14 TOUR IN SUTHERLAND. CH. 1. 



ject of pursuit amongst bird-stuffers and collectors, 

 and this, combined with the price offered for its 

 eggs by egg collectors, will soon entirely extirpate 

 it from all its present breeding-places. 



The cry of this diver is loud, peculiar, and mourn- 

 ful, and it has acquired the local name of rain-goose 

 among the Highlanders, owing to its habit of utter- 

 ing its croaking call with great perseverance before 

 rain or stormy weather. Its other local and Gaelic 

 names signify the loch hen, and the great loch hen, 

 in distinction to the red-throated diver, which is 

 also frequently found in this county. The latter 

 bird {Colymhus septentrionalis) is much commoner, 

 and is neither so large nor handsome a bird as the 

 former. It is also distinguished readily by the light 

 brownish red neck. The red-throated diver breeds 

 often near small pools and lochs, and lays its eggs 

 more frequently on the shore of the main land sur- 

 rounding the loch than on an island. It is not so 

 shy a bird as the black-throated diver, but not being 

 so much valued by collectors, has, I hope, a chance 

 of existing some time yet as an inhabitant of Britain 

 during the breeding season. 



I found that all the shepherds, gamekeepers, and 

 others in this remote part of the kingdom had 

 already ascertained the value of the eggs of this 

 and other rare birds, and were as eager to search 



