44 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 



Plover still call as though they had nests, and 

 then all take wing together ; so, evidently, the 

 parental instinct remains strong within them. 



The average time for the Ptarmigan to begin 

 to lay is about May 2Oth, and they commence to 

 brood perhaps seven days later. Last year, on 

 the higher ground where they had got off compara- 

 tively lightly, they did not commence to sit until 

 June 4th, on which day I found three nests. Even 

 then, when the eggs were perfectly fresh, the birds 

 were sitting hard, so on returning a week later 

 I was enabled to secure an excellent photograph 

 of one of them on the nest. 



Along with my friend a famous bird photo- 

 grapher I set out for the hill at midnight, so 

 as to escape the heat of the sun during the long 

 climb that lay before us. Even at that hour the 

 heat was oppressive, and the birches were giving 

 off their delicious perfume. As we commenced the 

 climb, a Redstart suddenly uttered his song at 

 1.45 a.m., while the dawn was still grey. The 

 moon was rising behind the mountain to the south 

 of us and shining through the pines with beautiful 

 effect. By two o'clock it was broad daylight, and 

 the snow-clad Cairngorm Mountains stood out 

 to our west. About 3.30 the sun appeared above 

 the horizon, turning the snow to a reddish tinge 

 and lighting up the hills with a weird, unearthly 

 effect. The Grouse were now waking, and their 

 calls resounded on all sides. Crossing the first 

 snowfield we found it was quite hard, although 

 the atmosphere felt very far from frost. No one 

 who has never been on the mountains at this early 

 hour can have any idea of the deathly stillness 

 that prevails everything looks unreal, and one 



