Wa7iderings of a Naturalist 



Dee showing for a few hundred yards down the precipitous 

 face of Braeriach before abruptly plunging beneath the snows, 

 which held it imprisoned throughout almost the whole of its 

 early course. 



It was shortly after sunrise that there commenced to form 

 away down in Glen Geusachan, far beneath us, a tiny wisp 

 of thin grey mist. Increasing steadily in size, the small 

 cloud, as it rose, caught the rays of the sun with fine effect. 

 Gradually filling Glen Geusachan, the cloud overflowed west 

 through the dip in the hills where lies Loch an Stuirteag, 

 wafted by the lightest of easterly breezes which had now 

 sprung up. At the same time a like cloud was forming in 

 the Garbh Choire, and away towards the south and south-west 

 similar clouds were lying in the valleys, especially towards the 

 Forest of Gaick. Although the air was apparently mild, a 

 keen frost was now binding the ground, so that the sphagnum 

 mosses were crisp under foot, and a layer of black ice was 

 formed on the water issuing from each snowfield, the snow 

 itself being as hard as iron to the foot. 



For some time past a cock ptarmigan had been croaking 

 from the boulders of Clais an t' Sabhaill. Evidently his mate 

 was brooding somewhere near, and the presence of intruders 

 was affording him no little anxiety. 



The sun was well above the horizon as we reached the 

 plateau of Braeriach, and the hill looked very fine in the 

 clear morning air, the young grasses contrasting strongly 

 with the granite-strewn plateau on which snowfields still 

 lingered. On the plateau an old hind was grazing on the 

 tender grasses. She was remarkably tame, allowing us to 

 approach to within a few yards, and then walking on ahead 

 of us with evident annoyance at being so unwarrantably dis- 

 turbed at her feeding; but after about fifteen minutes she 

 suddenly got a whiff of our wind, and with this confirmation 

 of the presence of her hated enemy she galloped instantly 

 across the shoulder of the hill and beyond our sight. 



By nine o'clock, from the precipices of Braeriach, the 



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