2 FIELD-NOTES FOR THE YEAR. CH. XXI. 



On the 4th of October, during the mild season of 

 1847, 1 found a pair of young wood-pigeons in a 

 nest near the house. A few days afterwards they 

 were both dead, either from the old birds having 

 been killed, or from the coldness of one or two of 

 the succeeding days. The latest landrail that I 

 killed was on the 6 th, and a fatter bird of any 

 description I never saw. 



Three or four quails were killed at the beginning 

 of October in the eastern part of the county. 

 During the month of May I constantly heard the 

 call of the old birds close to my house ; and we saw 

 them several times basking in the sun on one of the 

 gravel walks. 



On the 11th and 12th large flocks of wild-geese 

 passed to the south. There was at the time a con- 

 siderable sprinkling of snow on the Eoss-shire and 

 Sutherlandshire mountains. None of the gray or 

 bean-geese seemed to alight anywhere in this neigh- 

 bourhood during the autumn ; but a flock of that very 

 beautiful species the white-fronted goose took up 

 their quarters about the fresh- water lakes. Being 

 anxious to procure one of these birds, I went the 

 following day to look for them. It is a long, tedious 

 walk through the wild desolate country which 

 bounds the sandhills to the westward, and separates 

 them from the lochs and swamps which the swans 



