m
while I remained as long as I could tee, and finally joined them, just as a cold drifting nun, which BTeatoalhj
increased into a heavy downpour, set in. I had but little doubt that this would soon kill the young bird [a its
jiresent weak state.
" 22nil. As the trap had been set in the nest, and was so placed that the male oould not possibly gather the
eggs or young together without being taken, I did not think it necessary to he very early on the spot, and it
was nearly 11 A.M. Vfore we reached the tree. On mounting to the nest we found the young one, as I had
expected, quite dead and the trap unsprung. Having this morning more time to examine the locality, I
discovered, within the distance of seventy or eighty yards, a large dead tir that was evidently a favourite resort,
for the old birds. It is, I think, very probable, sini'c I had only a few momenta previously lost sigbl of the
male before shooting his mate, that he had by that time settled on thin tree; being so close at hand would
account for his having deserted the nest. Beneath the branches I found the remains of over thirty (irouse, a
few quite fresh ; but the great majority were only bare and w Catherine ten skeletons, and had evidently laid for
many months. Eeatliers, feet, w ings. and Iwines were scattered in all directions ; and the heather was, in some
parts, quite white with the droppings of the birds. There were no other remains or feathers (exi-ept, of course,
fhose plucked out by the birds while dressing their own plumage) ls-sides those of Qrouse. The tn-e, which
was somewhat singular in shape, must have been one of the oldest in the wood : at the height of about tea or
a dozen feet the huge stem divided into several large and widely-spreading limbs; in various parts of the
branches, and also in the trunk itself, were numbers of marks of Woodpeckers, the holes baring apparently
been lwred for many years. While WC wore waiting, I caught sight or n large bird settling in a Ins-, at the
distance of three or four hundred yards, in a dense part of the forest. Imagining it might possibly be the
Kite, I crawled, by means of a small gully, within range. On reaching the spot, however, it turned out to be
only a Heron, w h u h had pitched on its nest; a few of these birds are now and I lien found breeding singly in
the large woods in this part of the country.
" As there seemed no chance that the male would now return, wo removed the young bird and eggs, taking
also a portion of the upper part of the nest ; this, as usual, was constructed nidi dead twig- and small branches
of fir, while the lining was composed of moss, sheep's wool, a few pieces of old rag, and a quantity of scraps of
paper. In addition to numberless lorn and crumpled slips from various publications I could not make out,
there were scleral pages of a ' Bradshaw,' portions of the ' field,' 'Times,' ' Seolsman,' at d sonic w est .eon. it ry
paper, as w ell as a packet of tissue-paper neatly folded. Not the slightest remains of food were on t he nest.
" The two eggs varied considerably, one being a dirty greenish white, and the other marked nitli several
blotches and streaks of reddish brown ; the latter was just on the point of hatching, while the former was
atldled.
" The young bird had a long hairy tuft of white dow n on the top of the head; on the liaek the down was
of a dirly-hrown hue, and on the undcrparts white. The eye was not opned, but what could he discerned was
of a dull grey colour ; bill black, lightish tow arils the point; cere pale yellowish flesh ; legs aad bet pale
flesh.
" The female shot the previous day was a fair specimen, in the usual summer plumage. Eye very pale
lemon-yellow, circle bright yellow ; line yellow ; beak light horn, darker (almost black| towards point; legs
and feet ehrouic.yclloiv, nails black."
The Plate showing the nestling and eggs is taken from the almve-iuculioned specimens. Tin1 taxidermist
who preserved this interesting juvenile informed me that it was impossible to skin a bird so young and tender
in the usual manner; the work of removing the perishable portions was, I believe, somewhat complicated,
"187K, June 27lh. Drove up the glen and met the foresters, according to previous arrangements; then
pnweded several miles further north to a bothy ou the hills, where the horses nnd trap were put up. The
road we followed was particularly rough and uneven, and the country we passed through wild in the extreme.
well, though they resolutely refused to swallow a morsel unless placed in their mouths and foreed half down
their throats,
" J u l y l i r d . On again visiling the glen, t found the trap in the nest untouched; neither had any food
been brought
" Wo observed a single Kite hovering Off* an open moor a few miles distant; but although the keepers
while on their rounds had several limes passed within sight of the nest, they had noticed no bird in that
locality."
" 1S77. May 10th. Having sent a man the previous day to Qlendhu, in order to learn if the Kites were
breeding this season in their old quarters, I to-day received word that a pair had nested ¡11 a Scotch Br marked
to ho cut down. Among the rubbish in the nest, which contained three eggs, were the usual amount of old
rags and, in addition, a perfectly new pair of lady's cull's. I heard, however, of another pair or two of birds
which had been observed about twenty miles farther up the glen.
" 21st. Reached the lodge early in the afternoon, and shortly after set out through the forest to search
for the nest.
" On starling we were able to drive along a rough track, within about a mile and a half of the spot where
the birds had been usually seen. After leaving the trap, the ground was by no means easy travelling, being
covered with long coarse heather, interspersed with stunted hushes of juniper and bug-myrtle, and cut here
nnd there with small watercourses leading towards a stretch of marshy pools, that could he plainly seen through
the trees, at the distance of a mile or so to the north. The timber, which grew in small patches, three or four
or, possibly, half a dozen trees together, and occasionally an open spuee for a hundred yards or more, consisted
of large Scotch flrs, and here and there a birch. Owing to the open nature of the wood, it would be impossible
for the Kite to get on wing without being observed; consequently we were able to examine the ground
thoroughly without taking any very great amount of time for the work. We had not proceeded above a quarter
of a mile from where our search commenced, when I caught sight of an old bird just leaving the upper part of
a large thick tir. Uefore we could reach the spot, which was not above the distance of a couple of hundred
yards, the pair of Kites were circling high in the air, right above our heads. As soon as we stopped below the
nest, which was among the topmost branches of the tree1, both birds sailed right out of sight. Long spreading
limbs, almost down to the ground, rendered the work of climbing easy ; and on mounting to the nest, it was
found to contain one young bird just hatched and two eggs. Thinking that the female would he likely to return
as soon as possible, the nestling being so helpless, we collected a few rough branches, nod quickly constructed a
shelter against the stem of a large fallen tree, about five and thirty or forty yards distant. Then directing the
men to fake the most open track, I sent them hack over the brow of the hill to wait where the machine had
been left.
" I t was just 7 p.m. when 1 took up my station, and I had not long lost sight of the keepers when I
observed the two Kites coming from the direction in which they had disappeared.
"Having been built into my place of concealment almost too securely, I could only command a view
towards the tree cunlaiiling ihe nest ; occasionally, however, I caught a glimpse of one or other of the birds
soaring round and round at a considerable height above the wood. At last one settled on the far side of the
tree ; here i: remained for some time, turning its head in every direction, and apparent ly unwilling to approach
the nest too closely. I was just on the point of crawling from my shelter, in order to obtain a belter chance
of a shot, when the bird changed its position, exposing the whole of its breast; at this I immediately tired,
anil down it fell, as if perfectly dead, to the foot uf the tree. Just before I reached the spot, however, it rose
again, and dapped slowly away, requiring another barrel before it was secured. In the course of a few minutes
the keepers appeared on the scene ; and as the sun was now low, we set a trap in the nest, as I thought it
possible that the male bird might not come in till after dusk. The men then returned to their former station,