CH. VI. WHITEN HEAD. 83 



into Loch Hope when the river is tolerably high. 

 In a corner sheltered by rocks and birch-covered 

 banks is a solitary hut, where Mr. Hogarth's fisher- 

 men live during the fishing season, to be at hand 

 to attend to the nets laid in the sea at the mouth of 

 the river. This hut was on the other side of the 

 stream, which was then much swollen ; but a fisher- 

 man immediately came out and crossed in a boat 

 to where I was standing: it seeming quite an agree- 

 able surprise to him to have a human being to 

 speak to in that lonely spot. He complained of 

 the mischief done to his nets by seals ; and also said 

 that great numbers of otters were living about the 

 rocks near the river. The number of cormorants 

 was very great ; on firing off my gun on the top 

 of the rocks along the coast they flew out from 

 beneath my feet in scores. These birds and rock- 

 pigeons seemed the principal inhabitants of the 

 cliffs, with the exception of some pairs of ravens 

 and hooded crows. On Whiten Head different sea- 

 fowl and a pair of eagles breed every year. The 

 people say that the nest of the latter is quite inac- 

 cessible. The grouse seem nearly extinct about 

 this district, owing to the number of their enemies, 

 in the shape of winged and ground vermin. I was 

 delighted, however, with the song of the ring-ousel, 

 which was to be heard from every grove and clump 



