OSPREY. 



told that the loch they fished in was six miles off. I never saw 

 them fish in the little loch beside the nest. After several hours 

 spent in observing them we took a walk through the woods, and 

 admired the noble old Scotch firs. To judge by the number of 

 rings on the stem of one tree that had been cut down and sawn 

 across, they must have been over a hundred years old. They 

 seemed to have grown very slowly for the first twenty years or 

 so (an encouraging fact to those who have young plantations), 

 then the rings became rapidly, but irregularly, thicker, showing 

 that they must have grown much more in some years than in 

 others. 



We spent the night at the manse, where we were hospitably 

 entertained by the Kev. Mr Macdougal, the minister of Eothie- 

 murchus. Next morning, having some time to spare before the 

 departure of the train, we returned to our post of observation at 

 Loch an Eilein. In a little while we saw the two young birds 

 take flight and forsake the nest, probably for altogether. We 

 were very glad we had lost no time in coming to see them. Had 

 we been a day later we should have missed seeing them at all. 



The loch is a very small one, and the castle not far from 

 the shore, so it was easy to see the nest and observe the habits of 

 the birds. For the more minute details I had a good opera glass. 

 I am told they have built there for many years, though driven 

 away sometimes owing to the nest being harried, but they returned 

 the following year ; and in the case of one of them being killed, 

 the other found a second mate. The proprietor took all the care 

 he could to protect them from unconscientious naturalists, or 

 avaricious egg dealers. 



