404 BRITISH BIRDS. 



to my astonishment, on suddenly turning a corner, I 

 saw a Goosander ^ying rapidly towards me. I concealed 

 myself hurriedly, and the duck passed me at a distance of 

 a few feet. She was quacking in the same harsh but 

 curiously muffled way as I have before mentioned, but 

 unfortunately she disappeared before I could gain a spot 

 commanding a view of the entire gorge. This place was 

 only about three hundred yards from the nest described 

 above ; but I could not think that the duck belonging 

 to that one would be here alone after her eggs had been 

 taken, so I determined to come out at four o'clock on the 

 following morning and take up a suitable position to 

 watch for her. A wait of five hours, however, was 

 unavailing ; I saw no sign of the Goosander at all. My 

 search of the banks, a very difficult matter at this point, 

 seeing that they were heavily fringed with heather, and 

 that the rocks were very sheer, proved equally fruitless. 

 I got back almost exhausted, but arranged to go out with 

 the keeper early next morning to clear up the mystery. 



The morning broke bright and clear, and we started 

 off at 4.30. On reaching the point at which I had taken 

 the Goosander's nest a few days previously, the keeper 

 passed it unconcernedly, so I at once knew there was a 

 second nest close by. We crossed the stream almost 

 exactly where I had seen my bird disappear, and the 

 keeper then remarked, " This is the spot." We climbed 

 up the bank with considerable difficulty, but after a short 

 search came upon a large and very deep hole almost 

 concealed by a heavy fringe of heather. There were 

 half-a-dozen pieces of down scattered about, and im- 

 mediately I raised the heather fringe I heard the 

 Goosander hissing inside. The nest itself was about 

 seven feet in, and I caught the sitting duck, which was in 

 perfect plumage and condition, although the ten eggs 

 were within a few days of hatching, and the quantity of 

 down was considerable. The nesting hole was damp 

 and filthy, and had evidently been used for years, so that 

 I was surprised to find the duck so beautifully clean, the 



