{HE BIRD-LIFE OF THE SPEY VALLEY. 99 
usually in the shelter of a stone. As in the case of the 
snow-bunting, the fearlessness of these birds makes their 
nest a very difficult one to find, the female sometimes almost 
allowing herself to be stepped on before rising. 
Of so-called sea-birds, the oyster-catcher and black-headed 
gull have already been referred to. A few pairs of the lesser 
black-backed also frequent Loch Insh and the mid-reaches 
of Spey, and probably breed in the hill-mosses. <A stray 
cormorant has, on several occasions, been seen on Loch- 
an-Kilein, having, no doubt, followed up the course of the river 
from the sea. The common tern is sometimes seen hovering 
over the lower reaches of the river, and has been known to 
breed on sandy islets near Cromdale. It has also been 
observed high up in Glenlivet, and on the shores of Loch 
Morlich. 
The birds we have been considering are all constant 
residents or regular migratory visitors. The rare visitants 
recorded are very few. This may be chiefly owing to the 
fact that the valley of the Spey is not one of the lines of 
migration; the ranges of the Grampians acting as a barrier 
to the birds coming from the south, who prefer to take 
the easier route by the East Coast and along the south shore 
of the Moray Firth. Another reason may be found in the 
few resident naturalists or other persons qualified to identify 
and record unusual visitors. 
An interesting question arises in dealing with a district 
like the one we have been considering, with its divisions of 
wild country, preserved forests, and arable land. That is the 
effect of man on bird-life; whether directly, by the destruc- 
tion of so-called vermin, such as hawks and owls, and the 
preservation of game-birds; or indirectly, by the increase of 
many of the smaller birds in consequence of the destruction 
of their enemies. Man’s influence is also seen in the 
extension of plantations, which favour certain woodland 
birds; and also of cultivated areas, where others, especially 
of the graminivorous species, find food and surroundings to 
their liking. It is a matter of general observation that the 
number of small birds has very considerably increased during 
the last few years, whether owing to either of the causes I 
have just suggested, or to the working of the Wild Birds’ 
