Professor Duns on Zoology of Mid-Lochaher. 1G5 



weathers. I have seen it, not only when the rain was 

 moderate or falling in drops, but when it seemed a heavy 

 plash, as if a whole lake was being emptied overhead. 



The cuckoo {Cuculus canorus). — "June 8, 1881 — Fort- 

 William fair-day. The fair is held in a field on Claggan 

 Moor, close to Nevis Bridge, and at the opening of Glen 

 Nevis — the river Nevis intervening between it and the 

 Cow Hill— Meall a Cruidhe— the height at the foot of 

 which the north end of the town is built. When admiriuL' 

 the exceeding beauty of the two-year-old West Highland 

 cattle, and the sagacious bearing of the fine collies, suddenly 

 the soft notes of more than one cuckoo were heard near at 

 hand — so near that they seemed in the crowd. It turned 

 out, however, that they were haunting the natural birches 

 on the other side of the Nevis." "June 11 — Two pretty 

 large birds in a clump of alder trees, a little below Glen 

 Nevis House. The day bright and beautiful — golden sun- 

 light bringing out the bright green of the alder foliage, and 

 making warm spots on the closely-cropped grass. The birds 

 seemed to be playfully following each other, dallying for a 

 moment on one tree, then hastening with fleet but silent 

 wing to another at a distance. I followed them with my 

 glass from tree to tree, convinced that I was looking at 

 cuckoos, but a good deal put out by notes I had never before 

 heard from this bird. For a time I was inclined to credit 

 the note to some other bird ; but one of them perched on the 

 branches a few yards from me, and uttered the peculiar notes 

 — notes liker than any I know to those which make up the 

 cry of the blackbird, when alarmed at twilight by the appear- 

 ance of cat or weasel, only slower and far mellower." " July 

 1 — Cuckoo seldom heard. Saw and heard one last evenino." 



o 



"July 15 — Near Banavie. A young cuckoo alighted on a 

 wire fence about four yards from me. After allowing me to 

 have a good look at it, it flew about tw^enty yards away. I 

 followed it with my glass, and saw it pick, once and again, 

 something from the heather tufts among which it had 

 alighted. I examined the heather about the place, but 

 saw neither insect nor caterpillar on which it might feed. 

 The bird was one of much beauty, the characteristic plumage 



