S56 WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS. [CHAP, xxxin. 



its grey and shadowy colour. So also is the colour of tlie wild 

 duck, partridge, and other birds who hatch on the ground, ex- 

 actly similar in its shade to the dry foliage amongst which they 

 sit insomuch so, that even when they are pointed out to one by 

 another person it is very difficult to distinguish these birds. 



How curiously quick is the instinct of birds in finding out 

 their food. Where peas or other favourite grain is sown, wood- 

 pigeons and tame pigeons immediately congregate. It is not 

 easy to ascertain from whence the former come, but the house- 

 pigeons have often been known to arrive in numbers on a new- 

 sown field, the very morning after the grain is laid down ; 

 although no pigeon-honse from which they could come exists 

 within several miles of the place. 



Put down a handful or two of unthrashed oat straw in almost 

 any situation near the sea-coast where there are wild ducks, and 

 they are sure to find it out the first or second night after it has 

 been left there. 



There are many almost incredible stories of the acuteness of 

 the raven's instinct in guiding it to the dead carcass of any large 

 animal, or even in leading it to the neighbourhood on the near 

 approach of death. I myself have known several instances of 

 the raven finding out dead bodies of animals in a very short 

 space of time. One instance struck me very much. I had 

 wounded a stag on a Wednesday. The following Friday I was 

 crossing the hills at some distance from the place, but in the 

 direction towards which the deer had gone. Two ravens passed 

 me, Hying in a steady straight course. Soon again two more flew 

 by, and two others followed, all coining from different directions, 

 but making direct for the same point. " 'Deed, Sir," said the 

 Highlander with me, " the corbies have just found the staig ; he 

 will be lying deail about the head of the muckle burn." By 

 tracing the course of the birds, we found that the man's con- 

 jecture was correct, as the deer was lying within a mile of 

 us, and the ravens were making for its carcass. The animal had 

 evidently only died the day before, but the birds had already 

 made their breakfast upon him, and were now on their way to 

 their evening meal. Though occasionally we had seen a pair of 

 ravens soaring high over head in that district, we never saw more 

 than that number ; but now there were some six or seven pairs 



