TRACKS OF OTTERS. 285 



personal inclinations tended rather to otter-hunting and 

 such-like pursuits than to grouse-shooting ; but his nose was 

 so good and his intelligence so great that in cover-shooting 

 and rough work he was invaluable. Pointers would have 

 been useless for ptarmigan in the then state of the ground ; 

 and I also thought it not unlikely that we might fall in with 

 the track of an otter or wild cat during our walk up the 

 river side. 



As soon as we emerged from the woods a beautiful sight 

 opened to us; the morning sun, although not yet visible, 

 tinged the mountain tops to the west, their snow-covered 

 summits shining with all the varied colours of the rainbow : 

 soon, however, the bright sun of a frosty winter's day rose 

 behind us, making the old birch-trees which grew on the 

 slopes above the river throw out their dark shadows on the 

 snow. Here and there a roebuck or two " stotted " (to use 

 Donald's favourite expression) over the turf wall into the 

 shelter of the fir- woods, out of which we had just come ; the 

 grouse-cocks were crowing on the juniper-covered hillocks, 

 which showed their lively green above the surrounding 

 snow; and the black-cocks launched themselves off the 

 birch-trees, where they seemed to have been awaiting the 

 first rays of the morning sun. Everything around us was 

 full of beauty ; and dreary as a mountainous country is when 

 covered with snow, still it is magnificent, varied, too, as it 

 now was, by wood and water and numerous living creatures, 

 all appearing to be in as full enjoyment of life as if it had 

 been a genial morning in May instead of a most orthodox 

 Christmas-like day. The grey crows were just going forth in 

 pairs from the woods, calling to each other with loud ringing 

 cries, and all bending their way straight to one point, where, 

 as we afterwards found, two drowned sheep had been cast 

 ashore in a bend of the river. 



We walked on, and soon came across the tracks of two or 

 three otters, where they had been going in and out of the 

 water on their way up stream, after fishing in the deep pools 

 where the two waters met near the house. These pools are 

 favourite resting-places for salmon and sea-trout, and there- 

 fore are sure to be frequented by the otters. 



Opposite to a strip of birch-trees one of the largest otters 

 seemed to have left the river, and to have made for a well- 

 known cairn of stones, where I had before found both 

 marten-cat and otter. Half-way up the brae he had entered 

 19 



