CH. III. BIRDS OF LOCH MADDIE. 35 



one side of the valley to the other till the sounds 

 died away in an indistinct murmur. 



After emerging from this splendid strath we 

 arrived at the edge of a wide loch with many green 

 islands on it, called Loch Maddie. Here again we 

 put our boat afloat, and leaving our luggage, &c., 



under charge of Leo, while J fished, Mr. 



Dunbar and I went to search the islands in order 

 to discover what birds were breeding there. We 

 found several hooded crows' nests in the birch-trees 

 on the islands, where they had hitherto lived and 

 plundered in perfect security. However, we de- 

 stroyed their eggs and young without mercy, and 

 shot the birds themselves whenever and wherever 

 we could. 



The hooded crow is the only bird against whom 

 I wage constant and unpitying warfare ; I have so 

 constantly detected them destroying my most fa- 

 vom-ite birds and their eggs, that I have no pity on 

 them. We also found in these islands many nests of 

 the Grey lag goose. To make sure of the species 

 I shot some of the old birds, it having been rather 

 a disputed question amongst several of my friends 

 whether the goose breeding in this country is the 

 Grey lag {Anser ferus) or the Bean goose {Anser 

 segetum). All the geese on Loch Maddie were 

 the Grey lag ; indeed I never saw any of the Bean 



