48 LOCH CRERAN. 



One of the most shy and careful birds that enters 

 Loch Crerah is the Saw-bill (Merganser), and yet a mother 

 and four youngsters had entered the stream in front, and 

 passed up nearly to the road yesterday. The young birds 

 were full fledged, but small and backward, having 

 evidently been very late in making their appearance. 

 Indeed we never found the eggs of sea-fowl so late in any 

 season as this. 



Around the farm house the fields of grain are steadily 

 advancing towards maturity, and some days ago, ere the 

 colouring had become so marked as it now is, we noticed 

 near the dykes and close along the hedgerows stretches 

 of oats, whose heads were as white as their neighbour's 

 were green. That birds could cause such an extensive 

 devastation at first seemed impossible, but as these white, 

 grainless heads only bordered the haunts of the sparrows 

 and other smaller fry, we were gradually forced to accept 

 this conclusion. On pursuing the subject, we found a 

 shrewd neighbour cutting his hedges close, in order to 

 drive the birds awa-y, which was successful so far, as they 

 became alarmed at the open unsheltering condition of 

 their haunts, and " went over to a neighbour's ! " It was 

 curious to note how the birds kept mostly to the fringes 

 of the fields, whence they could give a short skip on to 

 the swaying ears, have a good feed, and then skip back 

 again. The ears thus cropped withered in the heat, 

 hence the different shade on the edges of the fields 

 compared with the natural green of the ears. 



Where have you got all those night-moths, and have 

 you been treacling the trees ? we ask a young friend and 

 entomologist. We learn, in reply, that he has not been 

 nearly so successful with treacle as with a natural trap 

 ready to his hand in multitudes in every field about. Me 



