﻿INTEODUCTION. 
  

  

  17 
  

  

  The 
  coast 
  between 
  the 
  rivers 
  Dee 
  and 
  Don, 
  and 
  

   northwards 
  to 
  the 
  river 
  Ythan, 
  is 
  one 
  continuous 
  sheet 
  

   of 
  sand, 
  which 
  in 
  many 
  parts 
  is 
  blown 
  into 
  high 
  mounds 
  

   and 
  overgrown 
  with 
  bents, 
  grass, 
  and 
  whin. 
  Although 
  

   this 
  section 
  is 
  sterile 
  it 
  is 
  nevertheless 
  of 
  considerable 
  

   interest. 
  Amid 
  the 
  benty 
  hillocks, 
  the 
  Common 
  Tern 
  

   scrapes 
  its 
  shallow 
  nest 
  and 
  rears 
  its 
  young, 
  and 
  the 
  

   Ring 
  Plover 
  runs 
  nimbly 
  round 
  the 
  sandy 
  heaps 
  to 
  entice 
  

   intruders 
  from 
  its 
  treasures. 
  Here, 
  too, 
  for 
  a 
  time, 
  the 
  

   beautiful 
  Sand 
  Grouse 
  (Syrrhaptes 
  paradoxus) 
  took 
  up 
  its 
  

   residence 
  in 
  1888, 
  and 
  remained 
  and 
  flourished 
  until 
  the 
  

   end 
  of 
  the 
  season. 
  Among 
  the 
  bents 
  are 
  several 
  stoney 
  

   " 
  scaups 
  " 
  on 
  which 
  lie 
  heaps 
  of 
  flint 
  chippings 
  which 
  mark 
  

   the 
  resting-places 
  of 
  primitive 
  man. 
  Among 
  these 
  chippings 
  

   have 
  occasionally 
  been 
  found 
  fine 
  examples 
  of 
  his 
  art 
  in 
  

   the 
  shape 
  of 
  barbed 
  and 
  leaf-shaped 
  flint 
  arrows 
  (fairy 
  

   darts), 
  chisels, 
  and 
  cores, 
  and 
  also 
  the 
  " 
  anvils 
  " 
  of 
  water- 
  

   worn 
  stones 
  on 
  which 
  he 
  fashioned 
  them. 
  In 
  places 
  the 
  

   ground 
  is 
  marshy, 
  forming 
  a 
  haunt 
  for 
  the 
  Snipe 
  and 
  Wild 
  

   Duck. 
  At 
  others 
  the 
  hummocks 
  of 
  sand 
  are 
  perforated 
  

   by 
  rabbits, 
  in 
  whose 
  disused 
  burrows 
  the 
  Stock 
  Doves 
  have 
  

   of 
  late 
  years 
  made 
  their 
  nests. 
  At 
  others 
  again, 
  we 
  can 
  

   either 
  wander 
  into 
  tracks 
  where 
  nothing 
  but 
  high 
  hills 
  of 
  

   sand 
  surround 
  us, 
  with 
  not 
  a 
  bush 
  or 
  blade 
  of 
  green 
  to 
  

   relieve 
  the 
  dismal 
  prospect 
  ; 
  or 
  into 
  a 
  wilderness 
  of 
  stones 
  

   and 
  damp 
  sandy 
  clay, 
  with 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  an 
  outcrop 
  of 
  

   gneiss 
  or 
  granite. 
  On 
  the 
  sands, 
  well 
  within 
  tide 
  -mark 
  

   and 
  some 
  miles 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  Don, 
  lies 
  the 
  huge 
  

   "Black 
  -dog 
  Stane," 
  around 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  favourite 
  resting- 
  

   place 
  of 
  the 
  Sea 
  Gulls. 
  

  

  Such 
  is 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  line 
  until 
  the 
  

   Ythan 
  is 
  reached. 
  No 
  wood 
  or 
  tree 
  of 
  any 
  sort 
  exists 
  

   until 
  we 
  pass 
  some 
  way 
  beyond 
  the 
  eastern 
  edge 
  of 
  culti- 
  

   vation 
  ; 
  and 
  even 
  there, 
  only 
  small 
  clumps 
  of 
  plantations 
  

   are 
  seen. 
  Crossing 
  the 
  Ythan, 
  we 
  are 
  again 
  met 
  by 
  ground 
  

  

  