102 HILL BIRDS OF SCOTLAND 



the suinmer, and the wild, flute-hke song of the Snow Bunt- 

 ing is heard from the rough granite-covered slopes. Plant 

 life bursts into growth. The mountain azalea i)ushes 

 forth its buds, and in a fortnight's time carpets the hills 

 up to about 3000 feet with its pink or crimson blooms, 

 which possess the most delicate china-like appearance. 

 At still higher levels the cushion pink, perhaps a fortnight 

 later in flowering, tinges the hill slopes with its flowers, and 

 the dwarf willow, raising its branches less than half an inch 

 above the ground, rapidly shows its delicate green leaves. 



The pairing of the Ptarmigan takes place before the 

 melting of the snows, and indeed from personal observa- 

 tions I have come to the conclusion that a certain number 

 of the birds remain mated throughout the year. The 

 pairing is accomplished much in the same manner as 

 that which characterises the courtship of the Red Grouse 

 — the cock Ptarmigan displaying himself to the best 

 advantage before the admiring hen, and strutting back- 

 wards and forwards with tail held high and spread fan- 

 wise. By April all the birds are paired, and should the 

 season be an exceptionally open one, the nesting site is 

 chosen early in May. Such early nesting on the part of 

 Ptarmigan is, however, often attended with disastrous 

 consequences. 



I remember how in the spring of 1907 a heavy storm 

 of wind and snow swept the high hills during the first 

 week of June. The majority of Ptarmigan had just 

 commenced to brood at the time, and wellnigh every 

 nest was destroyed, the snowfall being so deep — in places 

 drifts many feet high were i)iled up — that the birds were 

 unable to hold their ground and remain on their eggs. 

 A few days after the storm I happened to traverse a 

 favourite ground of the Tarmachan, and found several such 

 deserted nests within a comparatively small radius with 

 every egg sucked, by Grey Crows or by stoats, I imagine. 



