25 
This tract was first defined as one of the zoological provinces of 
Scotland in the Scottish Naturalist (Vol. L, p. 161), and dis- 
tinguished by the name of ‘ Dee,’ alike for brevity and to dis- 
tinguish it from the County of Aberdeen, with which it is not 
quite equivalent. The coast line runs from Catterline to Cullen. 
To gain a good knowledge of the distribution of our local fauna, 
it is expedient to sub-divide this tract, and this seems most 
naturally effected as follows, into 7 districts, viz:—The valley 
of the Dee containing 3 districts, the valley of the Don con- 
taining 2 districts, and the rest of the tract, 2.2, Buchan, contain- 
ing 2 districts. The valley of the Dee is well bounded in its 
western two-thirds by ranges of hills, which become lower and 
less marked as we go eastward, and may be said to end on the 
South at Catterline, and on the North in the Broadhill. It is 
most readily made out on any good map by including in it the 
district through which burns flow that fall into the Dee, or 
into the sea between these points. 
The basin of the Don has a short coast-line, viz., from the 
Broadhill to the Blackdog rock, but it widens considerably in- 
land; it may be traced out on a map by the streams falling into 
the Don, or into the sea in its short coast-line. 
Buchan is a low, flat country, with very few hills, well culti- 
vated, but with comparatively few trees. It is watered by the 
Ythan, by the Ugie, and by numerous shorter streams that fall 
into the sea. | 
_ The valley of the Dee, as a whole, contains little absolutely 
level ground. It may be advantageously sub-divided into a 
coast district (afterwards referred to as No. 1), a midland district 
(No. 2), and an alpine district (No. 3). The coast district may 
be taken as including a strip along the coast about five miles 
wide ; its fauna differs in some respect from that of the more 
inland regions. The coast of No. 1 is rocky, with one or two 
large bays, and numerous smaller inlets, precipitous in many 
places, but frequently with sheltered slopes covered with rank 
vegetation, eg., at Muchalls. The rocks are mostly gneiss, © 
with occasional trap dikes in the northern part, conglomerate 
near and South of Stonehaven. The 2nd district, with Banchory 
for its centre, extends up to within about two miles of Ballater. It 
is lowland and sub-alpine in character, and contains some moors 
of considerable extent, cultivated ground and woods, especially 
along the banks of the Dee. 
The 3rd district is sub-alpine and alpine in character, and no 
part of it is under 600 feet above the sea-level, while several of 
the, hills exceed 4000 feet in height above the sea-level. It is 
characterized by very extensive, moors, with forests of birch 
and fir along the slopes of the hills and narrow strips of cul- 
