BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 179 



the view been such as it is to-day. Due south, 

 Mount Keen (3,077 feet) and the Braid Cairn, a 

 few hundred feet lower, are comparatively free of 

 snow. The summit of Cloch-na-Ben is clearly seen, 

 as are also Kerloch and Cairn Mon Earn. Evidently 

 there is less wind further down the valley, for the 

 smoke of Banchory is lying above the village and 

 the North Sea is hidden by the smoke of Aberdeen. 

 It is the north and west, however, that supply 

 the grandest view. Due north, Ben Rinnes is 

 bathed a most glorious pink by the setting sun, 

 and here the sky is of surpassing loveliness. North- 

 west the blue is tinged with green ; this gradually 

 merges into dark blue, and still further east the 

 sky is tinged with pink. The Brown Cow (3,000 

 feet), between Gairn and Don, carries an immense 

 drift on its south side, locally known to the natives 

 as the " Brown Cow's White Calf." To the north- 

 west, about eleven miles distant, the road from 

 Cockbridge to Tomintoul is seen winding up the 

 hill and filled with huge drifts. Ben Avon and 

 Cairngorm are occasionally hidden by mist, and 

 at times the giant stones on the former's summit 

 are the only part of the mountain left visible. 



The setting sun shining on the westward 

 slopes of the hills to the north-west has a marvel- 

 lous effect, and we seem to be transported to a 

 fairy world. Above Strathdon the road appears to 

 carry a considerable depth of snow, but between 

 Dinnet and Donside the road is comparatively free 

 of drifts. Looking south-west, ice-bound Loch 

 Muick is seen nestling amongst the mountains, and 

 Lochnagar and the Cuidhe Crom make a beautiful 

 picture with the setting sun behind them. 



Suddenly a mist envelops the cairn behind which 



