154 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
would look for May-fly ‘‘ Creepers” in. We took our first Scaup’s 
nest here with eight eggs. Later on we got tired of finding Scaups’ 
nests. Longtail Ducks were not uncommon. Of Whimbrels’ nests 
we found plenty. One is noteworthy; it contained only three 
eggs, much incubated ; close beside the nest, which was on a 
tussock in a marsh, lay, in a small artificial heap, about a table- 
spoonful of small rounded pebbles, the size of peas, all of which 
must have been brought from the river, nearly a mile off. Perhaps 
they were a supply of accessory molars for the young birds when 
hatched. 
Whimbrel rise wild from the nest; or, more probably, 
slip off the nest unnoticed as soon as you are anywhere near 
them, and run some distance before taking wing. ‘The very 
broken nature of the ground, combined with the large number of 
other Whimbrels about, prevented our seeing them leave the 
nest, except on two occasions, on both of which we came upon 
them suddenly round a corner; from one nest C. saw the bird 
steal a few yards off, and §. walked on to a sitting bird, who 
flew off. 
Redshanks were not uncommon, but we did not take their eggs, 
if they had laid any. 
Snow Buntings were plentiful, and we obtained specimens of 
the young just able to fly. 
There were three Great Northern Divers on the lake. At the 
special request of the farmer, who has a personal interest in the 
trout of the lake, we shot the two males, which weighed 10} and 
13 lbs. respectively ; whereas two old and two fledgling Ravens 
weighed together only 113 lbs., the adult male just 4 lbs. 
S. will not forget in a hurry walking back to the farm that even- 
ing with his fishing-rod over his shoulder in its bag, and a Diver 
tied to one end and 14 lbs. of trout to the other, and the way 
they swung about and drove him wild. Nor will either of the 
travellers forget in a hurry the difficulty they had in skinning 
the Divers in the Smithy that night till 2 am., the exertion 
required being almost equal to skinning a bullock; smashing 
the wing-bones with great force and a crowbar; chopping 
the neck in two at the back of the head with a spade. Two 
days later the widowed female, whom we spared, had found a 
new mate. 
In addition to those mentioned above, we obtained here eggs 
