146 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



Outer Hebrides, many nesting, often in company with 

 the Peregrine Falcon, in the wild cliffs overhanging the 

 Minch, where it is very difficult to get at them. It is 

 marvellous how Ravens find out a dead carcass ; early 

 one morning I saw a large heifer just being blown ashore 

 by a westerly gale. I walked home about a mile, had 

 breakfast and went back, by which time about thirty Ravens 

 had already gathered round the carcass. 



A tame Raven we had at Grogarry was a wonderful 

 weather prophet, before a storm, even if the night were 

 fine, we could not keep him out of the kitchen window, 

 but if fine weather was coming on he always slept on the 

 chimney top. 



The Carrion Crow. This bird is rare in the Hebrides, 

 but I have found its nest once in Barra Sound and once 

 on South Uist hill. It is an inveterate egg poacher and 

 should get no quarter. 



The Hooded Crow. The Outer Hebrides may be 

 considered the home of this most destructive bird ; it stays 

 with us all the year round, but a great influx of migratory 

 birds takes place every autumn, arriving from the north 

 in thousands. We waged continual warfare against the 

 Hoodies, and had the resident birds fairly well in check, 

 as we knew their haunts, but the migratory birds arrived 

 in such numbers you might as well try to stop the tide as 

 contend with them. Our Hoodies nested on cliffs under 

 long overhanging heather, and on small islets on the 

 moorland lochs where they thought they were safe from 

 persecution. 



The Jackdaw. This bird appeared occasionally in 

 winter in very small numbers, but never stayed long. 



The Rook. The Rook is very rare in South Uist, 

 and can only be classed as a visitor. Strange to say, a 

 good many years ago, when that severe gale took place 

 which destroyed so many plantations in Scotland, a flock 

 of about fifty Rooks came to the island and stayed from 

 November to February, roosting in the shrubbery round 

 Grogarry Lodge. 



The Starling. Is exceedingly numerous, feeding on 



