114 THE PEREGRINE FALCON. 



the peregrines, eight or nine ravens come to that rock and roost 

 every night." " Are they not carrion crows ?" I doubtingly 

 said. " Oh, dear, no ! neither carrions nor hoodies, but the big, 

 glossy, black ravens. I shot two of them from the top last 

 Friday, as they were flying over, and they fell amongst these 

 huge boulders up there." We went up and gave a brief search 

 amongst the boulders, birch trees, and heather : but it was 

 afternoon : he had a long way to go over the mountains, and I 

 had a long journey before me, for I wanted to go round the head 

 of the loch by Gordon Bush Lodge and back by the other side 

 to the little town of Brora — about 20 miles. But I regretted 

 not finding the ravens, as I had not one in my collection at 

 home. On going a little further with him, I picked up a hooded 

 crow. " I stamped that fellow two days ago with a dead rabbit ; 

 you see its leg is broken," he said. From this I saw he knew 

 about birds. I told him I noticed some little grebes, or 

 dabchicks, on the loch. He pointed out some mergansers and 

 gooseanders, and some rare ducks, fishing in the loch, and said 

 they bred further up among the hills. He seemed to know the 

 different birds. "I am going to strike up here through the 

 wood," he said ; " but before I go I'll let you see a large red 

 deer stag lying dead. His leg was broken by a shot last year ; 

 but though we often saw him limping with others, he kept out 

 of range ever since." He showed me the broken bone of the 

 thigh, which Nature had united again, but left it weak, for the 

 stag was very thin — a penalty of so-called sport. This poor 

 animal had limped for a year; often seen, yet kept out of range ; 

 and at last had come to the sheltered side of this secluded loch 

 to die. My agreeable companion was an English gamekeeper. 

 His description of Carrol Rock, its vast height, and his inability 

 to reach the falcon's nest, reminded me of Wordsworth's lines 

 in his " Excursion " — 



" A pair of falcons, wheeling on the wing, 

 In clamorous agitation, round the crest 

 Of a tall rock — their airy citadel." 



Like all birds of prey (including the human ones), the 

 peregrine is a solitary bird, and carries on its depredations alone, 

 although in the breeding time a pair may be seen hunting 

 together, and their harsh screams heard in chorus. It is very 

 shy and difficult to shoot ; but when once its nest is known 

 they seldom escape, like those on Carrol Eock. The general 

 colour of the old bird is a deep bluish lead colour, barred with 

 black on the back, hence it was called the " blue hawk," and, 



