80 WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS. [CHAP. ix. 



sea-shore here. It is almost impossible to distinguish the nest of 

 this bird, owing to her choosing some inequality of the rock to 

 hide the outline of her building, which is composed of mud and 

 clay of exactly the same colour as the rock itself. 



In fine, though some birds build a more simple and exposed 

 nest than others, there are very few who do not take some pre- 

 caution for its safety, or whose eggs and young do not resemble 

 in colour the substances by which they are surrounded. The 

 care of the common rabbit, in concealing and smoothing over 

 the entrance of the hole where her young are deposited, is very 

 remarkable, and doubtless saves them from the attacks of almost 

 all their enemies, with the exception of the wily fox, whose fine 

 scent enables him to discover their exact situation, and who in 

 digging them out, instead of following the hole in his excavations, 

 discovers the exact spot under which they are, and then digs 

 down directly on them, thus saving himself a great deal of 

 labour. 



The fox chooses the most unlikely places and holes to produce 

 her young cubs in ; generally in some deep and inaccessible earth, 

 where no digging can get at them, owing to the intervention of 

 rocks or roots of trees. I once, however, two years ago, found 

 three young foxes about two days old, laid in a comfortable nest 

 in some long heather, instead of the usual subterraneous situation 

 which the old one generally makes choice of. Deer and roe fix 

 upon the most lonely parts of the mountain or forest for the 

 habitation of their fawns, before they have strength to follow 

 their parents. I one day, some time ago, was watching a red-deer 

 hind with my glass, whose proceedings I did not understand, till . 

 I saw that she was engaged in licking a newly-born calf. I 

 walked up to the place, and as soon as the old deer saw me she 

 gave her young one a slight tap with her hoof. The little crea- 

 ture immediately laid itself down ; and when I came up I found 

 it lying with its head flat on the ground, its ears closely laid back, 

 and with all the attempts at concealment that one sees in animals 

 which have passed an apprenticeship to danger of some years, 

 whereas it had evidently not known the world for more than an 

 hour, being unable to run or escape. I lifted up the little crea- 

 ture, being half inclined to carry it home in order to rear it. 

 The mother stood at the distance of two hundred yards, stamping 



