214 THE BIRDS OF ION A AND MULL. 



The Snowy Owl. 



Gaelic, Cailleach oidhche — the old woman of the night, though Armstrong says it 

 should be coileach oidhche — cock of the night (<(h is mute). 



I never saw this owl in (Scotland, though I have since in Canada ; 

 but a very old sportsman, whom I have long been acquainted with, and 

 whose correctness I can rely on, described to me " a large, perfectly 

 white owl " flying about the open, flat sandy extremity of Iona by 

 daylight, apparently hunting for rabbits. This was a good many years 

 ago, and after some very stormy weather. He bad never seen anything 

 like it before, either in Argyll or Perth shires, in the course of half a 

 century's shooting. Others also saw it, and I think my friend the 

 minister of Iona told me he had seen it himself, but T will inquire of 

 him if it was so. 



The Water Ousel. 

 Gaelic, Lon uisge — water blackbird. 

 Ts common in the burns of Mull at all times. 



The Fieldfare. 



Is an unusual winter visitant, only driven to our shores by hard 

 weather. The arrival of a flock was announced to me by an old shep- 

 herd, who declared he had seen " a number of birds like starlings ; 

 they were starlings indeed, but that they must be very old ones, for 

 they were hoary with age ! " This is one instance of the readiness with 

 which such men leading an out-of-door life observe anything unusual in 

 the way of birds or any other appearance of nature which may cross their 

 path, though not directly connected with their own daily avocations, 

 nor personally interesting to themselves. I have always trusted to 

 shepherds, fishermen, and such men, detecting the advent of a stranger 

 of this kind, and of willingly giving all the information that may be 

 required, if you keep on easy speaking terms with them. They readily 

 enter into your enthusiasm on the subject, and consider it a sort of 

 honour to their beat or district to have a rarity captured upon it. 1 



1 Quite true ; but whilst on the one hand it is often difficult for a "humble 

 inquirer after truth," who is not intimately acquainted with the peculiarities and 

 idiosyncrasies of the Celt, to distinguish between the true and the untrue, or to 

 get at the facts of the case, it must be remembered also that the "imparted 



