224 Birds of Kin tail, Ross-shire. [Sess. 



Jack was very fond of a bath, and had to get a shallow 

 basin filled with water every day ; and what a splutter he 

 made ! Then he would go to the front of the kitchen fire, 

 stretch out one wing and then the other, until he got himself 

 dried and dressed to his entire satisfaction. In the summer 

 time he would perform his ablutions in a stream in the fields, 

 if it suited his taste. 



The superstition connected with magpies is by no means 

 extinct in this country. One day I saw a woman coming 

 along the public road. Jack was sitting on a wall a little out 

 of sight, and when the woman was opposite he sent out one 

 or two Pica words. The poor woman gave a scream, followed 

 by some exclamation — malediction or benediction, I did not 

 catch which — and then ran as if she had heard the roar of the 

 lion or the howl of the wolf, instead of a chattering magpie. 

 When I parted with my feathered friend, I was gravely told 

 by a very decent and pious woman that I had done well in 

 giving away such a bad and unlucky bird. So you see that 

 Ignorance and her daughter Superstition die hard, even in 

 Presbyterian Scotland, let alone Catholic Ireland or Spain. 



At this meeting Dr Watson read a paper entitled "Eemedies 

 for Snake-bite," being a continuation of his former communi- 

 cation, " Eecent Eesearches on Snake-Poison." A cordial vote 

 of thanks was awarded Dr Watson for this second paper on 

 the interesting subject of snake-poisoning. 



VI.— BIRDS OF KINTAIL, ROSS-SHIRE. 



By Mr ARCHIBALD CRAIG. 



{Read March 2^, 1897.) 



In January 1889 it was my privilege to read before the 

 Society a paper treating of the scenery and archaeology of 

 Kintail and district, so that it will be unnecessary, save very 

 briefly, to refer again to the former, except in so far as it 



