liG PANDION HALIAETUS. 



seen it on Loch-Lomond and Loch- Awe, where two 

 eyries are annually established. It occurs on Loch- 

 Maree, in Ross-shire, the scenery of which is of 

 the wildest and most magnificent character ; and my 

 friend Mr Alexander O. Macgillivray informs me, that 

 it is sometimes seen in various pai'ts of Sutherland and 

 Caithness, always near water. In a letter from his 

 brother, it is stated that, in the former county, " the 

 Fish-hawk comes in spring-, and frequents rivers, sit- 

 ting pensively whole hours by their banks> doing no- 

 thing. It builds on the sea-coast. It was one of them 

 we saw at Loch-Dolay." The bird alluded to was ho- 

 vering over a piece of water, in which was a great 

 quantity of rushes and other aquatic plants, among 

 which were numerous ducks and coots. Now and then 

 it would descend with great rapidity, and plunge into 

 the water, but without disappearing ; and at each de- 

 scent all the birds screamed, and instantly dived. In 

 this manner it continued to fish for some time, imtil a 

 shot at one of the ducks frightened it. Individuals 

 have been occasionally seen on the Tweed, as I am 

 informed by JVIi* Stevenson, Edinburgh, who has in his 

 possession a fine individual, which was shot by himself 

 there in the autumn of 1830; but the species is now 

 extremely rare in all parts of the country ; and it is 

 only on the larger lakes of the Highlands, and by the 

 streams and rocky shores of the northern division, that 

 one has much chance of observing it. In none of the 

 Hebrides have I ever seen it, or even heard of its ex- 

 istence, but it is said to occur in Orkney. 



My opportunities of observing the habits of this 

 beautiful bird have been so few, tliat I am obliged to 



