Winter in the Western Highlands 



of the action of an hydraulic riveter. All the while they 

 were feeding they kept up a twittering cry, pleasant to the 

 ear. The turnstones fed at a considerable distance from 

 the water, and were actively engaged in turning over stones 

 in their search for food — thus fully justifying their name. 

 They covered a greater range in their feeding than the sand- 

 pipers. The purple sandpiper is a northern nesting bird, 

 and is found far into the Arctic Circle during the summer 

 months. There is a belief that it may sometimes nest in this 

 country, though its eggs have not so far been found. Young 

 birds scarcely able to fly may have been seen on the Fame 

 Islands. 



Black-headed gulls were with us in large numbers. On 

 the 17th I saw an individual which had already assumed the 

 black head of the nesting season — a very early date. About 

 this time I watched a young herring gull of the year which 

 was showing considerable ingenuity in its feeding. Standing 

 on a flat-topped rock, just awash, it was endeavouring to 

 catch numbers of the wily limpet. Limpets begin to feed 

 directly they feel the water over them, and as each 

 wavelet broke over the rock the gull made quick rushes 

 to grab the limpets as they moved, and before they had time 

 to re-fasten themselves to the rock. I could not see what 

 success the bird was having, but admired its ingenuity. 



At the end of the month red-throated divers were 

 numerous. I saw one emerge with a crab In its bill. A 

 herring gull swooped down. Like a flash the diver sub- 

 merged, but in the excitement of the moment must have 

 lost his hold of the crab, for the gull pounced triumphantly 

 and carried it to a boat, where it proceeded to peck it at 

 its leisure. In the meantime the diver dived once more, 

 and was not long in reappearing with another crab of about 

 the same size. Profiting by its unpleasant experience, the 

 diver made desperate efforts to swallow the crab whole, and 

 at length, by the help of copious draughts of water, suc- 

 ceeded in doing this, even while tlie gull was having great 



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