THE LOFODEN ISLANDS 229 



is successful or not, so that the bird has time to 

 look about and survey its surroundings. On this 

 occasion the two Goosanders were actually chasing 

 a small fish when I dashed from my perch, a huge 

 rock on the high road, but they raised their heads 

 before I had travelled far and caught me in the open 

 at forty-five yards, when a long shot was unsuccess- 

 ful. Two days later I noticed two Goosanders come 

 to the fresh-water burn and start fishing. With 

 some trouble I got to my former position, within 100 

 yards, and lay there, watching some chance to occur 

 whereby I could steal a further advance. I saw 

 the birds catch numerous small trout by swift 

 pursuit in the shallow water, their bodies being 

 still above water. Then they suddenly left the 

 burn mouth and commenced fishing along the lake- 

 edge. On my left was a large mound of heather, 

 and by running quickly round this I knew that if 

 the birds continued to feed on their present line 

 I should probably get an easy shot. So swiftly, 

 however, does the Goosander swim, that I had just 

 reached the water's edge under cover of the hill 

 when I saw one of the birds approaching within 

 easy shot. The second bird was far in the rear, 

 so I knew I must be content with one of them. My 

 quarry came on, hunting the shallows by dipping 

 his head to survey the bottom, and gave me an 

 easy chance at twenty-five yards, which resulted 

 in his immediate death. This was another old male 

 in full eclipse. 



On September 7th I lay behind a rock which 

 Golden-eyes often approached as they fed along 

 the Salt Lake shore. About two in the after- 

 noon two Goosanders came in from the sea and 



