376 SUMMER. 



cattle, engaged in capturing the flies that annoy them. 

 It is found farther to the north than many of the 

 summer birds. It has been heard in that beauti- 

 fully wooded district of Ross-shire, that lies between 

 the lofty summit of Ben Wyvis and its ramifications, 

 and the northern shore of the forth of Cromarty, and 

 in the lower part of the woods at Braan Castle, near 

 the bank of the Conon, which flows into that firth. 

 From the sheltered situation, the warmth, the richness 

 of the soil, and the abundance of wood and water, that 

 is indeed one of the richest ornithological districts in 

 the northern part of the island, and some of the 

 summer birds are found in abundance there, that are 

 comparatively rare in districts much farther to the 

 south. 



The goatsucker is among the latest of our summer 

 birds in its arrival, and it is one of the first to depart. 

 In the most southern districts of the country, it does 

 not arrive till the middle of May, and in the north it is 

 not met with till June. When they first arrive, they 

 utter a repetition of a querulous croaking sort of cry, 

 which is made when they are perched and not very 

 easily seen ; but that does not continue long, as they 

 soon become both invisible and silent in the clear light, 

 and fly hawking about, uttering their whirring or 

 buzzing sound in the evenings. 



The goatsucker is remarkably well adapted for con- 

 tinuous flight, its extent being great in proportion to the 

 weight. The length is about ten inches, and the 

 stretch of the wings not less than twenty, and yet the 

 bird does not weigh three ounces. The bill is small 

 and peculiar, the extent of the gape being out of all 



