98 Among the Birds in Northern Shires. 



they were threatened with such a danger. A 

 favourite locality is on some small islet in the loch. 

 In some cases little or no nest is made, but in others 

 a substantial structure of grass, weeds, and stalks of 

 plants is formed. Very often the nest may be dis- 

 covered by the path the old birds make in going to 

 and from the water. The two eggs are much like 

 those of a Gull in colour, but are very elongated. 

 There can be little doubt that both these Divers 

 consume a vast n-umber of trout in the course of a 

 summer. But the supply of fish is almost inex- 

 haustible; we know lochs that literally teem with 

 trout. The fish, however, are very small and 

 scarcely worthy of the angler's attention. 



The Mallard or Wild Duck is another very com- 

 mon bird on these mountain lochs during summer, 

 especially on those that contain islands. Some of 

 these latter are clothed with a dense growth of 

 heath and gorse, and in such localities we have 

 known several nests within a radius of a few yards. 

 But the Wild Duck is one of the most cosmopolitan 

 of our indigenous birds, breeding almost as com- 

 monly in the extreme south of England amidst 

 pastoral surroundings, as in the Highlands where 

 its solitude is seldom disturbed save by a wandering 

 keeper or shepherd. Its nest, however, varies con- 

 siderably; neither is water essential to its location. 

 We have seen its nest amongst the bracken, far 



