WHEN I WAS YOUNG 29 



bird rose and flew right overhead I killed it dead. 

 Now on a windy day, and it is usually a windy day 

 in Orkney, the report might have passed unnoticed, 

 but on this occasion the noise echoed far and wide 

 throughout the town, and many people standing on 

 the quays witnessed the illegal act, and I feared that 

 some meddlesome body might make trouble. Not 

 that I expected any of the fishermen or people of the 

 town, who all knew me well, would say anything, 

 but a local policeman or magistrate would be forced 

 to take notice. 



That night my old friend Sheriff Miller, who was 

 in Stromness for the day to try local cases, came 

 to dinner, and we had a pleasant meal. He was a 

 genial soul, and had even forgiven me on one occa- 

 sion when I had dropped a right and left at Red- 

 breasted Mergansers (at the Bridge of Waithe) on to 

 his head as he drove along the Kirkwall Road. 

 This had caused his horse to take fright and spill 

 him and his friends into a ditch. After a bottle of 

 port he became communicative, and looking at me 

 slyly he remarked 



" A ken fine what ye're here for, Muster Mullais, 

 but ye munna shoot in the harbour or I'll hae to 

 tak ye up." 



It was nicely put, and I took the hint in future. 



When I was quartered in Glasgow in 1888 I heard 

 that there were some flocks of Knots and Bar-tailed 

 Godwits on the Tay Estuary in June, and as I had 

 not specimens of my own shooting in summer 

 plumage, I spent a week there in their pursuit. 

 The Tay Estuary on both sides was carefully 

 watched by both coastguards and excisemen, so I 

 had a difficult time, and was chased on more than 



