l88 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



shore. Next a flock of Grey Geese and then Whooper 

 Swans, settling on the ice and walking majestically towards 

 the water all anxious to quench their thirst. The Swans 

 soon began to feed, diving their heads and long necks into 

 the water and bringing up their favourite weed ; round every 

 Swan swarmed the Wigeon and Teal to partake of the food 

 the Swans brought to the surface. I lay so long watching 

 them that I could scarcely walk, but managed to crawl away 

 without disturbing the pretty scene. 



The Canada Goose. Seven of these geese appeared 

 one winter, when we were fortunate enough to procure two 

 specimens though they were extremely wary, scarcely leaving 

 the little hill-tops. 



The Sheld-duck This handsome bird is very numer- 

 ous in the Hebrides both on the Atlantic and the Minch 

 sea-boards ; many stay all the year round, but they are 

 most numerous during the nesting season. On the western 

 sea-board they lay their eggs in rabbit holes not far 

 from the sea, where they take their young immediately, 

 but on the Minch side they have their nests, as a rule, in 

 peaty banks split open by the summer heat. Once I found 

 two nests, both with the full complement of eggs and having 

 the same entrance, branching off a few yards in. It is very 

 amusing to see them dance, we had eight young at one time 

 hatched under a hen and when hungry they would come to 

 the doorstep and begin their little performance, like soldiers 

 learning " left-right," arching their necks the while, this being 

 their method of squeezing the tiny worms out of the ooze on 

 the seashore. Another time we had four young Sheldrake 

 which disappeared towards the end of autumn ; three months 

 later we were greatly surprised to see three draggled-looking 

 Sheldrake walk into our kitchen and begin their performance 

 in front of the stove. It was a severe snowstorm, so they 

 stayed with the poultry until the thaw set in, when they 

 disappeared, never to return. 



The Mallard. South Uist is specially adapted for 

 Wild-duck, and Mallard are very common there all the 

 year round. They nest chiefly on the islands in the 

 lochs, .some, however, breed on the hills, bringing their 



