102 NATURAL HISTORY AND 



None of the grander birds of prey breed in 

 Bute. The sea eagle sometimes rests for a day or 

 two when wandering south, or returning to her 

 mountains again from a winter migration. I 

 have, however, never seen a single instance of 

 the peregrine falcon, the hen harrier,* the golden 

 eagle, or the buzzard, all of which were far from 

 uncommon in Mull. Until lately ravens used 

 annually to hatch on the precipices of North 

 Bute, but for the last four years they have de- 

 serted their rocks. Still, on the evening of an 

 autumn or winter shooting-day, I am often warn- 

 ed by an iron croak from the clouds that the 

 corbie was scenting the carrion, and, followed by 

 her young ones, had swooped across the Kyles 

 from the shaggy mountains of Cowal, to feast 

 them in security on the island prey. 



Of the accipitres, the only species I have veri- 

 fied in Bute are the sparrow-hawk and kestrel. 

 Once or twice I noticed in the distance what 

 might have been a female merlin; but as there 



* Last autumn I perceived a female hen harrier or ringtail 

 skirting the shore of the Kyles, but it soon flew across to 

 Argyllshire. 



