80 HILL BIRDS OF SCOTLAND 



the nest, and found it contained four fully-fledged young 

 birds. The nest was placed on a ledge of rock half-way 

 down a cliff perhaps thirty feet in height and faced almost 

 south-west, but, owing to a projecting ledge, the sun did 

 not shine full into the eyrie till comparatively late in the 

 afternoon. As I hoped to secure some photographs under 

 as favourable conditions as possible I waited, hidden among 

 some rocks, in the vicinity of the nest in the hopes that the 

 parent birds would return to their family ; but although 

 they circled overhead uttering short, barking cries, they 

 did not once venture near their young. About four in 

 the afternoon the nest and its occupants were in full sun- 

 light, and the young birds were commencing to feel the 

 heat, opening their bills wide and exposing very red throats 

 as they panted and gasped for breath. A week later — 

 April 25th — accompanied by a kindred ornithologist, I 

 again visited the nest. The day was one of the finest of a 

 memorable month of warmth and sunshine, and the hills 

 were looking at their best as we made our way to the 

 home of the Raven-people. 



The parent birds circled out to meet us while we were 

 still some way off, and after a careful stalk through the 

 heather we looked across to the nest without the Raven 

 family being aware of our presence. Some of the brood 

 were standing, others were almost invisible at the bottom 

 of the nest, but when we showed ourselves the more 

 venturesome spirits hurriedly crouched once more. This 

 time it was obvious that the young were in a condition 

 to leave the nest if only a means could be found to per- 

 suade them to do so. A succession of stones and lumps 

 of peat thrown in the direction of the eyrie caused the 

 family a good deal of uneasiness, but no more, and so, as 

 a last resource, a shepherd's plaid, tied to a rope, was 

 thrown over the rock and moved up and down in front of 

 the nest. This was more than the youngsters could stand, 



