Dick's birdwatching discovery turns the cruise of the Sea Bear into a desperate chase. The Swallows and Amazons have to prove the facts of the case, and evade the natives and an egg-collector, determined to kill a pair of rare birds and steal the credit.
The Swallows, Amazons and Ds are united again for Arthur Ransome's final story in the series.Flat on his front, binoculars to his eyes, alone at dusk, Dick makes a remarkable discovery: two rare birds, never before seen in the British Isles. Captain Flint and his crew decide to consult an expert to confirm the discovery. But when the man they ask turns out to have his collector's eye on the birds' eggs, not to mention skins, an enjoyable voyage around the Outer Hebrides becomes a desperate race to save the birds, and themselves.