ROUGH NOTES IN SKYE AND EIGG. 419 



Once outside Meanish Point we saw plenty of Razorbills, 

 scattered about in parties of seven or eigbt. Many Puffins 

 paddled or "whirred " past tbe boat, only in pairs. Cormorants, of 

 course, flew by, and both Common and Black Guillemots were 

 there, the latter preponderating. Two Kittiwakes followed us, 

 looking out eagerly for scraps. 



May 12th was the first day on which we heard the Corn 

 Crake ; it was not until May 30th that we had a really good 

 opportunity of studying the method by which the Crake ventri- 

 loquises, twisting his neck rapidly from side to side. On June 

 1st the herd-boy, cutting grass in the garden, mowed within a few 

 incbes of a Crake's nest; at that time the female was shy, and 

 readily deserted her nine eggs, taking flight over the very high 

 garden-wall into the little patch of firs behind the house ; 

 gradually she became more loth to leave her precious charge, 

 and only scuttled off a few yards into a bed of nettles when 

 disturbed. 



The Cuckoo appeared on May 3rd, and sat for two days on a 

 stake, as if exhausted, only shifting its position to fly down and 

 pick up some grubs, always returning to one of the stakes. Two 

 males appeared to be all the escort that wooed that fair Cuckoo, 

 whose crepuscular " whittling " brought down such imprecations 

 from the Song Thrushes. The Cuckoos spent most of their 

 leisure in flirting about the only trees in the district, the above- 

 mentioned firs ; sometimes I saw one — the hen as I thought — on 

 the hill-side, hunting perchance for the nest of a Meadow Pipit; 

 or was she roving in search of the eggs of other birds ? 



Upon May 16th the head shepherd reported that a brood 

 of Corvus corax were on the point of flying ; the nest was built 

 on an inaccessible cliff, in Dibydale, so far away that our other 

 engagements, which prevented any but incidental observation of 

 birds, forced us to forego the pleasure of making their acquaint- 

 ance. Next day I learnt that a brood of four had been destroyed 

 at Greshornish ; the bird of darkness has few friends in Skye. 



On May 17th we enjoyed a long view of a fine Sea Eagle ; 

 when first espied from the top of our drag he was flying quite 

 low over the heath, but before I got within sixty yards of him he 

 rose to a considerable elevation ; he soared over tbe hill-side for 

 a minute or two, and then departed in an easterly direction. As 

 we touched at Arisaig, May 1 8th, previous to being landed by the 



