SUMMER ON THE MOORS 91 



moor, towards the southern verge of the Lammermuirs, 

 are now the only lochs on the Borders on which, within 

 my knowledge, the pochard nests. Paston lough on 

 Cheviot, and Whitton loch on the hills west of Morebattle 

 in Roxburghshire, were also tried, but never a sign of 

 wigeon rewarded our search. At Whitton a pair or 

 two of tufted ducks were nesting", with a fine show of 

 mallards, and some teal. At Paston the tufted ducks 

 were quite a feature. There were at least fifty drakes 

 on the sheltered waters of this lovely, wood-embowered 

 lake; and on June 23rd, we observed three broods 

 following their mothers. There were only three, four, 

 and five young, respectively- — meagre numbers explained, 

 it is probable, by the voracious pike beneath. The 

 only other ducks on this lough, were mallards and a 

 single pair of shovelers. 



The search for wigeon thus proved, so far, barren of 

 positive results. It is fair to add that, on various 

 occasions, ducks went away wild, without affording 

 opportunity for identification. These may, or may not, 

 have been wigeon. 



On the other hand, my friend John Graham of 

 Yetholm Law, for many years gamekeeper to the late 

 General Wauchope, of heroic memory, gives me, as he 

 gave my brother before, the following positive state- 

 ment :■ — •" Wigeon have nested on Yetholm loch, many 

 times within my recollection. Twenty years ago, or 

 thereby, we shot one duck off her nest (which was in 

 the moss, 200 yards west of the loch), and sent her, with 

 one of the eggs, to the late Mr Andrew Hogg, in Edin- 

 burgh, in proof of the fact. Since then, wigeon have 

 nested several times ; I have seen the broods following 

 the old duck in June and July, and have shot the flappers 



