CH. II. osprey's nest. 27 



pulling strongly against a head wind across the 

 loch. The female osprey allowed us to approach 

 . within two hundred yards or so, and then leaving 

 her nest, sailed upwards with a circling flight till 

 she joined her mate high above us. 



Having reached the rock, and with some diffi- 

 culty ascended to the nest, our disappointment may 

 be imagined when we found it empty. From the 

 old bird having remained on so long, we had made 

 sure of finding eggs in it. The nest itself, however, 

 was interesting to me, perched as it was on the 

 very summit of the rock, and composed of large 

 sticks, every one of which must have been a 

 heavy burden for a bird of the size of the osprey. 

 In the centre of the pile of sticks was a cup- 

 shaped hollow, the size of a boy's cap, lined with 

 moss and dead grass, and apparently quite ready 

 to receive eggs. It was of no use lamenting, so 

 we turned our boat towards the landing-place, and 

 drifted back quickly and in silence. Some hooded 

 crows, perceiving that both the ospreys were off 

 their nest, immediately made a dash towards it, 

 and I was much amused at seeing the skirmishing 

 between these mischievous and cunning marauders 

 and the two ospreys ; the latter fighting simply 

 pro aris et focis, having no eggs or young to defend; 

 while the crows fought lustily in the hope only of 



