60 DEESIDE IN FEBRUAKY 



Among waterfowl there are different degrees of shy- 

 ness. Of the species that visit our Sanctuary Lake the 

 golden-eye (Glangula glaucion) is the most nervous, 

 showing in marked contrast in that respect to the 

 tufted duck (Fuligula cristata) and the pochard (F. 

 ferina), two species which so commonly swim together. 

 From a mixed flock of these diving ducks, the golden- 

 eye will take wing at the first sight of man, while the 

 others simply move away without showing any agitation. 



VIII 



No lover awaits the coming of his lady-love with more 

 Deoside in keenly palpitating anxiety than that which 

 February agitates the salmon-fisher in the days imme- 

 diately preceding the opening of a new season. Even 

 greybeards, whose most grievous complaint against the 

 calendar is the ever-increasing speed with which the 

 seasons slip by even greybeards, I say, are subject to 

 the same tremors of hope, misgiving, and fear as they 

 experienced when their chins were still smooth and 

 the sensation of hooking a salmon had parted with 

 none of its novelty. It was, therefore, with feelings of 

 like intensity that I awaited the sun to rise over Dee- 

 side on 12th February 1912. 



A fickle month is February. Of recent years it had 

 been the most wintry of the year, and in 1912 the 

 hardest frost of the season was reserved until January 

 had become a back number. But the cold spell was 

 brief; before the opening of the salmon-fishing Feb- 

 ruary was acting fully up to its reputation of Fill-dyke, 



