The Land of the Hills and the Glens 



then, from the Sound of Mull a buoyant-floating yacht 

 approached and passed us by. 



With the coming of the evening there sprang up a 

 breeze from the north, so that the sun as it sank towards 

 the north-western horizon shed its rays on many small 

 sparkling waves. 



And so we left the home of the skua for that day, and 

 made our way back to the small settlement lying at the 

 head of the only sea loch and anchorage which the island 

 possesses. 



About a week later I was again on the island, and hoped 

 to have the opportunity of obtaining photographs of the 

 skua at home. The peaty ground of the nesting site made 

 it easy to dig out a "hide," the sides of which were con- 

 structed of the turf which had been removed in the excava- 

 tions. The roof was made of a number of sticks laid 

 across and resting on either side, and on these again were 

 placed more squares of turf to hide the wood. A hole was 

 left in front of the hide, and the camera was placed here in 

 such a way that even the lens was out of sight, whilst it 

 dominated the nest. In the making of the hide the keeper 

 was full of useful suggestions — indeed, had it not been for 

 his help the photographs which illustrate this chapter could 

 never have been taken. Our first day's work consisted in 

 starting the building of the hide, which we left before it had 

 reached too large dimensions in case the skuas should forsake 

 their nest. The next morning we again made our wearisome 

 tramp to the nesting-ground, and, having found the birds 

 still in possession, were not long in completing the erection. 

 A piece of canvas, which we rubbed with peat in order to 

 render it more in harmony with its surroundings, served as 

 a door, and on my entering the hide the keeper shut me 

 in and, as far as possible, hid the canvas with pieces of turf. 

 The inside of the hide was not really uncomfortable as such 

 places go, but it was extraordinarily wet, though, as the 

 weather was uniformlv hot and sunny, this was no hardship. 



28 



