CONTRIBUTION TO ORNITHOLOGY OF KINCARDINESHIRE 199 



COMMON SHELDRAKE. Breeds where suitable places occur, but not 

 a common species. 



WILD DUCK. Fairly abundant, and breeds on all the waters more 

 or less. Found about ditch sides often far from their breeding 

 haunts, both singly and in pairs. I often flush them during a 

 walk, and a pond within a few hundred yards of my windows 

 is a favourite resort in winter. At a farm near by, a duck has 

 settled on the mill-pond, and become quite friendly with the 

 ordinary Pekins and Aylesburys of the farm. It accompanies 

 the other ducks indoors, and is quite tame. I myself have a 

 drake which has kept the company of the barndoor fowls for 

 years, and never attempted to escape, which it might quite 

 readily do, as its wings are as nature framed them. 



COMMON TEAL. Widely distributed, and not rare. 



PINTAIL. Usually caught about the sea coast. One or two are 

 spoken of in rural parts, but the last recorded instance I have 

 is of a male shot at Johnshaven on 2oth November 1897. 



WIGEON. Breeds in Fordoun (M.}. 



TUFTED DUCK. Bred in Drumtochty Glen in 1899 (M.). 



WOOD PIGEON. The county being a barley-producing one, vast 

 flocks can be seen in the fields. Of late an attempt has been 

 made to thin their ranks. 



ROCK PIGEON. Colonies exist more or less all along the rocky sea 

 coast. Stray examples of dovecot Pigeons may occasionally be 

 seen flying out from the rocks, along with the true Blue Rock. 



STOCK DOVE. Mr. Milne has got the nest and eggs in Fordoun 

 parish. Otherwise I have heard of no record. 



PALLAS SAND GROUSE. "Irregular visitant," writes H. ; but in his 

 extended notes he indicates that the county had its full share 

 of the extraordinary irruption during the year 1863. There is 

 every reason also to believe the county was favoured by the 

 arrival of this rare bird during the summer of iSSS, when it 

 was noted in the other eastern counties. 



PHEASANT. Abundant all over the county. Large numbers are 

 annually hatched out under poultry. Kincardineshire is a 

 sporting domain, and hence owns plenty of game birds. 



PARTRIDGE. Same as Pheasant, and many nests are also hatched 

 out under barndoor fowls. The lower grounds of the Howe 

 are famed for yielding heavy bags of Partridges annually. 



QUAIL. One was shot at Laurencekirk nearly twenty years ago. I 

 saw the bird at the time. This is the only instance of its 

 appearance I can submit. 



