On Mountain and Loch. 8 r 



the remainder being constantly black, and when the 

 tail is closed of course concealed by the central pair. 



Ptarmigan are nothing near such noisy birds as 

 Red Grouse, and their usual note is a hoarse and 

 guttural croak. Otherwise there is much in their 

 economy of general resemblance. They pair in 

 spring, make a scanty nest upon the ground, and 

 their eggs very closely resemble those of the more 

 familiar species, but the markings are larger and not 

 so heavily dispersed characters that are in perfect 

 harmony with the different nature of the ground 

 upon which they rest. The eggs are generally laid 

 in May. Then again we remark the same tendency 

 to flock in autumn, as in the Red Grouse. As pre- 

 viously remarked, this single species practically ex- 

 hausts the resident avifauna of the mountain heights. 

 There are a few other species still to be noticed, but 

 none of them are confined to these localities, although 

 they may be met with in them at any season. Some 

 of these birds are migratory, others wander about 

 visiting lower ground, and are therefore in no sense 

 permanently indigenous to the mountain tops, or 

 even to their lower slopes. 



Dealing with the resident species first, we have 

 the two species of British Eagles that in spite of 

 persecution have managed to retain their place in 

 our avifauna. They owe their survival most pro- 

 bably to the inaccessibility of their haunts. Time 



(M618) F 



