On Mountain and Loch. 95 



off in a slow laboured flight to a clump of trees, and 

 we saw it no more. As we previously stated, the 

 Osprey is one of our rarest raptorial birds. A hun- 

 dred years ago it is recorded as breeding in the Eng- 

 lish Lake district, whilst at a still more distant date 

 it is known to have nested on the south coast of 

 England. Although more than once thought by 

 competent observers to have become absolutely ex- 

 tinct as a breeding species in the British Islands, the 

 bird still lingers on and returns to nest in one or two 

 places in Scotland, the exact location of which its 

 best friends will desire to remain unpublished. Un- 

 fortunately, the Osprey is a summer migrant to our 

 area, and the poor birds in travelling to and from 

 their Highland haunts are exposed to much perse- 

 cution. A favourite situation for the eyrie of this 

 bird is an island in some secluded loch amongst the 

 mountains, and in some cases a ruin of some ancient 

 chieftain's stronghold supports the nest. There is 

 no more harmless bird of prey in Scotland, for its 

 food is composed exclusively of fish. 



The birds of these mountain lochs are all migra- 

 tory, visiting them chiefly in summer for the purpose 

 of rearing their young; whilst a few, chiefly Ducks, 

 may be met with in their vicinity during open weather 

 in winter. Of course these remarks apply only to 

 the fresh- water lochs amongst the hills; the sea- 

 water lochs have a perennial supply of birds, because 



