80 WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS. [CHAP. Lx, 
sea-shore here. It is almost impossible to distinguish the nest of 
this bird, owing to her choosing some inequality of the rock to 
hide the outline of her building, which is composed of mud and 
clay of exactly the same colour as the rock itself. 
In fine, though some birds build a more simple and exposed 
nest than others, there are very few who do not take some pre- 
caution for its safety, or whose eggs and young do not resemble 
in colour the substances by which they are surrounded. The 
care of the common rabbit, in concealing and smoothing over 
the entrance of the hole where her young are deposited, is very 
remarkable, and doubtless saves them from the attacks of almost 
all their enemies, with the exception of the wily fox, whose fine 
scent enables him to discover their exact situation, and who in 
digging them out, instead of following the hole in his excavations, 
discovers the exact spot under which they are, and then digs 
down directly on them, thus saving himself a great deal of 
labour. 
The fox chooses the most unlikely places and holes to produce 
her young cubs in; generally in some deep and inaccessible earth, 
where no digging can get at them, owing to the intervention of 
rocks or roots of trees. I once, however, two years ago, found 
three young foxes about two days old, laid in a comfortable nest 
in some long heather, instead of the usual subterraneous situation 
which the old one generally makes choice of. Deer and roe fix 
upon the most lonely parts of the mountain or forest for the 
habitation of their fawns, before they have strength to follow 
their parents. I one day, some time ago, was watching a red-deer 
hind with my glass, whose proceedings I did not understand, till 
I saw that she was engaged in licking a newly-born calf. I 
walked up to the place, and as soon as the old deer saw me she 
gave her young one a slight tap with her hoof. The little crea- 
ture immediately laid itself down; and when I came up I found 
it lying with its head flat on the ground, its ears closely laid back, 
and with all the attempts at concealment that one sees in animals 
which have passed an apprenticeship to danger of some years, 
whereas it had evidently not known the world for more than an 
hour, being unable to run or escape. I lifted up the little crea- 
ture, being half inclined to carry it home in order to rear it. 
The mother stood at the distance of two hundred yards, stamping 
