CATALOGUE OF BIBDS. 69 



of the male we were nearly certain she was close at 

 hand. I also tried a brace of steady setters, which I 

 had brought up as an experiment, though I had not 

 much faith that they would be of any service. 



On returning to the lunching place, we discovered 

 the three men (who we soon recognised as two keepers 

 and a shepherd) coming in our direction. 



While they were making their way up-hill, the rain, 

 which had been threatening some time, came down, 

 the thunder becoming more distant ; the afternoon 

 turned cold, a dense mist coming up with the wind. 



On reaching us they were agreeably surprised to 

 discover who we were, more particularly as they had 

 neither meat nor drink with them, and needed but 

 little pressing to commence operations on what we 

 were able to provide them with. 



When they had satisfied their hunger, as I found 

 they were anxious to have the assistance of an addi- 

 tional gun whilst trying another large cairn, where 

 they expected to find the cubs they had missed lower 

 down the hill, I agreed to finish the day with them. 



As the top of the hill was nothing but rocks and 

 stones piled one on the top of the other, we were forced 

 to leave the pony where we had lunched. Our course 

 was now kept north, as the earth we were going to was 

 on the Eannoch side of the hill. One hollow which 

 we passed through seemed alive with Ptarmigan, the 

 cocks were flying and croaking in all directions, but as 

 no hens were started, and the weather had turned 

 thick and dark, we resolved to leave our search for 

 nests till a finer day. 



On arriving at the fox cairn, we found it bore no 

 signs of having been used this season, and as it was 



