280 THE MOOR AND THE LOCH. 



and we had gone over one field, and half the other, when the 

 young watcher halted and listened. I was instantly on my 

 guard, and heard for the first time in my life the " twit, twit, 

 twit," of the dotterel, and soon the company of twelve ca- 

 reered overhead at a great height. Contracting and lowering 

 their circles, they darted out of sight behind a knoll, and we 

 now felt sure they were snugly grounded in the same field 

 with ourselves. 



The younger assistant was on my left when we began the 

 search, which we had scarcely done when, only a gunshot 

 beyond him, he discovered the flock. A halt and sign 

 brought me to his side. Next me stood a brilliant male, 

 and the rest, a good deal scattered, were beyond him. Getting 

 the old cock in line with as many as possible, I fired a raking 

 charge out of my heavy duck-gun. He lay dead, as well as 

 a couple of hens on the further side of him. The rest wheeled 

 round and round high in the air, and again lighted in the same 

 field. The keeper noted the spot, and brought me up to it. 

 Again an old male was my aim ; but getting the group better 

 together, another cock and three hens fell to this discharge. 



The dog-cart was close at hand, so, selecting the two brightly- 

 plumaged cocks and two hens for my brother's collection and 

 iny own, I left Dunglass and returned to Edinburgh by the 

 middle of the afternoon, much gratified with so agreeable a 

 day, and the possession of so long coveted a prize. 



Another tantalising bird had eluded us for many years 

 viz., " the black-throated diver." We already possessed speci- 

 mens of the other two British divers the Great Northern or 

 Loon, and the Eed-throat or speckled diver both in spring 

 and winter plumage ; but black-throats, although pretty com- 

 mon on the northern lochs, are far more rare in the waters of 

 the central or western Highlands. During one of our fishing- 

 tours through the wilds of Sutherland, we learned that a pair 

 of these birds hatched yearly on a lochan a few miles from our 

 inn, and if we shot the male, the female, who had only begun 



