To Mountain Tarn 



reference to weather records might fix the date. 

 Were the story apocryphal, it still bears out that 

 the osprey of this lake is not a thing of yesterday. 

 Where are traditions is a history ; and the history 

 is older than the life of the oldest inhabitant ere 

 it shades into tradition. In a note about 1860, 

 John Colquhoun relates how the ospreys of this 

 aerie "have been wantonly destroyed within the 

 last few years." This can scarcely refer to the 

 Gordon Gumming episode, in which is no talk of 

 the slaughter of the birds ; and shows that the 

 vandalism was not infrequent. On the whole, 

 they have been wonderfully faithful and forgetful 

 for ospreys. 



On the 3rd or 4th April the birds came back. 

 It was a beautiful sight to see them sail on to the 

 loch, and, after flying round it several times, sweep 

 down on the water. It was the first kill for the 

 season. So charming, so idyllic was it, that it 

 became an asset of the place. Those interested 

 largely advertised the home of the osprey, and 

 tempted the curious north, even at the forbidding 

 Easter season. Among the aesthetic who loved 

 to watch the evolutions, came naturalists, covet- 

 ous of skin or eggs. Therefore the somewhat 

 chequered history of the haunt. A hint to all true 

 friends to keep these matters as quiet as possible. 



The old birds set about repairing the nest. 

 Therein the eggs were laid, roundish of shape, 

 white of ground shade, blotched with a rich red- 



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