NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS ON BIRDS OF NORTH UIST 123 



Richardson's Skua, sitting on the tops of the moss-hags 

 in the middle of the most uninviting bogs ; Dunlins, two 

 single birds, evidently not breeding and very wild ; Pied 

 Wagtails in great numbers, apparently on migration, some 

 very light coloured, possibly the White Wagtail. Buntings 

 were numerous, uttering their shrill note on wall-tops. A 

 few Sandpipers were seen on the loch sides, and we also 

 saw Herons, Wheatears, and Stonechats. Next day, the 

 13th, had a long walk over hill, bog, loch sides, etc. Saw 

 the same birds again, also a fine male Hen-harrier. Found 

 a nest of the Hoodie Crow, with three eggs hard sat, 

 placed in the long heather on the ground in a steep bank ; 

 the nest was like C. corone, lined with wool. There were 

 five nests here, in a row, four old ones and the new nest 

 at the end. Both old birds were grey, not hybrids. Other 

 birds observed were Reed-buntings and Twite. 



At 10 a.m. on the 14th, Donald Ross appeared from 

 Claddoch, twelve miles off. He had, with the assistance 

 of another man, managed to drag a boat, weighing about 

 5 cwts., all the way from his house to meet me near Loch- 

 maddy. This means simply a herculean task, dragging 

 a boat over bogs and hilltops, and rowing down the lochs 

 on every possible opportunity. We were soon under way, 

 to a heather-clad island, on Loch Scadvagh, and here found 

 three nests of the Grey Lag Goose. This was a good start 

 and greatly encouraged me. The nests were beautifully 

 constructed in long heather, formed of dry moss and down 

 mixed, held together by heather twigs; they were broad, 

 quite round, deep and warm, and contained five eggs each ; 

 they were always within five to ten yards of the water-side. 

 We caught and examined three Goslings swimming in the 

 loch, evidently about a week old, and covered with yellowish 

 down, with darker buff streaks on them in short, just like 

 young Goslings in a farmyard ; they were very obstreperous 

 and did not like handling. 



I may mention that several times, when tramping through 

 long heather, nearly up to my thighs, I came right upon an 

 old Goose on her nest. The position of the nest is usually 

 discernible about 10 or 20 yards off by the bits of down 



