280 HILL BIRDS OF SCOTLAND 



eager to return to her young. Soon the storm passed, 

 and the sun once more shone out and the air was clear. 

 To the west the hills appeared again, but within the 

 space of an hour they had been clad in a white coating 

 of hail, the strips of recently-burnt heather standing out 

 conspicuously by reason of their greater whiteness. 



On every mountain loch up to 2000 feet above sea- 

 level the Sandpiper is found. One such loch sees many 

 pairs with the return of each nesting season. A road 

 winds its way up the glen to a solitary shooting lodge, 

 and twice daily a motor car, bearing the mails to and 

 from the post-office, thirteen miles distant, passes along it. 



One season, towards the end of May, a Sandpiper 

 made her nest within a few yards of the road. Although 

 her eggs were laid amongst long heather, where she was 

 hidden from sight so long as she sat closely, the Summer 

 Snipe never mastered the suspicions which took posses- 

 sion of her at the approach of the car. Invariably she 

 left her nest, and, moving to a little clearing a few feet 

 away, stood expectantly on the watch, a charming and 

 conspicuous object. If the car was driven past her with 

 no slackening of speed she remained standing there, but 

 if the driver slowed down she at once rose and flew down 

 to the loch-side in silence. Even after she had been 

 brooding close on three weeks, and her eggs were on the 

 point of hatching, she showed the same restlessness, but 

 notwithstanding the number of occasions on which she 

 was disturbed, she hatched off her brood safely. 



In contrast to her behaviour was the attitude adopted 

 by a second Sandpiper nesting above the loch on a burn- 

 side. On the occasion when I was shown her nest she 

 remained on her eggs even when I watched her at the 

 distance of only a few feet ; she crouched low on the 

 ground, and evidently trusted to her harmonisation with 

 her surroundings. This particular bird hatched out her 



