2, FIELD-NOTES FOR THE YEAR. CH. XXI. 



On the 4th of October, during the mild season of 

 1847, I found a pair of young woodpigeons in a 

 nest near the house. A few days afterwards they 

 were both dead, either from the old birds having 

 been killed, or from the coldness of one or two of 

 the succeeding days. The latest landrail that I 

 killed was on the 6th, and a fatter bird of any de- 

 scription I never saw. 



Three or four quails were killed at the beginning 

 (jf October, in the eastern part of the county. 

 During the month of May I constantly heard the 

 call of the old birds close to my house ; and we saw 

 them several times basking in the sun on one of the 

 gravel walks. 



On the 11th and 12th large flocks of wild geese 

 passed to the south. There was at the time a con- 

 siderable sprinkling of snow on the Ross-shire and 

 Sutherlandshire mountains. None of the grey or 

 bean-geese seemed to alight anywhere in this neigh- 

 bourhood during the autumn 3 but a flock of that very 

 beautiful species the white-fronted goose took up their 

 quarters about the fresh-water lakes. Being anxious 

 to procure one of these birds, I went the following day 

 to look for them. It is a long, tedious walk through 

 the wild, desolate country which bounds the sand-hills 

 to the westward, and separates them from the lochs 

 and swamps which the swans and geese frequent 



