INVEEERNE. 80 



After labouring half the day, when the whole flock were all but 

 within shot of us, two large gulls came sailing over our heads, 

 and seeing us, they hovered over us, uttering cries of alarm 

 louder and louder, till the geese took fright and flew off. 

 Another chance I lost to-day from some curlews giving the 

 alarm. However, I killed one fine goose. Kestrel and grey 

 crows' eggs. 



April 26th. Saw two sand-martins to-day; the first of the 

 swallow kind that I have seen this year. I also heard some 

 terns calling in the bay. A great many geese flying to and fro 

 to the new sown fields. 



April 29th. In the fir wood beyond Kinloss we found the 

 nest of the long-eared owl, with one young bird above half-grown, 

 with the brightest yellow eyes, and one rotten egg. The owl had 

 apparently taken possession of an old crow's nest on the top of a 

 fir tree, in rather an open place of the wood. I saw a house 

 swallow to-day. 



It is curious how very unlike each other are the eggs of 

 some birds. The grey crow, for instance, whose nest we also 

 found in the same wood with four eggs. 



April 30th. A stormy, wild day. The wind in every 

 quarter. We caught a number of trout. The wild geese 

 appear to have mostly gone away. I saw but very few about 

 the bay to-day. The fieldfares have not yet all gone. 



