LKTTERS OF AN ORNITHOLOGIST. 2o9 



tried the edible qualities of one Seart's egg, the white of which, (excuse the 

 bull,) was of a pale emerald green ; and, on the whole, I should not recommend 

 it as a delicacy. 



A few days ago I took a little jaunt up to a large fresh-water loch, where 

 I had an opportunity of watching some Grebes. The air was perfectly still, 

 and the surface of the water like a sheet of glass. When at a distance 

 from one another these birds frequently began to call until they met: this 

 cry was a kind of creek! creek! ^creek! We chased several, which escaped 

 by disappearing just as we made sure of their capture, and appearing no more. 

 One went into a bed of reeds, through which we forced the boat, and suc- 

 ceeded in frightening him out into the clear water* but when the boat had 

 got within forty yards of him, he rose upon the wing with great ease, and 

 flew clear oflF to the other end of the loch. 



LETTER X. 



lona, December, 1852. 



Immediately after I had dispatched my last letter to you I went out for 

 a short sail, and saw several Black Guillemots in various states of plumage, 

 the whitest of which I shot; and on exaniination it reminded me of what 1 

 had forgotten to remark, that is, that the tail of this Guillemot, like its 

 wings, does not change colour in winter, but remains black: this is only the 

 case with the tail feathers, for the upper and under tail coverts change colour, 

 becoming tipped with grey, or actually white. 



I also killed a Great Northern Diver, weighing between eleven and twelve 

 pounds. The day was very calm, and the water perfectly smooth. I and my 

 companion observed a pair of these birds swimming together about two hun- 

 dred yards from us, and two fishing-boats at the same time were rowing up 

 towards them from the opposite direction. We accordingly lay quite still. 

 The Divers let the fishing-boats come within about eighty yards, and dived 

 with their heads towards us — a few seconds of keen excitement — and the monsters 

 emerged thirty yards the other side of us, having passed underneath our boat. 

 One dived again the moment it got its head above water; but the other one 

 seemed to be slowly sinking down in a very curious manner, so that there 

 was nothing appearing but its head when I fired. The splash caused by the 

 shot subsided, and there floated his huge hulk, helly up. We saw several 

 more Great Northern and Black-throated Divers during this short sail, but 

 had not time to go after any more, though I am sure they would have 

 allowed a near approach. It is said that the appearance of these birds prog- 

 nosticates bad weather: at any rate it blew a hurricane that night and the 

 next two days. 



I regret that a dog got access to the specimen which I intended sending 

 to you, and bit its head off, so that it is useless. It was in poor condition, 

 and changing its plumage. The wings are still spangled with white stars, but 



