WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS 



coarse grass or rushes, she lives in plenty and peace, till 

 her young having grown strong, and the frosts of winter 

 having commenced, the family remove, like their betters, 

 to the sea-side, passing over hill and valley in a straight 

 line, to some remembered rocks and caves, where the dam 

 has wintered before. 



Round the small hill-lake, too, are seen the tracks of the 

 fox and wild cat. Their nightly maraudings seem to lead 

 them always in the direction of water. During the heats of 

 August, when at a loss for grouse, I have always found it 

 a good plan to hunt round any lake that may be at hand — 

 as the old birds lead their young daily to the water's edge 

 to drink, and to pickup the small angular stones, numbers 

 of which are invariably found in the stomach of the grouse, 

 being probably necessary to grind down their dry and hard 

 food. The hen-harrier and falcon too, seem to hunt in these 

 places, knowing that if grouse fail them, they are sure to 

 find either a duck or snipe, or perhaps a large flock of 

 plovers huddled together on the pebbles which edge the 

 water. In fact, the mountain lake seems to be always a kind 

 of rendezvous for all wild animals; and I doubt if any grouse- 

 shooter or deer-stalker ever passes near their clear waters 

 without going out of his way to look along the margin, or 

 to refresh himself by gazing over the cool surface. 



When you are shooting, too, there is the inducement of 

 hoping to find a brood of ducks or teal, which few hill-lakes 

 are without. I have sometimes found great numbers of 

 these birds, collected in some quiet pool on the hills, in 

 August or September, before they have descended to feed 

 on the corn in the low country. 



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