124 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



sticking to the heather round it. The old Goose got up with 

 a deal of shuffling and tremendous vociferations, and flew 

 away with her neck bent round sideways to see if her nest 

 were being molested ; on several occasions, so intent was 

 her observation of her enemy, that, regardless of the direction 

 of her flight, she plumped into the water of the loch with 

 much apparent surprise. Here she swam for half a minute 

 or so, sometimes within 30 yards, then, as if suddenly 

 remembering the precarious nature of her position, with a 

 loud " cackle," up she went and flew far away. After flying 

 about a quarter of a mile she would alight on some elevated 

 position in the surrounding "bog," and quietly wait till one 

 went away. 



After examining the Goslings we went to a grass island, 

 and here found the Common Gull {Larus canus) breeding in 

 scores. I saw many eggs, some beautiful varieties ; they 

 always lay three, very near the water in this case, the nest in 

 a depression, formed and lined with coarse grass. A pair of 

 Great Black-backs kept barking severely over our heads 

 when on this island, and on ascending to the highest point, 

 there lay the nest and three beautiful eggs. The nest was 

 15 inches in diameter, very deep, and formed of a large 

 quantity of dry grass, a very comely structure. This was the 

 only instance in which I found this bird breeding on the 

 same island as other birds in this case the Common Gull. 

 One of the eggs was a splendid specimen, being a light 

 yellow-grey ground, marked with purple blotches, blurred at 

 the edges. These birds are considered the worst vermin on 

 the island and are mercilessly put down when occasion 

 affords, but they usually keep well out of shot and are 

 awfully hard to bring down. 



We next visited a heather-clad island on which Herring- 

 gulls were breeding. I also found a Sheldrake's nest, the 

 bird flying out from below my feet ; the nest was difficult to 

 find and worse to get at, being deep into a peat-hole and 

 formed of heather twigs only. The tracks and dropping of 

 Otter were very numerous here, and in crossing from island 

 to island, if a stone happened to show above the water, 

 droppings and fish-scales were sure to be found on it. The 



