
plentiful ; so much so, that, according to his account, every
tide left numbers of these now rare animals in the pools of
water in the bay ; and a "puir man wha wanted a drop oil or
bit seal-skin had only to go down at low water to the pools-,
and he could get a sealgh as sune as I can get a fluke in
these days." Since this colloquy I and the old flounder
fisher have always been on tolerable terms.

The sea in this bay, as well as in ether similar ones on the
coast, runs in so rapidly that without keeping a good look-

186 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

out, there is a chance of being surrounded by the water, and
detained till an hour or two after the tide begins to ebb
again, which in these short autumn days would be incon-
venient, as I am now at least six miles, from home ; a great
part of which distance is over the roughest piece of moss and
heather tbat I know ; full, too, of concealed holes, treacher-
ously covered over with vegetation.

The first flock of swans which I have seen this season are
just arriving in a long, undulating line. As they come over
the sands where they will probably rest for the night, the
whole company sets up a simultaneous concert of trumpet-
like cries ; and after one or two wheels round the place, light
down on the sand, and immediately commence pluming
themselves and putting their feathers in order, after their
long and weary flight from the wild morasses of the north.
After a short dressing of feathers and resting a few minutes,
the whole beautiful flock stretch their wings again, and rise
gradually into the air, but to no great height, their pinions
sounding loud as they flap along the shallow water before
getting well on wing. They then fly off, led by instinct or
the experience of former years, to where a small stream runs
into the bay, and where its waters have not yet mingled with
the salt sea. Here they alight, and drink and splash about
to their hearts' content. This done, they waddle out of the
stream, and after a little stretching of wings and arranging
of plumage, standing in a long row, dispose themselves to
rest, every bird with her head and long neck laid on her
back, with the exception of one unfortunate individual, who
by a well-understood arrangement stands with erect neck
and watchful eye to guard his sleeping companions. They
have, however, a proper sense of justice, and relieve guard
regularly, like a well-disciplined garrison. I would willingly
disturb their rest with a charge of swan-shot, could I get
within range, but not being able so to do, I must needs leave
the noble-looking birds to rest in peace. When I get up
from the place where I was sitting to watch them, the
sentinel gives a low cry of alarm, which makes the whole
rank lift their heads for a moment ; but seeing that they are
out of danger, and that instead of approaching them, I am
walking in the contrary direction, they all dispose themselves
again to rest, with the exception of their watchful sentry.
In the morning, at daybreak, they will all be feeding in the
.shallow lakes in the neighbourhood, led there by some old

UNAUTHORIZED FOX-CHASE. 187

bird who has made more than one journey to this country
before now. Wistfully my dog watches the snow-white
flock; but the evening is coming on, and we must leave
them.

A desert of moss, heather, and stunted fir-trees, which takes
an hour to walk through, affords little worthy of note, with
the exception of that fine fellow of a fox who, as we pass on,
surveys us from a hillock well out of reach. The grey crows
flying and croaking over his head first called my attention to
him. Nothing is to be seen now but the top of his head and
the tips of his ears, as he lowers himself down gradually and
quietly the moment he sees me look in hi§ direction. But
my dog has got the scent ; and off he goes in a vain pursuit.
Tractable and well-broken as he is with regard to game, no
sooner does he perceive the inciting odour of a fox or otter,
than, heedless of call or threat, he is off in pursuit. Look
now ! away goes the fox at a quick but easy gallop, through
the swamp with his tail (Anglice brush) well up in the air.
A fox is always a great dandy about his brush ; and keeps it
free from wet and dirt as long as he possibly can : a sure
sign of poor Reynard beginning to feel distressed is his brush
appearing soiled and blackened. Ah ! the dog has got on
his scent again, and begins to press hard on his hated foe ;
but as I well know he has not the slightest chance against
the light-heeled fox, who is always in racing condition,
whereas the retriever, with his curly coat and good living,
will be blown before he has run a mile, I continue my walk.
Presently the dog returns panting like a porpoise ; and con-
scious of his irregular conduct, before he takes his usual
place at my side, stops behind a little while, wagging his
tail, and grinning in the most coaxing manner imaginable,
till he has examined my face with that skill in physiognomy
which all dogs possess : then seeing that I cannot help smil-
ing at him, he jumps boldly up to me, knowing that he is
forgiven.

Occasionally a blackcock flys past us. These birds, a con-
siderable number of which frequent this wild region, sleep
every night in the highest and roughest heather they can find,
in order to guard against the attacks of the fox, who in his
hunting excursions seldom walks over that kind of ground,
preferring beaten tracks, or the edges of pools or marshes,
along which he can walk unheard and easily, till his acute
nose warns him of the vicinity of some prey ; whereas the

188 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

strong and large heather in which -blackcocks roost cannot be
walked over quietly and comfortably by an animal whose legs
are so ^short as those of a fox. The grey hens stand a much
worse chance. Led by their maternal instinct to build their
nests near the edges of the smoother grounds, where their
young, when hatched, can run about, they are so much ex-
posed to the attack of the foxes, that scarcely one is left, and
before long the breed in this part of the country will be quite
worn out.

Up to his knees in a swamp stands a beautiful roebuck,
feeding quickly and hungrily on the coarse grasses which
grow there : whilst half way up the brae, a doe and her fawn
are nibbling the faded leaves off a wild-rose bush. By a
little management I could easily get within thirty yards of
them, but I prefer watching them a little while with my
glass. The buck has got the wind of me now, and starting
up, looks quickly round, and then bounds up the steep brae
to where the doe and fawn are standing, and after the whole
party have halted on the top for a minute to reconnoitre me,
they all bound off again into the densest part of the thicket.

As I approach home, and the evening conies on, different
small flocks of wild ducks pass with whistling pinion over
my head, on their way to some well-known stubble. The
barley fields appear to be their favourite feeding ground at
this season, probably because there is always more barley
left on the ground than any other kind of grain.

The ferryman at the river where I pass tells me that he
"is thinking that I have had a long travel, but that I have
not got much ven-ni-son" In both surmises he is not far
wrong, but I have enjoyed my long and rough walk as
much — ay, and much more — than I should have done the
best battue in Norfolk, or the best day's grouse shooting
in Perthshire. But it is time I should finish my chapter ; we
all become prosy when talking of our favourite pursuits.

" Navita de ventis, cle tauris narrat arator,
Enumerat miles vulnera, pastor oves : "

And when I once get fairly launched on the subject of wild
ducks and roebucks, mountains and Hoods, the honest truth
is that I know not when to stop, and must, I fear, frequently
exhaust the patience of the most indulgent reader.

SNOW BUNTINGS— TOMTITS— THRUSHES. 189

CHAPTEK XXIII.

NOVEMBER.

The Snow Bunting — Regularity of appearance — Tomtit and Thrushes ; worthy
of protection— The Water Ousel— Trout— Otters ; the defence of their
young — Otter-hunting — Hahits of Otters — Seals ; power of remaining
under water; habits of; decrease of — Wild Swans — Plovers, &c. — Dun
Divers— Hares.

NOVEMBER, month though it be of cold winds and sleet, is
generally ushered in by Hocks of that beautiful little bird
the snow bunting. For three successive years I have first
seen this winter visitor on the 1st of November, which is
another instance of the regularity of birds in their migrations.
Scarcely any two of the snow buntings are quite alike. In the
first flocks that come there are only a few which are light-
coloured, but as the snow and frost increase the white birds
become more numerous. I do not know whether they arrive
during the night, but I have constantly heard their note
after it has been quite dark, the birds being at the time on
wing ; and this sometimes occurs several hours after night-
fall.

A beautiful little blue tomtit has taken up his abode vo-
luntarily in the drawing-room. It would seem that at first
he was attracted by the few house flies who at this season
crawl slowly about the windows. These he was most active
in searching for and catching, inserting his little bill into
every corner and crevice, and detecting every fly which had
escaped the brush of the housemaid. He soon, however,
with increased boldness, came down to pick up crumbs,
which the children placed for him close to me on the table.
From his activity and perseverance in exterminating flies,
this bird appears well worthy of protection.

The thrushes, and blackbirds too, earn the favour of the
gardener by their constant destruction of snails, in search of
which, at this season, they are all day busily employed in
turning over the dead leaves under the garden walls, and at
the bottom of the hedges. My experience convinces me
that there are few of the common birds whose perseverance
in destroying grubs, caterpillars, &c., for at least nine months
of the year, does not amply repay the mischief done by them
in eating cherries and seeds during the remaining three. It
is difficult, however, to persuade the farmer to look on rooks
and wood-pigeons as his friends, when he sees them in flocks
13

190 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

on the nearly ripe wheat-field, on the produce of which he
mainly depends for paying his rent. Nevertheless, were he
to examine the crops of any of these wild birds, and see what
they were filled with during three-fourths of the year, he
would find that they fully recompense him for all the grain
they devour. Undoubtedly a considerable quantity of newly-
sown wheat is eaten by different birds. Sea-gulls, amongst
others, seem to swallow the grain indiscriminately with the
grubs and worms turned up by the harrows ; and large flocks
of greenfinches and buntings are busily occupied in searching
for whatever corn is not well covered over. The wild ducks,
too, come at night to shovel up what remains in the furrows.

This is the season at which partridges migrate from the
high grounds to the cultivated fields. Fresh unbroken
coveys frequently appear near the lower part of the river :
sometimes they come in flocks of twenty or thirty. In damp
weather these birds seek the dry and warm ground on the
sandy places about the lower islands, and appear entirely
to desert the fields excepting at feeding time.

The water-ousel enlivens the burn now by its low but
sweet note, uttered either while perched on its accustomed
stone in the midst of a rapid, or whilst floating with open
wings on the surface of a quiet pool — a method of proceeding
quite peculiar to this interesting little bird. The salmon
fishers wage war to the knife with the water-ousel; and,
indeed, I have no doubt that it is not a little destructive to
the spawning beds, though I am inclined to think that it
attacks the trout spawn more frequently than that of the
salmon. If so, this bird also does fully as much good as
harm ; the most deadly enemy to salmon being the larger
burn trout, whose favourite food is, undoubtedly, the ova of
the salmon.

The trout now betake themselves to every running stream,
working their way up the narrowest rills, in order to place
their spawn.

At this time of the year the otters are constant visitors at
the lower parts of the river, searching for flounders, eels, &c.
There are certain small hillocks which every otter as he
passes appears to examine in order to find the trace of any
chance stranger of his own species. There are now two old
ones and two young ones hunting the lower part of the
Findhorn ; their presence is always easily detected by their
tracks on the sandy banks, as they constantly leave the

OTTERS; THEIR DEFENCE OF THEIR YOUNG. 191

water on their return up the stream to the quiet hiding-places
where they pass the day.

When accompanied by her young the female otter throws
aside her usual shyness, and is ready to do stout battle in
their behalf. A Highlander of my acquaintance happened to
find a couple of young otters in a hollow bank, and having
made prisoners of them was carrying them home in triumph
in his plaid. The old otter, however, attracted by their cries,
left the river, and so determinedly opposed his carrying them
away, by placing herself directly in his path, and blowing
and hissing like a cat at him, with tail and bristles erect,
that the man, although as stout a fellow as ever trod on
heather, was glad to give up one of the young ones, and
make his escape with the other while the mother was
occupied in assuring herself of the safe condition of the one
she had rescued.

When caught young no auinial is more easily tamed than
the otter ; and it will soon learn to fish for its master. In
educating all wild animals, however, it is absolutely necessary
that the pupil should live almost constantly with its teacher,
so as to become perfectly familiarised with his voice and
presence.

Even when young the otter is a most powerful and severe
biter, closing its jaws with the strength of a vice on whatever
it seizes. Every courageous dog who has once battled with
an otter, retains ever afterwards the most eager and violent
animosity against the animal. The scent of an otter renders
my otherwise most tractable retriever quite uncontrollable.
The remembrance of former bites and wounds seems to drive
him frantic, and no sooner does he come across the fresh
track of one than he immediately throws aside all control,
and is off ventre a terre in pursuit.

It is not often that an otter commits himself so far as to
be found during the daytime in any situation where he can
be approached ; but one day in this month I was out for a
quiet walk with my retriever, looking at some wide drains
and small pools for wild ducks, when suddenly the dog went
off, nose to the ground, in so eager a manner that I knew
nothing but a fox or an otter could have been the cause of
his excitement ; and I soon found in a nearly dry open drain
the quite recent track of a very large otter. For a long time
he would not show himself, till suddenly the dog rushed into
a thick juniper bush, and the next moment dog and otter

192 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

were tumbling over each other into a deep black pool. The
otter escaped from the dog in the water ; but the hole being
only about six feet square, though deep, I took my retriever
out by main force, and waited for the water to become clear
again. When it did so, I looked for the otter for some time
in vain, till at last, having stooped down close to the pool, I
was startled by seeing his face within a • few inches of my
own, his body being almost entirely concealed by the over-
hanging bank. I tried to make him leave his cover, but in
vain ; so I sent the dog in again, who soon found him, and
after a short scuffle, the otter left the pool, and went off
along a wide but shallow dram, and there the battle began
again. The dog, though unable to master the otter, who was
one of the largest size, managed to prevent his escape, and at
last I contrived to end the contest by a well-applied blow
from a piece of railing which I had picked up.

Otter skins, when well dressed by a skilful furrier, make a
valuable addition to a lady's winter wardrobe, the under fur
being peculiarly soft, silky, and of a rich brown colour.

I am daily more and more convinced that the otter is by
no means so great an enemy to salmon as he is supposed to
be; his general food being trout, eels, and flounders ; although
of course when a salmon comes in his way, he is sufficiently
an epicure not to refuse taking it. An otter seldom kills a
salmon without leaving enough of the fish to betray him, as
most people who live near salmon rivers know full well ; but
the remains of the trout and eels which he kills are not so
conspicuous. I am borne out in this opinion by Mr. Young,
the manager of the Duke of Sutherland's salmon fishings,
whose opportunities of observation, and acuteness in judging
on all points connected with subjects of this kind, ought to
make his favourable opinion of otters equivalent to a verdict
of acquittal whenever they are accused of being great salmon
destroyers.

The seal, on the contrary, is a constant and most annoying
enemy to the salmon fisher, breaking the stake nets, and
enabling the fish who are already enclosed to escape.
Besides which a seal, hunting along the shore near the
nets, drives the salmon out into the deeper water, beyond
the reach of the fisherman. The seal is also a much
more rapid swimmer than the otter, and I have no doubt
that he can take a salmon by actual speed in the open sea,
although he cunningly prefers catching his prey with the

SEALS. 193

assistance of the stake-nets, when he has comparatively little
trouble.

I have frequently been told that the seal cannot remain
tinder water for more than a quarter of an hour without coming
to the surface to breathe. I am, however, confident that this
is not the case, and that he can continue for hours under the
water when lying undisturbed and at rest. If caught and
entangled in a net he is soon exhausted and drowned.

I was assured by a man who was constantly in pursuit of
seals that one day, having found a very young one left by its
mother on the rocks, near Lossiemouth, he put it into a deep
round hole full of water left by the receding tide. For two
hours, during which he waited, expecting to see the old
female come in with the flow of the tide, the little animal
remained, as he expressed it, " like a stone " at the bottom of
the water, without moving or coming to the surface to
breathe. He then took it out, and found it as well and lively
as ever ; and on turning it loose into the sea it at once began
swimming about with some other young ones.

In a creek of the sea where I sometimes watch for seals, I
have seen two or three come in with the flow of the tide.
After playing about for a short time, they have disappeared
under the water, and have not shown themselves again till
the receding tide has warned them that it was time to leave
the place. From the situation they were in, and the calmness
of the water, the seals could scarcely have put up their noses
to breathe without my having seen them. Apparently they
sunk to the bottom in a certain part of the bay, in order to
be at rest, arid remained there till the ebb was pretty far
advanced, when they reappeared in the same place where I
had lost sight of them, perhaps some hours before. It was
a curious and amusing sight to see these great creatures swim
up within a few yards of the ambuscade which I had erected
close to the narrow entrance where the tide came in to fill
the bay. At thirty or forty yards distance I found it
impossible to shoot a seal swimming, if he had seen me and
was watching my movements : my best chance always was
when the animal, having turned away, presented the broad
back of his head as a mark to my rifle. If I arrived at the
place in time to do so, I put up some small object at a
distance off on the side of the inlet opposite to where I was
concealed. This had the effect of distracting the attention of
the animal from his real danger.

194 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

A flock of seals playing and fighting on a sandbank is one
of the drollest sights which I know in this country. Their
uncouth cries and movements are unlike anything else. In
the Dornoch Firth and near Tain there are still great
numbers of them, and every fine day they are in large flocks
on the sandbanks ; but near this part of the country they
have been very much thinned off, and scarcely any are killed
excepting by myself. My keeper tells ine, that when he was
a boy, their number was very great, and that the inhabitants
of the place could always kill as many as they wanted for
oil, and for their skins, picking out the largest of the herds,
and sparing the smaller ones; but, alas! cheap guns and
salmon fisheries have combined to make them scarce. For-
merly, also, in the pools left by the sea within the old bar of
Firidhorn, numbers of seals were left at every ebb of the tide,
and the farmers occasionally went down and killed a few to
supply themselves with oil for the winter.

Any unusual number of wild fowl in the bay at this
season generally prognosticates stormy weather or snow. On
the 27th I saw nearly fifty wild swans swimming and flying
between this place and the town of Findhoru ; and some
large flocks of geese were passing over to the south. The
next day the ground was covered with snow, an unusual
occurrence at this season. Of these swans one flock of six
located themselves in the fresh-water lakes between this and
Nairn, and the rest wended their way to the south. The
Icelanders hail the appearance of the wild swan in the same
manner as we do that of the cuckoo or swallow ; it being
with them the foreteller of spring and genial weather ; whilst
here they are connected in our minds with storms and snow-
clad fields.

The Loch of Spynie is another established wintering place
of the wild swan. A few years ago great numbers remained
both in that loch and in Loch Lee during the whole winter.
I know of no other fresh-water lakes in this country where
they now appear regularly. Near Invergordon numbers of
swans feed with other wild fowl on the sea-grass.

Late in the evening the golden plovers come in consider-
able numbers to the bare grass fields to feed during the
night ; but when the ground is hardened by frost, they resort
to the sands at the ebb-tide, both by "night and day. Whilst
the tide is high, these birds fly up to the hills, resting on
those places where the heather is short ; and their instinct

SHELDRAKES— MALLARDS— HARES. 195

teaches them exactly when to leave the hills for the sands as
soon as the sea has receded sufficiently; and yet their
principal resting-place is fully five miles inland.

I have observed the same instinct in the female sheldrakes
when sitting on their eggs. Although several feet under-
ground they know to a moment when the tide has sufficiently
ebbed, and then, and only then, do they leave their nest to
snatch a hasty meal on the cockles, &c., which they find on
the sands.

The frost and snow send all the mallards down from the
hill lakes to the bay. I shot a bird exactly answering to
Bewick's description of the dun diver, excepting that it was
much smaller. Bewick describes his bird as twenty-seven
inches in length. This was only twenty inches. It was
apparently quite full grown. I shot it whilst it was fishing
in a small stream, and the bird had already swallowed
twenty-five sticklebacks and one small eel. Its bright red
bill is well adapted to hold any fish, however slippery, being
supplied with the sharp teeth sloping inwards which are
peculiar to birds of this class.

Hares have a particular fancy for sitting near houses,
undeterred by the noise of the men and dogs who may in-
habit them. When found sitting, a hare sometimes seems
fascinated in an extraordinary manner by the eye of a person
looking at her. As long as you keep your eye fixed on that
of the hare, and approach her from the front, she appears
afraid to move, and, indeed, will sometimes allow herself to
be taken up by the hand. A hare, when dogs are near her,
is particularly unwilling to start from her form. In cover-
shooting many of the old and experienced hares steal off
quietly the moment they hear the sound of dogs or beaters
at one end of the wood ; and thus their quick senses of hear-
ing and smelling enable them to escape the guns, however
numerous and however well placed. Shooters in wood pay
too little attention to the direction of the wind. All small
game, like deer, are most unwilling to face an enemy standing
to windward of them ; but keepers either expect, or pretend
to expect, that game will always go exactly ahead of the
beaters, though the least observation ought to have taught
them the contrary ; for when once running game have dis-
covered the scent of an enemy, they will never go in that
direction, but will make their way back in spite of all the
noise and exertions of the beaters.

196 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.
CHAPTEE XXIV.

DECEMBER.

Owls ; destruction of Mice by them — Frogs — Snakes — Roebucks —Fondness
of 15irds for Sunshine— Loch of Spynic— Habits of Wild Fowl ; rapidity
of their flight — Retrievers — The Otter ; shooting of, by night — Eley's
Cartridges — Wild Swans— Accidents in Shooting — Variety of Country in
Moray — Forres ; public Walks of — Rabbits — Foxes — Immigration of
Birds — Conclusion.

DURING the clear frosty nights of this month we hear the
owls hooting for hours together in the old ash trees around
the house. Occasionally they used to be caught in the pole-
traps set for hawks, but the poor fellows looked so pitiable
as they sat upright, held by the legs, that I took down all
these traps, which were set near the house. And the owl is
far more a friend than an enemy to man : the mischief he
does to game is very trifling ; but the service he is of to the
gardener, the farmer, and even to the planter of forest trees,
by destroying rats and mice, is incalculable. I have a
great liking, too, for the quaint, old-fashioned looking bird,
and by no means believe him to be the

" Ignavus bubo, dirum mortalibus omen."

My kitchen-garden was overrun with mice, who not only ate
up peas and other seeds, but also nibbled and destroyed great
numbers of peaches ; but since I have had a tame owl in the
garden, the mice have disappeared entirely, having been
destroyed by him and his relations and friends who visit him
at night. Sometimes an owl, either the common brown one
or else one of the long-eared kind, posts himself all day long,
bolt upright, in one of the evergreens near the house. The
small birds first point out his whereabouts, by their clamour
and fluttering round him ; but the owl sits quite unconcerned
in the midst of the uproar, blinking his eyes and nodding his
head as quietly as if in his accustomed sequestered thicket or
hollow tree.

The long-eared owl, with his bright yellow eyes and hooked
bill, has a most imp-like appearance when seen sitting motion-
less on the low branch of a tree or ivy-covered wall.

The chief food of owls are mice and birds, but they are
also very fond of frogs. When an owl catches one of these
animals, instead of swallowing it whole, as he does a mouse,
he tears it to pieces, while still alive, in the most cruel
manner, regardless of its shrill cries.

FROGS— SNAKES— ROE. 197

I have no doubt that were it not for their numerous
enemies, such as birds of prey, crows, ravens, rats, &c., frogs
would increase to such a degree as to become a serious
nuisance. The snake is another of the frog's devourers. It
is a curious, although I cannot venture to say a pleasant
sight, to see one of these reptiles attack and swallow a living
frog, of a diameter four times as large as its own. After a
frog has been pursued for a short time by a snake, it suddenly
seems to be fascinated by the bright, sparkling eye of its
enemy, and gives up all attempt at escape ; then the snake,
with a motion so rapid that the eye cannot keep pace with
it, darts on its unhappy prey, generally seizing it by the
hind-leg. There now commences a struggle for life and
death, the frog clinging pertinaciously to any branch or pro-
jection which it can reach with its fore-legs ; but all in vain ;
for the snake quietly but surely, by a kind of muscular con-
traction, or suction, gradually draws the frog into its mouth,
its jaws expanding and stretching in the most extraordinary
and inconceivable manner, in order to admit of the dispro-
portioned mouthful.

I have little doubt that many birds and other animals are
in reality fascinated by the fixed gaze of a snake, when they
once come under the immediate influence of his eye. Their
presence of mind and power of escape, or even of moving,
seems entirely to desert them when their enemy is near
them, and they become so paralyzed with fear, that the
snake has nothing to do but to seize them. Any person who
has seen one of our common snakes swallow a large frog will
readily believe all accounts of deer being swallowed by the
giant-serpent of the East.

Early in December the roebucks lose their horns. I have
shot them during the first week of this month with the horns
so loose that they have fallen off as the animal was carried
home. They are, however, in as good and perhaps even
better order for the table in December than at any other
time.

The roe being very much disturbed by woodcutters in
most of our woods, keep to the wild, rough extent of
cover, too young for the axe, which lies between the upper
country and the shore ; there they live in tolerable security,
in company with the foxes, black game, and wild fowl which
tenant the woods and swamps of that district. Occasionally,
while I am woodcock shooting, a roe affords a pleasant variety

198 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

aud weighty addition to the game bag. All my dogs, whether
pointers, spaniels, terriers, or retrievers, become very eager
when on the scent of roe.

The blackcocks, like other birds, are very fond of catching
the last evening rays of a winter's sun, and are always to be
found in the afternoon on banks facing the west, or swinging,
if there is no wind, on the topmost branch of the small fir
trees. On the mountains, too, all birds, as the sun gets low,
take to the slopes which face the west ; whilst in the morn-
ing they betake themselves to the eastern banks and slopes to
meet his rays. No bird or animal is to be found in the shade
during the winter, unless it has flown there for shelter from
some imminent danger. This is very remarkable in the case
of the golden plover, who in the evening ascend from
slope to slope as each becomes shaded by intervening heights,
until they all are collected on the very last ridge which the
sun shines upon. When this is no longer illuminated, and
the sun is quite below the horizon, they betake themselves to
their feeding-places near the seashore and elsewhere. Goats
have the same habit.

There is no fresh-water lake which has so large a quantity
of wild fowl on it as the Loch of Spynie ; aud I do not know
a more amusing sight than the movements and proceedings
of the thousands of birds collected there during this season.
All wild fowl, from the swan to the teal, swarm on this lake ;
and it is most interesting to see the habits and manners of
feeding and of passing their time of the different kinds, some
feeding only by night and others moving about at all hours.
On the approach of night, however, the whole community
becomes restless and on the move, and the place is alive with
the flocks flying to and fro, all uttering their peculiar notes,
and calling to each other, as they pass from one part of the
loch to another. The mallards for the most part take to the
fields in search of food, flying either in pairs or in small
flocks of five or six. The widgeon keep in companies of ten
or twelve, whistling constantly to each other as they fly to
feed on the grassy edges of the lochs. The teal and some
other birds feed chiefly on the mud-banks and shallows
which abound in parts of this half-drained lake ; and
amongst the loose stones of the old castle of Spynie, which
overlooks it, and where formerly proud ecclesiastics trod, the
badger has now taken up his solitary dwelling.

The flight of wild fowl in the evening is more rapid in

RETRIEVERS— WILD-FOWL SHOOTING. 199

reality than it appears to be ; and I have seen many a good
shot fairly puzzled by it, and unable to kill these birds at
this period of the day with any certainty until practice had
taught them the necessity of aiming well ahead. Another
great requisite to success in wild-fowl shooting is a first-rate
retriever, quick and sagacious in finding and bringing the
killed and wounded birds from the swampy and grassy places
in which they fall. Long shots ought never to be taken in
the evening, as, independently of the time lost in loading
(during which operation, by the bye, the birds always con-
trive to come over your head) you are sure to lose many
which fiy away wounded, to drop several hundred yards off,
serving only to feed the foxes and crows, which always seem
to be on the look-out for food near the lakes and marshes.

Some retrievers have a most wonderful instinct in dis-
covering whether a wounded bird is likely to fall ; invariably
marking down and finding them, without wasting their time
and strength in vain pursuit of those which are able to
escape.

Nothing is more trying to the constitution of a dog than
this kind of shooting in the winter; when the poor animal
spends his time either in paddling or swimming about in
half-frozen water, or in shivering at his master's feet whilst
waiting for a fresh shot. The master perhaps has waterproof
boots and a warm jacket on, a pipe in his mouth, and a
mouthful of brandy to keep him warm ; while his poor dog
has none of these accompanying comforts, and is made to sit
motionless on the wet or frozon ground with the water freez-
ing on his coat. For my own part I administer as much as I
can to the comfort of my canine companion, by always carrying
him some biscuits, and by giving him either my plaid or a
game-bag to lie upon. It is amusing enough to see the re-
triever wrapped in the plaid, with only his head out of it,
watching eagerly for the appearance of a flock of widgeon or
ducks, which he often sees before I do myself.

The best and most sagacious dog of this kind that I ever
saw, and whose cunning and skill were unequalled, I sold to
make room for a stronger retriever, who, however, never
equalled his predecessor in sagacity and usefulness. I the
less repented having parted with the dog, as he fell into the
hands of a friend of mine, Captain Cumming, a most excel-
lent shot and persevering wild-fowl shooter, who fully
appreciated the good qualities of the animal. The Loch of

200 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

Spynie belonging principally to this gentleman's family, he
preserves the place strictly ; and I do not know so successful
a wild-fowl shooter — successful I mean in a gentlemanly and
sportsmanlike manner — and with what I term fair shooting.
With due deference to the followers of this sport, I cannot
include under that denomination the punt and swivel-gun
system. Amongst other objections to this kind of sport is
the vast number of birds maimed, wounded, and left to
perish miserably, or to feed crows and other vermin. Not
even Colonel Hawker's amusing work on the subject recon-
ciles me to this (proh pudor !) his favourite branch of sport.

In the snow I constantly see the tracks of weasels and
stoats going for considerable distances along the edges of open
ditches and streams, where they search not only for any birds
which may be roosting on the grassy banks of the ditches,
but also for eels and whatever fish they can make prey of.

The otters, too, puzzled by the accumulation of ice and
frozen snow on the shallows, and about the mouth of the
river, go for miles up any open ditch they can find ; turning
up the unfrozen mud in search of eels, and then rolling on
the snow to clean themselves.

There are few animals whose scent is so attractive to dogs
of all kinds as the otter ; but it requires that they should
have great experience in order to be sure of finding an otter,
or of following with any certainty when started, so strange
and well concealed are the nooks and corners of broken
banks and roots under which it lies, or takes refuge when
hunted.

My old keeper has great delight in the pursuit of otters,
and continually neglects his more legitimate duties for the
sake of getting a midnight shot at one of these animals.
Having carefully determined on the way from which the
wind blows, and made himself sure that no eddy of air can
carry his own scent towards the stream, the old man sits
well concealed under a projecting bank near some shallow
ford, where he expects the otter will appear on his way up
or down the burn. This plan seldom fails, and he not
unfrequently makes his appearance in the morning with a
dead otter in his hand, the result of many hours of patient
watching in a winter's night, of which the disordered and
somewhat bemudded appearance of his habiliments bears
further witness. I cannot plead guilty of ever sending him
on these expeditions. In the first place I have no very

ELEY'S CARTRIDGES— WILD SWANS. 201

deadly feud with the otters ; and, in the next, I think that
the old fellow would be better in his bed than squatting
under a broken bank through a long winter's night.

Though not an advocate for Eley's cartridges for game
shooting, I use a great number of them against stronger
animals, such as otters, foxes, and roe, and also for wild-fowl
shooting of all kinds. In steady hands these cartridges
undoubtedly do great execution amongst ducks and geese ;
but they are very apt to induce the sportsman to take shots
which are too long and random, conceiving that no distance
is too great for this kind of charge. That they very
frequently do not open at all, or at any rate sufficiently soon,
I have clearly ascertained ; and I have often found in
shooting roe and hares that the cartridge has passed through
the animal like a single ball. Every sportsman knows that
this will not answer his purpose in general shooting ; and,
therefore, that Eley's cartridges should only be used in the
most open places, and at strong birds and animals.

The wild swans still remain feeding in the lakes, and seem
to have completely made themselves at home ; going lazily
off to the bay when disturbed, but seldom taking the trouble
to do so unless the particular loch which they frequent, and
in which they feed, comes within the line of my beat for
wild ducks. When their territory is invaded, they first
collect in a close body, and after a short conference, flap
along the water for some distance, and gradually rising fly
across the sandhills with loud cries to the sea. Hundreds of
ducks of all kinds constantly attend on the swans when
feeding, to snatch at the water -grasses and weeds pulled up
by the long-necked birds from the bottom of the shallow
water — a proceeding the swans seem by no means to approve
of, as they evidently have no wish to labour for the good of
these active little pirates.

It has often occurred to me, how perfectly helpless a man
would be were he to lame himself during the distant and
lonely wanderings on the mountain which the pursuit of deer
and wild game sometimes leads him into ; and I was forcibly
reminded of this by a curious accident which happened to
myself in the woods of Altyre while roe-shooting this
month.

The hounds were in pursuit of a roe ; and I was partly
occupied in listening to their joyous cry, and partly in
admiring the beautiful light thrown by the low rays of the

202 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

winter sun on the bright trunks of the fir trees, contrasted
as it was with the gloomy darkness of their foliage, when 1
heard the foot of a roe as it came towards me, ventre a terre.
Taking a cool aim I sent a cartridge through the poor
animal's head, who, of course, fell rolling over like a rabbit.
I went up in order to bleed her, according to rule, when just
as I was knife in hand, I heard the hounds coming up in
chase of another roe. I dropped the knife on the heather,
and at that instant the dying roe gave an expiring plunge, as
animals almost always do when shot in the head. Her hind
foot struck the hilt of the couteau de cJiasse, driving it straight
into my foot. Having, not without some little difficulty,
drawn it out, I had next to cut off my shoe, when the blood
came out like a jet d'eau. Making a tourniquet of my
handkerchief and a bit of stick, I managed to stop the
bleeding, not however before I began to feel a little faint.
Then not waiting for my companions, who were at a distant
part of the woods, I hobbled off to a forester's house, where I
rebound the cut, and having directed the man where to find
the roe, and to tell the other shooters that I had left the
woods, I made my way homewards as well as I could, and
luckily meeting on the road one of my servants exercising a
pony, I got home without more inconvenience, but I had to
pass many a long day upon a sofa. Had a similar accident
happened on some of the wild and distant mountains of the
country where I often shoot, I should probably not have been
seen again, till the ravens and the storms of winter had left
nothing but my bones. From such slight and trivial causes
do accidents sometimes happen to remind us how helpless we
all are.

In the low parts of Morayshire the snow seldom lies long,
and consequently after every lengthened snow-storm there is
a- constant migration not only of wild-fowl of all kinds, but
also of partridges and other game, who come down to the bay
and shore from the higher parts of the district, where the
ground is more completely covered with snow, the depth of
which decreases gradually as one recedes from the shore.

A more strikingly varied drive of twenty miles can scarcely
be taken than from the Spey at Grantowii down to Torres
on the sea-side near the mouth of the Findhorn river. After
emerging from the woods of Castle Grant, in the immediate
vinicity of the Spey, and that curiously-built place Gran-
town, with its wide street of houses, almost wholly inhabited

GRANTOWN TO FORRES. 203

by Grants, which appellation with every variety of Christian
name is written at least on nine houses out of every ten, the
traveller comes out on the extended flats and moors of the
district round Brae Moray, where there is scarcely a sign of
life, animal or human ; excepting when a grouse rises from
the edge of the road, or runs with comb and head erect a few
yards into the heather, and then crouches till the intruder
has passed by. There is, I admit, a turnpike-house here, but
it is a wretched-looking affair, and its tenant must live a life
as solitary as a lighthouse keeper. After several miles of
this most dreary though not very elevated range, the road
enters the woods and for a long distance passes through a
succession or rather one continued track of fine fir-trees. It
goes through the beautiful grounds of Altyre, and along the
banks of the most picturesque part of the Findhorn ; and
gradually descending it opens upon the rich fields and firth
of Moray, with the mountains of Ross, Caithness, and Suther-
land— a glorious range — in the background : a great and
most pleasing change from the dreary brown muirland near
Brae Moray. Having passed through this long and varied
track of woodland, the road suddenly emerges into the rich
open corn-land of the most fertile district in Scotland, near
the bay of Findhorn, where the river, as if tired by its long
and rapid course, gradually and slowly mixes itself with the
salt water of the Moray Firth. By crossing the river near
this spot, another very different kind of country is reached —
the strange sand-hills of Findhorn or Culbin. Thus, in a
very few hours' drive, as great a variety of country is passed
through as could be found in any part of the island, each
portion of which is characteristic and interesting.

Forres itself is one of the prettiest and cleanest little towns
in the kingdom. The entrance from the river Findhorn is
extremely picturesque ; and the bright sparkling burn, with
the public bleaching-green close to the town, always gives it
a gay and lively appearance. The town magistrates, too, with
public-spirited zeal, have laid out pleasure-grounds and walks
on the wooded hill above the town, which, as regards the
views which they command of rich cultivated land, are
probably not surpassed by any in the kingdom.

During the time that the snow remained on the ground,
the rabbits in a wood near my house took to barking the fine
old hollies, thus destroying trees of a very great age, and of
from eight to ten inches in diameter. Oaks also of twenty

204 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

years' growth are frequently destroyed by these animals. In
fact, wherever they once establish themselves they overrun
the country and become a nuisance. In the sand-hills of
Culbin 1 admit that they can do but small mischief, there
being in that region little else but bent, sea- weed, and furze-
bushes. They thrive however on this food, and in spite of
foxes and guns keep up their numbers sufficiently to afford
plenty of sport. The foxes are numerous in the rough wild
district which lies to the west of the sand-hills, and hunt
regularly for rabbits wherever they abound. From their
tracks it is evident that two foxes constantly hunt together ;
and they take different sides of every hillock.

If a fox finds a rabbit at a sufficient distance from the
cover, he catches it by fair running ; but most of his prey he
obtains by dint of the numberless stratagems which have
earned for him a famous, or rather infamous, reputation from
time immemorial. From what 1 have myself seen of the
cunning of the fox, I can believe almost any story of his
power of deceiving and inveigling animals into his clutches.
Nor does his countenance belie him ; for handsome animal as
he certainly is, his face is the very type and personification
of cunning.

The cottagers who live near the woods are constantly com-
plaining of the foxes, who steal their fowls frequently in
broad daylight; carrying them off before the faces of the
women, but never committing themselves in this way when
the men are at home. From the quantity of debris of fowls,
ducks, &c., which are strewed here and there near the abodes
of these animals, the mischief they do in this way must be
very great.

Cunning, however, as they are, I not unfrequently put
them up while walking through the swamps. They lie, in
fancied security, on some dry tuft of heather in the midst of
the pools ; and not expecting or being accustomed to be dis-
turbed, they remain there until my retriever raises them
close to my feet. One tine day in the beginning of this
month, when the sun was bright and warm, a setter who was
with me made a very singular kind of point in the long
heather, looking round at me with an air most expressive of
" Come and see what I have here." As soon as 1 got near,
the dog made a rush into the rough heather, putting out a
large dog fox, who had been napping or basking. The fox
made a bolt almost between my legs to get at a hole near

END OF SOJOURN IN MORAY. 205

the place ; but I stopped him with a charge of duck shot :
the dog, though as steady as possible at all game, pursued
the fox full cry, and when he rolled over, worried and shook
him, as a bull-dog would a cat.

December, in this part of the island, is seldom a very cold
or boisterous month ; our principal storms of snow and wind
come with the new year. Frequently indeed there is no
covering of snow on that part of the county which lies
within the influence of the sea-air till February.

During the first days of snow and storm a constant immi-
gration of larks takes place ; these birds continuing to arrive
from seaward during the whole day, and frequently they
may be heard flying in after it is dark. They come flitting
over in a constant straggling stream, not in compact flocks ;
and pitching on the first piece of ground which they find
uncovered with snow, immediately begin searching for food ;
feeding indiscriminately on insects, small seeds, and even on
turnip leaves, when nothing else can be found.

The wagtails frequent the sheepfolds near the shore, and
keep up an active search for the insects which are found
about these animals.

And now having brought my readers (if the patience
of any of them has enabled them to follow me so far) to the
end of the year, and of my sojourn in Moray, I must say —
Farewell.

I have aimed neither at book-making, nor at giving a
scientific description or arrangement of birds and other
animals. All I wish is that my rough and irregularly put
together notes may afford a few moments of amusement to
the old ; and to the young not amusement only, but perhaps
an incitement to them to increase their knowledge of natural
history, the study of which in all its branches renders inter-
esting and full of enjoyment many a ramble and many an
hour 'in the country which might otherwise be passed
tediously and unprofitably. We all know that there is
scarcely a foot of ground that is not tenanted by some living
creature, which, .though it may offer itself to our observation
in the lowly shape of an insect or even a minute shell, is as
perfect in all it features and parts, in its habits and instincts,
and as demonstrative of the surpassing wisdom and power
14

206 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR.

and goodness of the Creator, as the most gigantic quadruped
which walks the earth.

Again, kind readers, Farewell !

DEER-STALKING.

DEER-STALKING.

CHAPTEE XXV.

Deer-stalking ; enjoyment of — Fine Stag ; ill-luck in stalking ; escapes of
Stag ; start in pursuit of him — View of Country — Roebucks — Hare and
Marten— Tracks of Deer ; find the Stag ; death of— Meet the Shepherd—
Cottage.

THOUGH we are all naturally gregarious animals, much
pleasure is often derived from a lonely walk over mountain
and moor, when, independent of the wishes or movements of
any one else, we can go hither and thither as the objects or
the fancy of the moment may lead us. In following up my
sporting excursions I frequently prefer being alone, and
independent of either friend or keeper; not from any
disinclination to the society of my fellow-men — far from it—-
but from a liking to watch and observe the habits and
proceedings of many of the living animals of the country.
Now one's friend may become bored by being carried off
from his shooting, and being hampered by the movements of
another person whose attention for the time being is taken
up in following some bird or beast not included in the game-
book, and therefore not deemed worthy of notice during the
shooting season. If my own larder or that of my friend is in
want of replenishing, I can fill it as well and quickly as most
people ; but at other times I like to take my shooting quietly.
In deer-stalking the solitary sportsman has often great
advantages, though his enjoyment of the sport is much
enhanced by the thought that he has some friend, some
" fidus Achates," to whom he can relate the incidents of the
day, and who, following the same pursuits, will enjoy and
appreciate the account of the pains and fatigues he has
undergone before bringing down the noble animal whose
horns he exhibits in triumph. Much of my deer-stalking
time was spent alone, or at most with no companionship save
that of an ancient and experienced Highlander, or a chance
visitor — some travelling laird or sportsman — who was as
glad to receive as I was to give provend and rest for himself

210 DEER-STALKING.

and horses. From these circumstances I got into the habit
of sketching off an account of my day's wanderings, when
they had been of that kind that I felt I might say to myself
" forsan et hsec olim meminisse juvabit."

I had more than once seen in a particular corrie, or not far
from it, a remarkably fine stag : his horns, though not
peculiarly long, were heavy and large, with ten points well
and evenly set on, of a dark colour, and the points as white
as ivory. The animal himself was evidently of very great
size and age, and in fine condition. He lived quite alone,
and did not seem to associate with any of the other deer who
frequented that district, although I once saw him rise and
trot off, warned by the movement of a herd of hinds ; and at
another time he rose unexpectedly on my firing at two stags
in a corrie : still on neither of these occasions, nor at any
other time, did he appear to be lying in company with the
other deer, although not above half a mile from them, nor
did he join them in their flight when moved. Instead of this
he invariably trotted off sulkily ; and if I chanced to fall in
with his track again, it was still solitary, and speeding in a
direct course over bog and hill to some far off mountain glen
or corrie. The shepherds, who generally gave me notice of
any particularly fine stag they might see in their rounds,
distinguished this one by a Gaelic name signifying the big
red stag, as, besides his other attributes, his colour was of a
peculiarly bright red. Donald and I made an unsuccessful
raid or two into the red stag's country, some unforeseen or
unguarded-against circumstance always warning him of our
neighbourhood too soon ; besides which he had a troublesome
habit of suddenly rising in the most unaccountable manner
from some unexpected corner or hollow. We might examine
long and carefully the whole face of a hill, and having made
ourselves perfectly sure that nothing larger than a mountain
hare could be concealed on its surface, up would rise the red
stag from some trifling hollow, or from behind some small
hillock, and, without looking to the right or left, off he would
go at his usual trot, till we lost him in the distance.

At another time, after we had beat, as we imagined, a
whole wood, so that we were convinced that neither deer nor
roe could have been passed over, up would get the stag out of
some clump of larch or birch, apparently scarcely big enough
to hold a hare. Or else he would rise at the very feet of one
of the beaters, and though not above a hundred yards from

START IN PURSUIT. 211

the corner where I was posted he always managed to turn
back, perhaps almost running over some man who had no
gun : but he invariably escaped being shot at, excepting on
one occasion, when I placed a friend who was with me near
a pass by which the stag sometimes left a favourite wood. I
had stationed the shooter at the distance of half a mile from
the wood, as the deer was always most careful of himself, and
most suspicious of danger, when he first left the cover. On
this occasion, according to my friend's account, the great
beast had trotted quickly and suddenly past him at eighty
yards distance, and took no notice of the barrels dischaged at
his broadside, though fired by a very good shot, and out of a
first-rate Manton gun that carried ball like a rifle. My
friend could not account for missing him; but missed he
evidently was.

I determined one day to start off alone in pursuit of this
stag, and to pay no attention to any other deer I might see
during my excursion. Donald's orders were to meet me at a
particular rock, about eight miles from home, the next day
at two o'clock ; my intention being, in the event of my not
returning the same night, to work my way to a distant shep-
herd's house, and there to sleep. Donald had directions as
to the line by which he was to come, that he might not dis-
turb one or two favourite corries ; and he was also to bring
a setter and my shooting apparatus, as I took with me only
a single-barrel rifle and a few bullets. I did not take
Bran, as, being alone, I could not be quite sure that he would
not be in my way when getting up to the deer, in case I found
him ; but I took a dog of a very different kind — a powerful
bull-dog, who was well accustomed to deer-stalking, and who
would lie down for an hour together if desired to do so, with-
out moving an inch.

On leaving the house at daybreak, or at least before the
sun was risen, I struck off in a straight line through the
woods, till, having got through the whole cover, I sat myself
down on the top of what was called the Eagle's Craig, and
turned, for the first time that morning, to the east to look at
the sun, which was now rising in its utmost glory and bright-
ness,— a glorious sight, and one that loses not its interest
though seen each returning day, particularly when viewed
from the lonely places either of land or sea : below me lay a
great extent of pine-wood, concealing the house and the
cultivated land around it, with the exception of a glimpse

212 DEER- STALK ING.

caught here and there of the bright green meadow which
formed the banks of the river. The river itself was visible
through many openings, and where the outline of the trees
was lower than in other places: beyond the river rose a
black-looking moorland, which, growing higher and higher,
terminated in mountains with a most varied and fantastic
outline of peaks and precipices, the stony sides of which were
lighted up by the rising sun, and exhibited a strong contrast
to the deep colour of the hills below them, covered with dark
heather, and not yet reached by the sun's rays.

On the other side the ground was of quite a different
character : immediately on leaving the wood, the country for
some distance had a dreary, cold look, being covered not with
heather, but with a kind of grey grass, called there deer's
grass, which grows only in cold swampy ground. Here and
there this was varied by ranges of greystone and rock, and
dotted with numerous lochs. In the distance to the west I
could see the upper part of a favourite rocky corrie, the sun
shining brightly on its grey rocks : a little to my right the
fir-woods terminated, but on that side, between me and the
river, of which every bend and reach was there in full view,
were numerous little hillocks with birch trees, old and
rugged, growing on them : here and there, too, amongst these
hillocks, was a great round grey rock, and the whole of this
rough ground was intersected with bright green glades.
Some three miles up the river a blue line of smoke ascended
perpendicularly in the still morning, the chimney it came
from being concealed by a group of birch-trees.

I looked carefully with my glass at all the nooks and
grassy places to see if any deer were feeding about them, but
could see nothing but two or three old roe. A moment after
a pair of young roe walked quietly out of some concealed
hollow, and after gazing about a short time and having a
game of romps on the top of a hillock, were joined by their
mother, and then all three came into the woods at the foot
of the craig where I was sitting. The grouse were calling to
each other in all directions, and every now and then an old
cock-bird would take a short fly, crowing, to some stone or
hillock, where he stood and sunned himself. I was struck
just then by the curious proceedings of a mountain hare, who
had been feeding about two hundred yards from me; she
began to show symptoms of uneasiness and fear, taking short
runs arid then stopping, and turning her ears towards the

TRACKS OF DEER. 213

hillside behind her. I soon saw the cause of her alarm in a
beautiful marten cat : the latter, however, having probably
already made her morning meal, took little notice of the hare,
but came with quiet leaps towards me. As I was well con-
cealed amongst the grey fragments of rock which covered the
top of the craig, and which were exactly the same colour as
the clothes I was dressed in, the little animal did not see me.
When about thirty yards off she suddenly stopped and looked
in my direction, having evidently become aware, through
some of her fine senses, of the vicinity of an enemy. She
offered me a fair shot, and, well aware of the quantity of
game killed by these animals, I sent a rifle-ball right into
her yellow chest as she sat upright with her head turned
towards me.

But time advanced, so I delayed no longer, and started off
in a westerly direction. Many a weary mile did I tramp
that day without seeing anything but grouse, and an
occasional hare. Nevertheless I saw many fresh tracks of
red deer : particularly crossing one mossy piece of ground,
where there appeared to have been at least twenty or thirty
deer, and amongst them one or two large fine stags. In one
place I saw a solitary track of a noble stag, but it was two
or three days old. I judged that the herd whose tracks I saw
had a good chance of being in or about a corrie, a good view
of which I should get from the next height ; but after a long
and tiresome survey of the ground I could see no living
creature, excepting a heron, who was standing in his usual
disconsolate attitude on a stone in the burn that ran out of
the corrie, adding by his very presence to the solitude of the
scene. " I don't understand where these deer can be," was
my internal ejaculation, " but here they are not ; so come on,
good dog." Another and another height did I pass over, and
many a glen did I scan inch by inch till my eyes ached with
straining through the glass : nothing could I see, and I began
to think to myself that as it was past two and the shepherd's
house was some three hours' walk, I had better turn off in
that direction ; so slanting my course a little to the north, I
pulled my plaid tight round me and walked on. In deer-
stalking, as much as in the every-day pursuits of life, the
old adage holds good —

Credula vilam
Spes fovct.

And this said hope carries the weary stalker over many a

214 DEER-STALKING.

long mile. I came in half an hour to a large extent of
heather-covered ground, interspersed with a great number of
tumulus-shaped hillocks. I looked carelessly over these,
when my eye was suddenly attracted by a red-coloured spot
on one of the mounds. I turned the glass in that direction,
and at once saw that it was a large bright-coloured stag with
fine antlers, and altogether an animal worth some trouble.
He was in a very difficult situation to approach. He com-
manded a complete view of the face of the hill opposite to
him, and over the summit of which I was looking, and I was
astonished he had not observed me, notwithstanding all my
care. As the wind blew, I could not approach him from the
opposite direction, even if I had time to get round there
before he rose ; and I knew that once on foot to feed, his
direction would be so uncertain amongst the mounds where
he was, that my chance would be small.

After a short survey I started off at my best pace to the
right, thinking that from the nature of the ground I might
succeed in getting into the valley unobserved; and once
there, by taking advantage of some hillock, I should have a
tolerable chance of approaching him. After what appeared
to me a long tramp I came to a slight rise of the shoulder of
the hill : beyond this was a hollow, by keeping in which I
hoped to get down unobserved. It was already past three,
but the stag had not yet moved ; so, keeping the tops of his
horns in view, I began to crawl over the intervening height.
At two or three places which I tried, I saw that I could not
succeed. At last I came to a more favourable spot ; but I
saw that it still would not do, however well the dog behaved,
and a capital stalker he was, imitating and following every
movement of mine, crouching when I crouched, and crawling
when I crawled. I did not wish to leave him quite so far
from the deer, so I made another cast, and this time found a
place over which we both wriggled ourselves quite unseen.
Thank God ! was my exclamation, as I found myself in a
situation again where I could stand upright. Few people
excepting deer-stalkers know the luxury of occasionally
standing upright, after having wormed oneself horizontally
along the ground for some time. There were the horns with
their white tips still motionless, excepting when he turned
back his head to scratch his hide, or knock off a fly. I now
walked easily without stooping till I was within three or
four hundred yards of him, when I was suddenly pulled up

DEATH OF THE STAG. 215

by finding that there was no visible means of approaching a
yard nearer. The last sheltering mound was come to ; and
although these mounds from a distance looked scattered
closely, when I got amongst them I found they were two or
three rifle-shots "apart at the nearest. There was one chance
that occurred to me : a rock, or rather stone, lay about
eighty yards from the stag, and it seemed that I might make
use of this as a screen, so as, if my luck was great, to get at
the animal. I took off my plaid, laid it on the ground, and
ordered the dog to lie still on it ; then buttoning my jacket
tightly, and putting a piece of cork, which I carried for the
purpose, into the muzzle of my rifle to prevent the dirt
getting into it, I started in the most snake-like attitude that
the human frame would admit of. I found that by keeping
perfectly Hat, and not even looking up once, I could still get
on unobserved. Inch by inch I crawled : as I neared the
stone my task was easier, as the ground sank a little and the
heather was longer. At last I reached the place, and saw
the tips of his horns not above eighty yards from me. I had
no fear of losing him now ; so, taking out the cork from my
rifle, I stretched my limbs one by one, and prepared to rise to
an attitude in which I could shoot ; then, pushing my rifle
slowly forward, I got the barrel over the stone unperceived,
and rose very gradually on one knee. The stag seemed to be
intent in watching the face of the opposite hill, and, though
I was partially exposed, did not see me : his attitude was
very favourable, which is seldom the case when a stag is
lying down ; so, taking a deliberate aim at his shoulder, I
was on the point of firing, when he suddenly saw me, and,
jumping up, made off as hard as he could. He went in a
slanting direction, and before he had gone twenty yards I
fired. I was sure that I was steady on him, but the shot
only seemed to hurry his pace ; on he went like an arrow out
of a bow, having showed no symptom of being hurt beyond
dropping his head for a single moment.

I remained motionless in despair : a more magnificent stag
I had never seen, and his bright red colour and white-tipped
horns showed me that he was the very animal I had so often
seen and wished to get. He ran on without slackening his
pace for at least a hundred yards, then suddenly fell with a
crash to the ground, his horns rattling against the stones. I
knew he was perfectly dead, so, calling the dog, ran up to
him. The stag was quite motionless, and lay stretched out

216 DEER-STALKING.

where he fell, without a single struggle. I found on opening
him that the ball had passed through the lower part of his
heart — a wound I should have imagined sufficient to have
deprived any animal of life and motion instantaneously. But
I have shot several deer through the heart, and have observed
that when hit low they frequently ran from twenty to eighty
yards. If, however, the ball has passed through the upper
part of the heart, or has cut the large blood-vessels immedi-
ately above it, death has been instantaneous, the animal
dropping without a struggle.

Having duly admired and examined the poor stag, not, I
must own, without feeling compunction at having put an end
to his life, I set to work bleeding and otherwise preparing
him for being left on the hill till the next day, secure from
attacks of ravens and eagles ; then, having taken my land-
marks, so as to be sure of finding him again, I started on my
march to the shepherd's house, looking rather anxiously
round at the increasing length of my shadow and the
diminished height of the sun ; the more so as I had to pass
some very boggy ground with which I was not very well
acquainted. I had not gone a quarter of a mile, however,
when I saw the shepherd himself making his way homewards.
I gave a loud whistle to catch his attention, and, having
joined him, I took him back to show the exact place where
the stag was lying, in order to save myself the trouble of
returning the next day. Malcolm was rather an ally of
mine, and his delight was great at seeing the stag.

"'Deed, aye, sir; it's just the muckle red stag himsel';
mony a time I've seen the bonny beast. Save us ! how red
his pile is ! "

" Yes, he is a fine beast, Malcolm ; and you must bring
your grey pony for him to-morrow. I must have the head
and one haunch down to the house : take the rest to your
mother ; I dare say she can salt it."

1 knew pretty well that this good lady must have had
some experience in making red deer hams, unless Malcolm
was very much slandered by his neighbours ; nevertheless he
had promised me not to poach on rny ground, and knowing
that I trusted quite to his honour, I believe that he neither
did so himself nor allowed any one else to do so.

" You are ower good, your honour ; and the mither will be
glad of a bit venison ; it's a long time now since I killed a
deer."

SHEPHERD'S COTTAGE. 217

" When was the last, Malcolm ? " I asked.

" Why, mony a day, sir ; but to tell the truth, it was only
yesterday since I shot at one."

" And where was that, Malcolm ? "

" Why, if your honour wishes to know, and I am sure you
will do no ill turn to a lad for taking a shoot, I'll just tell
you."

I could not help smiling at Malcolm's describing himself
as a lad. He was six feet three inches without his shoes, and
a perfect giant in every proportion, but strong and active
withal, and a capital stalker, being able to wind his great
body about through moss and heather in a manner that was
quite marvellous. Malcolm's account, then, was, that a
shepherd on an adjoining property, or rather on one divided
from where we were by a long lake, had asked him to come
up some evening with his gun to " fleg " some deer that had
been destroying his little crop of oats. Well, Malcolm had
gone ; and the evening before I met him he had fired in the
dusk at a stag with a handful of large slugs ; the deer was
hit and crippled, but had thrown out the colley dogs, which
had pursued him, by taking to the water and apparently
swimming the loch. If he had managed to cross he would
be on my side of it, and I might by chance fall in with him
on my return home the next day in some of the burns and
glens through which I should have to walk. I did not blame
Malcolm much, knowing the mischief done by deer to the
shepherds' little crops ; besides which the ground where he
had shot this stag was not preserved or used as a forest by
the owner.

We had a weary walk, though enlivened by Malcolm's
quaint remarks. Without his company and guidance I saw
plainly that I should have had some difficulty in finding my
way through the rough ground over which we had to pass.
The night, too, had come on quite dark before we reached the
shealing.

On entering I was much struck with the group which we
saw by the light of several splinters of bog-fir laid on a stone.
Malcolm's old father, a man whose years numbered at least
fourscore, was reading a chapter of the Bible in Gaelic to the
rest of his family, which consisted of his wife, a woman of
nearly equal age to himself, but hale, neat, and vigorous, and
of a sister and brother of Malcolm's ; the former a peculiarly
pretty, though somewhat extensive damsel ; and the latter a.

218 DEER-STALKING.

giant like Malcolm himself, equally good-looking, and equally
respected in his own rank of life. The old man having looked
off his book for a moment, without pausing in his reading,
continued his chapter. Following Malcolm's example, I took
off my cap, and sat down on a chest in the room, and though
of course not understanding a word of what was read, instead
of being inclined to smile at the peculiar twang and bagpipe-
like drawl with which the old man read, I was struck by the
appearance of real devotion and reverence of the whole group,
and looked on with feelings of interest and respect till he
came to the end of a somewhat lengthy chapter. This
finished, the old man, resting his head on his hands, which
his long grey hair entirely covered, uttered a short prayer in
the same language. The moment this was done he handed
the Bible to his daughter, who, wiping it with her apron,
deposited it in a chest. I was then received with great kind-
ness, and preparations were made for Malcom's and my
supper, which consisted of tea, oatcake, eggs, and some
kippered trout, caught in a stream running out of the large
loch, and which when alive must have weighed at least
twelve pounds : such cream and milk, too, as is met with, or
at any rate enjoyed, only in the Highlands. With great
discretion the old people talked to me but little during the
meal, seeing that I was tired and hungry ; but over the glass
of capital toddy which succeeded the tea I had many a
question to answer respecting the killing of the stag, &c.
The old lady spoke very little English, but understood it well
enough. The old shepherd listened with great interest, the
more so from having been a somewhat famous stalker in his
own time, and now a great lamenter of the good old time
when deer and black cattle were more plentiful, and sheep
comparatively few to what they are in the present day.

CHAPTER XXVI.

Sleeping in Shepherd's House — Start in the Morning — Eagle — Wild Geese —
Find Deer ; unsuccessful shot — Rocky Ground — Wounded Stag — Keeper
and Dog— Walk Home.

BEFORE the earliest grouse-cock had shaken his plumage, and
called his mate from her heather couch, I had left my sleep-
ing-place in the building that did duty for a barn, where
deep in the straw and wrapped in my plaid I had slept

START IN THE MORNING. 219

sound as a deerstalker, and I fancy no person sleeps more
soundly. I had preferred going to roost in the clean straw
to passing the night within the house, knowing by former
experience that Malcolm's shealing was tenanted by myriads
of nocturnal insects, which, like the ancient Britons, "feri
hospitibus," would have left me but little quiet during the
night. The last time I had slept there, all the fleas in the
shealing, " novitatis avidi," had issued out, and falling on the
body of the unlucky stranger, had attacked me in such
numbers, that unanimity only was wanting in their pro-
ceedings to have enabled them to carry me off bodily.
Tempted by the clean and fresh appearance of the good lady's
sheets, I had trusted my tired limbs to their snowy white-
ness, when, sallying forth from every crevice and every corner,
thousands of these obnoxious insects had hopped on to me,
to enjoy the treat of a supper of English blood. The natives
of these places seem quite callous to everything of the kind.

To continue, however. After making good use of the burn
that rippled along within fifty yards of the house, and having
eaten a most alarming quantity of the composition called
porridge, I sallied forth alone. Malcolm and his brother
would fain have accompanied me, but the latter had to attend
some gathering of sheep in a different direction, and Malcolm
was obliged to go for the stag killed yesterday. He therefore
only walked a few hundred yards up the first hill with me,
in order to impress well on my recollection the different
glens and burns he wished me to look at on my way to the
place of rendezvous with old Donald. The sun was but a
little distance above the horizon when I gained the summit
of a tolerably long and steep ascent immediately behind
Malcolm's house. A blackcock or two rose wild from some
cairn of stones or hillock, where they had been enjoying the
earliest rays of the sun, and flew back over my head to take
.shelter in the scattered birch thickets near the shealing ; and
here and there a pack of grouse rose, alighting again before
they had flown a hundred yards, as if fully understanding
that grouse shooting was not the order of the day, and,
strutting along with their necks stretched up, seemed to care
little for my presence. The ring-ousel flitted from rock to
rock, uttering its wild and sweet note. Truly there is great
enjoyment gained by the early riser ; everything in nature
has a pleasant aspect, and seems happy and thankful to see
the light of another sun.

220 DEER-STALKING.

The great mountain to the west looked magnificent as its
grey corries and cliffs were lighted up by the morning rays.
A noble pile of rock and heather is that mountain, and well
named Ben Mhor, or the Big Mountain — not a triton amongst
minnows, but a triton amongst tritons. The golden eagle, to
add grandeur to the scene, was sweeping through the sky
high above me, and apparently eyeing my canine companion
with mingled curiosity and appetite. Once or twice in his
circles he came so near that I was half inclined to send a
rifle-ball at him, but as often as I stopped my walk with this
intention, the noble bird wheeled off again, and at last, re-
membering his breakfast hour was past, flew off in a straight
line at a great height towards the loch to the north of "us,
where he probably recollected having seen some dead or
sickly sheep during his flight homewards the evening before.

I had several hours to spare before the time of meeting
Donald, so I diverged here and there, wherever I thought it
likely I should find deer, and then kept a northerly course
in order to look at some burns and grassy ground near the
loch, according to Malcolm's advice. The loch itself was
bright and beautiful, and the small islands on it looked like
emeralds set in silver. With my glass I could distinguish
eight or nine wild geese, as they ruffled the water in their
morning gambols, having probably just returned from grazing
on the short green grass that grew on different spots near the
water's edge. These grassy places were the sites of former
habitations, and were still marked by the line of crumbled
walls, now the constant resort of the few wild geese that
breed every year on the lonely and unvisited islands of the
loch.

Below me there was a capital flat for deer, a long sloping
valley with a winding burn flowing through the middle, along
the banks of which were grassy spots where they constantly
fed. I searched this long and carefully with my glass, but
saw nothing excepting a few small companies of sheep which
were feeding in different flocks about the valley. So famous,
however, was this place as the resort of deer, that I took
good care not to show myself, and crawled carefully into a
hollow way, which, leading to the edge of the burn, would
enable me to walk almost unseen for a long distance, and I
thought that there might still be deer feeding in some bend
of the watercourse, where they had escaped my search.
Before I had walked many hundred yards down the course

FIND DEER. 221

of the burn, I saw such traces as convinced me they had been
feeding there within a few hours ; so arranging my plaid and
rifle I walked stealthily and slowly onwards, expecting to see
them every moment. The nature of the ground was such
that I might come on them quite unperceived ; the dog, too,
showed symptoms of scenting something, putting his nose to
the tracks and then looking wistfully in my face, watching
every movement of my rifle. The inquiring expression of his
face was perfect : whenever I stopped to look over or around
some projecting angle of rock, he kept his eyes fixed on my
face, as if to read in it whether my search was successful or
not. A deer-stalker in the situation I was in would make a
good subject for a painter. I wound my way silently and
slowly through the broken rock and stone which formed the
bed of the burn, showing in their piled up confusion that the
water must at some times rage and rush with the fury and
power of an Alpine torrent, though now it danced merrily
along, rippling through the stones and forming tiny pools
here and there, where it had not strength enough to break
through the accumulated sand and gravel which dammed up
its feeble stream. Dressed in grey, and surrounded with
grey stone on every side, I was as little conspicuous as it was
possible to be, and there was just enough ripple in the
stream and its thousand miniature cascades to drown the
sound of my footsteps, whenever I inadvertently put my foot
on any stone that grated or slipped below me. The only
thing that annoyed me was an occasional sheep that would
see me from the bank above, and by running off in a startled
manner was likely to warn the deer, if there were any ahead
of me, of the vicinity of an enemy. I had continued this
course for some distance, when just as I began to propose to
myself turning off in order to cross the valley to look over
the next height, and had made up my mind that the deer
whose recent traces I had seen must have slipped away un-
observed,— just then, on turning a corner, I caught a momen-
tary glimpse of the hind- quarters of one of the wished-for
animals walking slowly round a turn in the burn. I stopped,
fearing they had seen or heard me, and I expected to see
them leap out of the hollow and make away across the
valley ; but not seeing this happen, I walked carefully on,
and came in view of nine deer, hinds and calves, who were
feeding quietly on a little piece of table-land close to the
burn. I also saw the long ears of another appearing beyond
15

222 DEER-STALKING.

and above the rest, evidently being on the look-out. They
seemed to have no suspicion of an enemy, and when they
stopped to gaze about them their heads were turned more
towards the plain around than to the course of the burn.
The sentry, too, was seemingly occupied with looking out in
every direction excepting where I was. They were not more
than two hundred yards off, and I judged that by advancing
quickly the moment that they turned the next corner, I
should be able to get unperceived within forty or fifty yards.
The single hind had disappeared, too, having gone over a
small rise. I put on a new copper cap, and felt sure of an
easy shot ; the dog, though he did not see the deer, perfectly
understood what was going on, and seemed afraid to breathe
lest he should be heard. Amongst the herd were two fine
barren hinds, both in capital condition. I did not care
which of the two I might kill, but determined to have one,
and was already beginning to reckon on Donald's delight at
my luck in getting a fine hind as well as the stag I had
killed yesterday. All the hinds had now gone out of sight,
and I moved on. At that very moment the sentry hind, a
long-legged, ragged, donkey-like beast, came back to the
mound where she had been before, and her sharp eyes
instantly detected me. Never did unlucky wight, caught in
the very act of doing what he least wished should be known,
feel, or, I dare say, look so taken aback as I was. I stood
motionless for a moment, hoping that even HER eyesight
might be deceived by my grey dress, but it was too late;
giving a snort of alarm she was instantly out of sight. I ran
forwards, trusting to be in time for a running shot at some
straggler, and came in view of the whole troop galloping
away, a tolerably long shot off, but still within range, and
affording a fair broadside mark as they went along in single
file to gain the more level ground. I of course pulled up,
and took a deliberate aim at one of the fat hinds. She
afforded me a fair enough chance, but I saw, the moment I
pulled the trigger, that I had missed her. The ball struck
and splintered a rock, and must have passed within a few
inches of the top of her shoulder. I saw my error, which
was that, miscalculating the distance, I had fired a little too
high. However, it was too late to remedy it ; so I stood
quietly watching with a kind of vague hope that my ball
might have passed through her shoulder, though in reality I
was sure this was not the case. They never stopped till they

ROCKY GROUND. 223

reached the very summit of one of the heights that inclosed
the valley, and then they all halted in a group for two or
three minutes, standing in clear and strong relief between me
and the sky. After looking back for a short time towards
the point of alarm, they disappeared over the top of the hill,
and I reloaded my rifle, and then went to examine the exact
spot where my ball had struck. Judging from the height it
was from the ground, I saw the hind had had a very narrow
escape, and muttered to myself, " Not a bad shot after all,
though unlucky; well, I'm glad it was not a fine stag —
never mind the hinds." It's pleasant to find consolation —
" rebus in adversis ; " my dog in the meantime scented about
a good deal, and seemed to wonder that I had missed.

I now turned off out of my stony path, and walked across
a long tract of easy ground. There were several likely spots
in my way, but no deer were to be found; and an hour
before my time I arrived at the trysting-place, which was a
peculiarly-shaped large rock, standing in the midst of a great
extent of ground covered with grey stones, and rocks of a
similar description, but all much smaller. The rock itself
rejoiced in a Gaelic name signifying the " Devil's Stone." It
was a curious spot — a wide and gentle slope of a hill perfectly
covered with these grey stones, looking as if they had
dropped in a shower from the clouds. They ended abruptly
near the foot of the hill, and formed almost a straight line, as
if some giant workman had done his best to clear the
remainder of the slope, and had picked all the stones off that
part, as children do off a grass field. Upwards, towards the
top of the hill, they increased, if possible, in number, and the
summit appeared like one mass of rock. Through all this
desolation of stone there were several strips of heather, or
withered-looking grass, not much wider, however, than
footpaths. They served as passes for any sheep and deer
which might fancy journeying through them.

I reached my point of rendezvous, and sat down to wait
patiently for Donald, with my face turned in the direction
whence he was to arrive. I knew that, unless detained by
any quite unforeseen accident, he would arrive rather before
than after his time, as he was to bring me something in the
shape of luncheon ; the liquid part of which I was confident
he would not forget.

I waited some time in this solitude, without hearing or
.seeing any living creature to enliven the dreary landscape

224 DEER-STALKING.

before me, with the exception of a pair of ravens who passed
at no great height above me, uttering their harsh croaks of
ill omen as they winged their way in a direct course, to feast
probably on the remains of some dead sheep or deer.

My attention was suddenly roused, however, by hearing a
couple of shots in quick succession, the sound coming from
the direction in which I expected Donald. As the reports
did not appear to be at any great distance, I rose with the
intention of going to meet him ; though I could not under-
stand what he was shooting at, it being quite against both
his and my ideas of propriety that he should hunt the very
ground over which I intended to beat homewards. On
second thoughts, I fancied that he had lired off his gun to
warn me of his approach ; but, just as I was passing these
things over in my head, I saw a stag of good size come in
view from the direction in which I had heard the shots.
Down I dropped instantly behind a rock, as the deer was
coming straight towards me. As he approached, I saw that
the poor beast was hard hit. One of his forelegs was broken,
and swinging about in a miserable manner, and he had also
one of his horns broken off a few inches above his head ;
altogether he seemed in a most pitiable state. Before he
came within two hundred yards of me he turned off, and I
watched him as he scrambled along on three legs painfully
and slowly, stopping frequently to look back, or to smell at
the blood that was trickling down his sides. I could plainly
see that he was also struck somewhere about the middle of
his body, as well as on the horn and leg, and was now bleed-
ing fast. It then occurred to me that Donald had fallen in
with a lame stag, and had thought it best to do what he
could towards killing him with my gun. Bullets he always
took with him by my orders. The stag continued his
painful march, and I would have given much to have
been within reach to put an end to the poor brute's misery.
He twice lay down on a grassy spot amongst the rocks,
having first looked anxiously and fearfully round him ; but
seemingly the attitude of lying was more painful to him than
moving slowly on. I remembered then a theory of Donald's,,
that a deer never lies down when shot through the liver, but
continues moving, or at any rate standing, till he dies. How
far this opinion was correct I never had a good opportunity
of proving. The deer before me, having found that lying
down gave him no relief, continued moving, but still slowly

KEEPERANDDOG. 225

and with evident difficulty. Once he stopped and stood in a
pitiful attitude, trembling all over, and moving his head up
and down as if oppressed with deadly sickness. After this
he seemed to recover slightly, and, standing erect, gazed with
care and anxiety in every direction ; then, as if determined
to make one more effort for his life, set off in a broken trot.
He had been winding about amongst the rocks all the time I
had been watching him, seldom more than two hundred
yards from me, and sometimes so near that I was half
tempted to try a shot at him ; but I was always in hopes of
getting within surer range, and did not fire. He now trotted
off about three hundred yards, where there was a small black
pool of water. Into this he went ; it did not at first reach
higher than his knees. Just then Donald appeared in view,
coming slowly and cautiously over the hill, and leading a
pointer in a string. I saw that the dog was tracking the
deer. It was a large powerful dog, of great size and
strength — one of the finest, if not quite the finest built
dog of the kind that I had ever possessed or seen. Having
been at the death of one or two deer, he had taken a mighty
fancy to the scent of a bleeding stag, and tracked true and
keenly. I sat quiet to watch him and the old Highlander,
as they same slowly but surely on the track, with both their
noses to the ground ; Donald hunting low, in order to be sure
that the dog was still right, which he could tell pretty well
by the occasional spots of blood on the grey stones, though
the ground was too hard most of the way to show the mark
of the foot. Now and then they seemed quite thrown out
for a minute or so ; this I saw was generally occasioned by
Donald's want of judgment : the dog, though he strained on
the string, kept the track wonderfully well in every turn.
The poor object of their chase, when he first saw his enemies
appear, gave a sudden start, and seemed inclined to make off;
but on second thoughts he stopped short again, and, lowering
his head and neck, crouched in the water, as if trusting to
the surrounding rocks for concealment ; and there the poor
animal remained, with stooping horns, perfectly motionless,
but evidently with every nerve and sense on the alert, listen-
ing for the nearer approach of his enemies. For my own
part, I became quite interested in watching Donald and the
dog ; I knew that the stag was safely ours, as he .could not
leave the pool without coming into full view, and having to
depend on his speed for safety, which in his enfeeebled state

226 DEER-STALKING.

was the last thing he would like to do. Donald looked
anxiously round him sometimes, as if he hoped to see me,
and as if he expected to hear my rifle every moment, since
he was well aware that our time of meeting was past, and
that I was pretty sure not to be far off. When he came
near the " Devil's Stone " he checked the dog, and came to
a determined halt, hesitating whether to continue tracking
the stag, or to wait for my appearance and assistance ; he
took a long look too at the country far beyond where the
animal really was. It was amusing to see the old fellow, as
he sat within eighty yards of me, perfectly unconscious that
the stag was so near him, and that I was still nearer. The
whole thing too, showed the great necessity of always having
a good tracking dog out when deer-stalking ; for here was a
mortally-struck stag lying concealed, where a dozen men
might have passed within a few yards without seeing him.
I thought it time to finish the business, and gave a low
whistle to warn Donald of my neighbourhood before I stirred,
as I thought it not at all unlikely that he would tire blindly
at the first moving thing he saw amongst the rocks in his
present excited state. He started and stared round him. I
saw that the deer only crouched the lower, and would not
move ; so, whistling again, I stood up. " The Lord keep us,
Sir, but you flegged me just awful ! " said Donald. " But did
your Honour see a stag come this way ? " I told him that I
had, and that he had passed on ; but I did not say how far
he had gone. The old man was annoyed in no slight degree
at the information ; and on my questioning him how he had
got at the deer, &c., he told me that, as he came to meet me,
he had seen a crippled stag coming slowly over the ground
exactly towards him ; and that having stooped down and
loaded the gun he carried as quickly as he could, he had
waited till the stag passed within twenty yards of him ; that
he then fired both barrels, one at his head and neck ; that
one ball had broken off a portion of the animal's horn, while
the other had passed througli his body, tumbling him over for
a moment ; but that he had quickly recovered and made off
in my direction, and was probably now in the burn over the
next hill. " But you are aye smiling, Sir ; and I ken weel
that you've seen more of the brute than you tell rne." I
told the old man exactly where he was ; and having made
him quite understand the very rock he was behind, I gave
him the rifle to finish the work he had commenced, while I

WOUNDED STAG. 227

sat down with the two dogs in full view of the pool, in order
to keep the attention of the stag occupied.

" Now then, Donald, take care ; don't be in a hurry, and
hit him in the heart or the head."

" No fear, no fear ; if I put out," said Donald, " ye needna
mind, the beast is as gude as killed already."

Then taking a prodigious spoonful of snuff to clear his
brain, and divesting himself of his game-bag and other en-
cumbrances, he set off. He reached a mound within thirty
yards of the stag, and lying flat on his stomach, with his rifle
resting on the bank, he aimed long and steadily ; then, with
sundry kicks and contortions, screwing himself into an
attitude that pleased him more, he took another aim, and
then a good strong pull at the trigger — but in vain, as he had
not cocked the rifle. Without taking it off the rest over the
bank, he pulled back the hammer and fired instantly, missing
the stag entirely. Donald was too astonished to move ; but
not so the stag, who jumped up and made off — going, how-
ever, so stiffly and lamely, that I saw the dogs must bring
him to immediately. So I let them go, and in a very short
time they had the poor beast on the ground, and were both
fixed on him like leeches, the bull-dog on his throat, and the
pointer worrying at his shoulder.

" Bravo, Donald ; — well missed ! " I could not help calling
out as I passed him, running as hard as I could to help the
dogs. The old man was not long in joining me ; and the
dogs were soon got off. The stag was bled, and then,
examined all over to see where he had been struck.

"'Deed, Sir," said Donald, pointing to the rifle, "she is as
gleg and kittle to handle as "

Here he paused as if at a dead loss for a simile ; which I
was obliged to help him to at last by suggesting, " As your
own wife, Donald." At which he indulged in a low inward
chuckle and a pinch of snuff, without, however, denying the
" soft impeachment."

On looking at the stag, we found that he had evidently
been very lately shot at, and that one of his forelegs was
broken above the knee — the bone smashed entirely, and the
leg hanging on by the skin, which would have soon worn
through ; the animal, having lost the incumbrance of the
broken limb, would soon, if left in quiet, have entirely re-
covered. We prepared our game for being " left till called
for," and sat down to our luncheon. My account to Donald

228 DEER-STALKING.

of the death of my other stag was interrupted by a most
desperate battle between the dogs, who had fallen out over
the dead body ; and being pretty well matched in size and
courage, we had great difficulty in reducing them to order,
and compelling them to keep the peace.

I had a pleasant though not very bloody afternoon's shoot-
ing going home, killing seven brace of wild-flying grouse, a
mallard, and two blackcocks. The night had set in before
we were half way through the woods in which the last two
or three miles of our road lay ; we could hear numberless
owls hooting and calling on the tops of old larch-trees.
Everything else was as still as death.

" 'Deed, Sir, that's no canny ! " exclaimed my companion,
as an owl with peculiar vigour of lungs uttered his wild cry
close to us, and then flitting past our faces, alighted on the
opposite side of the avenue we were walking along, and re-
commenced his song of bad omen. " If it wasn't so dark, I'd
empty the gun into his ugly craig." However, as it was so
dark, the owl escaped being sacrificed to Donald's dislike
this time ; and we soon reached the house, where the com-
forts of my own dressing-room were by no means unaccept-
able after so long an absence from razor, brushes, &c.

EXTEACTS FROM NOTE-BOOKS.

NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY
AND ON SHOOTING.

CHAPTER XXVII.

Length of Life of Birds — The Eagle— Swan — Geese — Falcons — Fowls —
Pigeons — Small Birds — Great age of Eagles and Foxes — Red-Deer —
Destruction of Old Stags — Roe— Sheep— Rifles ; size of their bore —
Double-barrelled Rifles— Size of Small Shot— Cartridges— Impossibility
of laying down general rules — Necessity of discretion in all writers on
Natural History.

IT is not easy to determine the length of years bestowed on
any of the wild animals. There are no specific and well-
ascertained data on which to form a valid opinion. On all
such subjects the most positive assertions are often so ill
supported by facts, that the naturalist should be most careful
and guarded as to the evidence on which he founds his
opinion. It seems, however, reasonable to suppose that the
age attained by all animals bears a certain proportion to the
time which they take in coining to their maturity in size
and strength.

Judging by this criterion, the eagle may be set down as
one of the longest lived of our British birds ; as he certainly
does not arrive at the full maturity of his plumage for some
years. On the other hand, the swan puts on her white
feathers at her first moulting, yet is said to live to a very
great age; and there are well-authenticated instances that this
is the fact. Geese, too, live to a most patriarchal age. The
period of life of tame falcons does not exceed eight to ten
years — at least so I am assured by some of my acquaintances
who have kept these birds. A wild hawk, barring accidents
from shot or trap, has, probably, a better chance of longevity
than a domesticated bird, however carefully the latter may
be tended, as it is almost impossible to hit upon the exact
quantity, quality, and variety of food which best conduces to
their health, or to give tame birds as large a share of exercise

232 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

and bodily exertion as in their wild state they would be con-
strained to take in pursuit of their daily prey. Common
fowls live to the age of ten or twelve years, but become use-
less and rheumatic after six or eight. Such, also, is the case
with pigeons. I knew of a pair who lived for fifteen years,
but they were barren for some years before their death.

The length of life of small birds is probably less : but it is
difficult to form an accurate opinion on this point ; inasmuch
as any deductions founded on canaries or goldfinches in a
state of confinement must be fallacious, as all caged birds
are subject to numerous diseases, from over-eating, from im-
proper and too little varied food, and a thousand other causes,
which do not affect those who live in a state of natural and
healthful liberty.

It is a curious fact, that one scarcely ever finds the dead
body of a wild bird or animal whose death appears to have
been caused by old age or any other natural cause. Nor can
this result from the fact of their being consumed immediately
by animals of prey, as we constantly meet with the bodies of
birds who have been killed by wounds from shot, &c. Either
(as donkeys and postboys are said to do) the wild animals on
the approach of death creep into hidden corners of the earth,
or nearly all of them, before they reach extreme old age, are
cut off by their common enemy, mankind, or serve as food to
birds and beasts of prey.

I have, however, killed both eagles and foxes who bore
unmistakeable marks of extreme old age ; the plumage of the
former being light coloured, thin, and worn ; so worn, indeed,
as to lead one to suppose that the bird could not have
moulted for several seasons, and the faces of the latter being
grey and their jaws nearly toothless : yet they were still in
good, and even fat condition. In animals, age and cunning
supply the place of strength and activity ; so that the eagle
and fox are still able to live well, even when they have
arrived at the most advanced age assigned to them.

Very old deer become light-coloured and greyish, especially
about the head and neck, and have a bleached and worn-
looking appearance over their whole body. Their horns, also,
lose much of their rich appearance both as to colour and size,
becoming not only smaller, but also decreasing in the number
of their points. The Highlanders assign a great age to the
red deer ; indeed they seem to suppose that it has no limit,
save a rifle ball ; and they tell wonderful stories of famous

DESTRUCTION OF OLD STAGS. 233

stags, who have been seen and known for a long series of
years in certain districts. Though these accounts are doubt-
less much exaggerated, it is tolerably certain that their life
extends to from twenty to thirty years. I do not imagine
that in these days stags have much chance of reaching that
term. At the age of seven or eight years, the animal having
arrived at full perfection as to size and beauty of antler,
they are marked down for destruction by the numerous
sportsmen who wage war against them in every part of the
north of the island. Their numbers in certain preserved
districts have, no doubt, increased to a great extent; but
very few of the tine, rugged, and far-stretching antlers, which
adorn the halls of many of the old houses in the Highlands,
are now to be met with on living deer. Where not brought
down by the licensed sportsman, a fine-headed stag has now
so high a premium offered on his life in the price given for
horns, that he is sure to fall by the gun of some poacher or
shepherd. I have known as large a sum as five guineas
given for a stag's head ; and when this is the case, nothing
else can be expected but that every stag whose horns are
peculiarly fine, will be killed. I have occasionally shot roe-
bucks, and still oftener does, showing by their size, colour,
length of hoofs, &c., that they had reached a tolerable old
age : but, like all persecuted animals, the chance of their
attaining their full extent of days is so slight as scarcely to
give us the means of ascertaining how long they would live
if secure from danger.

Sheep after seven or eight years lose their teeth, more or
less, and show symptoms of their best days being past. But
these, like all other domesticated animals, do not afford a
good criterion to judge by, as they are all under an artificial
system as to food and manner of living, which makes them,
like man, subject to many diseases and causes of decay, which
would not affect them if they were in a state of nature.

In populous countries such as Britain, it may fairly be
supposed that extremely few wild animals or birds reach
their full period of life. Although some kinds are carefully
preserved here and there, they are only preserved, like sheep
or fowls, to be the more conveniently killed when required ;
and where there is no restriction to shooting and destroying
the ferre naturae of the country, the extensive trade carried
on throughout the kingdom in all the shops where guns and
powder and shot are sold, proves what numbers must be.

234 TOUR IN SUTHERL AN DSHIRE.

destroyed. Added to this, guns and rifles are now so well
made as to be much more destructive weapons than formerly.
No reasonable person would wish to be able to kill a bird at
a greater distance than his fowling-piece now enables him to
do ; and a modern rifle carries correctly quite as far as
a man can see clearly enough to aim with nicety at a small
object.

In shooting with the rifle at large animals, such as deer, a
good-sized ball is, for several reasons, a very great desidera-
tum. In the first place, the larger the ball the greater is its
force. A ball of 11 bore smashes through a substance which
would stop the ball of a pea-rifle, unless the latter is aimed
at and strikes some vital part. The animal struck carries it
away, and either pines wounded for a long time, or dies in
some concealed place, where it is lost to the shooter. Also,
the wound made by a small ball will frequently close up
again immediately, enabling the deer to escape ; or the ball,
instead of breaking a bone, is stopped by it : and it should
be remembered, that when you shoot at an animal, the most
merciful way of doing so is with a weapon which kills instead
of merely wounding it. Good single-barrelled rifles can
easily be procured ; but to get a trustworthy double rifle the
sportsman must go to- one of the first-rate gunmakers, and
pay a first-rate price. By altering the sights of a single-
barrelled rifle any person, knowing the commonest elements
of shooting, can make it carry correctly a hundred yards or
more ; but a double rifle, if the axis of the two barrels are
not exactly parallel, can only be adjusted by taking it to
pieces again and again, until the barrels shall lie so evenly
together, that at a hundred yards the two balls strike within
an inch of each other. As it is almost impossible for the
most skilful gunsmith to join the two barrels so correctly
at first as to attain this result, he has to try them repeatedly,
taking his work to pieces again and again, until he is quite
.satisfied with his performance. All this must, of course, add
to the expense ; but it is money well expended if, after all, a
double-barrelled rifle does shoot perfectly true. Another
important point which should be borne in mind with regard
to rifles is, that those of very small bore do not carry so true
for long shots as larger ones.

It is difficult to lay down any specific rule as to the most
effective size of small shot for shooting game and wild fowl.
Some sportsmen strenuously assert that one particular

CARTRIDGES. 235

number is the only right kind, or indeed the only kind that
ought to be used ; others tell you quite a different story. For
my own part I consider that for all flying game the shooter
should rather be inclined to small sizes than large. No. 7,
for instance, kills partridges and even grouse more effectively
than a larger size. For wild-duck shooting, too, where you
shoot at single birds, No. 5, or even No. 6, appear to me to
kill oftener than the larger sizes more generally used. I am,
indeed, convinced, that small shot works its way better than
large through the down and feathers; the latter, notwith-
standing its superior force, gets rolled up in the down, while
the former cuts through it, and kills the bird. For flocks of
ducks larger shot may be used ; but even then too large sizes
do less execution than smaller ones. Swans and geese
require No. 1 or No. 2, as smaller shot seldom breaks a wing
of these birds ; but cartridges are the most effective, and then
you may use No. 3 at single geese with tolerable certainty.
Eley's cartridges, with large shot, such as B.B. or S.S.G-., in
them, sometimes kill at prodigious distances, but are very apt
to " ball " completely, and deceive the shooter. Indeed, all
the green cartridges have this defect ; owing to which the
bird is either missed entirely or blown to pieces. Several
good shots of my acquaintance can never succeed well with
wire-cartridges : they certainly require a different style of
shooting from loose shot, as they not only shoot slower, but
also are very much inclined to throw the shot low ; and in
order to use cartridges with success these two facts should be
constantly borne in mind.

I find that the "yellow cartridge," which is made without
any wire, answers extremely well for grouse shooting, or
when common game is wild, as they keep the shot close
together, but without balling to any great extent. They are
very excellent, too, for rabbits, who generally require all the
shot which the sportsman can give them. Late in the
season, hares certainly ought not to be shot at with a size
under No. 4 : smaller shot will not break their bones
sufficiently to stop them at once, excepting when the animal
is crossing you. Different guns, however, carry effectively
different sized shot ; and therefore the same rules do not
apply to all. Some guns also shoot cartridges in a very
different manner from others ; and I should wish it to be
clearly understood that I do not lay down these suggestions
as infallible rules, but merely as the result of my own

236 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

experience, hoping that some of my readers may profit by
them. In all matters of this sort I consider that much more
information is gained by the reader, if an author is content
simply to mark down ascertained facts. If too much
decision is assumed, and mere hearsay assertions are put
down as "facts " — if he lays down as general rules what may
be applicable only to particular cases — perhaps solely to his
own, an author will on this subject, as on most others, do
more harm than good. " Quot homines, tot sententice ; " and
although half of what I write may probably not meet the
ideas of many of my readers, I offer it all, leaving it to every
one to extract what is applicable to his own pursuits, and
hoping that there may be few who will not find some hint or
other, or some chance bit of information which may aid them
in their amusements.

Amongst the mass of books written on subjects of natural
history, it is curious to see the numberless errors committed,
and the false inferences drawn, by superficial observers, or
by persons who set down as facts not merely what they
actually see, but what they fancy must or ought to be ; and
who describe as ascertained facts things of which they know
nothing more than that they seem to be possible, and may
be probable. This is a system of writing which cannot
be sufficiently reprobated, as tending to establish most
erroneous and mistaken ideas. Every student of nature and
of the habits and manners of living creatures, even of those
which are apparently the most insignificant and uninteresting,
must know that the truest facts concerning them are often
much more marvellous than anything he would dare to
invent ; and that a writer on such subjects, who wishes to
embellish his book with startling and surprising anecdotes,
will best attain his object by sticking closely to the plain
reality.

It is an old, and oft-repeated, saying, that "Truth is
stranger than fiction ; " and it is especially so in treating of
Nature and her productions, whether we direct our attention
to animals of the largest size, and highest order of intelligence
and instinct, or to the equally astonishing habits and means
of living displayed by the smallest insects and reptiles.

DISEASE AMONGST GROUSE. 237

CHAPTEK XXVIII.

Disease amongst Grouse ; difficulty of assigning its cause — Supply of Grouse
to Poulterers — Netting game, legal and illegal— Disguised Poachers —
Game-Laws — Preserves — Criminality of Poachers — Epidemics amongst
Hares, &c. — Black Game — Hybrids — Woodpigeons — Geese — Sentinels.

IT is difficult, I ought perhaps to say impossible, to understand
the cause and origin of what the Highland keepers call
" the disease " amongst grouse. For the last few years it has
in several districts almost swept away these birds ; so much
so that scarcely a young bird is to be found, and very few
old ones. Some persons assign one thing as the cause of this
and some another, all plausible, but all on investigation
equally unsatisfactory. One keeper will tell you that the
heather " is too short ; " another, that " it is too long ; " one,
that the hills have been too wet during the spring; and
another, that the weather was too dry : in fact, the most
experienced persons are all at fault. For my own part I
conceive that it is some epidemic which cuts off the birds
indiscriminately in wet and dry, cold and hot weather,
without reference to state of ground or climate. The worst
feature of the case is, that as yet nothing approaching: to a
cure or preventive has been discovered. I should be very
much inclined in a diseased district to shoot hard for a
season, instead of sparing the survivors ; and then to give the
grouse a year or two of entire rest and immunity from dog
and gun. If the hills are let to strangers from a distance
during a scarcity of this kind, it is natural to expect that,
having no interest in them beyond the season, and paying a
considerable rent, they will shoot as many birds as they can,
without thinking of the future ; and as in general the
grounds are each year let to new tenants, the same thing
will occur again and again until the birds are nearly
extinct.

Luckily in favourable seasons and on good ground grouse
seem to grow and increase almost like the heather among
which they dwell, and the hills soon get stocked again. The
number of grouse sent to the markets in London, and in all
the large towns in England, from the beginning of August to
the end of the season, is perfectly astonishing ; and indeed
until March any quantity of grouse can be procured from
the poulterers and game dealers. Immense must be the
slaughter to afford this supply : the greatest portion are shot;
16

238 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

but in some districts considerable numbers are caught with
horse-hair snares set upon the sheaves of corn. Netting
does not seem to succeed to any great extent, although it has
frequently been tried by poachers. I confess that I do not
see why netting game should be considered a more destructive
and poaching-like system than shooting it — I mean of course
if it is carried on legitimately and as an amusement. I
admit that the whole covey or pack is caught at once, but
that they should all of them have their necks wrung is by
no means a necessary seguitur. There is, also, a great degree
of skill and perfect training required in the " setting dog,"
which gives much interest to this way of sporting. It should
be borne in mind also, that when a covey of partridges is
caught they are not injured, and the sportsman can set at
liberty all that he does not require; whereas in shooting,
very many birds are, of necessity, uselessly wounded and
left to perish.

The system of netting partridges at night time, as it is
carried on by the poachers in some parts of England, is most
destructive ; and unless checked is certain to clear the
country of all its birds. The only way to prevent this silent
and wholesale robbery is to stake and bush the grass-fields.
Partridges, when undisturbed, roost, or rather sleep, regularly
in the smoothest grass or barest stubble. They seem to feel
more security with an open expanse around them than in
any kind of concealment. The whole covey sits crouched in
a space that might almost be covered with a hat, so closely
are they huddled together. After having made their evening
meal in the stubbles, which they always do in the autumn
and winter, between the hours of three and five, the old birds
call their brood and collect them together ; they then fly off
to some grass field or other very bare ground, and having
run about, apparently in play, for a little while, as soon as
the light begins to fail, they fly off to some favourite spot in
the field, and huddling up together in a furrow, take up their
quarters for the night. Unluckily all this is done with a
great deal of noise; the birds constantly calling to, and
answering each other, and running to and fro with their
heads most conspicuously erect, thus plainly showing the
netting-poacher, who is sure to be on the look-out, where he
may expect the best luck during the night. While this
work is being carried on, you may see some fellow, often
dressed more like a schoolmaster than a poacher, lounging

DISGUISED POACHERS. 239

listlessly about the lanes, leaning against the gates and
smoking his pipe. You never suspect that any sporting
propensities can be concealed under the high-crowned
beaver and swallow-tailed coat of this classical-looking
gentleman, who seems to be merely enjoying the beauty of
the evening, although all the while he is watching with the
eyes of a lynx the unsuspecting partridges as they run about
calling to each other preparatory to going to roost. The
fellow is thus able to form a pretty good guess as to where
half-a-dozen coveys may be netted ; and he returns to his
confederate, who in the meantime has been equally usefully
employed at some alehouse or elsewhere in preparing and
mending the nets. "Dressing" for the occasion, as it is
termed, is now become by no means an uncommon practice
near large towns in England, and many a pheasant preserve
is laid waste by Methodist parson-like fellows, whose
black coat-pockets and clerical-looking hats contain, instead
of sermons, neatly coiled piles of horsehair nooses ready tied
on a line long enough to be run across a large extent of
cover, at the favourable moment when the keeper, of whom
they have just asked the way to the rectory, has gone about
his business in some other direction.

By such means as these a great part of the game is
obtained which we see hung up in such immense quantities
in all the poulterers' shops. A gamekeeper cannot be too
curious and inquisitive as to the business and movements of
all strangers about his ground, whether dressed in a fustian
jacket and leather leggings, in a rusty suit of black, or in a
blue swallow-tail with gilt buttons. By watching unseen an
idler of this sort, a keeper may frequently find out some
projected manosuvre against his pheasants and partridges.

There has been of late a great cry out against game and
game-laws, gamekeepers and game preservers. In fact, the
mere word " game " is sufficient to excite the bilious indig-
nation of half the newspapers in the United Kingdom, and
more especially of those whose claims to popularity are
founded on the loudness and virulence of their abuse of what
they term " the aristocracy of the kingdom."

I am very far from being an advocate for carrying out the
system of preserving game to the extent which is frequently
done, where woods as full of pheasants as a poultry -yard is of
chickens afford no real sport, and where, instead of amuse-
ment of hunting for and finding your game, your only

240 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

employment is the mere act of shooting them, the birds and
hares being as tame and as easy to kill as so many domestic
fowls. At the same time, if proprietors like to go to the
expense and trouble of keeping innumerable pheasants and
hares, I cannot see why they should not be allowed to
indulge their taste, without being held up to public censure
by those whose taste happens to be different, as is so
frequently the case.

It is not the farmers who complain of the game : they
have a fair and I believe a legal right to compensation for
all the mischief it does them ; and I do not think that this
claim is often, if ever, refused to be acknowledged by the
game preserver. In fact, it is his interest to keep on good
terms with the occupier of the land, even if his sense of
justice did not induce him to do so, as the farmer and tenant
are able to destroy more game, in the shape of eggs and
young birds, during the breeding season, than the proprietor
and all his friends could do in a twelvemonth. They can do
this, too, without exposing themselves to any risk of paying
penalty for infraction of the game-laws. As far as my own
experience extends, I have never found tenants looking upon
the preservation of game as so great a nuisance and source of
loss as they are represented to do by many writers on the
subject, who for the most part advance as facts statements
which are either utterly untrue, or at the best are twisted
and exaggerated to serve their own purposes. Leases are
always entered into by farmers with their eyes well open to
every chance of loss which they are likely to sustain from
the game, and stipulations are made accordingly. In fact,
the proprietor of the game is almost invariably the person
who, directly or indirectly, pays for its keep : this price it is
right that he should pay for his amusement, and the cases I
believe are very rare in which any objection is made to
doing so.

In considering this subject, it should also be borne in
mind that in these days game is a source of profit and
income to so many persons, that it ought to be under legal
protection, as much so as any other kind of property. The
trespasser in pursuit of game renders himself liable to certain
penalties with as perfect a knowledge of the risk he runs as
the man who steals from the hen-roost. It is often argued
that poaching is the first step to many worse crimes ; so is
picking pockets. Pheasants are great temptations, and so are

CRIMINALITY OF POACHERS. 241

pocket-handkerchiefs ; and a man has as much right to breed
pheasants in his woods, as to walk down the Strand with a
silk pocket-handkerchief in his pocket. It is very true that
the pheasant stealer may become a highwayman, and in like
manner the picker of pockets may become a burglar ; but in
neither case should the minor crime be permitted to go un-
punished in a vain hope of decreasing the frequency of the
greater. Men are very seldom impelled by actual want to
take up poaching as a trade ; they are almost always led to
it by a natural lawlessness of disposition and a disinclination
to labour, or else by a wish to earn the means of indulging in
drinking and low profligacy, in the same manner as the
young Levi or Moses who picks your pocket spends the
proceeds of his booty in some den of infamy in town. I
allude, of course, in all I have said, not to the illegal follower
of game who is led to do wrong by sportsman-like feelings,
but to the desperate and systematic poacher who acts from
mere love of gain and utter contempt of right and law, and
who too frequently would as soon maltreat or kill a game-
keeper who performs his honest duty, as he would shoot a
hare. The savage encounters that occasionally occur are
invariably commenced by the most lawless and dissolute
class of poachers, whose sole object is plunder, and who have
not a particle of that love of sport in their composition
which so frequently leads the comparatively blameless
trespasser into the hands of the law.

I have entered perhaps too far into a worn-out and
unpleasant subject, but I have been led to do so by the
honest conviction that, in property of this sort at least, every
man has a right to "do what he likes with his own," provided
his neighbour does not suffer thereby.

Rabbits and hares are, like winged game, subject to
epidemics, which frequently carry off great numbers. Their
diseases can generally be traced to the wet weather or other
obvious causes, though sometimes, indeed, these animals
disappear almost entirely from a district without any
ostensible cause : whether they migrate or perish by disease
is a mystery.

Of late years the mountain-hares in Scotland have in-
creased in some places to an almost incredible degree, and
hare-shooting in the mountains has occasionally taken the
place of grouse-shooting, the birds having died off, while the
hares have nourished. Grouse and the mountain -hare feed

242 TOUR IN SUTHERL ANDS H IRE.

on very nearly the same food. This circumstance tends to
corroborate the supposition that the epidemic amongst
grouse is by no means occasioned by any failure in the
growth of the heather.

In many parts of Scotland an old blackcock is almost
uneatable, his flesh having so strong a flavour of juniper:
where, however, this plant does not abound, the black game,
feeding on grain and other seeds, are as good for the table as
any other kind of game. Although the blackcock and
capercailzie frequently breed together, and mules between
the pheasant and black grouse are, though rare, occasionally
seen, I have very rarely found a well-authenticated case of a
mule bird bred between the grouse and blackcock being
killed. In most instances in which birds supposed to be
hybrids between these two species have fallen under my
observation, they appeared to me to be merely greyhens,
whose plumage had become like that of the cock. I have
seen birds of this kind in the Edinburgh Museum and
elsewhere, and I saw one killed this autumn (1848), which
had very much the appearance of a hybrid, but on closer
examination I came to the conclusion that it was merely an
old greyhen, who had changed her appearance as the hen-
pheasant does. This latter bird we all know is very
frequently killed in different stages of change towards the
male plumage. The same is the case with the common
domestic fowl and the peahen. It is difficult to account for
the cause of this transformation. We know that it does not
arise from any disease or ill-health, as the birds in their
borrowed plumage are always in as good condition as any
others.

It is very rare indeed to find any wild animal subject to
illness, with the exception of the epidemics before alluded
to. Unless they are wounded and unable to hunt for their
own food, all wild birds and animals keep themselves plump
and healthy. The woodpigeon is indeed frequently subject
to a kind of cancer and growth on their bills and about the
eyes, which eventually destroys them ; but I attribute this
disease to feeding on the beech-mast, which is probably too
heating a food for the young birds. The old woodpigeons are
seldom if ever attacked by this disease, notwithstanding their
great fondness for beech-mast and acorns.

Woodpigeons are not so much valued for the larder as they
deserve to be. They are excellent eating at all seasons,

WOODPIGEON S— S E N T I N E L S— G E E S E. 243

excepting when driven by snow to feed on the turnip leaves.
Since the destruction of vermin and the increase of fir
plantations, they have grown very numerous in many parts
of the country, where, a few years ago, they were compara-
tively rare. It is, however, difficult to kill many of them
during the winter and autumn, when they are collected in
flocks, their safety resulting rather from their timidity than
from any excess of cunning.

Most birds, while feeding in flocks, appoint sentinels,
whose duties appear to be perfectly understood, as well by
the guards as by the guarded : red-deer, too, whilst resting,
usually place a young stag as sentinel, and do not allow him
to lie down or leave off his vigilant watching, which often
lasts a considerable time. Those at rest appear to be perfectly
unconcerned and at their ease, and to depend entirely on the
watchful eyes and ears of their sentry.

In the same way wild geese, while feeding on the open
fields, invariably leave one bird to keep watch, and most
faithfully does she perform this duty. Keeping on some high
spot of the field, she stands with neck perfectly erect,
watching on all sides, and listening to every sound far or
near. Nor does she attempt to snatch at a single grain,
however hungry she may be, till one of her comrades thinks
fit to relieve her guard ; and then the former sentinel sets to
work at her feeding with an eagerness which shows that her
abstinence while on duty was the result, not of want of
appetite, but of a proper sense of the important trust imposed
on her. If any enemy or the slightest cause of suspicion
appears, the sentry utters a low croak, when the whole flock
immediately run up to her, and after a short consultation, fly
off, leaving the unfortunate sportsman to lament having
shown the button of his cap or the muzzle of his gun above
the bank of the ditch, along which he had perhaps been
creeping, " suadente diabolo," for the last half-hour up to his
knees in water, well iced to the temperature of a Scotch
morning in February. Thus also wild ducks, curlews, crows,
and almost all birds when feeding in flocks, leave sentries,
on whose vigilance the rest entirely depend, taking no heed
of anything around them, but feeding in conscious safety.
Nor is it necessary for a cry of alarm to be given, as the
flock perfectly understand what is going on by the actions or
looks of the one who is watching, distinguishing at once
whether the sentry is intent on some sound or object at a

244 TOUR IN SU TH ERL AN DSHIRE.

distance, or whether the danger is imminent and pressing.
It is not only by the voice and action of birds of their own
kind that flocks of wild fowl guide their actions : the startled
movement or cry of a redshank or peewit is sufficient to put
on wing a whole flock of geese or ducks instantaneously, and
also to tell exactly from what point the danger is to be
apprehended.

CHAPTEE XXIX.

The Landrail ; Arrival and Habits of — Cuckoo — Swift — Associations con-
nected with Birds — Enjoyment of Life by Birds — Falcons — Water-Fowl ;
their different modes of Swimming — Wild-Fowl shooting— Wounded
Ducks — Retrievers ; care which should be taken of them — Plumage of
Water- Fowl ; its imperviousness to wet ; the cause and limits of this.

THE landrail is one of the most numerous and most regular
of our birds of passage. For several seasons the 1st of May
has been the earliest day on which I have noticed them. At
first I hear a single bird or two croaking in some small patch
of early wheat or long clover : their numbers then increase
rapidly every day. In the early morning I see them along
the sides of the paths, and more particularly near grassy
ditches. The rapidity with which this bird threads its way
through thickly-growing clover is astonishing. With head
crouched to the ground it glides, in a horizontal position,
almost with the quickness of an arrow, scarcely moving the
grass as it passes through it. One moment he is at your
feet, and the next he is standing far off, with erect head and
neck, and croaking with a voice of brass. By the end of
May or the beginning of June every field is full of them ;
and the noise they make during the night time, or after a
shower of rain, is incessant. By the middle of August they
become quiet ; and the corn being high, they are then seldom
seen. Before the crops are carried they have almost entirely
disappeared, having left the country quietly and unseen.
Sometimes during the shooting season a landrail rises in
some very unexpected place, and they are then as fat as it is
possible for a bird to be. On their first arrival also they are
in good condition, till the business of breeding commences,
when they become comparatively lean.

Though the voice of the landrail is per se so peculiarly
harsh and grating, there are few birds whose note falls more
pleasantly on my ear — associated as it is with the glad season

ASSOCIATIONS CONNECTED WITH BIRDS. 245

of spring and summer. The monotonous cry of the cuckoo
has nothing delightful in it beyond recalling to the mind
pleasing ideas of spring and woody glades ; yet I believe
every one listens to this bird with pleasure. From seeing
and hearing so many of them about the wild rocks and glens
of Scowrie and Assynt, the cuckoo now always brings that
rugged district before my eyes, instead of the tranquil groves
where I formerly had seen it. The nest, which of all others
the knavish cuckoo prefers to lay her eggs in, is that of
the titlark ; and in Scowrie and Assynt those birds abound.

Another bird, whose cry is invariably associated by me
with one kind of locality, is the swift. I never hear the loud
scream of this bird without having some well-remembered
steeple or other lofty building brought vividly before my
mind's eye : thus, also, the martin and swallow recall the
recollection of some favourite stream, whose waters abound
in trout, and whose banks swarm with the May-fly and grey
drake.

The crow of the grouse is as inseparable in my mind from
the mountains of Scotland, as the song of the ring-ousel is
from its birch-covered glens, or the spring call of the peewit
from the marshy meadows.

There is, I think, great pleasure in thus recollecting by the
sounds and notes of living animals scenes which the eye has
dwelt upon with delight, and so constant is every bird to its
own locality, that the associations thus called forth are in-
variably correct.

In preserving game, quiet and food are the two things to
be attended to. No animals will remain in places where they
are frequently disturbed ; vicinity to favourable feeding-
ground is also a sine qua, non. In large and extensive tracks
of wood where there are miles of unbroken forest, birds are
always rare, excepting indeed some of the far wandering
hawks, whose strong wings enable them to pass over miles of
country with little exertion. Even birds of prey are more
inclined to take up their abode near the outskirts of a wood
than in its densest solitudes.

In winter large flocks of the long-tailed titmouse, the
golden-crested wren, and other birds of similar insect-search-
ing habits, flit from tree to tree, passing in an unbroken
multitude for hours together, hanging in every possible
attitude from the branches while searching for their minute
prey, and enlivening the solitude with their bright wings, and

246 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

with their merry chirp, so expressive of pleasure, as they
flutter from tree to tree. I believe that all wild birds live in
a state of constant enjoyment when unmolested by animals
of prey, biped or quadruped, and even then their terror or
pain is but of short duration, having no anticipation of the
coming evil, or much remembrance of it if fortunately they
escape. The snows of winter sometimes indeed shut up their
sources of food, but it is rare, at least in this country, that
plenty of open ground is not left for the wants of all the
wild animals.

The falcon at earliest daybreak, after enjoying for a short
time the morning sun, shakes her feathers once or twice,
plumes her wings, and then launching herself into the air,
passes with straight and direct flight to the most favourable
hunting-ground. Some unfortunate grouse or plover is soon
struck down. The first act of a falcon on striking and catch-
ing a bird is, if any life remains, to dislocate its neck ; and
thus its pain is immediately over. Oftener, however, the
falcon strikes her chase while in the air, killing it perfectly
dead instantaneously. Indeed all the long-winged hawks
prefer striking their prey in the air, seldom dashing, with the
same confidence, at a bird on the ground. Having well
filled her crop, the falcon tlies back to some favourite stone,
or projection of rock on the cliffs, and there sits in a state of
quiet satisfaction for the rest of the day, perched in a situa-
tion where no danger can approach her unperceived.

There must be great enjoyment too in the flight of the
eagle and buzzard, as they soar and float for hours together
at a height that makes them appear no bigger than a lark.
The latter bird too seems the very personification of happi-
ness, as, uttering its merry and sweet song, it mounts higher
and higher till lost to sight.

But no birds seem to enjoy life more than water-fowl ;
floating without exertion in perfect security in the midst of
a calm lake, or riding, as buoyant as a cork, on the waves of
.the sea.

When looking at wild-fowl on the water, it is generally
easy to distinguish what kind they are, even from a great
distance. Scarcely any two specimens swim or float in the
same manner, and at the same elevation above the surface of
the water. Coots and sea-gulls float like bladders, with
scarcely any of their body immersed : so much so that it is
almost impossible to mistake one of the former at any dis-

MODES OF SWIMMING OF WILD-FOWL. 247

tance at which a bird can be distinguished. The divers,
such as the cormorant, the black-throated diver and others of
the same kind, swim very flat in the water, showing scarcely
any part except the top of their back, and their head and
neck, which all these birds carry straight and erect, seldom
or never bending and arching their throat like ducks or
geese. In consequence of their swimming so low in the water
it is difficult to kill any of these diving birds, unless you can
get at them from a rock or height above them. Widgeon
swim rather flat and low in the water. Mallards and teal
keep more of their bodies above it, and are in consequence
easier to kill while swimming. Pochards, scaup ducks, and
others of that kind swim higher still, but are very strong
swimmers and difficult to catch when only winged, diving
incessantly, and going out to the middle of the lake or pond,
unlike the teal or mallard, who invariably, when winged or
otherwise wounded, make for the land, if the sportsman
keeps out of sight, and endeavour to hide themselves in the
grass at the water's edge. Geese when winged dive with far
greater quickness and facility than would be expected, and I
have had very great trouble in catching a wild goose on a
lake, after I had knocked her down, although I was rowing
in a light and easily -managed boat. Careful observation of
the different manner of swimming adopted by the several
kinds of wild fowl when wounded is of the greatest use to
the sportsman, saving him and his retriever many a weary
and often useless wetting. Even with the best water-dog it
is frequently of no avail to attempt to catch winged ducks of
any kind. In cold weather, when the water is rough and
the birds get a good start in an open lake, it is not only loss
of time but is cruel to urge your dog to follows them too
long. I have often succeeded in bagging winged ducks,
widgeon, and teal by walking round the edge of the lochs an
hour or two after I had shot them, as the birds when left to
themselves, the rest of the flock having gone away, either
leave the water and hide in the grass or else come close to
the edge.

It occasionally happens in a small pool that a winged wild
duck goes under and never appears again, having become en-
tangled in the weeds, &c., at the bottom.

AVild fowl seldom live any length of time after they are
winged, as they generally fall a prey to foxes and other
vermin, all of whom have a habit of hunting round lakes and

248 TOUR IN SUTHERL AN DSH I RE.

swamps during the night, when the wounded birds quit the
deep water to feed in the shallows or marshy places.

That beautiful bird the pintail is also a very quick diver
and strong swimmer when wounded. It is a good rule in
wild fowl shooting always to endeavour to get shots at the
birds either when they are on dry land or when it is pro-
bable that they will fall upon it. In the first place, no bird
is so easy to kill whilst swimming as whilst standing or
walking, as then all the body is exposed ; and in the second
place, so much time is lost, and so much disturbance caused
by pursuing the wounded birds, and even by getting the
dead ones out of the water. Besides it is almost a matter of
certainty that when they are shot over the water some of
the killed birds will be lost ; and however good a water-dog
your retriever may be, and however hardy, the less swim-
ming and wetting he gets the better. Nothing is so ill-
judged and useless as sending a dog into the water without
good reason for it ; doing so is always taking something,
more or less, from his strength and injuring his constitution.
When standing waiting for ducks in cold weather the poor
animal has no means of drying or warming himself, and lies
shivering at your feet, and laying up the foundation of
rheumatism and other maladies.

A dog who has much water-work to do should always be
kept in good condition, and, if possible, even fat. It is a mis-
take to suppose that allowing him to come into the house and
warm himself before the fire makes him less hardy ; on the
contrary, I consider that getting warm and comfortable
before the kitchen fire on coming home gives the retriever
a better chance of keeping up his strength, health, and energy
when much exposed to cold and wet during the day ; a far
better chance, indeed, than if, on returning, he is put into a
cold kennel, where, however well supplied with straw, hours
must elapse before he is thoroughly warm and dry. Most
rough dogs stand cold well enough as long as they are toler-
ably dry, but frequent wetting is certain to cause disease and
rheumatism. I am sure, too, with regard to water dogs, that
a good covering of fat is a far more efficacious means of keep-
.ing them warm than the roughest coat of hair that dog ever
wore. In wild animals, such as otters, seals, &c., which are
much exposed to wet in cold countries, we always find that
their chief defence against the cold consists in a thick coating
of fat, and that their hair is short and close. In like manner

PLUMAGE IMPERVIOUS TO WET. 249

dogs who are in good condition can better sustain the intense
cold of the water than those whose only defence consists in a
shaggy hide. Short-coated dogs are also the most active and
powerful swimmers, and get dry sooner than those who are
too rough-coated.

The imperviousness to wet of the plumage of wild fowl is
evidently not caused by any power which the birds have of
supplying grease or oil to their feathers. The feathers have a
certain degree of oiliness no doubt, but from frequent observa-
tion I am convinced that it is the manner in which the
feathers are placed which is the cause of the water running
off' them as it does.

As long as any kind of wild duck is alive, his skin
remains perfectly dry whilst he is in the water, although
from the situation in which he may be placed — being pur-
sued, for instance — it is quite impossible for him to find time
to "oil his plumage," as some authors assert he does, "in
order to keep out the wet;" but the moment a duck or water
fowl is dead the water penetrates through the feathers, wetting
the animal completely. If one wing is broken, the feathers
of that wing immediately become soaked with wet, the bird
not having the power of keeping the feathers of the broken
part in the proper position to resist the entry of the water.
We all know that birds are able to elevate, depress, and in
fact to move their feathers in any direction, by a muscular
contraction of the skin. When this power ceases they hang
loosely in every direction, and the wet enters to the skin.

The otter's skin never appears to be wet, however long the
animal may remain in the water ; but, like the plumage of
birds, soon becomes soaked through when the animal is dead.
Whilst he is alive the water runs off his hair exactly as it
does from the back of a bird during a shower. When we
find any bird or animal with its feathers or hair wet and
clinging together, it is a sure sign that the poor creature is-
either diseased or is suffering from some wound or accident.

CHAPTEE XXX.

Taming and Education of Wild Animals — The Eagle ; his want of docility —
Courage and Intelligence of the Noble Falcons — The Houud — Return of
Cats to their home— Maternal Instinct of Cats — The Carrier- Pigeon —
Wood- Pigeons — Dovecot Pigeons — Sight of Pigeons — Blue-rock Pigeons
— Crested Titmouse — The Robin ; pugnacious disposition of — Sparrows ;
impudence of.

ALMOST every wild animal is more or less capable of being;

250 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIEE.

reclaimed, and rendered, if not of actual use to us, at least
an object of interest and amusement. In all attempts to
educate them, patience and temper on the part of the teacher
is the first requisite. If fortunately he be endowed with
this important qualification, he will scarcely find any bird or
beast so wild or so obstinate " ut non mitescere possit." But
some, it must be admitted, scarcely repay the labour bestowed
upon them. The eagle can be tamed, but to no great extent.
Naturally of a greedy and craving disposition, he is not to be
depended upon at all times ; and though he may show a
certain degree of affection for his keeper, he can seldom be
safely approached by strangers.

An eagle, although he may have been trained for a long
time and with great care for the purpose of hunting, is just
as likely to swoop at and kill his master's dogs, or even to
attack a man himself, as to fly at any game. In this he
differs from the falcons, that is those of the hawk tribe, who
are called " noble falcons," in contradistinction to those
termed "ignoble." The Iceland, the Greenland, the pere-
grine, and the merlin also, are all " noble falcons." The
lanner, formerly in high repute for the chase, is now so
seldom seen iii this country, either alive or dead, that little
is known as to his merits ; but the other noble hawks whom
I have enumerated are all of a most kindly and tractable
disposition, and possess that great courage which gives them
the full confidence in man which is necessary for their educa-
tion. These birds have also great aptitude to receive
instruction ; their habits are social, and before they have
been long in confinement they become perfectly contented
with their lot. When out in the field, a trained hawk is in
no way flurried or alarmed by the movement of men or dogs,
but sits looking, when unhooded, with calm confidence on all
that is going on around him ; and although his fine dark eye
evinces neither fear nor disquietude, not the smallest bird
can pass without his immediately descrying it, and intently
watching it until it is lost in the distance — and great must
that distance be which conceals any bird from the falcon's
eye. I have often fired my gun off at a bird, with a hooded
hawk sitting on one arm, without his evincing the least fear
or uneasiness, — as great a proof of his courage as need be
required. In fact, a hawk, like a dog, soon learns to look
upon her master as her best friend.

When a well-trained hawk has pursued a bird to any dis-

COURAGE OF FALCONS. 251

tance out of sight of her master, and misses catching it, she
invariably Hies straight back to the place where she was first
started. I scarcely know a more pleasing sight than to see
the falcon returning with direct and rapid flight, searching
for her master in the exact spot, although in a strange and
new country, where she had last seen him. If, however, she
has killed a prey, this quick return does not take place,
and the falconer must follow as straight as he can in the line
of her flight ; by doing so he will seldoai fail to find her. A
hound, in the same way, after a chase of many hours' dura-
tion, if he loses the huntsman, will always return to the spot
where he started from.

The instinctive power possessed by so many animals of
finding their way back again, either to their accustomed
home or to the place from which they had started, appears
almost inexplicable, as in many instances it is certain that
they cannot be guided by any sense analogous to those which
we possess. Well-authenticated instances of dogs and cats,
and horses also, finding their way back from great distances
to their home, although the mode in which they have been
conveyed from it has deprived them of all assistance from
their organs of sight, are so frequent as scarcely to excite
attention ; and yet how wonderful must be the intelligence
which guides the animal !

One of the most unquestionable instances of a cat's
displaying this faculty which has come under my own
immediate observation was that of a kitten about three parts
grown, who certainly had never been in the habit of going
ten yards from the house-door. Wishing to get rid of her, I
sent her in a bag to a person who lived more than two miles
from my own residence. Although the cat travelled over a
road perfectly unknown to her, and in a bag, which entirely
prevented her seeing anything, she was the next morning
purring about as usual, and claiming attention in the kitchen,
as if she had never left it.

Another curious instance of a cat's travelling capabilities
fell under my notice. By some means she discovered the
place to which her kitten had been taken, more than a mile
off; and every night the poor mother went to suckle her
young one, returning, when the process was over, to perform
the same service to another kitten left at home. In this
instance the cat lived in a large town ; through some of the
streets of which, as well as a good mile of the outskirts, she

252 TOUR IN SUT HERL AN DSHIRE.

had to take her nightly walk. Many a danger from boy and
dog the poor animal must have gone through during her
peregrinations ; nothing, however, stopped her as long as the
kitten required her maternal attention. Notwithstanding
these amiable traits in the feline character, I must condemn
the cat as an animal who in general repays all the care and
kindness of her master with but little strength of affection.
Indeed her instincts seem to attach her only to the fireplace
or loft in which she has been accustomed to live, and not to
the kind hand which feeds her. Some instances of love for
their owners I have known ; but, in comparison with that
shown by dogs, they are rare and slight, although the domestic
bringing up of, and kindness shown to, cats are of tener greater,
and less mixed with the severe correction often inliicted upon
dogs.

The sense which leads the carrier-pigeon hundreds of miles
in so short a time, and in so direct a course, is inexplicable.
After circling for a few moments, the bird decides unhesi-
tatingly on its exact line of flight, though it may never have
seen the country before, and lias not the assistance of the
example and guidance of any more experienced companions,
as is always the case with migrating birds.

The carrier-pigeon is very beautifully shaped, with broad
chest and most powerfully jointed wings. Except as to the
head and feet, this kind of pigeon has very much the form of
a falcon, and is peculiarly well fitted for long-continued and
rapid flight.

The woodpigeons in this country are to a certain degree
migratory, imitating, longo intervallo, the American passenger-
pigeons, in shifting their quarters from one part of the
kingdom to another, Being influenced in their migrations by
the abundance or scarcity of food.

The common dove-cot or blue pigeon generally flies several
miles, morning and evening, to favourite feeding-places,
seldom seeking for food in the immediate neighbourhood of
the pigeon-house. In the months of May and June the
house-pigeons have most difficulty in procuring food, the
crops being all unripe, and none of the seed-corn remaining
on the surface of the ground. At this season, too, few weeds
have ripened ; and the pigeons have therefore to depend in a
great measure for their own subsistence and that of their
young on the minute seed of the turnip, which is sown at
this period. It must require no little labour to enable them

PIGEONS— DOVES— CRESTED TITMOUSE. 253

to fill their crops with this small seed. As in this country
the turnip fields are for the most part drilled and rolled, the
poor birds have the greater difficulty in satisfying the
hunger of their young ones ; and no young bird requires so
much food as an unfledged pigeon, in proportion to its size
and weight.

The power of the pigeon to alter the focal length of its eye
must be very great, as it is able to see equally well an object
at a distance of many miles and a minute seed not more than
half an inch from the end of its bill.

The turtle-dove is sometimes, but only rarely, met with as
far north as Morayshire, but the stock-dove is never seen in
that part of the country : if once introduced, I should
imagine that it would thrive perfectly well, as both the
climate and the natural productions of the district are suited
to it.

The hardy little blue-rock pigeon abounds on all the sea-
coast of Scotland, where the rocks are steep and broken into
fissures and caverns — one moment dashing into its breeding-
place, and rapidly flying out the next ; then skimming the
very surface of the breakers, this little bird gives animation
and interest to many a desolate and rugged range of cliffs as
far north as Cape Wrath and Whiten Head. It abounds
also in most of the islands. Frequently living where there is
little cultivated ground, the blue-rock pigeon feeds on many
green plants, and I have also found its crop nearly full of
small shells. Whatever its principal food may be, it is a
particularly well-flavoured and delicate bird, and much
superior in this respect to either the dovecot pigeon or the
woodpigeon.

A very beautiful little bird, and one not generally known
to breed in Britain, is the crested titmouse. From the
number of specimens which have been procured by Mr.
Dunbar from the woods of Strathspey it is evident that this
bird must be there in great abundance, although it does not
appear to extend its visits to other parts of the country, with
the exception of the woods about Dulsie on the Findhorn.
In these picturesque and beautiful woods the crested titmouse
is found, but not in such numbers as in Strathspey. Its
habits are the same as those of the other species of tomtits,
searching actively among the fir-trees for insects and
hanging from the branches in every possible attitude, probing
every crevice with its tiny but strong bill. All the kinds of

254 TOUR IN SUTHERL AN DSHIRE.

titmice are very carnivorously inclined, feeding greedily on
any dead bird or other animal which they may meet with.
Our favourite, the robin, is not much behind them in this
respect, having a very great partiality for raw meat and dead
animals.

Although so much protected, and in fact enjoying an
almost entire immunity from all human persecutors, the
robins do not appear to increase in numbers ; this is, in all
probability, occasioned by the bird generally breeding on the
ground, and being thereby exposed to the attacks of weasels,
rats, &c. Were it not for this, the almost sacred character
the robin has always held amongst bird-nesting schoolboys
and juvenile sportsmen must have caused its numbers to
increase ; but we still see the same dead branch or the same
railing head occupied by a single robin year after year ; no
rivals spring up to dispute the favourite perch.

Of all pugnacious birds the robin is the most determined
fighter. When snow and frost cover the ground, and we
feed the birds at the windows and on the gravel walks,
thrushes blackbirds, sparrows, and many other birds come
to share the crumbs, but none dare eat if any robin is there,
until the fiery little fellow permits him. Thrushes and all
are beaten and driven away, and even after he has crammed
himself to repletion, the robin will sit at the window and
drive away with the most furious attacks every bird whose
hunger prompts him to try to snatch a morsel of his leavings.
Perched amidst the crumbs, he looks the very personification
of ill-temper and pugnacity. The thrush, on the contrary,
allows every bird to feed with him, and puts on a complaining
but not an angry look when an impudent sparrow or tomtit
snatches the morsel of bread from his bill.

In large towns it is curious to see how accustomed sparrows
become to all the noises and sights by which they are
surrounded. You see a flock of sparrows feeding in the
middle of a paved street, an omnibus comes rattling along,
shaking the very houses, and making din and noise enough to
deafen a miller, yet the sparrows merely hop out of reach of
the wheels and do not take the trouble to go a yard farther.
Knowing either from instinct or long experience that they
are safe from gun or trap, where every passer-by is too
intent on his own more important matters to waste a thought
upon them, they become most impudently confident of their
own safety.

SPARROWS— WOODCOCKS. 255

Like all other birds, sparrows adapt themselves without
difficulty to whatever place they happen to live in. In towns
they make their nests in curious holes and corners under the
tiles and roofs of the houses, or about the projections and
carvings on churches and old buildings. In country villages
they delight in holes in thatched roofs or in corn stacks,
while in less populous localities they build almost wholly in
trees, and even in hedges not many feet from the ground,
keeping, however, a watchful and knowing eye to the security
of the place they fix upon for their loosely made and con-
spicuous nest. There seems to be one sine qud non in the
choice of their abode, and that is the vicinity of man.
Sparrows never wander very far from houses and towns ; in
fact this bird appears to be more at home on the roof of
a house in the midst of a populous city than in any other
situation. Basking in the sun on a lofty wall or house-top,
a flock of sparrows look down upon the crowded streets with
a pert, impudent air, chattering and chirping to each other
as if making their remarks on the busy throng below them,
and seem as perfectly at their ease in the midst of the noise,
bustle, and smoke as the impudent set of schoolboys who
look up at them with a longing eye.

CHAPTER XXXI.

Instinct of Birds— The Woodcock carrying her young — Herons — Water-
Ousel— Xest of Golden-Eye Duck— Habits of Birds— Talons of Falcons
and Hawks— Stuffed Birds— Plumage, &c., of Owls— The Osprey and
Sea Swallow — Manner of Fishing — Carrion-feeding Birds— Manner of
finding their Food— The Eagle— Sense of Smell in Birds— In Ducks and
Geese — Power of communicating with each other — Notes of alarm — A few
words respecting destroying Hawks, &c. — Colour of Birds adapted to
concealment — Instinct of Birds finding Food — Red Deer — Tame Roe-
buck.

MANY people doubt the fact of the woodcock carrying her
young, from the wood to the swamp, in her feet, and certainly
the claws of a woodcock appear to be little adapted to
grasping and carrying a heavy substance, yet such is most
undoubtedly the case. Regularly as the evening comes on,
many woodcocks carry their young ones down to the soft
feeding-grounds, and bring them back again to the shelter of
the woods before daylight, where they remain during the
whole day. I myself have never happened to see the

256 TOUR IN SUTHERL AN DSHIRE.

woodcocks in the act of returning, but I have often seen
them going down to the swamps in the evening, carrying
their young with them. Indeed it is quite evident that they
must in most instances transport the newly-hatched birds in
this manner, as their nests are generally placed in dry
heathery woods, where the young would inevitably perish
unless the old ones managed to carry them to some more
favourable feeding-ground. Both young woodcocks and
snipes are peculiarly helpless birds, as, indeed, are all the
waders, until their bills have hardened, and they have
acquired some strength of wing and leg. Unlike the young
of partridges and some other birds who run actively as soon
as hatched, and are able to fly well in a very short time,
woodcocks, snipes, and waders while young are very helpless,
moving about with a most uncertain and tottering gait, and
unable to take wing until they are full grown. Their
growth is, however, extremely rapid.

Snipes, redshanks, and several other birds of this genus are
hatched and brought up on the same kind of ground on
which they feed; but woodcocks, in this country at least, are
generally hatched far from the marshes, and therefore the
old birds must, of necessity, carry their helpless young to
these places, or leave them to starve in the dry heather : nor
is the food of the woodcock of such a nature that it could be
taken to the young from the swamps in any sufficient
quantity. Neither could the old birds bring with it the
moisture which is necessary for the subsistence of all birds
of this kind. In fact they have no means of feeding their
young except by carrying them to their food, for they cannc
carry their food to them.

The foot of the heron, as well as its general figure, seems
but little adapted for perching on trees, and yet whoever
visits a herony will see numbers of these birds perched in
every kind of attitude, on the very topmost branches of the
trees. The water -ousel manages to run on the ground at the
bottom of the water, in search of its food. All these actions
of birds seem not only difficult, but would almost appear to-
be impossible. Nevertheless the birds perform them with
ease, as well as many others equally curious and apparently
equally difficult.

The feet of ducks are peculiarly ill adapted for perching
on trees ; nevertheless the golden-eye duck generally breeds
in hollow trees, not only in broken recesses of the trunk,.

HABITS OF BIRDS— TALONS OF HAWKS. 257

easy of access, but even in situations where, after having
entered at a narrow round aperture, she has to descend for
nearly an arm's length, almost perpendicularly to reach the
nest. Through this same entrance also she has to take her
young ones when hatched, before they can be launched on
their natural element — water.

I could give numberless instances of birds and other
animals performing actions and adopting habits which to all
appearance must be most difficult and most unsuited to
them ; all these prove that we are not to judge of nature by
any fixed and arbitrary rules, and still less should we attempt
to bring all the countless anomalies of animal life into any
system of probabilities of our own devising. The more we
investigate the capabilities of living animals of every descrip-
tion, the more our powers of belief extend. For my own
part indeed, having devoted many happy years to wandering
in the woods and fields, at all hours and at all seasons, I have
seen so many strange and unaccountable things connected
with animal life, that now nothing appears to me too won-
derful to be believed.

The feet and claws of different kinds of hawks vary very
much, being beautifully adapted to the manner in which each
bird strikes its prey. If we examine the claws and feet of
the peregrine falcon, the merlin, or any of the other long-
winged hawks, including the varieties of these noble birds,
all of whom I believe were called in the age of falconry "The
Ger Falcon," such as the Iceland, the Greenland, and the
Norwegian falcon, we find that their power consists rather in
their strength of talon and foot than in the sharp needle-like
claws of the hen harrier, the sparrowhawk, the goshawk, &c.
The rationale of this difference seems to be that the falcons
strike their prey by main force to the ground in the midst of
their flight : whilst the other hawks usually pounce on the
animals on which they feed, and take them unawares on the
ground instead of by fair pursuit and swiftness of wing. The
sparrowhawk and hen harrier seldom chase a bird to any
distance on the wing.

I have spoken of the peregrine, the Iceland, the Greenland
falcon, and also the falcon of Norway as being distinct
species. This, however, is a point to be decided by naturalists
more skilful in the anatomy and osteology of birds than I
am myself. Scribimus indocti ! My remarks are merely the
result of my own unscientific observations, aided by the

258 TOUR IN SUTH ERL ANDSHIRE.

inspection of the numerous and beautifully-prepared speci-
mens of my friend Mr. Hancock, who, I believe, I may safely
assert is the best stuffer of birds in the kingdom. The
examination of his collection has been a source of great
pleasure to me, but it has also had the effect of making me
dissatisfied with the performances of all other preservers of
birds. A bird, when it is stuffed and " set up," as they term
it, ought to be " aut Caesar aut nihil." A bird stuffed in a
second-rate manner is a very valueless and unsatisfactory
affair; and it would be far better, for the furtherance of
natural history, if people, instead of having a rare bird badly
stuffed and put into a distorted shape and attitude, with projec-
tions where no projections should be, and hollows where there
should be none, would be content to keep merely the skin just
sufficiently filled with cotton or tow to prevent its shrinking.

The owls have all extremely hard and needle-like claws,
and in every respect the bird is singularly well adapted for
its manner of feeding, which it does almost wholly at night.
Its immensely large ears must enable it to hear the slightest
movement of the field-mouse, upon which it chiefly feeds ;
and its sharply-pointed talons contract with a tenacity and
closeness unequalled by those of any of the hawk tribe,
excepting perhaps the hen-harrier. Again, the soft downy
feathers and rounded wings of the owl enable it to flit as
noiselessly as a shadow to and fro, as it searches for the
quick-eared mouse, whom the least sound would at once
startle and drive into its hole, out of reach of its deadly
enemy. As it is, the mouse feeds on in heedless security,
with eyes and nose busily occupied in searching for grains of
corn or seeds, and depending on its quickly sensitive ear to
warn it of the approach of any danger. The foot of man, or
even the tread of dog or cat, it is sure to hear ; but the owl
glides quickly and silently round the corner of the hedge or
stack (like Death, tacito clam venit ilia pede), and the first
intimation which the mouse has of its danger is being
clasped in the talons of its devourer.

The owls of this country are far more serviceable to us than
we imagine, destroying countless mice and rats. It must be
admitted, however, that both the long-eared owl and the
common brown owl will, during the time they have young
ones to feed, destroy and carry off pigeons, young game, and
other birds with a determined savageness equal to that
evinced by any of the hawk tribe.

OSPREY— SAND-EEL— CARRION-FEEDING BIRDS. 259

The rough and strong feet of the osprey are perfectly
adapted to the use which they are put to, that is, catching
and holding the slippery and strong sea-trout or grilse. The
fact of a bird darting down from a height in the air, and
securing a fish in deep water, seems almost incredible,
especially when we consider the rapidity with which a fish,
and particularly a sea-trout, darts away at the slightest
shadow of danger, and also when we consider that the bird
who catches it is not even able to swim, but must secure its
prey by one single dash made from a height of perhaps
fifty feet.

The swiftest little creature in the whole sea is the sand-eel;
and yet the terns catch thousands of these fish in the same
way as the osprey catches the trout ; excepting that the tern
uses its sharp-pointed bill instead of its feet. I have often
taken up the sand-eels which the terns have dropped on being
alarmed, and have invariably found that the little fish had
but one small wound, immediately behind the head. That a
bird should catch such a little slippery, active fish as a sand-
eel, in the manner in which a tern catches it, seems almost in-
conceivable ; and yet every dweller on the sea-coast sees it
done every hour during the period that these birds frequent
our shores. In nature nothing is impossible; and when we are
talking of habits and instincts, no such word as impossibility
should be used.

I never could quite understand the instinct which leads
carrion-feeding birds to their food. We frequently see
ravens, buzzards, and other birds of similar habits congre-
gating round the dead body of an animal almost immediately
after it has ceased to live ; and therefore I cannot agree with
those naturalists who assert that it is the sense of smelling
which leads these birds to their feast. From my own
observation I am convinced that this is not the case, as I have
known half a dozen buzzards collect round a dead cat, on
the afternoon of the same day on which it had been killed,
and this, too, during the winter season, when the dead
animal could have emitted no odour strong enough to attract
its devourers. I am far more inclined to attribute their
facility in finding out their food to a quick sense of sight.
For the sake of catching these birds and the grey crows also,
I was accustomed to have the dead vermin thrown into a
field near the house where traps were placed round them.
When the cats were skinned, and therefore were the more

260 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

conspicuous, the carrion birds usually found them out in the
same afternoon. Now buzzards, ravens, and other birds who
feed on dead bodies are in the habit of frequently soaring for
hours together, at an immense height in the air, wheeling
round and round in wide circles. I have no doubt at these
times they are searching with their keen and far-seeing eye
for carcases and other substances fit for food. The eagle,
who also feeds on dead bodies, wheels and circles in a similar
manner, at such a height in the air that he frequently looks
like a mere speck in the sky. There can be no doubt that it
is upon his eye only that he depends. When, even at this
vast height, his quick eye catches sight of a grouse in the
heather, down drops the bird of prey as if shot, till within
some thirty yards of the ground, when suddenly stopping
his downward course, he again hovers stationary, over the
grouse, till a fair opportunity offers itself for a swoop. I
have frequently seen the eagle do this ; and he has sometimes
discovered the grouse from a height and distance so great as
to make it appear impossible that he should have dis-
tinguished so small an object.

It is certain, however, that birds have a tolerably acute
sense of smelling, although I know that it has been positively
denied that ducks are guided by their scenting powers in
taking alarm, and that it is by their quick sense of hearing only
that they are warned of the approach of danger. But this I
utterly deny ; for I have constantly seen wild fowl, when I
have been sitting perfectly motionless in an ambuscade, swim
quietly towards me without the slightest warning of my
vicinity, till coming to that point where my place of conceal-
ment was directly to windward of them, they immediately
caught the scent, took wing, and fle\^ in as great alarm as if
I had stood up in full view. The same thing has occurred
very frequently when I have been in pursuit of geese ; the
birds invariably taking alarm as soon as they came in a line
with me and the wind, and just as much so when I was
motionless and riot making the slightest noise, as when I was
creeping towards them. The same sense of smelling doubt-
less guides birds, in many cases, to their food, but it is
certainly not the sole or even the principal guide of the
ravens or the eagles.

When one of the carrion-birds has found a booty, others of
the same species who may be wheeling about at a greater
distance at once see by his manner of flight and other signs

NOTES OF ALARM. 261

that he has made some discovery, and immediately follow in
the same direction, in order that they may come in for their
share.

In like manner, when one wild duck has found out a
quantity of corn, laid down in any particular place, he soon
brings others to the spot, and these again give information to
others, until at length large Hocks collect to feed on what
was originally discovered by a single bird. I do not mean to
infer that they can communicate to each other by any bird-
language the existence and locality of the prize found ; but
they all go to the spot attracted by the manner of night of
the first discoverers, which doubtless tells their companions
most plainly that they are winging their way directly
towards a depot of food, and not going forth on a vague and
uncertain search.

The clamour and noise of crows when they find a prize tell
the tale at once to all within hearing, and not to those of
their own kind only but to all ravens or rooks in the neigh-
bourhood.

In the same manner birds communicate alarm and warn-
ing, not only to those of their own species, but also to others.
Often has the cry of a crow, who has suddenly while passing
over my head discovered my hiding-place, caused a nock of
geese or other wild fowl to take wing instantaneously, as if
they themselves had seen me ; and many a shot have I lost
by the cries of peewits and other birds.

I have often been led to think that, when different kinds
of wild-fowl were feeding in a quiet place, the mallards and
widgeon have taken no heed to their own security as long as
there were either curlews or redshanks feeding near them ;
being apparently quite satisfied that these vigilant and noisy
birds were sufficiently watchful sentinels to warn them on
the first approach of danger.

A stag takes warning from the alarm-note of the grouse or
plover as quickly as if he had himself seen an enemy, and
from the manner of the bird's flight he knows pretty
accurately where the danger lies.

In getting up to deer it has more than once happened
that I have had either to lie motionless for a long time, or to
make a considerable circuit, in order to avoid putting up a
cock-grouse, who, eyeing my serpentine movements with sus-
picion, has been ready to rise with his loud cry of alarm had I
approached a yard nearer to him. In fact there is a language

262 TOUR IN S UTHERL AN DSHIRE.

of signs and observation carried on between animals of
different kinds, which is as perfectly understood by them as
if they could communicate by words.

It is difficult to determine how far we are right in en-
deavouring utterly to destroy one kind of animal or bird in
order to increase another species. Nature, if left to herself,
keeps up a fair equilibrium and proportion amongst all her
productions ; and, without doubt, if the world were left to it-
self without the interference of mankind, there would never
be an undue proportion of any one kind of living creature :
the birds of prey would keep down the granivorous birds
from increasing till they devoured all the fruits of the earth ;
and the carnivorous birds and beasts would never entirely
extirpate any other species, as their own numbers would be
lessened by want of food before this could happen ; besides
which, we see that unless artificial means are resorted to, the
number of living animals always bears proportion to, and is
regulated by the supply of food which offers itself ; and, as
these supplies fail, there is a natural tendency "for the con-
sumers to cease increasing, or to betake themselves to other
regions. But when man comes in as an active agent, he
gradually extirpates all beasts and birds of prey for the
purpose of protecting and causing to increase the weaker but
more useful animals and birds. In this country, for instance,
we can no more afford to allow hawks and crows, foxes and
weasels, to flourish and increase, however picturesque and
beautiful they may be, than we could afford to allow poppies
or other useless but ornamental wild flowers to overrun our
corn 'fields.

A pair of peregrine falcons take possession of a rock —
they will issue out as regularly as the morning appears to
search for grouse, partridges, or other birds, which form the
food of man. It is the same with other hawks ; and we well
know that crows destroy more game than all the shooters in
the kingdom. It is, therefore, absolutely necessary to keep
down the numbers of these marauders as much as possible.

I cannot say that I am at all anxious to see our island
entirely clear of what all game-preservers call " vermin."
There is more beauty and more to interest one in the night
and habits of a pair of falcons than in a whole pack of grouse;
and I regret constantly to see how rare these birds, and
eagles, and many others, are daily becoming, under the in-
fluence of traps, poison, and guns. The edict which has gone

DESTRUCTION OF VERMIN— COLOUR OF BIRDS. 263

forth against them is far too comprehensive and sweeping,
and many perfectly innocent birds go to swell the game-
keeper's list of " vermin." But I have gone fully into this
subject before.

One advantage certainly results from birds of prey being
killed off: blackbirds, thrushes, and numerous other beautiful
little birds, increase in proportion as their enemies are de-
stroyed. In several districts where a few years ago these
birds were very rare they are now abundant.

The ring-ousel, too, is one of the birds who has benefited
by this destruction of its enemies. There are some other
birds, such as the wheat-ear and tit-lark, who are seldom
killed by a hawk, but whose nests and young are the constant
prey of weasels and other ground-vermin. These also have
good reason to thank the trapper. Wood-pigeons, whose eggs
were formerly taken by the crows and magpies in great
numbers, and whose young served to feed many kinds of
hawks, now increase daily, and begin to be a subject of great
complaint amongst farmers ; and yet the wood-pigeon during
a great part of the year feeds on the seeds of many weeds
and plants which are useless to mankind. The eggs of birds
are in general more or less concealed from their enemies,
either by the nest being similar in colour to the surrounding
substances, or by its situation ; but the eggs of the wood-
pigeon are particularly exposed to the attacks of crows, mag-
pies, &c. Their young, too, are constantly stolen out of the
nest by hawks and owls. It is a singular circumstance con-
nected with the " table arrangements " of these birds of prey,
that they never carry off the young wood-pigeons till they
are nearly fledged and ready to fly.

The ptarmigan's chance of escape from birds of prey is
much better : they are exactly the colour of the stones in
summer, and of the snow in winter, and change their colour
as that of their abiding place is altered. The grouse is as
nearly the colour of the brown heather as it is possible for a
bird to be ; his bright eye and red comb are the only discover-
able points about him when he is crouched in it. The black-
cock's usual haunt is in lower situations, and he delights in
the peat-moss, where the ground is nearly as black as his
own plumage. The partridge and quail are exactly similar
in colour to the dried grass or stubble, and the quickest eye
can seldom see them on the ground when crouched, and not
erect or moving about to feed. The pheasant's colour very

264 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

nearly resembles the dead leaves of the wood and coppice,
which are his favourite haunts.

The owl sits securely close to the trunk of a forest-tree,
her mottled-brown plumage being in colour exactly like the
bark of the trunk close to which she is perched. The
peregrine-falcon, with her blue-grey feathers, can scarcely be
distinguished from the lichen -covered crag, where she sits for
hours together as motionless as the rock itself. The eagle
sits upright on some cliff of the same colour as himself,
huddled up into a shape which only the experienced eye
detects to be that of a bird. The attitudes and figures of the
whole tribe of hawks are very striking and characteristic,
and as unlike as possible to the stuffed caricatures which one
usually meets with, and in which the natural character of
the bird is entirely lost. From want of time, and still more
from not having frequent opportunities of studying living
subjects, bird-stuffers in general make less advancement to-
wards excellence in their avocation than almost any other
class of artists, nor has the present leaning towards ornitho-
logical pursuits produced much improvement amongst them.

In addition to the protection which similarity of colour
affords to animals, they have a natural instinct which leads
them to choose such places of concealment as, from the nature
of the surrounding objects, are the best fitted to conceal them.
The hare, for instance, constantly makes her form amongst
grey stones much of her own size and colour ; and birds
which are much persecuted do the same. The larger size of
red-deer obliges them to depend rather on the inaccessibility
of their resting-places than on any attempt at concealment ;
and the roebuck's safety is in the denseness and roughness of
the wood in which it lies.

There is some powerful instinct, also, which assist animal
in finding their food ; and many go direct from great distances
to places where they are sure of finding it. Pigeons find out
newly-sown peas and other favourite grains almost im-
mediately after they have been put into the ground; and
will frequently fly several miles to a field the very first
morning after it is sown. Wild ducks, also, whose researches
can only be made by night, are equally quick in finding places
where there is plenty of any favourite food. The small gulls,
particularly the black-headed gull, discover the ploughman
before he has finished his first furrow, and collect in great
flocks to pick up every grub or worm which he turns up.

INSTINCT OF BIRDS— TAME ROEBUCK. 265

The rapid instinct of birds who feed on carrion has been
alluded to already. In fact all birds, whatever their food
may be, have an instinctive power of discovering it im-
mediately, and that from such great distances as to baffle all
attempt at explanation. In the mountainous districts of
Sutherlandshire and others of the northern counties, the red-
deer invariably knows the exact time when the shepherd's
patch of corn and potatoes is fit for his food, and will some-
times come down in such numbers as to eat up and destroy
the entire crop in a single night ; or if the cultivated ground
be extensive, they will repeat their visit in spite of all
attempts to drive them away ; and the cleverness they dis-
play in taking advantage of every unguarded moment is
quite astonishing. In Sutherlandshire little loss accrues to
the tenant from this-, as a fair allowance for such damage is
always readily granted. It is a curious sight to see these
animals depending entirely on their own resourses and
cunning in avoiding danger, and, in spite of their natural
timidity, coming fearlessly down to the very door of a cottage
to feed on their favourite food, and frequently from very
considerable distances ; and even after the oats are cut and
piled up in sheaves, I have seen red-deer with astonishing
boldness manage to appropriate to themselves no inconsider-
able share of the ripe corn.

All the deer tribe soon find out when danger ceases. In a
domesticated state no animal becomes more fearless and bold
than a stag ; and in proportion as they become so, they are
dangerous to strangers, whom they attack with great fierce-
ness. They have, however, discrimination enough to assault
women more frequently than men, being evidently aware
that they are the more helpless of the two, and less able to
resist. Even a roebuck, when tamed, will do this ; and iheir
activity and strength render them no contemptible anta-
gonists.

I remember a roebuck, belonging to a clergyman of the
Established Church of Scotland, which one day attacked and
hurt a woman who was a zealous supporter of the Free
Church. The good lady uttered the most bitter maledictions
against the clerical owner of the roe, vowing that he kept his
Satanic majesty " in the shape of a horned beast," for the
sole purpose of attacking and destroying Free Church people.

A roe, though so beautiful an animal, is a most unsatis-
factory pet ; as they invariably either become dangerous as

266 TOUR IN SUTHERL AN DSHIRE.

they become tame, or else take to the woods and are killed,
their instinctive knowledge of danger having apparently
deserted them.

SCOTCH STREAMS AND LAKES.

CHAPTER XXXII.

Rivers, Streams and Lakes in Scotland — The Tweed — The Lakes and Streams
of Argyleshire — Loch Awe — A contest with a Salmo ferox — Inverness-
shire, Ross-shire, and Sutherland — Pike not an injurious destroyer of
Trout — Char— The River Shin — Pertinacity of Salmon in asce'nding
Streams— The Beauly— The Findhorn— The Spoy— The Dee— Decrease
in the number of Salmon ; its causes and its cure — Extent of the trade of
Fly-making.

MANY and varied are the streams and lakes of Scotland, and
scarcely any two of them contain trout of exactly similar
appearance. Although of the same species, and alike in all
the essential parts of anatomy, &c., in outward appearance,
shape, and colour, trout vary more that any other fish. As 1
have before observed, these fish have the power of either
voluntarily or involuntarily taking, to a remarkable degree,
the colour of the water in which they live. In the same way
do they derive their brown and yellow hue from the stones
on which they are accustomed to lie. Few Highland streams
contain very large trout : the feeding is not abundant enough,
the cold waters not being sufficiently productive of animal-
cula and small insects. Pish are as dependent on the
nature of the soil through which a stream runs, as oxen are
on the richness of the meadows on which they pasture. The
reason is obvious : a river which runs through a fertile
country always abounds in flies, worms, snails, &c., on which
its inhabitants feed; while a mountain stream, which flows
rapidly through a barren and rocky country, has not the
same supply.

I will not pretend to give a descriptive list of all the rivers,
streams, and lakes of Scotland, where the angler may find
employment for rod and line : they are too numerous for me
to do so ; nor is my knowledge of them sufficiently complete.

There are few districts, from Ayrshire to Caithness, where
trout and salmon are not to be found in tolerable abundance.

LAKES AND STREAMS OF ARGYLESHIRE. 267

Many streams run into the Sol way Firth which are plenti-
fully supplied with good trout, fed on the insect population of
the fertile fields of Ayrshire, Kirkcudbright, &c. Many fine
lakes, abounding in trout, char, and pike, are also to be found
in that district. But mines, and other similar works, are
already beginning to fill that part of the country with a
population peculiarly destructive to fish and game.

The Tweed and its tributaries are known to all as the
angler's classic ground, and have been so often described by
abler pens than mine, that I will say nothing about them.

Loch Leven trout are famous throughout Scotland.

Then comes the lakes and streams of Argyleshire, beauti-
fully situated in a wild and rugged country, but overrun of
late years by cockney and summer tourists. Loch Awe will,
however, always maintain its high repute for its large lake
trout, which rival the pike in size and voracity, but are
stronger, and far more wary and difficult to catch. A
" Salmo ferox " of fifteen or twenty pounds weight is no
mean adversary. His first rush, when he finds himself firmly
hooked, is nearly strong enough to tow the fishing coble after
him. And then comes the tug of war. The monster, held
only by a slight line and tapering rod, is one moment deep
down boring his head to the bottom of the lake, with every
yard of the line run out, and the rod bent into the water ; the
next he takes a new freak, and goes off near the surface like
a steamboat, and before you can wind in, he is right under
your boat and close to the bottom of it, your line being you
know not where. Again the reel is whirring round so
rapidly, that you feel your line must break in spite of all
your fancied skill. But no — he stops suddenly, and again
seems inclined to wind your line round and round the boat ;
or, by Jove ! to upset you, if he can, by running against its
keel. If there is a projecting nail, or a notch in the wood, he
manages to get the line fixed in it. After you have cleared
your tackle from this danger, off he darts again. Your
Highland boatman swears in Gaelic ; you perhaps follow his
example in English — at least, to a certainty you blame him
for rowing too fast or too slow, and begin to think that you
would give a guinea to be honourably rid of the fish, without
discredit to your skill as an angler. At last your enemy
appears exhausted — you have been long exhausted yourself — •
and floats quietly near the surface. But at the critical
moment of placing the gaff in a position to secure him, he

268 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

flaps his tail, and darts off again as strong as ever, taking
good care to go right under the boat again. At last, how-
ever, patience and good tackle and skill begin to tell ; and,
after two or three more feeble efforts to escape, your noble-
looking fellow of a trout is safely lodged in the bottom of the
landing-net.

Inverness-shire and the west of Ross-shire and Sutherland
are intersected by numerous excellent salmon rivers and
beautiful lakes, full to overflowing of trout and pike. It is a
fallacy to suppose that pike are at all detrimental to the
sport of the fly-fisher — at least, in a Highland lake, where
there is depth and space enough for both trout and pike to
live and flourish in. Of course, pike kill thousands and tens
of thousands of small trout. But the principal thing to be
regretted in almost all Highland lakes is that there are far
too many trout in them, and that the fly-fisher may work for
a month without killing a trout of two pounds weight. Pike
keep down this overstock, and yet still leave plenty of trout,
which are of a better size and quality than where they are
not thinned. I have invariably found that this is the case,
and that I could kill a greater weight of trout in a loch where
there are pike, than where they had not these their natural
enemies to keep down the undue increase in their numbers.
Pike, too, are by no means exclusively piscivorous ; they are
as omnivorous as a pig or an alderman. A great part of the
food of a pike consists of frogs, leeches, weeds, &c., &c.
Young wild ducks, water-hens, coots, and even young rats,
do not come amiss to him. Like a shark, when hungry, the
pike swallows anything and everything which comes within
reach of his murderous jaws.

If the fact could be ascertained, I would back a " Salmo
ferox " of ten pounds weight to kill more trout in a week
than a pike of the same size would do in a month. I never
killed a tolerably large trout without finding within him the
remains of other trout, sometimes, too, of a size that must
have cost him 'some trouble to swallow. In fact, I am
strongly of opinion that pike deserve encouragement in all
large Highland lakes where the trout are numerous and
small. There is also no doubt that trout follow up the lex
talionis, and feed on the young pike as freely as pike feed on
young trout.

There are numberless fine lakes in the interior of the
northern counties, situated in wild and sequestered spots

PERTINACITY OF SALMON. 269

remote from roads and tracks, the waters of which are seldom
or never troubled by the line of the angler. During my
search for the breeding places of the osprey and other rare
birds in the north of Sutherland, I have come upon lakes
situated in those rugged wildernesses, and frequently high
upon the mountains, where I am confident no human being
ever practised the " gentle craft." The only enemies that the
trout have in these lonely lochs are the otters who live on
their banks, or the osprey who builds her nest on some rocky
islet, safely encircled by the cold depths of the surrounding
waters.

There is also in many of these lakes plenty of char, a fish
of mysterious habits, never or seldom taking the fly or any
other bait, but at a certain season (about the middle of
October, as far as my experience goes) migrating in great
shoals from the deepest recesses of the lake, where they
spend the rest of the year, to the shallows near the shore.
During this short migration they are caught in nets, and
frequently in great numbers.

On the east of Sutherlandshire there are several excellent
salmon rivers : amongst the best, if not quite the best, of
these is the " Shin," which flows out of an extensive lake of
the same name, which is full of most excellent trout. In
some parts of this county the propensity of salmon to ascend
streams is most strikingly exemplified : nothing can exceed
the determination with which they work their way from
river to lake, from lake to burn, and so gradually ascending
every running stream until at last they reach rivulets so
small and shallow that you wonder how two salmon can pass
each other in them. Taking advantage of every flood which
swells the burns, they work themselves up shallows and
narrow places where apparently there is scarcely sufficient
water for the smallest trout to swim. When they have
fulfilled their spawning duties they drop back during the
winter floods to the larger streams and thence to the sea,
where they become reinvigorated and increase in size with a
rapidity which would be incredible had it not been fully
ascertained by frequent and specific experiment.

On the east coast of Ross-shire, between Sutherland and
Inverness-shire, there are few streams of any size or value.

The Beauly is a noble stream as well for the angler as for
the lover of natural beauty, being surrounded with most
magnificent scenery.

18

270 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

But above all rivers, "ante omnes," the Findhorn holds
with me the highest place, not only for the abundance of its
fish, but for the varied country and beautiful scenery through
which it passes, from the dreary brown and grey heights of
the Monaghleahd mountains, at its source, to the flat and
fertile plains of Morayshire, where it empties itself into the
salt waters ; and, beyond a doubt, the beauty of the scenery
and banks of the Findhorn, for several miles, is not to be
equalled in Scotland. Most interesting, too, and varied are
the wild animals and birds which frequent its rocks and
banks, from the stag and eagle, which add to the wild
grandeur of its source, to the wild swan and grey goose,
which feed at its junction with the bay.

I do not know that the Findhorn can be called a first-rate
angling river ; for, although frequently almost full of fish, it
is so subject to floods and sudden changes that the fish in it
do not generally rise well, being constantly kept on the
move.

Although these violent and often most unexpected risings
of the river add much to its interest in the eyes of the artist
or spectator, they militate sadly against the success of the
angler, who has frequently to gather up his tackle as he best
can, and run for his life ; or, after having made up his mind
to a week's good fishing, finds the river either of a deep black
colour, or of the hue and almost of the consistence of
pea-soup, overflowing bank and brae, owing to some sudden
rain-storm in the distant mountains of the Monaghleahd.

The Spey is another glorious river — a finer river for
salmon than even the Findhorn : indeed the rent paid for
the salmon-fishing at the mouth of this river proves it to be
the best supplied water in Scotland. Everything in tin's
matter-of-fact age brings its real and marketable value ; and,
from the amount of rent paid, the number of fish which
inhabit each river may be very nearly ascertained by a simple
arithmetical process, as all fishing-rents are proportioned
correctly and carefully to the number and value of salmon
which can be caught. The Spey is a fine wide stream, with
a great volume of water ; and although, like all Highland
rivers, subject to floods, is not liable to such sudden and
dangerous risings as its neighbour, the Findhorn.

The Dee, and many other rivers and streams, all gladdening
to the eye of the fly-fisher, pour their waters into the German
Ocean : with none of these, however, have I a sufficient

DESTRUCTION OF SALMON. 271

personal acquaintance to enable rue to describe their merits
or demerits.

It is a matter quite beyond doubt that salmon are decreas-
ing every year in most of the Scottish rivers. With short-
sighted cupidity, these valuable fish are hunted down,
trapped, and caught in every possible manner; and in
consequence of this reckless destruction the proprietors of
some salmon rivers will, before many years have elapsed, lose
the high rents which they now obtain from sportsmen and
speculators. Prolific as they are, fish, like all other animals,
must of necessity decrease, unless allowed fair play and time
to breed.

It is not the angler who injuriously thins their number.
The salmon is too capricious in rising at the fly to make this
possible. Nor, indeed, do I think that any extent of fair
river-fishing can exterminate them. It is the system of
stake-net and bag-net fishing which requires to be better
regulated and placed under more stringent local laws. As
the fishing is now carried on, the salmon are almost precluded
from reaching their breeding-grounds. The mouth of every
river is flanked and hemmed in by stake-nets and similar
obstructions, against which the poor salmon have not the
least chance. Coasting along the shore in search of fresh
water, they find a fence which they cannot get through, and
which leads them directly into an ingenious but most
iniquitous puzzle of a trap. In fact, if the object of
proprietors and renters of rivers was to exterminate salmon,
they could not devise better means to do so than those now
practised. On the other hand, the rents are so high — and
they still go on increasing — that the lessees are obliged of
necessity to use every means in their power to pay all their
heavy expenses to obtain even a moderate profit.

The individual who hires a salmon river as a matter of
trade and speculation cannot be expected to be influenced by
any other motive than wishing to make the best of his
bargain. His outgoings are great ; he pays a large rent for
the privilege of dragging a net through the water ; he pays a
rent for the right of putting up stake-nets, bag-nets, cruives,
&c., all of which are exposed to injury and destruction by
flood and storm ; he pays numerous servants and watchers,
and has also the great expense of making and renewing his
boats, nets, and other valuable tackles — and yet he is the
person usually blamed as the destroyer of the salmon,

272 TOUR IN SUTHERL AN DS H IRE.

whereas, in fact, he is actually compelled, in self-defence, to
take every fish he can catch, in every possible manner, as the
only chance he has of meeting all these heavy expenses. At
the same time it must be remembered that no one single
proprietor can do anything towards putting down this
ruinous system, unless the neighbouring owners on the same
line of coast co-operate with him. A pause for a few years
in this wholesale destruction would bring the salmon back to
something like their former numbers, and enable proprietors
of rivers to ask and obtain the same rents as they now do,
from English and other sportsmen who come northwards for
angling. At present, fly-fishing, in many rivers which were
formerly abundantly supplied, is not worth the trouble — a
mere umbra nominis — excepting during the run of grilse; and
this can only be remedied by a system of unanimous and
general preservation of the fish.

There is no necessity for restricting the sport of the fly-
fisher. Salmon will never be injured to any great extent by
this mode of taking them ; and were the net-fishing better
regulated, and diminished, higher rents would not be grudged
by the sportsman.

Excepting amongst anglers, the extent of the trade of
fly-making is little known. The number of hands employed,
men, women, and even children, whose small fingers are the
best adapted for imitating the delicate wings of the midge or
ant, and the variety of materials used, would astonish the
uninitiated. If any person will examine the wings and body
of a single Irish salmon-fly, he will perceive how many
substances are used, and how many birds from every quarter
of the globe are laid under contribution, to form this tiny but
powerfully attractive bait, which, were it less carefully and
skilfully constructed, would never entice the wary salmon
out of his resting-place, under some stone or rock, where, like
a gourmand in the snug corner of his club-room, he patiently
but anxiously awaits the arrival of some delicate morsel.

ALEARNEDDOG. 273

DOGS.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

Learned Dog and Show-woman — Education of Sporting Dog — Hereditary
Instinct of Dogs— Their thievish prospensities descend to their offspring
— Bad-tempered dogs — Breaking of Dogs— Their jealousies — Their Hunt-
ing alliances — Attachment of a Dog to his Master — Dog-eating reprobated
— Bloodhounds — Skye Terriers — Dogs combining against a common
enemy — Old Dogs — Singular instance of sagacity in one.

ALTHOUGH I am perfectly content with witnessing the
sagacity and instinct displayed by my own dogs in their
every-day employments and proceedings, and am, generally
speaking, unwilling to countenance the trickery of what are
called " learned dogs," yet the other day, to please my
children, I allowed a woman, who sent up a most dirty-faced
card, announcing herself the possessor of " THE MOST ASTO-
NISHING LEARNED DOG EVER KNOWN," to exhibit the animal in
our front hall.

The woman herself was a small, sharp-looking personage,
with the sodden and hard expression of feature peculiar to
that class who travel in caravans, and exhibit dwarfs, giants,
and such-like vamped-up wonders. The dog was a well-fed,
comfortable-looking kind of bull-terrier, slightly rough about
the muzzle ; but notwithstanding his quiet and sedate look,
there was a certain expression of low cunning and blackguard-
ism about his face which would have stamped him anywhere
as the associate of vile and dissolute company ; and although
he wagged his stumpy tail, and pretended to look amiable at
his equally cunning-looking mistress, his attempts at amia-
bility seemed to be rather the effects of kicks and blows
than of genuine attachment. He received her caresses, too,
with a kind of uncertain appearance of pleasure, as if he did
not much value them, but of the two rather preferred them
to her kicks.

On entering the hall he cast a kind of hasty look round
him, much as you would expect a rogue to do on entering a
shop from which he intended to purloin something ; however,
on the woman producing certain dirty cards, with their
corners all worn round by constant use, and marked with
numbers, letters, &c., the dog prepared himself for action,

274 TOUE IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

with a preparatory lick at his lips and a suspicious look at
his mistress. The tricks consisted of the usual routine of
adding up figures, spelling short words, and finding the first
letter of any town named by one of the company. This last
trick was very cleverly done, and puzzled us very much, as
we — i.e. the grown-up part of his audience — were most
intently watching, not him, but his mistress, in order to
discover what signs she made to guide him in his choice of
the cards ; but we could not perceive that she moved hand
or foot, or made any signal whatever. Indeed, the dog
seemed to pay little regard to her, but to receive his orders
direct from anyone who gave them. In fact, his teaching
must have been perfect, and his intellect wonderful.

Now, I dare say I shall be laughed at for introducing an
anecdote of a learned dog, and told that it was " all trick."
No doubt it was "all trick ;" but it was a very clever one,
and showed how capable of education dogs are — far more
so than we imagine. For here was a dog performing tricks
so cleverly, that not one out of four or five persons who were
most attentively watching him could find out how he was
assisted by his mistress. The dog, too, as the woman said,
was by no means of the kind easiest to teach. She told us
that a poodle or spaniel would be far quicker in learning
than a terrier : but I strongly suspect that neither of these
kinds would have courage sufficient to stand the corrections
necessary to complete their education, without becoming too
shy to perform their part well.

The woman, though clever enough in her way and well-
spoken, was a melancholy specimen of a peculiar class. Sold
by her parents, if she ever had any decided relatives of that
kind, at an early age to the leader of some itinerant party of
rope dancers, or walkers on stilts — when she had mastered
these respectable sciences, she acted in the capacity of rope-
dancer, or fifth-rate figurante, in some fifth-rate theatre.
Disabled by an accident — a broken ankle — from following
these employments, she was reduced at last to travelling to
country fairs and markets in a painted caravan, the ill-used
companion of some whiskered ruffian, arrayed in a fur cap,
red plush waistcoat, corduroy breeches, white stockings and
ankle boots — the invariable dress of all masters of show-
caravans. And now the poor woman, ruined in health and
mind by hardship and dissipation, earns a precarious living
by wandering through the country, and exhibiting her learned

HEREDITARY INSTINCT OF DOGS. 275

dogs, and her unlearned children, who, by dint of beating
and starving, had been initiated into the mysteries of their
respective callings. She assured me with great professional
energy, that one of my dogs, a large poodle, would make a
first-rate pupil, and I saw her more than once looking at
him with a longing eye.

Dogs, indeed, will almost learn anything ; but in teaching
sporting dogs, much attention should be paid to the qualities
and education of their forefathers. I am no advocate at all
for crossing pointers with foxhounds, &c., to increase the
strength and endurance of the animal ; all dogs so bred will
invariably give great trouble in their education from an
hereditary inclination to act the hound instead of the pointer.
There is quite variety enough in the present breed of pointers
to improve your kennel, if you want any addition of bone,
speed or courage.

I have seen a young pointer, who was only just able to
run out alone, point, and indeed back, as steadily, and with
as much certainty as an old dog ; but this undoubtedly would
not be the case had there been any cross whatsoever in
his breeding. The late Mr. Andrew Knight, than whom a
more practical and acute naturalist did not exist, paid much
attention to what he termed " the hereditary instinct " of
dogs. His woodcock spaniels were chosen from puppies
whose ancestors had been most famous for woodcock hunt-
ing; and his rabbit dogs from those whose parents had
shown most skill in rabbit hunting. Some years ago I spent
many a pleasant half-hour in listening to his amusing and
enthusiastic descriptions of the " hereditary instincts " of his
favourite dogs.

There is certainly no class of dog in which this faculty is
more decidedly shown than in retrievers. Although a
retriever is frequently of a cross-breed, yet if his ancestors
for one or two generations back have been well educated, and
have had much practice in retrieving, he invariably requires
little if any teaching, and appears to understand the whole of
his business instinctively. I am convinced that I have seen
this inherited skill exemplified in one of my retrievers, a
curious kind of rough animal, who resembles a Bussian poodle
more than any other dog. I bought him of a man who lived
by poaching, and other similar arts, when the dog was six
months old, and before he could have acquired any very
bad habits. The dog invariably showed, and still shows, the

276 TOUR IN SU T H EEL AN DSH I RE.

most determined prospensity to steal meat and other eat-
ables. Neither flogging nor good feeding prevents him, and
he carries on his operations in so cunning and so systematic
a manner, that I dread taking him to any friend's house
without instantly fastening him up. As long as any person
is looking at him, he remains in a state of apparently
the most innocent quietude; but the moment no eye is
on him, dbiit evasit ; and to a certainty some joint of
meat has vanished with him, but whither, or how, no one
knows.

Sometimes he manages not even to be suspected. On one
occasion five pounds of beefsteak suddenly disappears. Every
dog about the place is suspected except Gripp, and he, " poor
brute!" the cook affirms, "cannot be the thief; for he never
moved from the fire, where he was drying himself, and he
is the quietest dog in the world : " so says iny friend's cook,
at the very time that the poor good dog is suffering the most
painful indigestion from having swallowed so much raw meat
in addition to his regular meals, and the extra scraps that he
has inveigled out of the cook by his unsophisticated innocence.
The next day half a haunch of roebuck is gone : but Gripp
still keeps his place in the good graces of everybody. " It
couldn't be Gripp," is the universal cry ; " he wouldn't do
such a thing!" At last Mr. Gripp is caught in the very act
of swallowing the remains of a pound of butter, straggling in
vain to bolt it at once ; but the slippery lump will not go down.
Then comes a long train of circumstantial evidence, and a
dozen recent robberies are brought home to him

Now the beast was already well fed, and was only impelled
to steal by an hereditary irrestible impulse, handed down to
him from his grandfather and father, who both belonged to a
race of poachers in a country town, and had been taught to
find their own living. Beyond a question, Gripp inherited
his system of morality from his respectable ancestors, to
whom also he bore the strongest personal resemblance.

By the same rule, never keep the puppies of a notorious
sheep-killiug dog, nor of a bad-tempered dog : they are sure to
have the same inclinations and tempers as their parents ; and
you will find it most difficult, if not impossible, to cure them
of these faults. The breeders and teachers of dogs would
much facilitate their own labours did they pay more atten-
tion to the dispositions and habits of the parents of the
puppies whom they take in hand.

BREAKING OF DOGS. 277

Dogs have as different dispositions and tempers as their
masters. For my own part, I would never take the trouble
to bring up and educate puppies who showed either a sulky
or a very timid disposition. Neither of these faults can be
so completely got rid of as to make them satisfactory assist-
ants or companions. I say companions, for I have so much
regard for these animals, that I like them as companions, and
care little for dogs who have only been taught to obey and
hunt for the gamekeeper. I am very far from intending to
disparage a kennel of well-broken pointers or setters, and I
delight to see them do their work correctly, and with all
their beautiful display of instinct, although under the com-
mand of the gamekeeper only, and scarcely knowing their
own master's voice or whistle. Three or four brace of per-
fectly-broken dogs pointing and backing without fault is a
sight that must interest and amuse every person, whether
sportsman or not : yet I far prefer hunting my own brace of
dogs, and seeing them look to myself wholly for direction
and approbation instead of to my servant. Every dog, with
an average share of good sense and good temper, is so eager
for his master's approbation, that he will exert himself to
the utmost to obtain it ; and if this fact were constantly kept
in mind, the breaker-in of dogs need seldom have recourse to
flogging. Indeed, I have no hesitation in saying that five
dogs out of six may be completely broken in without a blow,
and that, generally speaking, quiet, patient reasoning with a
dog is all that is requisite to secure his obedience and atten-
tion. I know this is quite contrary to the opinion of most
dog-breakers, who think that nothing can be done without a
heavy whip and loud rating. But one thing at least is
certain, that when you do flog a dog, you should do it
soundly, and only when you catch him "red hand" —
flayrante delicto. He cannot then mistake why you flog him.
Intelligent as this animal is, still it cannot be expected that
he should know why he is flogged, if any time has elapsed
since the fault was committed.

Dogs have, also, a great deal of jealousy in their diposition ;
and even this may be made to assist in their education, as it
makes them strive to outdo each other. Every clever dog is
especially unwilling that any of his companions should possess
a greater share of his master's favour than himself. One of
my dogs could not be induced to hunt in company with
another, of whose advances in my good graces he was

278 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

peculiarly jealous. There was no other ground of quarrel
between them. When Rover saw that a certain young dog
was to accompany me, he invariably refused to go out ; and,
although at other times one of the most eager dogs for sport
that I ever possessed, nothing would induce him to go out
with his young rival. He also showed his jealousy by flying
at him and biting him on every possible occasion where he
could do so unobserved. At last, however, when the young
dog had grown older, and discovered that his own strength
was superior to that of his tyrant, he flew upon poor Rover,
and amply revenged all the ill-treatment which he had re-
ceived at his hands. From that day he was constantly on
the look-out to renew his attacks; but having soon established
his superiority, he thenceforth contented himself with strik-
ing down the old dog, and after standing over him for a
minute or two, with teeth bared ready for action, he
suffered him to sneak quietly away, for Rover was too old a
soldier to resist when he found himself overmatched. At
last the poor old fellow got so bullied by this dog, and by
two or three others whom I am afraid he had tyrannized over
when they were puppies, that he never left the front-door
steps, or went round the corner of the house, before he had
well reconnoitered the ground, and was sure that none of his
enemies were near him ; and yet, in his battles with vermin
or with strange dogs, he was one of the most courageous
animals I ever had.

Although dogs form such strong attachments to man, they
seldom appear to feel any great degree of friendship for each
other. Occasionally, however, a couple of dogs will enter
into a kind of compact to assist each other in hunting. For
instance, I have known an old terrier who formed an alliance
of this sort with a greyhound, and they used constantly to
go out poaching together. The terrier would hunt the
bushes, whilst the greyhound stationed herself quietly out-
side, ready to spring on any rabbit or hare that was started ;
and she always took the side of the bush opposite to that by
which the terrier had entered it. On losing his companion,
the terrier, who was becoming old in years and cunning,
entered into confederacy with a younger terrier. In all their
hunting excursions the old dog laid himself quietly down at
some likely-looking meuse or run, and, sending his younger
companion to hunt the bushes, he waited patiently and
silently for any rabbit that might come in his way. Their

ATTACHMENT OF A DOG TO HIS MASTER. 279

proceedings showed a degree of instinct which almost
amounted to reason.

So many stories have been told of the strong attachment
of dogs to their masters, that to enlarge upon the subject
would be superfluous. I must, however, relate one anecdote
which was told me lately. A minister of a parish in this
neighbourhood having died, his favourite dog followed his
body to the grave, and no inducement could persuade the
faithful animal to leave the place. Night and day, bad
weather and good, did the dog remain stretched on the grave.
The people of the neighbourhood, finding all their endeavours
to entice him away fruitless, and respecting his fidelity, fed
and protected him. This continued for several weeks — in-
deed until some time after the manse was tenanted by a new
minister, whose wife, from some wretched feeling of super-
stition, caused the dog to be killed. May the mourners over
her own grave be better treated ! The source from which I
received this anecdote leaves no doubt upon my mind as to
its truth. I must own, indeed, that I am greatly inclined to
believe all stories which exemplify the reasoning powers or
the fidelity of dogs. However marvellous they may be, my
own experience leads me to think that, although they may
not be probable, at least they are possible.

The dog is peculiarly the friend and companion of man.
In every country this is the case, and it has been so in every
age. There is one use, however, to which they are put, the
propriety of which I cannot admit, namely, that of being
eaten. Being decidedly a carnivorous animal, the dog can
never have been intended for our food ; and those nations
who eat dog's flesh, as the Chinese and certain of the Ameri-
can Indian tribes, appear to me to be guilty of a sort of
cannibalism almost as bad as if they ate each other. Yet we
read accounts of their being occasionally eaten in those
countries by our own countrymen, and actually relished.
Hunger, we all know, is a good sauce ; and perhaps a young
puppy may not be bad, though in all probability those
travellers would have found an infant still more relishing. I
confess that I have as little inclination to try the one experi-
ment as the other.

There are two kinds of dogs which have been bred in much
greater numbers since the rage for Highland shooting and
deer-forests has become so strong — I mean the Highland
deer-hound and the old bloodhound. The former is im-

280 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

mortalised in so many of Landseer's pictures that, although
deer-stalking may be given up, the dog will for centuries be
remembered ; but the bloodhound is not so generally used
for this sport as it might be. If greater trouble was taken
in training bloodhounds to the tracking of wounded deer,
this species of dog would be invaluable to the sportsman.
But to effect this, it is absolutely necessary that they should
be taught to track quietly whilst led. Almost every blood-
hound pulls arid strains on the collar, panting and struggling
to get forward on the scent, until at last he becomes as blown
and distressed as if he had run full speed all the time : and,
indeed, more so. Besides which, as perfect silence is a sine
qud noTb in following up a wounded stag, your object will
very probably be defeated. Train the bloodhound to keep
pace with his leader, and to track silently and slowly, " pari
passu," whatever scent he is put on, and he is then invaluable.
Many instances of the extraordinary powers of scent dis-
played by this dog in following wounded animals have come
under my observation, some of which would appear in-
credible.

A bloodhound is easily taught to follow the track of any
stranger whose path he may come across on the mountain or
elsewhere. This faculty alone makes this dog worthy of far
more pains than are ever bestowed on him. Keepers seem
to think that because he is called a bloodhound, and because
bloodhounds, in former days, were used for tracking robbers
and fugitives, that he requires no teaching to enable him to
follow any track which he is set upon ; and masters generally
leave these things to their keepers, trusting implicitly to
their verdict as to the capabilities of the dog. But this
opinion is altogether erroneous. The bloodhound, to perform
his duty perfectly, requires education, like every other dog.
With a due degree of care, and frequent practice when young,
a well-bred bloodhound will soon learn to track a man with
unerring correctness.

An extraordinary instance of this faculty in a young blood-
hound occurred some fifteen or sixteen years back in Wor-
cestershire, for the truth of which I can vouch. At the
house of a lady in the country, where a young, full-grown
bloodhound was kept, the harness-room was robbed during
the night. Some of the grooms, who found out the robbery
at an early hour in the morning, having heard that blood-
hounds would hunt men, took the dog out, and put him on

BLOODHOUNDS— SK YE TERRIERS. 281

the footsteps, which at that hour were plainly visible on the
dewy grass. The dog immediately took up the scent, the
servants followed, and, after a run of twelve miles, came to a
cottage, where both the thieves and the harness were dis-
covered. It appeared that the thieves had waded through a
tolerably broad but shallow stream : the dog scarcely came
to a check here, the scent appearing to remain in the morning
mists, which were still hanging on the surface of the water.
He went straight across, and at once took up the scent on
the opposite side of the river.

One of the most singular uses to which dogs are put is
trutlle hunting. I well remember, in my younger days, a
curious old fellow in Sussex who gained his living, ostensibly,
by this pursuit. Accompanied by four or five quaint-looking,
currish poodles of a small size, he used to follow his trade,
and generally hunted out a considerable number of these
mysterious but excellent roots.

The Skye terrier, though so much prized by our English
visitors, has by no means the determined, blind courage of
the English bull-terrier. Nevertheless there is much quiet
intelligence and character in this dog, and if well entered at
vermin when young they are useful enough. Like all
terriers, though eager hunters, they do not appear to hunt so
much to find as to kill ; and when in company with spaniels
they are apt to leave the latter to search for the game, while
they wait about the runs and outside the bushes, ready to
spring upon whatever is started by the spaniels. I have
always found this to be the case with my own Skye terriers,
and have observed it in others. These dogs generally take
the water freely and well, though I have had smooth bull-
terriers better swimmers and divers than any rough dog I
ever possessed.

Though dogs often disagree, and are jealous of each other
at home, they generally make common cause against a
stranger. Two of my dogs, who were such enemies and
fought so constantly that I could not keep them in the same
kennel, seemed to have compared notes, and to have found
out that they had both of them been bullied by a large,
powerful watch-dog belonging to a farmer in the neighbour-
hood. They suspended their own hostilities, and formed an
alliance, and then they together assaulted the common
enemy; and so well assisted each other, that although he
was far stronger than both my dogs put together, he was so

282 TOUR IN SUTHERL ANDS H I RE.

fairly beaten and bullied, that he never again annoyed them
or me by rushing out upon them as we passed by the place,
as he had always been in the habit of doing before he re-
ceived his drubbing.

Unluckily, dogs, like men, will grow old and deaf, and
become a burthen to themselves and others. Life is then no
longer a matter of enjoyment to them : and the most merci-
ful thing to do is to have the poor animal shot. But we do
not always practise what we preach ; and although I am
quite convinced that having a dog killed when old, infirm,
and rheumatic is doing him a kindness, I could never bring
myself to order the execution of any of my old canine
friends.

Hanging a dog is barbarous ; but when shot he can feel
but little pain, and he will be in the paradise — the " happy
hunting-grounds " — of dogs before he hears the report of the
gun which sends him there, and he can have no anticipation,
or only for a moment, of what is about to be done to him. I
must admit, however, that I was once told, and by a credible
person, an anecdote which went to impugn this theory. His
dog having been convicted of sheep-killing, he told a man to
shoot him the following morning. The dog was lying in the
room at the time, and apparently listening to the conversation.
Whether he understood it or not, I will not pretend to
determine ; but the very first time the door was open he
bolted out, and never again came within reach of his old
master. This seems rather a stretch of canine intelligence,
but it was told me as a true story ; and I am convinced that
the relater, who was the master of the dog, believed it him-
self.

But I must close my chapter on this subject, as I shall
become insufferably prolix.

HARDINESS OF GROUSE. 283

WINTER SKETCHES.

CHAP TEE XXXIV.

Grouse ; Hardiness of — Difference of Climate in Morayshire — Migratory
habits of Partridges — Grabs, &c., destroyed by Pheasants — Ptarmigan —
Ptarmigan Shooting during Winter— An Expedition to the Mountains —
Early start— Tracks of Otters— Ottnr-liunting— Stags— Herons— Golden-
eyes — Wild Cat — Mallards — Tracks of Deer — Grey Crows — Eagle —
Shepherd's hut — Braxy mutton — Ascent of the Mountain — Ptarmigan —
Change in the weather — Dangerous Situation — Violent Snow-storm —
Return home— Wild-duck shooting — Flapper-shooting.

GROUSE, although frequenting high and exposed situations,
are perhaps less affected by a moderate fall of snow than
partridges or any other game. A hardy and a mountain-bred
bird, the grouse cares little for cold ; and although the hill-
side may be covered with snow, by digging and burrowing he
soon arrives at the heather, and thus obtains both food and
shelter ; and in weather which makes the partridge cower
and mope most disconsolately under any shelter it can find,
the grouse-cock, with his well-clothed legs and feet, struts
and crows on the cold snow apparently in full enjoyment of
life and health. In this county of Moray the difference of
climate between the hill-side and the flat lands near the
salt-water bays is very great — greater, indeed, than would be
supposed. Long after every trace of snow has disappeared
from the fields near the bay of Findhorn, the country four or
five miles to the southward, inland, is still deeply covered
with it. The large fir plantations certainly create a mildness
in the air which melts the snow in their immediate vicinity ;
but beyond the extent of their influence the ground becomes
colder and colder, and the snow deeper and deeper, every
mile that we recede from the sea.

In October the summits of the higher mountains are
generally clothed in snow, and frequently hills of a very
moderate height are partially covered with it. As soon as
this occurs, a great many partridges, black game, and wild-
fowl of all descriptions migrate to their winter quarters.

Partridges are far more migratory in their habits than is
generally supposed. Every winter several large unbroken
coveys betake themselves on the first approach of storm and
cold to the quiet and warm fields in the lower part of the

284 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

country ; and when spring returns, pairs of partridges appear
here and there, on every little patch of cultivated ground on
the moors. These birds being almost entirely granivorous,
always select cultivated districts — and indeed they only
thrive where corn grows ; but their actual consumption of
corn is not great, for a partridge is a moderate eater, and in
part feeds on the seeds of grasses and many weeds as well as
on corn. I am confident, as I have before stated, that most,
if not all, granivorous birds amply repay the farmer for their
food by the quantity of weeds they destroy during a great
part of the year. The pheasant is in a great degree an
insectivorous bird, and feeds more on grubs, caterpillars, and
other insects, than on corn ; thereby relieving the farmer
from a whole host of enemies whom he could in no other way
get rid of.

During storms the ptarmigan burrow deep under the snow
in search of shelter and food. These birds seldom descend
far down the mountains, even in the severest weather. When
only the summits are covered, they descend to the edge of
the snow ; but when the whole mountain is white, they do
not leave it for the lower hills, but find what shelter they
can by burrowing. Ptarmigan-shooting during winter is a
most laborious sport, and is frequently attended with no
small risk, owing to the snow concealing the numerous clefts
and dangerous places which intersect the heights where these
birds abound. The days, too, being short, and the changes of
weather frequent, the ptarmigan-shooter must work carefully
and quickly.

Some few years back, when living in the north of Scotland,
I was anxious to get a few ptarmigan in their beautiful
winter plumage, which is as pure a white as the snow itself.
It was late in the season, and the ground was covered with
snow ; but as there had been a few days' frost, the walking
was by no means bad ; so I determined to start in spite of
the cold and snow, and the grumblings of old Donald, who
had but little inclination for the pursuit.

Our plan was to reach a shepherd's house, situated about
ten or twelve miles — that is to say, about four hours' easy
walking — up the course of the river ; there we were to sleep,
and to attack the ptarmigan on the following day — the
mountain where I expected to find them being situated near
the shepherd's house. At the first break of day Donald and
I left the house, accompanied by one quiet dog, whose

TRACKS OF OTTERS. 285

personal inclinations tended rather to otter-hunting and
such-like pursuits than to grouse-shooting ; but his nose was
so good and his intelligence so great that in cover-shooting
and rough work he was invaluable. Pointers would have
been useless for ptarmigan in the then state of the ground ;
and I also thought it not unlikely that we might fall in with
the track of an otter or wild cat during our walk up the
river side.

As soon as we emerged from the woods a beautiful sight
opened to us; the morning sun, although not yet visible,
tinged the mountain tops to the west, their snow-covered
summits shining with all the varied colours of the rainbow :
soon, however, the bright sun of a frosty winter's day rose
behind us, making the old birch-trees which grew on the
slopes above the river throw out their dark shadows on the
snow. Here and there a roebuck or two " stotted " (to use
Donald's favourite expression) over the turf wall into the
shelter of the fir- woods, out of which we had just come ; the
grouse-cocks were crowing on the juniper-covered hillocks,
which showed their lively green above the surrounding
snow; and the black-cocks launched themselves off the
birch-trees, where they seemed to have been awaiting the
first rays of the morning sun. Everything around us was
full of beauty ; and dreary as a mountainous country is when
covered with snow, still it is magnificent, varied, too, as it
now was, by wood and water and numerous living creatures,
all appearing to be in as full enjoyment of life as if it had
been a genial morning in May instead of a most orthodox
Christmas-like day. The grey crows were just going forth in
pairs from the woods, calling to each other with loud ringing
cries, and all bending their way straight to one point, where,
as we afterwards found, two drowned sheep had been cast
ashore in a bend of the river.

We walked on, and soon came across the tracks of two or
three otters, where they had been going in and out of the
water on their way up stream, after fishing in the deep pools
where the two waters met near the house. These pools are
favourite resting-places for salmon and sea-trout, and there-
fore are sure to be frequented by the otters.

Opposite to a strip of birch-trees one of the largest otters
seemed to have left the river, and to have made for a well-
known cairn of stones, where I had before found both
marten-cat and otter. Half-way up the brae he had entered
19

286 TOUR IN SUTHERL AN DSHIRE.

a kind of cleft or hole, made by a small stream of water,
which at this spot worked itself out of the depth of the
earth. " He'll no stop in this," said Donald ; " there's a vent
twenty yards above, and I ken weel that he'll no stop till he
is in the dry cairn forty yards higher up the brae." Nor was
the old man far wrong, for we found where the otter had
squeezed himself up to the surface of the ground again,
leaving a small round hole in the snow. We carefully
stopped up both entrances to this covered way, and then
Donald went on with the dog to dislodge him from the
cairn, having first given me the strongest injunctions to
"stand quite privately" (i.e., quietly) a few yards from the
hole which we had just stopped up. The dog at first seemed
little inclined to leave me, but presently understanding the
service upon which he was to be employed, he went off' with
Donald with right good-will, putting his nose every now and
then into the tracks of the otter in the snow, as if to
ascertain how long it was since the animal had been there.

They soon arrived at the cairn, which was of no great
extent, and not composed of very heavy stones. After walk-
ing round it carefully, to see whether there were any tracks
farther on, Donald sent on the dog, who almost immediately
began to bark, and scratch at a part of the cairn. Donald
was soon with him, and employed in moving the stones,
having laid down his gun for that purpose, knowing that the
otter was quite sure to make straight for the place where I
was standing, if he could dislodge him. Presently the dog
made a headlong dive into the snow and stones, but drew
back as quickly with a sharp cry. In he went again, how-
ever, his blood now well up; but the otter's black head
appeared at a different aperture, and now dog and man were
dancing and tumbling about amongst the snow and stones
like lunatics, — the otter darting from place to place, and
showing his face first in one corner and then in another.

Donald found this would not do ; so he again commenced
moving the stones. Presently he called out to me, " Keep
private, Sir ! keep private ! the brute is coming your gate ! "
Private I had kept from the moment he had stationed me,
till my fingers and feet were nearly frozen. Donald seized
the dog and held him to prevent his running in the way. All
this passed in a moment, and I saw the snow heaving up
above the otter, who was working through it like a mole ;
assisted, probably, by the heather, which prevented it from

OTTER-HUNTING—STAGS—HERONS. 287

being caked down in a solid mass, as would have been the
case on a smooth field. I knew that he would appear at the
hole which we had stopped ; and therefore I did not risk a
shot at him.

He worked on until he was close to the hole ; when he
emerged quietly and silently, and crept towards the well-
known place of refuge. On finding it completely stopped up,
the countenance of the poor animal assumed a most be-
wildered expression of astonishment and fear; and lifting
himself up on his hind legs, he looked round to ascertain
what had happened. On seeing me he made off towards the
river, with as long leaps as the snow would allow him ; and
as it was tolerably hard, he got on pretty quickly till my
charge of shot put an end to his journey.

The report of the gun started two fine stags, who had been
feeding along the course of a small open rill which ran into
the river just above where we were ; and I was astonished to
see the power with which these two great animals galloped
up the hill, although they sank deep at every stride. When
half-way up, they halted to look at us, and stood beautifully
defined on the white snow ; they then trotted quietly off till
we lost sight of them over the summit of the hill. Donald
in the meantime had carefully concealed the otter under the
snow (marking the place by a small pyramid of stones), as I
intended to have him skinned on our return home.

The lakes and the still pools being frozen, we saw several
herons standing in their usual and characteristic attitude,
waiting patiently in some shallow running water for any
unwary trout that might pass within reach of their unerring
bills : and here and there a heron who appeared to have
made his morning meal was standing, as quietly and as
unsubstantial-looking as his own shadow, perched on one foot
on a stone in the middle of the stream. A golden-eye or two
were diving earnestly and quickly in the quieter parts of the
river, taking wing only on my near approach, and after flying
some distance up the stream, coming back again over my
head, making with their rapid pinions the peculiar clanging
noise which distinguishes their flight from that of any other
duck. They passed me unmolested, for had we killed them
they would have been useless. Indeed no diving duck is fit
to eat, with the exception perhaps of the pochard and scaup :
and even these, although I have heard them much praised,
are far inferior to mallard, widgeon, or teal, which are, in

288 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

my opinion, the only British ducks worth killing for the
larder.

On leaving the birch woods the country became wild and
dreary, and frequently we had no small difficulty in making
our way along the trackless snow. The otters had turned
off here and there from the river, and we saw no more of
their footsteps. A wild cat had been hunting at one part of
the banks, but had crossed where some stones raised above
the water had enabled her to do so tolerably dry footed.
Although not so unwilling to get wet as the domestic cat,
this animal appears to avoid the water as much as possible ;
though I have known instances of their swimming rivers.

" We must try to get a brace of grouse or something to
take up to the shepherd's," said my companion, " as you're no
that fond of braxy, sir, and I doubt if we shall get any other
'ven-ni-son' there the night." "Indeed I am not fond of
braxy," was my answer ; " and a grouse or two we must get."
But we had first to eat our luncheon, having breakfasted
hastily at a very early hour, and we determined to perform
this ceremony at a spring about a mile ahead of us ; and as I
remembered having frequently seen a pair or two of ducks
about it in frosty weather, when we drew near the place we
advanced with great care, keeping ourselves well concealed
till within twenty yards of the spot. " Now, then, Donald,
you look over the bank, and see if any ducks are feeding on
the grass about the well. If there are, you shoot at them on
the ground, and I will take them flying." Donald wormed
himself on a little, regardless of filling his pockets with
snow, and having looked cautiously over, beckoned to me to
come nearer, which I did. " There are six bonny grey dukes
feeding about the well, Sir ; three drakes and three dukes."
" Take care then, Donald, and get two or three of them in a
line before you fire." After waiting a little with his gun
pointed towards the place, Donald fired one barrel, and then
as they rose the other. The latter killed none — "ut mos
fuit." However, as only four rose (two of which, both
mallards, fell to my two barrels), I presumed that he had
done some execution with his first shot ; and sure enough he
had riddled two most effectually.

The place where the ducks had been feeding was a bright
green spot in the midst of the snow, caused by the spreading
of the waters of a fine unfreezing spring. Around it, also,
were the tracks of several deer who had been cropping the

GREY CROWS— EAGLE. 289

green herbage, and had evidently sunk to their knees at
every step which they made in the soft ground. Two snipes
also rose while we were picking up our ducks.

As we ascended higher the river grew more rapid, and
was the only object in our view which was not perfectly
white. Having finished our frugal luncheon, and swallowed
a modicum of whisky, we again "took the road," as Donald
was pleased to express it, although road there was none.

The grouse had entirely disappeared, and we saw no living
creature except a pair of grey crows, who alighted under the
bank of the the river. " There will be more of these fellows
there," said I. " Deed ay, sir ! do you mind those that we
saw at first starting ? they all came up this gate, arid we've
seen none of them. I'd like weel to get a good shot at
them." We therefore went quietly on to the place, the
crows being quite concealed from us by the bank. On look-
ing over it cautiously, there they were, indeed, a whole flock
of those most mischievous of all vermin. "Now then,
Donald, take care, and kill all you can," said I. " Deed ay,"
was his answer, with a quiet chuckle. The next moment
our four charges of shot were driving through the midst of
the crows, and such a family shot at these cunning birds was
not often made, as we killed or maimed no less than seven.
But the next instant, to our mortification, a magnificent white-
tailed eagle rose not twenty yards from us, out of the bed of
the river, where he had been feeding on another drowned sheep
which had grounded there. He was so gorged that he could
scarcely get clear of the banks. After a few wheels, how-
ever, he got well launched, and was soon wending his way
towards the cliffs of the mountain ahead of us. Donald
almost wept with vexation, but for my own part I did not
regret the escape of the noble bird so much.

Turning round a bend of the river, we came within sight
of our resting place for the night, but it was still a long
distance off. On the left, rising with a clear outline in the
bright sky, was the lofty mountain where we intended to try
for ptarmigan. The snow however looked so deep on it that
we began to think we might as well have stopped at home.
But I was very anxious to get a few birds in their pure
winter plumage, and determined not to give in, if any chance
of success offered itself. As we approached nearer to the
shepherd's hut, the hill-sides, which were covered with fine
old weeping-birch, presented a most beautiful appearance;

290 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

and here we saw a great many blackcocks, either perched on
the leafless branches of the birch, or trying to make a scanty
meal of the juniper-berries, which they contrived to get at
here and there, where the snow was not so deep. I shot a
couple of tine old birds as they flew over our heads from one
side of the river to the other ; and Donald missed several
more, as shooting flying is decidedly not his forte.

Our approach had been observed from a distance, and the
shepherd was ready to receive us. His wife, " on hospitable
cares intent," hurried to and fro, piling peats and fir-roots on
the fire. I had got wet at the spring where we killed the
ducks, and my trousers, higher than my knees, were as hard
as boards with the intense frost that had come on as the even-
ing set in. However, " Igne levatur hyems " — I was soon
thawed to a proper consistency, and immediately began to
superintend the cooking of some of our game. In as short a
time as possible a stew worthy of Meg Merrilies herself was
prepared ; but with true Highland taste Donald preferred, or
pretended to prefer, some " braxy ' mutton which the shep-
herd's wife set before him ; the odour of which was enough
to breed the plague or the cholera anywhere but in a High-
land hut. " Deed, your honour," said the shepherd, " it's no
that bad, considering we did not find the sheep for some days
after it died, and the corbies had pulled it about a bit. The
weather was gay and wet at the time, or it would not have
had such a high flavour ; but we steeped it a day or so, to
get rid of the greenness of the meat." I thought to myself
that, " considering " all this, together with the additional fact
that the sheep had died of a kind of inward mortification,
the bowels of Donald and the shepherd must be stronger
even than the " Dura illia messorum " which we read of at
school.

Our host was tolerably confident that we should manage
to get a few ptarmigan if we started early, so as to make
the most of the day, and if the snow continued hard. " But
for a' that, it will be no easy travelling," was his final
remark.

Before daylight I was up, and making my toilette by the
light of a splinter of bog fir. The operation did not take long,
nor did it extend beyond the most simple and necessary
acts. The " gudewife " had prepared me rather an elaborate
breakfast of porridge, tea, and certain undeniably good
barley and oat cakes, flanked by the remains of my supper,

ASCENT OF THE MOUNTAIN. 291

eggs, &c. As Donald seemed not to like the expedition, I
left him at the hut, with strict injunctions to procure enough
black game or grouse to form our supper and next day's
breakfast. The shepherd took down a single-barrel gun, of
prodigious length and calibre, tied together here and there
with pieces of string; and having twisted his plaid round
him, and lit his pipe, was ready to accompany me. So, having
put up some luncheon in case we were out late, we started.

The sun was not up as we crossed the river on the step-
ping-stones which the shepherd had placed for that purpose,
but very soon the mountain-tops were gilded by its rays, and
before long it was shining brightly on our backs as we
toiled up the steep hill-side. My companion, who knew
exactly which was the easiest line to take, led the way;
deeply covered with snow as the ground was, I should with-
out his guidance have found it impossible to make my way
up to the heights to which we were bound. " I'm no just
liking the look of the day either, sir," was his remark, " but
still I think it will hold up till near nicht ; we should be in
a bonny pass if it came on to drift while we were up yonder."
" A bonny pass, indeed ! " was my inward ejaculation. How-
ever, depending on his skill in the weather, and not expect-
ing myself that any change would take place till nightfall,
although an ominous-looking cloud concealed the upper part
of the mountain, I went on with all confidence.

Our object was to reach a certain shoulder of the hill, not
far from the summit, from which the snow had drifted when
it first fell, leaving a tolerably-sized tract of bare stones,
where we expected to find the ptarmigan basking in the
bright winter sun. It was certainly hard work, and we felt
little of the cold, as we laboured up the steep hill. Persever-
ance meets with its reward ; and we did at last reach the
desired spot, and almost immediately found a considerable
pack of ptarmigan, of which we managed to kill four brace
before they finally took their flight round a distant shoulder
of the hill where it was impossible to follow them. An
eagle dashed down at the flock of birds as they were just
going out of our sight, but, as we saw him rise upwards1-
again empty handed,' he must have missed his aim.

By this time it was near mid-day, and the clouds were
gathering on the mountain-top, and gradually approaching
us. We had taken little note of the weather during our pur-
suit of the birds, but it was now forced on our attention by a

292 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

keen blast of wind which suddenly swept along the shoulder
of the mountain, here and there lifting up the dry snow in
clouds. " We must make our way homewards at once," said
I. " Deed, ay ! it will no be a canny night," was the
shepherd's answer. Just as we were leaving the bare stones
a brace of ptarmigan rose, one of which I knocked down :
the bird fell on a part of the snow which sloped downwards
towards a nearly perpendicular cliff of great height : the
slope of the snow was not very great, so I ran to secure the
bird, which was fluttering towards the precipice : the shep-
herd was some little distance behind me, lighting his ever-
lasting pipe ; but when he saw me in pursuit of the ptarmigan
he shouted at me to stop : not exactly understanding him, I
still ran after the bird, when suddenly I found the snow giving
way with me, and sliding " en masse " towards the precipice.
There was no time to hesitate, so, springing back with a
power that only the emergency of the case could have given
me, I struggled upwards again towards my companion. How
I managed to escape I cannot tell, but in less time than it
takes to write the words I had retraced my steps several
yards, making use of my gun as a stick to keep myself from
sliding back again towards the end of the cliff. The shep-
herd was too much alarmed to move, but stood for a moment
speechless ; then recollecting himself, he rushed forward to
help me, holding out his long gun for me to take hold of.
For my own part, I had no time to be afraid, and in a few
moments was on terra firma, while a vast mass of snow
which I had set in motion rolled like an avalanche over the
precipice, carrying with it the unfortunate ptarmigan.

I cannot describe my sensations on seeing the danger which
I had so narrowly escaped : however, no time was to be lost,
and we descended the mountain at a far quicker rate than we
had gone up it. The wind rose rapidly, moaning mournfully
through the passes of the mountain, and frequently carry-
ing with it dense showers of snow. The thickest of
these showers, however, fell above where we were, and the
wind still came from behind us, though gradually veering
round in a manner which plainly showed us that it would
be right ahead before we reached home. Every moment
brought us lower, and we went merrily on, though with
certain anxious glances occasionally to windward. Nor was*
our alarm unfounded, for just as we turned an angle of the
mountain, which brought us within view of the shepherd's

SNOW-STORM. 293

house perched 011 the opposite hill-side, with a good hour's
walk and the river between us and it, we were met by a
blast of wind and a shower of snow, half drifting and half
falling from the clouds, which took away our breath, arid
nearly blew us both backwards, shutting out the view of
everything ten yards from our faces.

We stopped and looked at each other. " This is gey an
sharp," said the shepherd, " but we must n't lose a moment's
time, or we shall be smothered in the drift ; so come on, sir:"
and on we went. Bad as it was, we did not dare to stop for
its abating, and having fortunately seen the cottage for a
moment, we knew that our course for the present lay straight
down the mountain. After struggling on for some time we
came to a part of the ground which rather puzzled us, as
instead of being a steep slope it was perfectly flat ; a break,
however, in the storm allowed us to see for a moment some
of the birch trees on the opposite side of the river, which we
judged were not far from our destination. The river itself
we could not see, but the glimpse we had caught of the trees
guided us for another start, and we went onwards as rapidly
as we could, until the storm again closed round us with such
violence that we could scarcely stand upright against it. We
began now at times to hear the river, and we made straight
for the sound, knowing that it must be crossed before we
could reach home, arid hoping to recognize some bend or rock
in it which would guide us on our way.

At last we came to the flat valley through which the
stream ran, but here the drift was tremendous, and it was
with the utmost difficulty we got to the water's edge. When
there, we were fairly puzzled by the changed aspect of every-
thing; but suddenly the evening became lighter, and the
drifting snow not quite so dense. We saw that we should
soon be able to ascertain where we were, so we halted for a
minute or two, stamping about to keep ourselves from freez-
ing. My poor dog immediately crouched at our feet, and
curling himself up laid down ; in a few moments he was
nearly covered with the snow : but the storm was evidently
ceasing, at any rate for a short time, and very soon a small
bit of blue sky appeared overhead, but in a moment it was
again concealed by the flying shower. The next time, how-
ever, that the blue sky appeared, it was for a longer period,
and the snow entirely ceased, allowing us to see our exact
position ; indeed we were very nearly opposite the house,

294 TOUR IN SUTHERL AN DSHIRE.

and within half a mile of it. The river had to be crossed,
and it was impossible to find the stepping-stones: but no
time was to be lost, as a fresh drift began to appear to wind-
ward ; so in we went, and dashed through the stream, which
was not much above knee-deep, excepting in certain spots,
which we contrived to avoid. The poor dog was most un-
willing at first to rise from his resting-place, but followed us
well when once up.

We soon made our way to the house, and got there just as
another storm came on, which lasted till after dark, and
through which, in our tired state, we never could have made
our way. Donald and the shepherd's family were in a state
of great anxiety about us, knowing that there would have
been no possible means of affording us assistance, had we
been bewildered or wearied out upon the mountain. The
shepherd himself was fairly knocked up, and could scarcely
be prevailed upon to take either food or drink, or even to
put off his frozen clothes, before flinging himself on his bed.
For my own part I soon became as comfortable as possible,
and slept as soundly and dreamlessly as such exercise only
can make one do. I must candidly confess, however, that I
made an inward vow against ptarmigan shooting again upon
snow-covered mountains.

No person who has not been out in a snow-storm on lofty
and exposed ground can form an idea of its force, and the
difficulty there is in ploughing through the drifts and deep
places ; I certainly had no conception of what it was until
that day. A change of weather came on during the night,
and by noon the next day all was again bright and clear, and
we reached home with little difficulty. The wind and drift
had been much less severe near the house, and the tops of
the trees were still covered with masses of snow, which the
wind had not been powerful enough to dislodge.

Before the ice and snow break up on the higher grounds
of the river, there is generally plenty of wild-fowl shooting
about the open pools near the sea. At the commencement
of snow the birds are usually tame enough to make the sport
good, and with the assistance of my retriever I often bring
home a heavy bagful of ducks, &c. ; but without a retriever,
and a good one too, wild-duck shooting is utterly useless
anywhere.

In wild-fowl shooting more than in any other kind of
sporting, a perfect knowledge of the ground and of the

FLAPPER-SHOOTING. 295

different haunts of the birds is indispensable. The sports-
man must make himself acquainted with their feeding-places,
their drinking-places, their resting-places, and in fact with
all their habits, at all hours and seasons, and during all
changes of the weather : without this knowledge, which can
only be acquired by experience and careful observation, the
wild-duck shooter will brave the winter's cold and wind in
vain.

A good sportsman, as regards other game, may live for
many a long month in a country abounding with ducks
without ever seeing one within shot. Continually when I
ask people about the wild ducks in any particular neighbour-
hood, the answer I get is, " Oh, yes ! there are plenty of
ducks, but they always keep out at sea, and never come
within reach." Now if there are plenty of ducks put at sea,
it is a matter beyond all doubt that at certain hours there
are plenty of ducks feeding inland ; and about the time when
my informant is dressing for his dinner, the wild ducks are
flying to and fro in search of theirs in the stubble-fields,
which they invariably do as soon as the sun sets, and the
fields are deserted by the workmen and others.

As no bird is so easily scared from its usual haunts as the
wild duck, all long and random shots ought to be avoided, as
tending to frighten away the birds and to spoil all chance for
some time to come in that spot. Ducks, too, are capricious,
and changes of wind and weather induce them to fly in
different directions and to feed in different fields ; and, as I
have already said, nothing but experience and observation
can teach the sportsman how to be tolerably sure of filling
his bag with these wary but excellent birds.

There is one kind of wild-duck shooting which appears to
me to be the very lowest of all kinds of sporting, namely,
that which is usually called " flapper shooting," which means
murdering large numbers of young ducks by dint of dogs,
guns, sticks, &c., at a time of the year when nine out of ten
of these birds cannot fly, and are utterly helpless and unable
to escape. A vast number of half-fledged birds may be
slaughtered in this manner, but they are useless when
obtained. For my own part I would quite as soon go out
to kill young grouse in June or July before they could fly ;
nor do I see that killing " flappers " is at all less murderous
or more excusable. In fact no wild ducks ought to be killed
till they are strong enough on the wing to fly easily and

296 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

quickly ; nor are they worth killing for the larder until they
have fed for some time in the stubble-fields, for till then
their flesh is as muddy and soft as that of a coot or moorhen.

HIGHLAND SHEEP.

CHAPTER XXXV.

Introduction of Sheep into the Highlands — Aversion of Highlanders to Sheep;
disliked by Deer also — Prophecy — Activity of black-faced Sheep ; instincts
of — Mountain Sheep in enclosures — The Plaid ; uses of ; various ways of
wearing ; manufactures of ; invisible colours —Shepherds — Burning of
Heather — Natural enemies of Sheep — Shepherds' Dogs — Origin of Dogs.

UNTIL within the last few years the Highlanders had a
strong prejudice against the introduction of sheep on their
mountains. Their dislike to this useful animal was founded
on several causes. In the first place, the Celt dislikes any
innovation or change in his old customs ; in the next, he had
a dread of clearances, i.e., of small holdings being done away
with, and merged in large farms ; and he feared also that the
black cattle, the former staple produce of the Scotch moun-
tains, would be again forced to give way before these in-
truders ; and I firmly believe that one of his greatest ob-
jections to the sheep was that the red deer have a strong
dislike to the company and smell of the woolly strangers. I
do not, however, conceive that this antipathy on the part of
the deer arises from any aversion to the sheep themselves,
but from a dread of their accompaniments — the shepherds,
shepherds' dogs, and the tar, the odour of which appears to
be most distasteful to all wild animals.

I remember, too, being gravely told by an ancient white-
headed Celt that there was an old and undoubted prophecy
to the purport, that the Highlands would be overrun and
ruined by a race of " white dwarfs," and that this had now
been fulfilled by the introduction of sheep.

When the Cheviot sheep first came into the North, the
sheep-farmers brought with them for the most part their
own shepherds from the lowlands, or rather from the borders;
a fine stalwart race of men, Armstrongs, Elliots, Scotts, and
others, whose names have long been famous among the wild
and dreary hills which rise between Scotland and England :

BLACK-FACED SHEEP. 297

formerly rievers and harriers of other men's cattle and
chattels, they now follow the more peaceful occupation of
shepherds and drovers ; and only occasionally show the fiery
spirit of their hardy ancestors by breaking each other's heads
at some border fair or market. But the genuine Highlander
has not, I think, yet sobered down into a good shepherd;
and the border men still form the most persevering and
careful guardians of the large nocks which now fill all the
northern mountains.

In most parts the border sheep, the Cheviot at least, have
taken the place of the old black-faced breed, being more
profitable in wool, and growing more quickly to a profitable
size for the butcher. I must own to having a strong
prejudice in favour of the picturesque little black-faced
sheep, with their long wool and horns. Nothing, too, can be
more adapted to our scenery than these animals ; wild and
active as goats, they scramble with the sure foot of a chamois
over the most impracticable-looking rocks in search of some
sheltered nook or shelf where the grass is early and green, or
for refuge from any fancied danger. On the most impassible-
looking and perpendicular face of a corrie, where there does
not appear to be standing-room for a raven, the black-faced
little fellows wind their way in single file in search of
favourite spots of pasture.

A sheep, though correctly enough designated an animal
"patiens injuriae," is by no means without abundance of
instinct and sense. Watchful to a degree, they are a constant
annoyance to the deer-stalker, who loses many a shot by the
object of his long and weary crawl and scramble being
suddenly warned of its danger by the cry of the sheep, a loud
sound between a hiss and a whistle. No sooner does the
red-deer hear a sheep utter this warning cry than he starts
to his feet as if he had heard a rifle-shot, and is off in an
instant. Nor does the red-deer ever mistake the direction
from which the danger is to be feared. Guided by the
appearance of the sheep, he sees at once which way to go in
order to avoid his unseen enemy.

Mountain sheep have a great foreknowledge of alterations
in the weather ; and I have frequently seen them changing
their ground in a body before the commencement of a storm,
which as yet was not foreseen by myself. Nevertheless the
sheep-farmer occasionally suffers great loss by drifting storms
of snow towards the end of winter, when the sheep are weak

298 TOUR IN SUTHERL AN DSHIRE.

and in poor condition. The length of time that sheep will
exist under snow is astonishing, particularly when a number
are buried together ; the warmth of their breath and bodies
keeping an open space round them sufficient for breathing-
room. Floods occasionally carry them off from the low lands
near the mountain streams ; and yet they are by no means
bad swimmers. I have seen black-faced sheep actually swim
into a creek of the sea to escape the pursuit of a dog ; but in
rapid currents they soon get subdued and drowned.

Amongst other instances of sagacity in sheep, I have often
been amused by the perfect knowledge which they have of
the boundaries of the farm to which they belong. From
being frequently driven back when found wandering, they
soon learn the exact boundary lines within which they are
left in peace both by the shepherd and his dog.

It is a mistake to suppose that the black-faced sheep taken
from the mountains are so very difficult to keep in enclosed
fields. In the case of my own small flock, which I keep for
the use of my family, I find that if brought from the open
mountain the sheep never attempt to get over the fences,
and content with their improved keep, and unused to w.alls
or palings, they do not seem to think it possible to get out of
the field. If, however, they come from an enclosed farm, they
generally have already found out that fences can be sur-
mounted : and then nothing will keep them in ; once out,
they go straight off, wandering to considerable distances,
sometimes, indeed, making direct for their former home.
Broken walls and ill-kept palings have taught them the use
of their legs, and this once learned, they are active enough to
get over anything.

However wild the black-faced sheep may be when first
brought down from the mountains, those which I had very
soon became quite tame, and not only crowd round their
daily barrows of turnips in the winter, snatching them out of
the hand of the old man who feeds them, but soon, after a
little shy coquetry, will eat biscuits and apples from the
hands of the children, will follow them into the house, and
sometimes become such pets, that their destined fate at the
hands of the butcher is often deferred sine die.

Though Highlanders are scarcely yet reconciled to sheep
as inhabitants of their mountains, they know full well how
to benefit by that most useful product of their fleece — the
plaid. Summer or winter, the Highlander will scarcely ever

THE PLAID. 299

stir out without his plaid, and numberless are the different
modes in which he folds and wears it, so as best to suit all
changes of temperature and weather. I have seen in a
London paper an advertisement offering to teach young
ladies the use of the " fan " in six lessons, for the moderate
consideration of live guineas. Although it seems incredible
that the fair advertiser can meet with pupils, yet it is clear
she does, or she would never incur the expense of long and
repeated advertisements. Now if some well-skilled wearer
of the plaid were to commence business as teacher of the
various ways and shapes in which its folds may be arranged
both for picturesque effect and for utility, he would be far
more deserving of encouragement than the five guinea
teacher of the " use of the fan." The great advantage of a
plaid over every other garment for the pedestrian, traveller,
or sportsman, on the mountain side, is, that in sunshine and
dry weather, folded in a rope-like twist round the body, it is
no encumbrance, and can be so disposed as to be entirely out
of the wearer's way, however much he may have occasion to
move his arms. Should, however, a cutting blast or a cold
rain come on, the piaid can be made to perform well all the
offices of a cloak, either short or long, and one that will
completely keep out a shower of any moderate duration.
Very little rain is absorbed by a plaid if of good materials,
tolerably new, and well put on. The drops run off the long
wool ; it takes a long time before it begins to soak through,
and an hour's breeze dries it again.

I have shot through many a long day with a plaid round
me, without feeling in the slightest degree encumbered by it,
and knowing at the same time that it was always at hand,
like a friend in need, to shelter myself and gun from the
sudden squalls of wind and rain which are so frequent on the
mountains during the autumn. When you are seated in a
pass, waiting for ^oe, the trusty plaid is a most valuable
friend ; or when waiting for wild duck or swan, it covers you
and your dog from the shower of sleet or snow, which would
otherwise frequently oblige you to wend your way homewards,
perhaps at the very moment when your chance for shots was
the best.

The shepherd makes use of his plaid not only as a pro-
tection against cold and wet, but also as a pocket or bag in
which to carry anything or everything he may wish to take
with him : one end being sewn up, although it does not take

300 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

away from the general utility of the garment, forms a pocket
of wondrous capacity, in which, without inconvenience to the
wearer, no small amount of weight and bulk may be carried.
The weakly lamb often is taken home in this warm recep-
tacle, while the anxious ewe follows, bleating incessantly, but
apparently with perfect confidence in the good intentions of
her master. In fact, its uses are endless ; and those, and
those only, know its real value who have thoroughly learnt
how to put it on, so as to suit all weathers, all states of the
atmosphere, and, above all, the direction and power of the
wind.

A good plaid is not, however, always to be bought at a
shop ; and unless the wool be new and well spun, and the
fabric tight and regular, it will disappoint the wearer. When
I speak of new wool, I mean that the wool of which the plaid
is made should be new. But in these days, when all manu-
facturing processes are cheap, and the demand for woollen
goods enormous, great quantities of old and worn-out clothes
are ground, or rather teased up again, with machinery invented
for the purpose, and are rewove into new cloth and plaiding.
The worthlessness of all goods in which this renovated trash
forms a considerable portion may easily be imagined.

I am inclined to think that in the smaller woollen manu-
factories such tricks are less easily and less frequently
played. At the bonny and pleasant little town of Torres I
have for many years had most excellent and trustworthy
pieces of plaiding made for me of all degrees of fineness and
coarseness ; not only rough, coarse fabrics made of black-
faced wool, for a winter dreadnought shooting coat, impervious
to cold or wet, but also the finest and softest plaiding for
ladies' dresses. Nor did I ever put any of my Torres-made
stuff into the hands of a tailor, Scotch or English, without its
being pronounced superlative of its kind.

Nothing is so invisible on the hill-side as the common
shepherd's check of a small pattern. It forms a tout ensemble
of an indistinct grey colour, which is most difficult to
distinguish from a grey stone or rock ; indeed, at a certain
distance this kind of grey becomes almost invisible. I have
tried many shades of colour, but never found anything so
suited to purposes of concealment as the common small-sized
black and white check.

Dressed in this kind of stuff, and sitting motionless against
a rock, I have seen a roebuck, or even a red deer, approach

MOUNTAIN SHEEP. 301

within a few yards of me without the least suspicion, although
I was otherwise entirely unconcealed.

I am inclined to think that wild animals and birds judge
by the outline far more than by the colour of any object, and
immediately detect any change in the shape of an accustomed
rock or bush ; and hence it is so difficult to look over your
place of ambush without being immediately discovered.
Variations of colour alarm them much less, because all objects
are perpetually changing their colour according as they are
wet or dry, in sunshine or in shade. In wild-fowl shooting
I have often observed that when placed even in front of a
bush, I am not seen by the birds in the evening, but that,
however dark it may be, they take alarm if I show the
smallest part of my cap above the bush.

A Highland shepherd leads, or ought to lead, a most active
life. If he perform his duty zealously, he has little time for
idleness, for on a mountain sheep farm every season of the
year demands constant attention and activity. Sheep have
sometimes an obstinate preference for those parts of their
pasturing ground which the shepherd particularly wishes to
reserve for another part of the year. The fresh green grass
which ought to be their food for the winter is equally
attractive in the earlier part of the year ; and they require to
be constantly driven away from the tempting spots. Moun-
tain sheep, when they have once found out a favourite piece
of feeding-ground, be it grass or even the shepherd's own bit
of oats, are most determined marauders. Although they are
always ready, conscious of their guilt, to fly at the first distant
appearance of the shepherd or his dog, they are equally eager
to return the moment that the coast is clear. A skilful
shepherd will always endeavour to make such arrangements
as shall secure good feeding for his flock at all seasons. On
the green banks of many mountain streams these animals can
find food when the higher grounds are white with snow.
There are long green stretches of this kind on the upper part
of the Findhorn, enlivening with their brightness the dreary
brown mountains of the Monaghleahd, through which the
river flows. A certain portion of the heather should be burnt
every season, so as to produce a fresh supply of young and
tender shoots. On these fresh patches all animals delight to
feed. The red deer comes from the far-off corries, where he
has lain in quiet, rest, and solitude, to graze on the short,
sweet plants of the young heather which spring up the first
20

302 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

season after the hill has been burnt, and nothing so perfectly
suits the grouse as these patches. Short as the heather is, it
is a region of abundance to these birds ; and in rainy weather
they take to the bare spots to escape the wet dropping off
the higher and older plants.

Sheep, if allowed to do so, will feed so constantly on the
newly-burnt heather as entirely to prevent its growing ; and
it is therefore necessary to keep them off for a certain time to
prevent this evil. It happens frequently that by burning the
heather when it is too dry, or owing to some carelessness on
the part of the shepherd, the fire gets such power that it
cannot be checked when required, and thus much damage is
done, miles of hill are laid bare at once, and the advantage of
having a constant succession of food coming on is lost. When
once the fire becomes thus powerful, nothing stops it except- .
ing heavy rain, or the accident of its burning in the direction
of some stream wide enough to form a check to the devouring
element. Plantations of considerable extent are sometimes
burnt. In Strathspey this year (1848) a great loss occurred
from this cause. Heather for miles in extent was burnt, and
nearly a hundred acres of fine plantation were destroyed
before the fire could be checked — a miniature imitation, in
short, of the prairie burnings of the far West. A large
heather-burning on a hill-side has a most picturesque ap-
pearance on a dark night, as the flames dance rapidly along
the slopes, making the surrounding darkness appear still more
deep. When the burnings occur too late in the season, and
during the time that the grouse and black game have eggs,
great destruction takes place, not of the eggs only, but of the
parent birds ; whereas judicious burning is advantageous
equally to the sheep farmer and the grouse shooter, the same
succession of heather of different ages being requisite for the
well-being of both sheep and game.

The wild enemies of sheep in Scotland are daily and rapidly
decreasing. A very few years ago, the sheep farmer sustained
great loss from foxes, eagles, ravens, &c. : even the common
grey crow will take to killing the new-born lambs, pecking out
their eyes as soon as the little animals are dropped, and, if not
killing them on the spot, leaving them to perish miserably.
The foxes on some of the more inaccessible mountains still
keep their ground, and in the lambing season do an immensity
of damage, for this animal has the destructive inclination to
kill not only as many as she requires for the food of her young

NATURAL ENEMIES OF SHEEP— SHEEP-DOGS. 303

cubs, but every lamb which she can manage to get hold of,
leaving the bodies on the ground, or slightly concealing them.

I imagine that all animals who, like foxes, hide a part of
their prey, only return to this reserve of food in the case of
their not being successful in their hunting for fresh game.
All hiding birds and animals prefer feeding on a newly-killed
prey, the blood of which is still warm. Sometimes, if driven
by hunger or unsuccessful hunting, they return immediately
and dig up what they had laid by : sometimes several days
elapse before they return, and often the hidden bodies are
never revisited at all.

Eagles kill a considerable number of lambs, carrying them
up to their eyrie without, difficulty ; indeed a good shepherd,
if he does his duty by his master, has constant employment
in watching and guarding his charge. Without the aid of his
dogs the best shepherd would be perfectly helpless on our
extensive mountain ranges ; in fact, without sheep-dogs the
sheep would, in spite of all the shepherd's exertions, be
everywhere, anywhere, nowhere : we should have to give up
eating mutton, or to stalk and shoot the sheep like red deer.
This is not a fanciful assertion, but would absolutely be the
case. The very great sagacity of these dogs in their own line
of business is perfectly astonishing ; and I have frequently
given up an hour or two of my grouse shooting to watch the
manoeuvres of a shepherd and his dogs, and have thought the
time well bestowed.

Some of the breeds of the Scotch sheep-dog have a very
strong resemblance to the wolf, so much so as to lead one to
adopt the theory that the domestic dog, notwithstanding all
its varieties of size, shape, and disposition, is derived origin-
ally from this animal. The wild dogs of Africa and India,
who in packs hunt down the larger wild animals, and are
said to worry to death even the lion and tiger, are adduced
as disproving this supposition. But these wild dogs do not
appear to be the indigenous and native denizens of the
wilderness, but to have originated from domestic dogs who,
having become ownerless, had turned wild. Although we all
know that the wolf can seldom be tamed, some few well-
authenticated instances prove that this animal sometimes
entirely throws aside its natural bloodthirsty disposition. In
the Edinburgh Zoological Gardens there is a fine large wolf
who shows as unmistakable signs of gratitude and pleasure
at being caressed as any spaniel could do.

304 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

The wolf and dog of the Arctic regions resemble each
other so much in appearance as to induce casual observers to
suppose that they are very nearly the same animal ; but,
notwithstanding this likeness, there seems to be the most
deadly and relentless warfare carried on between the two
animals.

The fox has in my opinion far less right than the wolf to
claim affinity to the dog ; at least the relationship must be
much more remote.

GAME-DEALERS.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

Poulterers' Shops— Supply of Game— Red Deer— Deer killed in the Fields-
Roe — Grouse aud Black Game ; calling of — Shooting Hares by night —
Pheasants — Advantages attending the sale of Game by the fair Sports-
man and the Landed Proprietor — American Game- Wild Fowl in Shops —
Bird Dealers in Leadenhall Market —Norway Game — Manner of collect-
ing— Hybrids — Introduction of new species of Game into Britain — Pro-
lific Birds — Sea-fowl ; their breeding-places — Solan Geese — Migration of
Fish.

IN these railroad-days, when carriage is so cheap and ex-
peditious, the poulterers' and gamedealers' shops in most of
the large towns of England and Scotland are supplied with
game of every description in quantities that are quite
astonishing. Red deer and roebucks are to be bought every-
where, and, I am sorry to say, at nearly all seasons. Having
easy communication and constant dealings and interchanges
with each other, the poulterers are able to supply to their
customers almost any kind of game which may be asked for.

A red deer killed in Perthshire or Argyleshire, by the
assistance of railway or steamboat is in Liverpool or Man-
chester long before he has been sufficiently kept to suit the
palate of a civic epicure ; and the poacher has such facilities
in getting rid of his killed game that half the risk of his
occupation is gone. The stag is scarcely cold before it is
whisked off two counties away.

Considerable numbers of red deer are killed in the neigh-
bourhood of preserved places and forests during the winter
season. When his natural grazing becomes scarce, a stag, if

DEER KILLED IN THE FIELDS. 305

there be a turnip field within half a dozen miles of his haunts,
is sure to find it out, and pay it nightly visits ; at first,
coining alone, but soon accompanied by a herd of followers,
who do great damage to the farmer by trampling down and
eating the turnips. The owner of the field, if he has so little
of a Highlander about him as to be able to resist having a
shot at the deer himself, is sure to have some hanger-on or
acquaintance who will take the trouble off his hands : accord-
ingly, when the moon is of a good age, a hole is dug in the
middle of the field during the day-time, while the nightly
marauders are miles away. Towards twilight the poacher
conceals himself in this rough hiding-place ; if there is snow
on the ground he puts on a white cap and shirt over his
other dress, and waits patiently till he hears the tread of the
deer. Having fed with impunity more than once in the
place, they come boldly and without hesitation into the midst
of the field, scooping out the turnips with their teeth and
breaking them to pieces with their sharp hoofs as they pass
to and fro through the crop, playing and frequently fighting
with each other. If the wind — that bugbear to deer-stalkers
and deer-poachers — does not betray the presence of their
enemy, it is more than probable that before many minutes
are over some unfortunate stag comes close to the place of
ambuscade, when he receives either a couple of bullets or a
handful of slugs in the shoulder. Startled by the report,
and not at the first moment knowing whence it comes, the
rest of the deer are likely enough before they make off to
collect in a group in the middle of the field, perhaps within a
few yards of their hidden enemy. If so, another of the herd
is probably killed, and the remainder rush off and do not
return to the same tempting spot for some little time.
Before daylight the hole is refilled, the dead game is taken
away, and no traces remain of what has happened. Eoe are
constantly killed in the same manner, and are even caught
in snares made of strong small rope.

Black game and grouse are obtained by the poachers in
great numbers late in the season, by means, not only of tame
call-birds of both sexes, but also by a call-pipe. However
wild they may be and inaccessible to the fair sportsman,
these birds can always be brought within shot by some
means. A cock grouse on hearing the well-imitated call of
the female immediately answers it, and, approaching by re-
peated short flights, stopping every now and then to crow as

306 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

if in defiance of any rivals, or to give warning of his corning,
is soon killed. The female grouse is attracted in the same
manner by an imitation of the call of the male.

So pugnacious a bird as a black-cock is very easy to call
till he comes within shot of the concealed shooter : and in-
deed partridges and all other birds are attracted by those ex-
perienced in imitating their different notes in a manner and
with a facility which is quite surprising to the uninitiated.

I am told that some poachers can even allure a hare with-
in shot during a moonlight night by imitating the cry of one
of its own species : this, however, is a fact for which I can-
not vouch ; but many poachers, from constant watching and
following in silence these animals, acquire such a perfect
knowledge of their habits, manner of calling to each other,
&c., that I by no means deem it impossible.

Hares, like deer, travel considerable distances to obtain
their favourite food, and are therefore easily killed by the
nightly poacher, either by being snared or shot en route.
Practice and natural keenness enable some of these fellows to
get the animal to the summit of some rising ground, so that
the clear sky shall be behind it, and they can thus shoot a
hare on nights when there is no moonlight, and when an un-
practised pair of eyes would be scarcely able to distinguish a
house from a tree.

Pheasants are killed by snare and gun as easily as barn-
door fowls would be : so that the unprincipled dealer in game
has not the slightest difficulty in keeping his shop full enough
to supply the demands of all customers at all seasons.

I can imagine no better system for sportsmen to adopt
than that of underselling the poacher as much as they possibly
can. In Scotland in particular, where the right to shoot
game is bought, and very often at a high rate, I can see no
reason whatever why the purchaser should not sell again
what he has paid for. In recommending this to the renter
of shooting-grounds, I only advocate his selling in a fair and
liberal manner his overplus of game ; not, of course, his
hiring ground for the mere sake of traffic and gain : but even
when this is the case the landlord has seldom much cause of
complaint. In the first place he, the landlord, makes a
traffic of his game by letting it ; and in the second place the
tenant, who in these commercial speculations is generally a
permanent one, if he wishes to make money by the game
must take care to preserve and increase it proportionally.

AMERICAN GAME. 307

The custom of selling game is, I am glad to see, becoming
very general amongst the principal proprietors. To the care-
less observer it may at first appear an unjust proceeding for
the landlord to sell game which feeds on the farms of his
tenants ; but, practically, I scarcely know an instance where
the latter are not most amply remunerated ; indeed the
farmer can legally claim indemnification if his landlord is so
unjust and unwise as to refuse it. It should be remembered
also, that although rabbits, hares, arid deer undonbtedly do
much damage to crops, all flying game are assistants rather
than enemies to the farmer.

In many of our larger towns the game-shops are even
supplied with birds from America, which are brought by the
steamers via Liverpool. The ruffed grouse, a very beautiful
bird, and excellent for the table, a smaller species of grouse,
and even the far-famed canvas-backed duck, find their way
over in these rapid vessels. The latter bird, however, does
not seem likely to become a profitable article of commerce,
as the price at which it is sold in America is greater than
can be obtained for it in this country. Although the canvas-
backed duck is a kind of pochard, yet, unlike our ducks of
that species, it does not feed by diving, but almost wholly on
the wild celery and other succulent plants; and this it is which
gives its flesh the exquisite flavour so much praised by all
who have eaten it. Excellent as our own mallards are when
well fed in the corn-fields, the canvas-backed duck is un-
doubtedly far superior.

Besides the common eatable ducks, such as the mallard,
the widgeon, and the teal, golden eyes, scaup ducks, scoters,
and indeed every possible variety, are to be found in the
large poulterers' shops : swans, geese of all kinds (the bernacle
goose from Ireland principally, and the brent goose from
almost all our coasts), are to be had in profusion : but these
birds, and indeed all wild fowl, are so variable in their flavour,
according to the feeding-ground they come from, that the
careful buyer should always endeavour to learn where they
have been killed.

Strange as it may appear, mergansers, goosanders, and all
the fish-eating and rank-tasted birds, even including cor-
morants and sea-gulls, find consumers among the inhabitants
of large towns, who are exceedingly omnivorous, and by no
means over fastidious in their tastes ; and so wide is the
range of ornithological traffic in which the poulterers engage,

308 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

that the bird-stuffer and the collector of specimens cannot do
better than make friends with them.

But beyond all other places, Leadenhall Market is the
emporium to which the purchaser of rare birds and animals,
living or dead, should betake himself. There is scarcely a
quadruped, from a bear to a white mouse, or a bird, from a
golden eagle to a long-tailed tomtit, which cannot be found
there ; and not a few of the dealers in these articles are
themselves curious specimens of the genus homo, accustomed
to deal with every description of customer, from the noble-
man who wishes to add to his menagrie, or to the feathered
tenants of his lake, to the organ boy who wants to purchase
a dormouse or monkey. They are as shrewd as Scotchmen,
and as keen bargainers as a Yorkshire horse-dealer : but
although somewhat over-suspicious in making their purchases,
and sadly deficient in elegance of manner and language, they
are on the whole by no means bad fellows to deal with, if
care be taken not to " rub them against the grain." Singing-
birds, hawks, cats with brass collars arid chains, ready got up
for tabby-loving spinsters, Blenheim spaniels, and wicked-
looking bull-dogs, pigeons, bantams, gold fish, in short every
kind of bird or beast that was ever yet made a pet of is here
to be bought, sold, and exchanged, and frequently the
collector may obtain very rare and valuable specimens.
Holland and Belgium supply great quantities of wild-fowl,
canaries, carrier pigeons, &c. ; and on a busy day the traffic
in this division of Leadenhall Market is a most amusing sight.

One thing which especially surprises the visitor to this
market is the total defiance of the game laws which all the
dealers indulge in. There is scarcely a description of game
which cannot be bought here at any season, legal or illegal ;
and it is difficult to understand how game laws and their
penalties can be so openly and systematically infringed.
Pheasants and pheasants' eggs, grouse and grouse eggs, &c.,
&c., are undisguisedly and unblushing sold at all seasons, in
defiance of informers arid magistrates. On asking how it
happens that the dealers can supply game of all sorts at all
seasons, you are gravely told " that it is all foreign game."
Scotch grouse are called Norwegian grouse, and good English
partridges and other game are libelled by being called Dutch-
men or Frenchmen. It is certainly true that vast numbers of
white grouse come from Norway. These birds as well as the
capercailzie, are caught or shot as opportunity offers during

CAPERCAILZIE AND BLACKCOCK. 309

the winter, are subjected to the cold until they are thoroughly
frozen, and are kept in that state until a full cargo is collected,
or at least until a ship sails for London, Hull or some British
port. Although perhaps as many as eighty capercailzies may
come over in one ship, it is not to be inferred that these birds
are so numerous as to allow of this number being killed in the
course of a short time in one place. They are generally
obtained in very small numbers. Eeach peasant brings in
one or two : these are all bought up and " frozen " by one
general dealer, who periodically, or as opportunity offers,
send them to some poulterer in all-devouring England. The
same system is carried on with regard to the Norwegian
grouse or ptarmigan ; the facility of freezing the birds enabl-
ing the dealers of that country to keep them until they have
collected a sufficient number. A capercailzie killed in winter
is to my taste scarcely eatable, owing to the strong flavour of
turpentine which then pervades the flesh of the bird ; I have,
however, eaten one brought over in the year, and it was
almost as well-tasted as any of our British game. It is to be
hoped that in time we shall again see this noble kind of
grouse tolerably common in the extensive plantations of fir
and larch which are springing up on many of our Highland
mountains which hitherto have been covered only by the
heather.

Both in Scotland and Norway, wherever the capeicailzie
and blackcock inhabit the same district, hybrids between
them are by no means uncommon. The difference of size
between the male capercailzie and the grey-hen is very great;
but the female of the former bird is much smaller than the
male, being frequently very little larger than a full-grown
blackcock. Both species, too being polygamous, their is a
greater chance of their breeding together than of hybrids
between the blackcock and the grouse, those birds always
pairing. The blackcock is a perfect Turk in his domestic
establishment, taking to himself as many wives as he can
collect together, and keeping them by force of arms against
all rivals.

In the recent reintroduction into Scotland of the capercail-
zie a spirited example has been set us ; and there is no doubt
than many other species of grouse and game birds might be
naturalized in Britain. The ruffed grouse, for instance, and
several other species from America, and also pheasants and
other birds from the higher ranges of the Himalaya moun-

310 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

tains, would not only be ornamental but valuable additions
to our woods and hills ; nor can it be doubted that many of
these beautiful birds would do well and increase in this
climate, provided they were allowed for the first few years
to breed and multiply undisturbed.

On considering the immense quantity of game and wild
fowl which is daily exposed in poulterers' shops throughout
the entire kingdom, the question naturally suggests itself,
" Will not these birds be soon extirpated?" But, to all appear-
ance, the supply continues amply to meet the demand year
after year. By the beneficent arrangement of Providence all
birds adapted for the food of man are far more prolific than
the birds of prey, or than sea-gulls and those other birds the
flesh cannot be eaten.

The nesting places of sea-gulls and some other kinds of
water -fowl are curious things to see. The constant going to
and fro, the screaming, and wheeling about of the old birds
and the apparent confusion are perfectly wonderful. The
confusion is, however, only apparent. Each guillemot and
each razor-bill amongst the countless thousands flies straight
to her own single egg, regardless of the crowds of other birds,
and undeceived by the myriads of eggs which surround her.
So, also, in the breeding-places of the black-headed and other
gulls, every bird watches over and cares for her own nest —
though the numbers are so great, and the tumult so ex-
cessive, that it is difficult to conceive how each gull can
distinguish her own spotted eggs, placed in the midst of so
many others, exactly similiar in size, shape, and colour ; and
when at length the young are hatched and are swimming
about on the loch, or crowded together on some grassy point,
the old birds, as they come home from a distance with food,
fly rapidly amidst thousands of young ones, exactly similar
to their own, without even looking at them, until they find
their own offspring, who, recognising their parents amongst all
the other birds, receive the morsel, without any of the other
hungry little creatures around attempting to dispute the
prize, each waiting patiently for it own parent, in perfect
confidence that its turn will come in due season.

The breeding rocks of the solan geese, the Bass Rock in
the Firth of Forth and Ailsa Craig on the west, will well
repay the trouble of visiting them. Rows of the nests
thickly cover the ground ; and wild and wary as these birds
are at other times, during the breeding season they will not

NESTING-PLACES OF WATER-FOWL. 311

move from their nests until actually lifted off by the hand.
The eider duck, peculiarly wild and shy as it is, is equally
tame while sitting, allowing herself to be handled and her
nest to be robbed, not of its eggs, but of the valuable down
of which it is composed, without attempting to move from it.

It is a singularly interesting sight to witness a number of
the solan geese fishing, on a calm day, in the Firth of Forth.
Following the shoals of herring, these handsome birds dash
one after the other into the water, with a force which is
actually astonishing, coming up (and almost invariably with
a herring in their bill) several yards from the place where
they made the plunge. They do not rise to the surface
gradually, like most divers, but suddenly like a cork, or as
if their buoyancy equalled that of a bladder. The peculiar
manner in which the skin of this bird is attached to the body,
leaving large intervals where the flesh and skin seen scarcely
at all connected, may give it this peculiar lightness, which to
the spectator is extremely striking.

During the severe winter season the solan geese disappear
from the Bass Uock, going no one knows where ; but even at
that season two or three fine warm days bring them all back
again. Their abiding places are probably regulated more by
the supply of food than by the weather.

I am by no means of opinion that either herring, salmon,
or other so-called migratory fish, leave our coast during those
seasons, when they disappear, or rather I should say, when
they are not caught. I am more inclined to think that they
always continue in the same neighbourhood, retiring only to
the depths of the ocean, where they rest quietly, safe from
nets, instead of betaking themselves, as the general opinion
is, to the other end of the world.

312 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

FISHERIES.

CHAPTEE XXXVII.

Supply offish in Scotland —Herring-fishery — Highlanders coming to Herring-
fishing — Fishermen of east coast — Difference of Language in Nairn —
Departure of Herring-boats ; dangers to which they are exposed — Loss of
Boats and Lives— Fisliing in good weather— Loch fishing— Fishing Sta-
tions on west coast — Fishing for Haddocks, &c. — State of British Sea-
fisheries.

THE northern seas and bays of Scotland swarm with fish to
an almost unequalled extent ; and although in many situations
and districts considerable use is made of this bountiful
provision of nature, it cannot be doubted that much greater
benefit might be obtained from it.

As far as relates to commercial speculation the herring
holds the first place, or nearly so. The fishermen on this
eastern coast go out about the middle of July ; previous to
which they have been for some weeks employed in preparing
their boats, overhauling their tackle, and engaging extra
hands, generally Highlanders, who come down to the coast at
this season in order to hire themselves to the owners of the
boats for the six or eight weeks during which they are out at
sea. These men earn during the season from three to six
pounds, a perfect godsend to the poor fellows, whose eyes are
seldom gladdened by the sight of hard money during the rest
of the year. Just before the time when the herring boats go
out, the roads are dotted with little groups of Highlanders,
each man having a small parcel of necessaries tied up in a
handkerchief and earned on a stick over his shoulder. They
are sadly footsore and wayworn by the time they have
traversed the island from the west coast. Being little
accustomed for the most -part to walking anywhere but on
springy heather and turf, the hard roads try them severely.
Most of them are undersized and bad specimens of the Celtic
race. Very little English is spoken amongst them, as not
one in ten understands a word of anything but Gaelic.
When they have occasion to go into a road-side shop to
purchase anything, or to ask a question, a consultation is first
held amongst the party, and then the most learned in Saxon
is deputed to act as spokesman, for there is scarcely any

HIGHLAND FISHERMEN. 313

Gaelic spoken along the east coasts, the fishermen in parti-
cular being almost wholly a foreign race of people, that is,
not Highlanders. Some are English settlers, and some are
descendants of Danes and other races who have originally
been left by chance or choice on this coast. Their names are
frequently Danish or Swedish. In fact they are altogether a
different people from the Celtic inhabitants of the neighbour-
ing mountains. There is an almost regular line drawn
through the country, where the Gaelic language ends and the
English commences. The town of Nairn is divided by this
line, one half of the inhabitants being talkers of Gaelic, and
the other speaking only English. It is said that one of our
prime ministers boasted to a foreigner that his master, the
King of England, possessed a town so extensive that the
inhabitants of one end spoke a different language from those
of the other end. Nairn was the town in question ; and
whatever the merit of the joke may be, it corroborates what
I stated.

To return, however, to our Highland fishermen. "Wearily
and heavily the poor fellows labour along the road, and by
the time they reach Forres, Nairn, and the other towns near
the shore, they are sadly knocked up, their food during the
journey having been poor and scanty, consisting generally of
potatoes, and perhaps oatmeal, mixed up frequently with cold
water, a sorry mess for a Highlander who is taking the
unaccustomed exercise of tramping along a hard road. Many
of these men know pretty well where, and by whom, they
shall be hired, but others have to seek employment where
they can. Their faces grow visibly shorter as soon as they
are engaged : and they set to work, though possessing little
seamanship, to assist in putting into order the nets, floats,
stores, &c. In a few days every boat is afloat and ready.
Then comes the parting-glass with their shore-staying friends,
which, by the bye, is often multiplied until it amounts to a
very fair allowance.

As the boats set sail from the small harbours and piers,
the wives and families of the fishermen who belong to the
place come down to see their relatives off; and many groups
of weather-beaten women sit and watch the boats till out of
sight, discussing anxiously the chances of a good or bad
season, a matter of no light import to them, as their comfort
during the rest of the year almost entirely depends upon it.

I have frequently seen some stout boy, strong and fearless,

314 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

but too young to be allowed to accompany his father, hide
amongst the nets, sails, &c., in the boats, hoping to get taken
out unobserved, till they were too far out at sea to send him
back. The little fellows, however, seldom succeeded, and
were generally chucked uncermoniously enough out of the
boat, either on to the pier whilst the boat was passing
alongside of it, or into some of the numerous haddock and
other fishing boats which lie at anchor in the harbour.

The herring season, although a time of hard work to the
men, is for the most part a time of rest to the women.
Instead of having to tramp, as they shortly hope to do, miles
into the country with a weight of fish on their back which
would be almost a burthen for a donkey, they have little else
to do than to gossip with each other, and set lines about the
harbour and shores, excepting in those places where the
herrings are cured, and put into casks for foreign consumption,
where they are busy enough. The boats which go out from
many of our small towns seldom return home again until the
season is over ; but leave the produce of their fishing at the
curing stations every night if possible.

The herring fishermen have not only much hard work, but
many dangers to contend with. Whilst far out at sea tending
their nets during the night-time, storms of wind suddenly
come on ; and a scene of hurry and confusion ensues which
can scarcely be imagined. Anxious to save their tackle and
unwilling to lose any chance, the men in some boats are
busily engaged hauling up their nets ; other boats are driving
past them with everything in confusion and their sails
flapping in the wind. Others, manned by more prudent and
able hands, who have foreseen the coming storm, are scudding
with everything snug for the nearest port, and lucky are the
boats which reach it without loss of tackle or life. Frequently
by waiting too long, whilst endeavouring to save their nets,
the poor herring fishers are placed in the utmost danger, and
are driven helplessly out to sea, where they either toss about
at the mercy of the winds and waves till the storm somewhat
abates, or are swamped and lost, the men probably having
been wearied out by their efforts to keep the boat's head
straight to avoid shipping the broken waves which surround
them. The crews, too, the chief part of whom are generally
landsmen, or, at best, men accustomed only to the calm
waters of the west coast lochs, become disheartened and
useless at the hour of need, affording little assistance to the

PERILS OF THE HERRING-FISHER. 315

" skipper " of the boat, who is probably the principal owner
also, and who, if he saves his life, has the prospect before him
of heavy loss or ruin. Many and many a herring boat
founders this way at sea, her crew worn out by their
exertions. At other times an inshore wind dashes the boats
on the iron-bound coasts off which they have been fishing,
and the crews perish before the eyes of their wives and
families. Instances have occurred of a crew reaching some
rock withili a short distance of the shore, and within hearing
of those assembled on the beach, who, after having vainly
attempted to afford them assistance, see the poor fellows
gradually washed off one by one as their strength fails them
during the rise of the tide. There are but few harbours on
the east coast into which the boats can run if caught in a
storm and driven away from the safer parts of the coast. If
a heavily-laden herring boat is overtaken by rough weather,
it is. very difficult to get rid of the cargo quickly enough to
escape being swamped. In fact the throwing them overboard
is a long operation : and sometimes when they have a lucky
haul, they load until the gunwale of the boat is but a few
inches above the water. In this case the shipping of a single
wave is sufficient to swamp them. A cargo of large fish,
such as cod or skate, may be thrown overboard with some
degree of quickness — not so a cargo of herrings.

Although the months of July and August generally pass
over without any very dangerous weather, September is
frequently a season of sudden squalls and storms on our
coasts.

This year, 1848, one of these sudden storms came on
towards the end of the fishing season. It reached from the
north coast to near Sunderland, beyond which place the wind
was comparatively light. The boats had gone out with a
gentle breeze, nor had there been any warning of bad
weather ; but before morning, on the east coast alone, more
than a hundred fishermen were drowned, and the loss of
boats, nets, &c., was immense. Nothing could be more
melaricholily significant of the havoc which that storm had
caused than the fact of one fisherman bringing to his house
fifteen blue bonnets, the owners of which must have all
perished near the same spot. Fishermen are generally men
with large families, and the numbers of widows and orphans
left dependent on the charity of the world in these cases are
always very great.

316 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

This is the gloomy side of the picture of. herring fishing;
but it has its bright one, for I do not know a more exhilarat-
ing sight than the fleets of herring boats standing out from
all the larger towns between Wick and the Firth of Forth on
a tine day during the fishing season. All along the coast
where at other times the indolent habits of the fishermen are
prominently seen, everything now evinces life, energy, and
activity.

Hundreds of brown-sailed boats go out from some of the
harbours at once, the place resounding with the loud but
good-humoured greetings and jokes, from one boat to another,
as they pass with all speed of sail and - oar to the herring-
grounds, each eager to be the first to reach the place so as to
have choice of station. A fresh but gentle breeze takes them
merrily out, and their nets are cast and fixed, buoyed up by
their large round floats, or by what are much used in some
places, prepared dogskins — a most unworthy fate for so
noble animal. To make these floats they cut off the head,
and take the whole body out at the aperture, leaving the
skin otherwise entire. It is then dressed and tarred over.
The neck is stopped up with a wooden plug made to fit it,
and the skin having been thus rendered water-tight is filled
with air, legs and all. So that the float consists of the entire
dog minus his head. Blown up and extended as it is, and
black with tar, it is about as ugly but as serviceable a float
as can well be imagined.

The herring-nets being laid, the men, if the shoals do not
appear to be on the move, set to work to fish for cod, halibut,
&c., of which they frequently catch great numbers ; earning
in this way a considerable addition to their wages. Warned,
however, by the cries and activity of the sea-birds, and by
other well-understood signs, all at once they take up their
lines, in order to attend to the main object of their fishing,
and in a few minutes you see every boat hauling up the
herrings which hang in the meshes of the nets, and glance
like pieces of burnished silver as they break the surface of
the water. Sometimes the dog-fish do great mischief, biting
the herrings in two, and tearing the nets. When, however,
all goes well, the nets are soon hauled in, and the fish dis-
entangled from them as quickly as possible, and in a surpris-
ingly short space of time all is made ready for another
draught.

Sea-birds innumerable attend on the herring-boats, finding

HERRING-FISHING IN THE LOCHS. 317

it easier to pick up the dead fish, whether whole or in pieces,
which fall into the water, than to dive after the living ones.
The larger gulls eat immense quantities. I was assured that
a black-backed gull has been seen to swallow five goodly-
sized herrings in rapid succession. He was then so utterly
gorged and unable to move that he was caught. All these
flocks of birds enliven the scene — some, like the gannets,
dashing down from a height into the calm water, and almost
invariably catching a herring ; others diving and attacking
the shoals far down beneath the surface ; while the gulls for
the most part feed on the maimed and broken fish. Every
bird, too, seems to be trying to scream louder than the rest,
and such a Babel-like mixture of sounds can scarcely be
heard anywhere else. Altogether it is a most interesting and
animated scene, and to see it in perfection it is well worth
while to take the trouble of passing a night in a herring-boat
instead of in one's bed. In fact I can truly assert that two
nights spent many years ago in herring-fishing have kept an
honoured place in my memory, and are looked back to as
among the most amusing of my out-door adventures.

A different mode of pursuing this fish is resorted to when
the shoals take to the lochs or salt-water inlets on the west
coast. The scene is then one of singular interest and beauty.
The fishing is carried on in what looks like a calm fresh-
water lake, winding far up into the mountains, which, over-
hanging the water, echo back with startling distinctness every
sound which is uttered on its smooth surface. The pictur-
esque rocks, dotted with noble old birch trees, with their
weeping branches hanging like ladies' tresses over the deep
water of the bay, and the grey mountain slopes above these,
add a beauty to the scene which is so unexpected and so
unusual an accompaniment to sea-fishing, that to be under-
stood it must be seen. Hundreds of boats are actively em-
ployed in every direction ; whilst larger vessels lie waiting to
get their cargo of fish complete, and then stand out from the
bay, winding round its numerous headlands until they can
take advantage of a steady wind, blowing from some one
certain point, instead of from two or three at once, as
mountain winds always do. In addition to these vessels
which are bound for Liverpool, Dublin, London, or elsewhere,
there is the Government cruiser, distinguishable at once by
its symmetry and neatness, lying near the mouth of the loch,
with its tall mast and long yards, keeping order amongst the
21

318 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

thousands of men who are all rivals in the same pursuit and
all eager for the best places, or what they consider as such.
When she fires her morning arid evening gun, or makes any
other signal, the echo is repeated again and again loud and
distinct, and then dies away with a rumbling noise like far-
off thunder, as the sound penetrates up some distant glen.
The deer feeding on the grassy burns of the corrie hear it,
and lifting their heads, listen intently for some minutes to
the strange sound, until, having made up their mind that it
is not a matter that concerns them, they resume their graz-
ing, only listening with increased watchfulness to every noise.

As the risks and expenses of carrying on the herring-fish-
ings are large, so are the gains considerable, if the season is
favourable and the fishing lucky,

It would be a very great assistance and cause of safety to the
seamen on our northern and most frequented fishing stations
had they the advantage of a few small steamboats, or tugs, such
as we see in such numbers issuing out of the Tyne and other
rivers of England grappling with great black colliers and traders
several times as big as themselves, and carrying them off (as a
black emmet does a blue-bottle fly) in spite of wind and tide.

One small steam-tug could tow a line, a perfect Alexandrian
line, of herring-boats to and from their fishing stations; and in
the event of an approaching storm, a change of wind, or other
dangers, they would be of the greatest use in bringing home
the boats, nets, &c., under circumstances in which, at present,
much danger and much loss of life and property are sustained.

There is a general emigration from many of the western
stations as soon as the herring season is over. Men, birds,
beasts, and rats among the rest, all desert them. Of birds the
number is very great : having assembled to feed on the refuse
of the herrings, particularly at the curing stations, they now
depart in all directions; whilst the rats have occasionally
been seen migrating in large numbers from Wick and other
places, and distributing themselves through the country, in
order to change the fish diet, which they have for so many
weeks luxuriated on, for a vegetable one. On the east coast,
where the agricultural population is numerous, the refuse of
the herrings is used in great quantities as manure, and being
laid out in large heaps on the fields preparatory to being
mixed with other substances, poison the air and attract great
numbers of sea-gulls, who appear very willing to exchange
fresh fish for that which is half rotten ; but a sea-gull has a

HADDOCK-FISHING. 319

most convenient and unfastidious appetite, thriving on any-
thing that comes m his way.

The Highlanders who have assisted at the fishing on the
east coast, now return home with heavier bundles and purses,
but lighter hearts : however, I fear that many of the inhabi-
tants of the fishing villages spend a great part of their
hard-earned wages in whisky, instead of applying it to the
comforts of their families. Some are more prudent, and lay
the money by, in order that in due time they may become
owners of a herring-boat themselves.

The inhabitants, at least the males, of fishing villages are
an indolent-looking race, going about all their land occupa-
tions in a slow and lazy manner, and being for the most part
remarkably ignorant. But we should bear in mind that they
spend their nights at sea, in laborious and fatiguing occupa-
tion, exposed to cold and wet, and that it is only during their
intervals of rest that we see them, when they are lounging
about half asleep, and leaving to their wives the business of
preparing their lines and selling the fish.

The coiling of a long line, with about three hundred hooks
on it, is a mystery to the unpractised and uninitiated. Each
haddock boat takes out coiled lines with from two to three
thousand baited hooks upon them, and yet so perfectly and
skilfully are they arranged that they never catch or entangle,
but run out with as great certainty and ease as a ship's cable.

The haddock-fishing on the coast is carried on in smaller
boats than the herring-fishing ; each boat has, however, more
hands on board, partly for the sake of rowing, and partly of
working these long lines, or " shooting " them, as it is called.

The boats frequently run forty or fifty miles to set their
haddock and cod lines ; going from Nairn and the adjacent
fishing villages over to Wick, where they are almost always
sure of a plentiful supply of fish.

Trawling for flat fish has not yet been tried to any ex-
tent, but I have no doubt that it would be a most profitable
and useful speculation. At present we get no soles, but
occasionally some turbot are caught : for these, however, the
demand is confined to a few of the neighbouring gentry; and
consequently this kind of fishing is not much practised. A
boat's crew does occasionally go out to fish for turbot, using a
very simple and small kind of hang-net, and generally brings
home a good supply.

Looking at the state of British sea-fisheries in general, it

320 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

appears to me undeniable that the advantage derived from
this great and inexhaustible source of wealth is -as nothing
compared to what it might and ought to be. It is true that
of late years some enterprising individuals have done, and are
doing, a great deal towards improving this branch of com-
merce; and the speculations recently entered into for the
more regular and more abundant supply of the southern
markets will doubtless lead to more extensive competition
and to improved methods of fishing ; but Government might,
I conceive, greatly promote this important branch of national
industry by regulating the size and construction of the boats,
which are often most miserably inefficient, encouraging the
fishermen in every .possible manner, affording them the
.protection and assistance of large vessels and steamers at
different points, during the busiest times of the fishing
season, expending sums of money in tackle, boats, &c., to be
repaid or partly repaid by the fishermen, and also by having
surveys made and soundings taken off many parts of the
coast, in order to find out the banks and other feeding-places
of the cod and other large fish. The Dogger Bank and all
the principal fishing grounds have been discovered by chance ;
and it cannot be doubted that were a careful survey made,
many other equally prolific localities would be found.

The fishermen would at once know, were they provided
with plans of the different depths, &c., of the sea, where the
best spots would be for fishing, according to the nature of the
bottom, the currents, tides, &c. But they are quite unable to
make these observations themselves, from want of proper
boats, &c. ; nor can a simple fisherman afford to spend weeks
or days of fine weather in taking soundings and making
systematic series of experiments ; and hence it is, as I said
before, our best fishing-banks have been found out by chance.

In short, our fisheries, by careful attention on the part of
Government and by a very moderate outlay of public money,
might be made the source of food and employment for
thousands and tens of thousands more of our suffering
population than are at present supported by them. The seas
which surround our coasts contain an inexhaustible supply
of wholesome and nutritious food, and nothing is required
to render it largely available to all but a more efficient,
systematic, and well-regulated mode of procuring it.

THE END.

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