194 FIELD-NOTES FOR THE YEAR. CII. XIV. 



plants growing at the bottom, on the roots of which 

 plants they feed. Whenever I go that way there 

 are these swans surrounded by numbers of ducks, 

 widgeon, teal, &c., who are feeding with them and 

 looking out for the scraps and remnants of the 

 plants which they pull up. 



Day by day, at the beginning of March, the 

 brent geese seem to increase in numbers : they feed 

 on the grassy banks on the shores of the neck of 

 land called the " Bar." 



I drove over to Gordonston to shoot ducks on 

 Spynie. Although the lochs were crowded with birds, 

 the day was too fine and calm to enable me to kill 

 many. However, I managed to shoot a few mallards 

 and teal by rowing along and quietly in and out the 

 tall reeds which grow in patches on the lake. The 

 teal are now very lively, flying constantly in small 

 companies and keeping up a perpetual whistling. 

 The coots are always conspicuous amongst the other 

 wild fowl, swimming high in the water and moving 

 quickly about. On the islands I found several otter 

 seats in the rushes, where they appear to make 

 forms like hares. 



The keeper caught a beautiful male pochard 

 which had been wounded somewhere in the body, 

 but apparently was not much hurt, although dis- 

 abled fi'om flying. I took it home with me alive. 



