The Land of the Hills and the Glens 



could reach no tree nor even bush was to be seen ; even the 

 heather was stunted and weather-beaten from many struggles 

 with the forces of the winter gales. But desolate as it was, 

 the scene held that grandeur and beauty which only the 

 country of the hills can give, and so my walk was not a 

 lonely one as I made my way to the lochan. 



All wild geese in their habits are most wary of birds, 

 and among their tribe the white-fronted species are no 

 exception to this rule, so that a near view of them is by 

 no means easy. As it happens, however, to this lochan 

 there is one approach, from behind a slight knoll, which, if 

 followed with sufficient care, will lead the naturalist to within 

 a hundred yards of the loch, keeping him all the while 

 entirely hidden from the geese. Having arrived at the top 

 of the knoll, he may, by lying flat on the heather and using 

 the shelter of certain boulders, bring his glass into use and 

 study the birds at leisure, often, though not always, without 

 arousing their suspicions. 



On the day of which I write, as I peered cautiously round 

 a large stone, I had the pleasure of seeing a number of the 

 geese standing asleep on a rock which rose from the water 

 near the centre of the lochan. After a time they one by 

 one awakened, dropped into the water, and, having roused 

 themselves from their nap, commenced to feed on some 

 aquatic weed growing in the shallow water. After a while, 

 however, seeming to. tire of this, they left the loch, and, 

 walking in single file along the bank, plucked at the brown 

 grasses fringing the shore. All the time one of their number 

 stood motionless on guard, a strikingly alert figure with his 

 white forehead clearly visible against his sombre plumage 

 and the dark background behind him. 



At length, as the dusk was deepening, the geese rose in 

 a body from the lochan, and with hoarse cries made their 

 way into the sunset, doubtless setting their course for some 

 other feeding-ground well known to them. 



Soon after this day the weather changed, an3, with the 

 150 



