CATALOGUE OF BIRDS. 79 



when our chance would be gone. It is only when 

 the hen, in her determination to hatch out her 

 offspring, and knowing, as she does, that if she 

 allows the eggs to get cold they will not come off, 

 strains every effort to carry out her purpose, returning 

 again and again to the nest after having been 

 repeatedly driven off, that operations are likely to 

 be successful ; so, our chance being the pertinacity 

 of the bird, I, without delay, arranged to go out, 

 takino- a hu^e luncheon basket with me furnished 

 with all the good things that Mrs. McRae, in the 

 generosity of her heart, knew well how to do. 

 There was a big pie, plenty of sandwiches, hard- 

 boiled eggs, sundry bottles of beer, and plenty of 

 whiskey ; something, in fact, that appealed to the 

 good, healthy appetites of the keepers. 



The dogcart came round about 9 o'clock, and off 

 I started, picking up the keeper — who lived four 

 miles off — as we passed his house. 



When we arrived at the rocks we were met by 

 Peter, who pointed out the particular spot in the 

 cliffs where the eyrie was. We then all climbed up 

 the slope till we got almost directly underneath the 

 eyrie situated in the precipitous cliffs, which seemed 

 to overhang us. The spot looked like a hole 

 surrounded by a lot of damp green mossy sort of 

 stuff; so arranging ourselves underneath the place 

 at intervals — there being three guns altogether — 

 we made all sorts of noises to induce the female to 

 leave the nest. When she did, she shot over our 

 heads like a Snipe, so quick was she ; we all loosed 



