BIRDS OF ARRAN. 289 



various birds of prey yet cast the shadow of their wings 

 the merlin, that swift and courageous, though diminutive 

 plunderer, that strikes fear into so many birds larger than 

 itself ; the hen harrier, quartering the heath with keen and 

 regular scrutiny; the buzzard, perched on some gray boulder, 

 on the watch for helpless quarry; and the short-eared owl, 

 coursing the ground in open day, being all suggestive of the 

 inland heather wastes. Here, too, the ground offers a favour- 

 able summer encampment for the golden plover, lapwing, 

 redshank, and dunlin; while the various mountain tarns, 

 such as Loch Ghnuis, Loch Tanna, Dubh Loch, and Loch 

 Cnoc, encourage numbers of ducks and other waterfowl, 

 besides a few sea-birds the greater and lesser black-backed 

 and common gulls being the chief inhabitants of these lonely 

 nurseries. Contrasted with such solitary abodes among the 

 dark and sombre mountains, the sandy shores and bays of 

 Arran form a pleasant resort; and on quiet days and calm 

 nights the shell-covered strands are sometimes crowded with 

 wading birds, whose noisy demeanour, as the tide recedes, 

 often causes the listener to wonder whence the babbling 

 sounds proceed. Sandpipers, redshanks, curlews, and gulls 

 all join in the general clamour. In some of the less fre- 

 quented sea lochs and bays, these piping hosts may be heard 

 even at midnight ; and when the sounds reach the ear from 

 a distance, the effect is not unpleasing. The caves, on the 

 other hand", which are numerous on both sides of the island, 

 are silent and gloomy the only voices from within being 

 the cooing of rock doves, almost inaudible, however, through 

 the sullen boom of the waves. A few cormorants are found 

 here, and in one or two instances the gentle martin builds 

 its nest on the cliffs close at hand. At the south end of the 

 island the shelldrake breeds, young and old, when gathered 

 together towards the close of summer, forming a conspicuous 

 congregation on the waters; and on hot and bright days, 

 when the sea is often like burnished gold, one of the best 

 bird sights on the Firth of Clyde is the appearance of small 



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