The Land of the Hills and the Glens 



other hand, searches actively for food among the seaweed 

 which has been left at high-water mark, so to him the state 

 of the tide is often a matter of supreme indifference. In 

 his feeding the habits of the turnstone are distinctive, and 

 he is well worth watching. The birds generally feed in 

 flocks, hunting with restless activity amongst the "wrack " 

 for the "sand fleas " which lurk therein. They are adepts 

 at turning over the weed, shoving energetically at a heavy 

 mass until they succeed in heaving, it over, and then rapidly 

 picking up the prizes that lie exposed. After the passing 

 of the turnstones a line of sea wrack has the appearance 

 of newly-turned hay, for the birds are nothing if not 

 thorough, and search the weed most carefully. Sometimes, 

 though less frequently, they overturn stones; hence, I 

 imagine, their name. 



The peregrine at all times haunts the shore lands of 

 the Minch, for his prey is varied Kere. I remember one 

 winter's day making my way along the rocky coast leading 

 to the remote crofters' settlement of Meal an Udrigil. Mist 

 lay on the hilltops and from time to time grey squalls of 

 driving snow swept across from Ben Airidh Char and the 

 big hills about Loch Maree. Suddenly there passed me, 

 flying at great speed and wildly scattered, a flock of rock 

 pigeons, and after them in hot haste a peregrine, grim of 

 aspect and eager in the chase. The thing that seemed to 

 me most remarkable in this fleeting picture was the fact that 

 a few of the pigeons, lagging somewhat behind the rest, were 

 actually flying at their utmost speed behind the peregrine, 

 as though endeavouring to overtake him. Evidently they 

 had completely lost what little sense they ever had, but it 

 looked ridiculous to see them deliberately courting disaster. 



From this wild headland it is good at such times to sit 

 in the shelter of some rocky hollow and view the great ex- 

 panse of ocean and hill country which unfolds itself. Great 

 waves roll in with deep roarings to the high caves, hollow- 

 sounding reports issuing from the caverns as the rush of 



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