4 INTRODUCTION. 
our most lofty mountains, or cruising in a boat along the shores, 
where rocks and caves give a chance of finding sea-fowl and 
otters; at one time wandering over the desert sand-hills of 
Moray, where, on windy days, the light particles of drifting 
sand, driven like snow along the surface of the ground, are per- 
petually changing the outline and appearance of the district ; at 
another, among the swamps, in pursuit of wild ducks, or attack- 
ing fish in the rivers, or the grouse on the heather. 
For a naturalist, whether he be a scientific dissector and pre- 
server of birds, or simply a lover and observer of the habits and 
customs of the different fere nature, large and small, this dis- 
trict is a very desirable location, as there are very few birds or 
quadrupeds to be found in any part of Great Britain, who do 
not visit us during the course of the year, or, at any rate, are to 
be met with within a few hours’ drive. The bays and rivers 
attract all the migratory water-fowl, while the hills, woods, and 
corn-lands afford shelter and food to all the native wild birds 
and beasts. The vicinity too of the coast to the wild western 
countries of Europe is the cause of our being often visited by 
birds which are not strictly natives, nor regular visitors, but are 
driven by continued east winds from the fastnesses of the 
Swedish and Norwegian forests and mountains. 
To the collector of stuffed birds this county affords a greater 
variety of specimens than any other district in the kingdom, 
whilst the excellence of the climate and the variety of scenery 
make it inferior to none as a residence for the unoccupied 
person or the sportsman. 
Having thus described that spot of the globe which at present 
is my resting-place, I may as well add a few lines to enable my 
reader to become acquainted with myself, and that part of my 
belongings which will come into question in my descriptions of 
sporting, &c. To begin with myself, I am one of the unpro- 
ductive class of the genus Homo, who, having passed a few years 
amidst the active turmoil of cities, and in places where people do 
most delight to congregate, have at last settled down to live a 
busy kind of idle life. Communing much with the wild birds 
and beasts of our country, a hardy constitution and much leisure 
have enabled me to visit them in their own haunts, and to follow 
my sporting propensities without fear of the penalties which are 
