NAIRN. 101 



one, and appears to look most anxiously for it. The same thing 

 is observable with swans. If I kill one out of a pair of these 

 birds, the remaining one will not leave the place, but remains 

 hovering about, and returns constantly to the dead body of 

 its mate. 



I shot a female pochard to-day (one out of a flock). Presently 

 a drake of the same species leaves the main flock, and returning 

 to the place, hovers and swims about restlessly and eagerly, look- 

 ing for his companion. 



February llth. The larks begin to sing now. The corn- 

 buntings, etc. have altered their spring note for some time back. 

 Eennie caught a brent-goose that had probably been wounded 

 somewhere. The bird is in high plumage and health apparently, 

 and becomes very tame, feeding fearlessly close to the children. 

 I have observed the same of this species of goose before. 



February 26th. Thrushes singing for the past week. Great 

 many geese feeding in the mosses on the roots of a coarse 

 red-coloured grass. Larks and fieldfares in great flocks. 



March 5th. Wood-pigeons, thrushes, missel-thrushes, black- 

 birds, peewits, black-headed buntings, etc. etc. have been utter- 

 ing their spring notes for some days past. The teal collect 

 about the loch, and fly about a great deal, whistling constantly. 

 Five wild swans still frequent the loch, three much smaller than 

 the other two. The latter are companions of the one that I 

 killed last week. The frogs are now spawning in the ditches, 

 and the mallards are in every pool. 



March 1 1th. The brent-geese now are in very great numbers 

 on the seashore, feeding on the grasses that begin to grow. 

 I have not seen any swans on the lochs for some days. 



Bean-geese and white-fronted geese are now constantly seen 

 in small companies. 



The badgers seem very much on the move just now, as I see 

 their tracks everywhere, turning up the ground like pigs, both in 

 the woods and in the open grounds, particularly in the turnip 

 fields. 



March 22nd. Dabchicks in some pools. The first which 



