of the Island of Raasay. 505 



Sometimes, but rarely, they go to the fresh-water lochs. It 

 is extremely amusing to stalk them, and to fire a shot as they 

 rise from -the water. On one occasion three birds were on a 

 loch, and although I purposely avoided hitting them, at the 

 flash and report of the gun all three birds fell into the water 

 as if killed, diving at once for a long distance. If swimming, 

 they will dive at the flash, their sight is so keen. 



Long-tailed Duck. Harelda glacialis. 

 Fairly numerous on the coast during the winter, generally 

 some distance out at sea. 



Eider Duck. Somateria mollissima. 



I think that the numbers increase every year. A pair bred 

 in 1897, and had been sitting for some time on June 12th, 

 when the nest was found. Three pairs bred in June 1899. 

 The nests were placed in very exposed situations, among short 

 heather and stones. Unluckily, the Greater Black-backed 

 Gulls stole all the eggs or swallowed the young immediately 

 after they were hatched. 



Common Scoter. (Edemia nigra. 



A regular winter visitor, arriving in small flocks. 



Goosander. Mergus merganser. 



Rare, but a few are seen nearly every winter. One was 

 shot accidentally on January 5th, 1898, on a fresh-water loch 

 close to the sea. 



Red-breasted Merganser. Mergus serrator. 



Very common, nesting in numbers. In June 1899 there 

 were eight nests in a space of two hundred yards, and four 

 on a rocky islet covered with rough heather, about forty y arris 

 long by twenty broad, besides dozens along the coast-line. 

 This bird was also breeding on two fresh-water lochs. The 

 largest clutch of eggs seen was sixteen, but from nine to 

 eleven seems to be the usual number. On July 7th, 1901, 

 I saw a Greater Black-backed Gull worry a small flotilla of 

 newly-hatched Mergansers until they were utterly exhausted 

 and could dive no more, when two were rapidly picked up off 

 the sea and swallowed. Larus marinus causes much havoc 



