104 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



EOCK DOVE. 



COLUMBA LI VI A, Temminck. 



Abundant all round the north coast, and in certain localities 

 in the west. As far as my own experience goes, the Rock Dove 

 prefers the caves of the mainland for breeding purposes, to those 

 of the small islands lying off the coast. In 1869 I saw two 

 pairs on one of the Badcall islands, which probably were breeding, 

 but I never observed any there before. Mr St. John considered 

 this bird to be very generally distributed along the north coast; 

 but it is more local on the west coast. * It is abundant at Stoir 

 Head. Mr St. John speaks of having met with " sandy-coloured 

 Rock Doves in the sea caves of Ross-shire and Cromarty (east), 

 but no other varieties," but does not state wliether he considered 

 these as partial albinos, or as varieties caused by interbreeding 

 with Dovecot Pigeons. This last, however, appears unlikely, as 

 only the sandy-coloured varieties were seen. I have searched in 

 other localities, where there could be no intermixing with Dovecot 

 Pigeons, for these sandy-coloured birds, but have never succeeded 

 in observing them. I may here remark that in Orkney, where 

 Rock Pigeons have abundant opportunity of mixing with Dovecot 

 Pigeons, they seem to keep very much apart from them, though 

 feeding in the same fields. Amongst the many met with along 

 the rocky shores of these islands, I do not remember observing a 

 single departure from the Wild Blue-rock. 



Order v., GALLINAE. Fam. ii, PHASIANIDAE. 



COMMON PHEASANT. 



PU AS I AN US COLCHICUS, Unnaeus. 



In 1841 the minister of Dornoch wrote: "As a proof of the 

 mildness of our climate. Pheasants have been recently introduced 

 at Skibo. They are doing well, and are likely to increase." ("Old 

 Statistical Account of Scotland," parish of Dornoch). Skibo, 

 as Mr Mackenzie informs me, is the only pldce where Pheasants 

 are numerous at the present day. 



In the west the lessee of the Loch Inver shootings introduced 

 them in 1869, by hatching the eggs under hens, and I heard 

 lately that they were promising very well. It remains 

 to be seen how they will breed in future years, the only cover 



