The Land of the Hills and the Glens 



and from time to time, notably on the 22nd, flocks of red- 

 wings and fieldfares were passing. 



The closing week of the month was eventful in one West 

 Highland loch by reason of the great shoals oi herring which 

 arrived from the open sea in their millions. 



3. — NOVEMBER 



As yet no really wintry weather has visited the western 

 seaboard. Much of the month was remarkable for its mild- 

 ness and the only continued cold spell was felt about the 

 middle of the month. On the 17th a heavy gale of easterly 

 wind swept the whole of the west coast, and in certain 

 districts was the most severe for a number of years. The 

 gale lifted the surface of the water from the sea lochs, 

 hurrying the spray before it in clouds, so that, looking 

 against the sun — for the sun shone brightly throughout the 

 gale — there appeared a layer of haze lying on the top of 

 the water. 



Flocks of redwings and fieldfares kept coming in through 

 the month, and numbers of blackbirds with them. A 

 few corn buntings were also on migration, and I heard 

 one in song on the 14th. The prevailing winds — south 

 and south-west — were against bird migration, and the number 

 of migrants observed was comparatively few. 



On the 4th the barometer stood very low — 28.5 inches — 

 with a gale from the south. On that day I made an ex- 

 pedition over some wild hill country fringing the coast. 

 Even at this date the stooks of oats in certain cases still 

 stood out in the crofters' fields. Drenching rain squalls 

 accompanied the gale, and although the wind was off-shore, 

 a swell rolling in told of heavy weather out to sea. Haunt- 

 ing the shore, grey crows were eagerly searching for any 

 edible morsel — and they are not particular — cast up by the 

 tide, and little grebes were diving in the shallow water. 

 The hill burns were in spate, and the noise of rushing 



206 



