ISO THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



history of the Loch an Eilein Ospreys, with occasional refer- 

 ences to their neighbours in Glenmore, drawing my informa- 

 tion from Harvie-Brown's book, from my own observation, 

 and from other available sources. 



It may be noted as somewhat curious that Lachlan Shaw's 

 History of the Province of Moray, 1775, has no mention 

 of the Osprey, though it contains a special chapter on the 

 Fauna. Also, in Sir John Sinclair's (old) Statistical Account 

 of Scotland, 1 79 1 -9, there is no mention of Ospreys, though 

 other birds are named. Much of Harvie-Brown's information 

 was obtained from Lewis Dunbar, who several times took 

 Ospreys' eggs at Loch an Eilein and at Glenmore. Dunbar 

 gave his information partly by word of mouth to Harvie- 

 Brown at Loch an Eilein in 1892, and partly in two manu- 

 script reports written in 18S6 and in 1892; his statements, 

 however, are not uniformly consistent among themselves, nor 

 do they always agree with written contemporary records 

 elsewhere ; it was, indeed, scarcely to be expected that he 

 would have precise and accurate recollection of all his nest 

 riflings. 



1804. The earliest record that I know of is in Colonel 

 Thornton's Sporting Tour; he heard of Ospreys at "Loch 

 Morlaix," in Glenmore, but apparently did not hear of them 

 at Loch an Eilein. 



1803. Mrs Smith (Elizabeth Grant), in Memoirs of a 

 Highland Lady, 1898, writes : " A low square tower at the end 

 of the ruin supported an eagle's nest. Often the birds rose 

 as we were watching their eyrie, and wheeled skimming over 

 the loch in search of the food required by the young eaglets, 

 who could be seen peeping over the pile of sticks that formed 

 their home." 



1824. John MacCulloch, the geologist, writing of the 

 Castle of Loch an Eilein, says, " The eagle has built his eyrie 

 on its walls." 



1842-8. Ospreys built on the ruined lodge at Loch 

 Morlich, seemingly the lodge on the south side of the Allt 

 Mor ; its ruins, or those of its successor, were cleared away 

 in 1906. 



1843. In this year Roualeyn Gordon-Cumming went to 



