MARCH. SEA-TROUT — WILD-SWANS. 193 



CHAPTEE XIV. 



MARCH. 



Wild-swans — Loch of Spynie ; Wild-fowl on it — Pochard — 

 Carrion Crows — Death of Wild-swan — Domestication of 

 Wild-fowl ; flavour of— Arrival of Geese. 



Every day now shows the approach of spring. 

 The mallards are in pairs in all the pools near the 

 lakes, taking to the larger sheets of water only 

 during the daytime. My boys catch plenty of 

 sea-trout in the river; these fish rise better in the 

 month of March than at any other time. I have 

 seen for some time six wild-swans on one of the 

 lakes ; they appear to be of two different kinds, 

 three of them being much larger than the others. 

 The larger birds, too, are much more wary and 

 wild than the smaller ; at the head of them all is 

 the largest swan I ever saw. 



The swans frequent one particular lake, seldom 

 alighting on any other piece of water. This lake 

 is peculiarly open, and very difficult of approach, 

 which is doubtless one reason for their fixing on it : 

 another is, that in many places it is so shallow that 

 they can reach with their long necks the grassy 



vol. I. o 



