Ttie Land of the Hills and the Glens 



equally unobtrusive and carefully concealed nest amongst 

 the short-cropped heather fringing lona's Sound. Known 

 as the twite, or mountain finch, its four or five eggs are of 

 a pale sky-blue ground colour, on which are set a few mark- 

 ings and spots of a very dark brown, so that the eggs are of 

 great beauty, and rival in their colouring the unclouded 

 summer sky. When the north wind cold even at this 

 season blows for days up the sound the spray from the 

 white-topped breakers is often carried across to the heather 

 where the mother twite broods her eggs, but her nest is 

 always built beyond the reach of the tide or the roughest 

 sea. In its habits there is much that is of interest in the 

 mountain finch. In the Hebrides and along the extreme 

 west coast of Scotland it makes its nest usually at sea level, 

 while in the more central districts of the country I have come 

 across it nesting on the highest hills, where, at a height 

 of three thousand feet and more, it has for its com- 

 panion only the mist-loving ptarmigan and the silent-flying 

 eagle. 



When the midsummer sun is strong on lona's sands, 

 and when the crofters' cattle have sought the shelter of the 

 cool rocks of Dun I, then it is that at times there can be 

 seen far out at sea a white bank of mist hiding from view 

 the distant Island of Tiree. Carried forward by the westerly 

 breeze, the doud approaches, and soon the white vapour 

 covers land and sea. For a time the sun gives battle to the 

 cloud, and now and again dispels the mist pall, but soon 

 the fog is so thick that even the Island of Mull is blotted 

 out. On such a summer's evening I have crossed the sound 

 when not a breath of air ruffled the waters, and when the 

 boil of the tide was the only thing that stirred. Gone were 

 the solans to fish elsewhere, and as the boat was pushed 

 out into the sound the shore faded away almost at once. 

 Many unfortunate bumble bees, having entirely lost their 

 bearings, flew aimlessly but hopefully towards the boat, 

 and when they were undeceived in their expectation that 



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