CH. IV. WIDGEON ON LOCH NAVER. 61 



came within a yard of where I was sitting, and, 

 after looking up, they continued catching the small 

 water-insects, &c., on the weeds without minding 

 my presence in the least. 



After having apparently exhausted the food in 

 one pool, on a signal from the male they suddenly 

 both took wing, and flew away to a fresh feeding- 

 place two or three hundred yards off, where we 

 afterwards found them. Though we could not dis- 

 cover their nest, I have no doubt that they had eggs 

 very near the spot where we saw them. Indeed, on 

 dissecting the female we found two eggs in her, 

 nearly full-sized, so that probably she had already 

 deposited the other two, which would have made her 

 number complete. I find no account of this bird 

 breeding on the main land of Scotland. 



A great many widgeon breed about Loch Naver. 

 I saw several drakes sitting on the points of grass 

 running out into the lake, shining brightly in their 

 beautiful and variegated summer dress. I also 

 came upon an old duck-widgeon, who kept flutterino- 

 round my feet. On looking closely I found about 

 seven young widgeon two or three days old, very 

 like wild ducks of the same age, but having, instead 

 of the green colour of the young mallard, a kind of 

 reddish brown tinge over the whole of their down. 

 They soon scuttled away into the lake, and we 



