LOCH C RERAN. 



near hatching, were obtained, and the question of how to 

 keep them warm until the young men reached home was 

 cleverly solved by setting the young falcons on them. In 

 this way the eggs were successfully carried, and next day 

 the young sheldrakes made their appearance. As this 

 splendid duck readily accommodates itself to domestica- 

 tion, no doubt they will prove a handsome addition to 

 the surroundings of the mansion house. The peregrine 

 falcon has built upon the same clirf from time imme- 

 morial, and we question if ever its nest was robbed in a 

 similar manner. A boat's anchor and chain were carried 

 to the top of the cliff, and the anchor having been made 

 secure, the chain was thrown over the rock, and down 

 this the ingenious robbers descended to a point of van- 

 tage. We have seen the parent falcons frequenting the 

 neighbouring shores in an unsettled condition since, and 

 we suspect they are fixing upon another site for a home 

 on the mainland, where a fine cliff presents some distinct 

 advantage, although nearer a multitude of enemies than 

 the late location. 



We are actually being dried up, a very remarkable cir- 

 cumstance in our showery west, and water is by no 

 means readily obtainable even by the wandering poultry. 

 We lately observed a cow making most intelligent efforts 

 to reach the water at the bottom of a covered well ; this 

 she had uncovered, but whether she was ultimately suc- 

 cessful in her quest we could not wait to see. A duck 

 was standing on the stone edge of a rivulet, out of which 

 it was drinking the water quite nine inches below it. 

 The manner in which the bird balanced itself on the 

 edge of the stone, while it reached down for a billful of 

 water, swinging back, throwing up its head, and letting it 

 trickle down its throat, was most amusing. A duck is a 



