THE FIRTH OF FORTH. 17 



their long wings and preening their feathers in full 

 enjoyment of the noonday sun. 



Selecting the brightest coloured of the group, I 

 fired from a rest, and the bird dropped into the 

 waves, struggled for an instant on the top, then 

 recovered and plunged down, his companions 

 meanwhile flying out to sea. The boat being at 

 the other side of the island, was some time in com- 

 ing round, and either from the roughness of the 

 sea, or from the cormorant having found a hiding- 

 place on the shore, we never saw it again. 



During the remainder of the day we tried every 

 device, both on land and water, to procure at least 

 one female eider, but failed, neither of two very 

 distant chances from the boat being successful. 



Next morning, the breeze having died away into 

 a dead calm, we were reduced to " wooden sails," 

 a mode of progress and approach relished neither 

 by boatmen nor sea-fowl. At every curl on the 

 distant blue the former waved and whistled for a 

 breeze, but all in vain. They were forced to bend 

 their unwilling backs to a three-mile pull for 

 another search of Fiddery, with the poor prospect 

 of a random shot by the way. 

 B 



