ORNITHOLOGICAL RAMBLES. 119 



allowed, along the undulating ridges of the Braes of 

 Harray. 



Having gained the scene of the previous day's 

 success, I at once struck off towards a higher elevation 

 of the mountain, and making up to a solitary cow-herd, 

 questioned him minutely as to whether any birds of 

 prey but more especially owls had come within his 

 recent observation. To all my queries he returned a 

 vacant negative ; but having heard from other sources 

 that these birds are known from time to time to 

 frequent and hunt about this portion of the island, and 

 are occasionally to be found resting lazily upon the 

 fern, I pursued my way undiscouraged, and determined 

 to work to the utmost every likely-looking piece of 

 ground within a somewhat undefined but widely- 

 extended beat. Crossing the topmost ridge, and on 

 the point of descending the opposite slope, I halted, in 

 order to distinguish and make choice of those places 

 where the heather flourished with the greatest 

 luxuriance, or wherever a patch of bracken, sheltered 

 by the rising ground from the ravages of the devas- 

 tating sea-blast, gave token of more advanced growth, 

 and waved its fresh young fronds obedient to the 

 gentlest gust. I here bagged a lovely specimen of the 

 golden plover, my attention being attracted to it by the 

 singular beauty and distinctness of its breast plumage ; 

 a broad irregular streak of a rich black hue, and 

 characteristic of the full maturitv of its summer 



