72 BIRD-LIFE OF THE BORDERS 



grouse may escape : for, this year, in the midst of the 

 "Seagull moss" on Hindlee Steel, we sprang a covey of 

 eight, already able to fly : while, hard by, another grouse 

 sat on six eggs, exactly 10 feet distant from the nearest 

 gull's nest! The date, however (June 12th), showed that 

 this grouse had already lost one sitting. One bitter 

 experience was not enough for that foolish bird ; the 

 second lesson would not be long delayed — it was probably 

 learnt that same evening, on returning to her nest. 



Near another nest lay an adder, chewed, and appar- 

 ently partially digested. We also found sea-shells, bivalves 

 of strictly marine habitat, the Macoma balthica of Linnaeus ; 

 though the sea is 40 miles distant. The shepherds aver 

 that these are brought by the gulls to aid in forming 

 their own egg-shells, and also positively accuse the latter 

 of attacking sheep, both weakly lambs and old sheep when 

 the latter are "cast "and unable to regain their feet- — a 

 mischance to which these animals are always liable. The 

 gulls then go for the eyes, thus assuring death' — not neces- 

 sarily speedy. A couple of blackbacks, which we trapped, 

 were certainly gorged with mutton : possibly this was 

 "braxy" — at any rate, it was so horribly "high" as to 

 discount any further interest in our specimens. The gulls 

 are also great fishers ; and in the long summer days, when 

 hill-burns run nearly dry, and trout have neither refuge 

 nor defence, they are simply mopped up and annihilated. 

 "We have long been tired of their company," quoth an 

 "outbye" shepherd of his robber neighbours. 



Besides those reckless, much-venturing grouse, there 

 were also, nesting on, or near, that moss (amidst 100 

 pairs of raiding gulls) a dunlin or two, a pair of twites, 

 and numerous curlews, golden plovers, and titlarks. 



On Cairnglassenhope, also on North Tyne, a few 



