BING-OTJZEL.
thai was left open, as we had taken out several large stones and built up the trap, together vrith a rabbit
recently shot, in the centre of the dry-stone wall *. It was improbable that the hail had proved the attraction,
as, Iwing fresh, it could not yet have produced maggots, often so fatal under similar circumstances in the
south to Dlaekbirds and Thrushes. There was little dotlht that the bird must have been forced to seek
shelter among the cracks in the ruins to escape the swoop of a Falcon or a Hawk. Peregrines from the
wild rocky cliffs further up the glen occasionally swept over the moors, and a Sparrow-liawk now and
then dashed out from the Moggcrnic woods, dealing death in his course while in search of prey; one
or other of these pitiless fireb niters was without doubt the cause of the mishap to the unfortunate Ouzel.
The Ring-Ouzel is evidently astir betimes in the nioruiug; while driving between Gnirloch and
Dingwall on the 17th of May, 1SIJH, we entered the Glen Docherty Pass, that lies a mile or so to the cast
end of Loch Maree, an hour and a half after midnight, and during the time spent in climbing the steep
and dangerous track cut in the rugged mountain-side these birds never ceased their plaintive calls till
we bad reached the high ground, though it was then not fairly daylight.
• A wall built nithout mortar, lhi> stum1* living .ItViTl; riti.'.l t •-••Lin r .LII.I In 1-1 in '.liar |.Lu'i-., w lu-ti n ,v*.- iry. by in-at.':! in lti«gv[M.