A SPUING WEEK IN THE WEST HIGHLANDS. 293 



the mossy banks at the water's edge, and a stray one occa- 

 sionally took a short flight from one little tarn to another, 

 piping its desert cry ; while numbers of curlews serenaded us 

 from the clouds with their pleasing mournful scream. 



When we had picked our steps through this boggy ground, 

 Loch Bah burst upon our view, and the eyrie itself was just 

 discernible upon the birch-tree in the islet. Peter's glass was 

 fixed, and the bird soon distinguished upon the nest. About 

 half a mile from the islet, and close to us, was the shallop, 

 which we were in the act of launching, when a sound, some- 

 thing between a " squeal " and a whistle, rose and died away 

 upon the still solitude. I had never heard anything like it 

 before so singularly plaintive. It had something of the mod- 

 ulated whistle of the buzzard or the kite, but was far more 

 sweet, soft, and musical, so fitted to the scenery and the place. 

 It seemed to rise in a low cadence from the shore, and then 

 melt into the clear air. " That's the otter," quoth Peter ; 

 " I've heerd them say he gie's a whustle sometimes." It was 

 soon apparent that he had guessed right, for the " whustle " 

 came next time from the loch, and a gentle break, followed 

 by its circles, showed where the otter had popped up its head, 

 after swimming under water from the shore. 



A difficult channel we had to steer through on our way to 

 the islet ; and although we changed our land pilot into a 

 water one, and placed him in the bow to boot, our skiff was 

 frequently bumped, and once nearly lifted clear of the water 

 by the numerous sunk rocks. 



All sitting birds face the wind, to prevent its ruffling their 

 feathers ; so, knowing where the eagle's head would be, we 

 attempted to come in behind her. But when we got half- 

 way, she flew off her eyrie and sat upon a tree, her white tail 

 shining like the silver moon. We were all watching her 

 when the other also flew off the nest and settled near his 

 mate. This did not look well for a shot the hen evidently 

 was not sitting. When we neared the islet, they both flew 



