CH. VI. KILL MALE OSPREY. 93 



that I shot him deliberately in cold blood as he sat. 

 He fell down the face of the rock, and lay at the 

 bottom perfectly dead. I then had to consider how 

 to get at him, and Fred seemed to be considering 

 the same thing, as, peering over the edge of the 

 precipice, he looked first at the dead bird and then 

 at me, with a countenance expressive of " There is 

 yonr bird now, but how are we to get at him ?" 

 This question, however, was soon settled by my 

 marking the place, and then, having made a con- 

 siderable detour, I managed to reach the spot. In 

 the meantime, Dunbar having shot both barrels at 

 the hen bird, she took her flight straight off to the 

 sea. After a short time she returned, but kept at 

 a wary distance, occasionally perching on the rocks, 

 but never remaining long in one place. It was a 

 curious sight from the high rocks, several hundred 

 yards above the loch, to watch the whole scene that 

 was acting below, and to see the long- winged bird 

 sailing to and fro almost immediately below my 

 feet, and yet far out of reach of shot. 



The sun began to sink below the seaward rocks, 

 lighting up only the highest summits of the hills to 

 the south of the lake. On the very highest pinnacle 

 of the rocks I saw several goats lying in different 

 picturesque attitudes, to catch the last sunbeams, 

 one old white fellow with venerable beard and long 



