CROSSBILLS BEAN GEESE PARTRIDGES. 129 



uttering its hoarse cry with a voice of brass. T saw one 

 to-day standing upright between the legs of a cow, and crying 

 boldly, as if perfectly aware that the cow was not an enemy. 



Whilst fishing in the upper parts of the river I saw 

 numbers of crossbills and siskins in the beautiful woods of 

 Dulsie. The nests of these two birds are scarcely ever found, 

 although they certainly breed plentifully in this country. 

 The siskin conceals its small nest with great care at some 

 distance from the ground, generally near the summit of a 

 spruce fir; while the crossbill places its nest, which it 

 assimilates as much as possible to the colour and texture of 

 the moss, on some good-sized horizontal branch of a fir-tree, 

 so that it is nearly invisible from below. 



When the season is late the fish are also late in taking the 

 fly. The natural fly does not come to maturity this year as 

 early as usual, in consequence of the herbage not having 

 come up ; and the want of flies on the water keeps the fish 

 from coming out to the streams and pools of the river, where 

 the angler expects them. 



There is much snow on the Monaghleahd mountains' this 

 year (1847) ; and in consequence of this melting gradually 

 from the heat of the noonday sun, the water rises at a certain 

 hour daily ; here, at Dulsie, the rise takes place about three 

 or four in the morning. Having risen for an hour or two, it 

 again falls to its usual level. 



May 6. The salmon-fry begin to appear. 



May 7. I observe a flock of bean geese in the bay, probably 

 the last I shall see this year, as it is time for them to be 

 nesting in the far north. On this day, also, the spotted fly- 

 catcher appeared in the garden, where it builds every year in 

 one of the apricot trees. 



During this month the oyster-catchers remain in larger 

 flocks than at any other time of the year, although many are 

 breeding far inland on the stony banks of the Findhorn, Spey, 

 and other rivers. 



The partridge covers its nest and eggs with perhaps greater 

 cunning than any other bird ; entirely concealing not only 

 the nest itself, but so disposing the surrounding grass that no 

 vestiges of its track to and fro can be seen : they commence 

 laying here about the 10th of May. The landrails are about 

 a week later. 



I have often observed that the black-headed gull eats a 

 great deal of corn in the newly sown fields ; and I now find 



