194 FIELD-NOTES FOR THE YEAR. CH. XIV. 



plants growing at the bottom, on the roots of which 

 plants they feed. Whenever I go that way there 

 are these swans surrounded by numbers of ducks, 

 widgeon, teal, etc., who are feeding with them and 

 looking out for the scraps and remnants of the 

 plants which they pull up. 



Day by day, at the beginning of March, the 

 brent geese seem to increase in numbers : they feed 

 on the grassy banks on the shores of the neck of 

 land called the " Bar." 



I drove over to Gordonston to shoot ducks on 

 Spynie. Although the lochs were crowded with 

 birds the day was too fine and calm to enable me 

 to kill many. However, I managed to shoot a few 

 mallards and teal by rowing along and quietly in 

 and out the tall reeds which grow in patches on 

 the lake. The teal are now very lively, flying 

 constantly in small companies and keeping up a 

 perpetual whistling. The coots are always con- 

 spicuous amongst the other wild-fowl, swimming 

 high in the water and moving quickly about. On 

 the islands I found several otter seats in the rushes, 

 where they appear to make forms like hares. 



The keeper caught a beautiful male pochard 

 which had been wounded somewhere in the body, 

 but apparently was not much hurt, although dis- 

 abled from flying. I took it home with me alive, 



