262 THE PURSUIT DEFEATED. CHAP, xm 



" In a few minutes we stood beside the young ones. 

 The spot I found to be only about three yards in 

 advance of where my attention was first attracted to 

 the apparently wounded bird. Having collected the 

 little downy things, and placed them in a hollow 

 among the sand, we again took our departure. In 

 doing so, what should we meet but my old friend the 

 Dotterel, which again commenced its former pranks ! 

 But no ! It was too late ; the truth had oozed out. 

 The bird had completely deceived me, and my friend 

 laughed heartily at my mistake." 



During one of Edward's visits to Crimond Manse, 

 to which some gentlemen of the neighbourhood had 

 been invited to meet him, Mr. Boy d, after dinner, when 

 the ladies had left the room, expressed his surprise 

 that something had not been done to enable Edward 

 to obtain more time to pursue his researches in 

 Natural History. The gentlemen present cordially 

 agreed with him. Mr. Boyd then proposed to insert 

 a notice in the Fraserburgh Advertiser, and to circulate 

 it extensively in the neighbourhood. The following 

 forms part of the article : 



" During the past month our district has been 

 visited by Mr. Edward from Banff, a Naturalist of no 

 mean attainments, and one who, we doubt not, will 

 soon bring himself into public notice, both by his 

 indefatigable researches into Natural Science, and his 

 valuable contributions to various scientific periodicals. 

 While there are few branches of Natural His- 



