258 FIELD-NOTES FOR THE YEAR. CII. XVIII. 



parts near the sea, where the river has room to 

 spread itself out. 



One day towards the end of the month I went 

 with my two boys and a servant to shoot rabbits on 

 the ishmd formed by the junction of the Findhorn 

 and another stream near the sea. The river was so 

 low, in consequence of long-continued dry weather, 

 that we crossed it on foot at a shallow where the 

 water did not reach to our knees. The day was hot 

 and the air heavy and oppressive ; and although 

 we had not had a drop of rain, we heard loud thun- 

 der during the whole morning, and saw heavy black 

 clouds hanging in the west, over the mountains 

 through which the river runs. After idling about 

 some time and shooting a few rabbits, &c., we went 

 towards a small cottage built on the highest part of 

 the island, in order to speak to the people who in- 

 habited it. ^^'llilst standing close to the door, we 

 heard a sudden scream from a woman at work in 

 the little plot of garden, and looking round we at 

 once saw the cause. The river, as the woman em- 

 phatically expressed it, was " coming down." Over 

 a wide space of sand and shingle interspersed with 

 patches of broom and furze, where a few moments 

 before we had been hunting rabbits, there now 

 came rushing down a wall of muddy water, carrying 

 with it turf, stones, and trees, rolling over and over 



