Wanderings of a Naturalist 



The grass, interspersed with clumps of the sweet-smelling bog 

 myrtle — that fragrant plant of the west — grew high round the 

 sheltered bay. 



All vegetation had suffered from a severe gale of north- 

 west wind on June 9 — ^a gale almost without precedent for 

 the season of the year — and even the leaves of the birches 

 were burnt red and the bog myrtle was stripped of its foliage. 

 On this island reed buntings rose before us anxiously, and 

 Arctic terns were nesting near the water's edge. Very cau- 

 tiously we approached the clump of furze bushes where the 

 scoter had her nest. The watcher had located the spot and 

 was searching the undergrowth carefully when the scoter 

 duck rose from her eggs, flying slowly up wind and giving 

 us an excellent view of herself in her subdued brown plumage 

 with a patch of greyish-white feathers on either cheek. She 

 settled on the water near, constantly raising her neck — a. 

 peculiarity of the species — and half-rising in the water. The 

 nest contained seven eggs of a rich cream colour, and there 

 was little down present, so I imagine the eggs were fairly 

 fresli. Indeed, the watcher informed me that he knew of 

 one pair of scoters the duck of which had not yet commenced 

 to brood. The scoter showed considerable anxiety for the 

 safety of her eggs and several times flew round the island, 

 reminding me of winter days on the north-east coast, where I 

 have watched companies of these birds feeding off-shore and 

 diving for hours on end at their fishing, or to avoiH the heavy 

 breakers churned up by a stiff north-easter. 



The storm continued unabated till evening, when the wind 

 veered north-west and fell somewhat, and woodcocks emerged 

 from the birches fringing the lough to indulge in their cus- 

 tomary evening flight. But before midnight the wind backed, 

 and when morning came a westerly gale was again sweeping 

 the lough, so that further search was impossible, and I 

 amused myself by watching the ringed plovers and redshanks 

 which had their broods near the house. 



Not many miles from the nesting ground of the scoter is 



42 



