228 ITTLL BII^DS OF SCOTLAND 



eyrie. As I watched through the glass one of the parent 

 Eagles appeared at the nest carrying with it a Grouse for 

 the youngster's morning meal. Soon its mate also alighted 

 on the eyrie, and, while the first bird took its departure, 

 the new-comer commenced to feed its young with the 

 Grouse Just brought. Many deer there were in the glen, 

 clustered together at points where the faint breeze could 

 play on them. Even when I reached the plateau, close 

 on three thousand feet above the level of the sea, where 

 the Dotterel had his nesting site, the air was quiet and 

 the heat intense. While I was still quite fifty yards from 

 him the brooding Dotterel rose from his eggs and ran 

 quickly before me in order to decoy me from his nest. 

 I erected the camera a few yards from the nesting place, 

 and took up my position to wait until the bird should 

 become sufficiently bold to return. 



Hour after hour I sat there till my legs had lost almost 

 all feeling, and watched the bird gradually approach 

 his treasures. The strong sun, shining full on the un- 

 sheltered nest, warmed his eggs as effectually as he could 

 have done himself, and thus there was no risk of the small 

 unborn chicks perishing of cold. But although the 

 Dotterel was obviously eager to return, he was unable 

 to summon up courage to brave the eye of the camera, 

 and so at length I moved off fifty yards and sat down to 

 watch my unwilling sitter through the glass. 



In a very few minutes he hurried back to his nest, 

 sitting down on his eggs and gathering them well to him- 

 self with evident satisfaction, and so I left him for the day 

 — to the hills and to the Tarmachan and to the murmur of 

 the tiny burn which has its birth near the plateau. 

 Next 'day the sun again shone, but away in the dis- 

 tance great white clouds, massed tier upon tier, foreboded 

 thunder. 



In the corrie near the head of the glen a big herd of 



