78 THE CAPERCAILLIE. 



from Falkland — the nearest place to Lathockar, where they 

 breed, being 20 miles off — Lathockar is 50 miles from O at 

 Taymonth, and about 38 miles from O at Tiilliallan ; but 

 from the nature of the intervening country it is improbable 

 that they came from the latter. There are only some 50 or 

 60 acres of suitable wood on Lathockar. Possibly also it 

 may have come from Lathirsk, 15 miles off. 



1877. The Capercaillie in 1877 appeared at quite a 

 number of localities in Fife, but from the insufficient acreage 

 or unsuitable character of most of the covers, I believe their 

 attempts at advance in this direction cannot be successful in 

 the immediate present. They appeared at Pitreavie, near 

 Dunfermline. Mr. Paterson of Dalnaglar, in Perthshire, 

 lessee of Pitreavie, writes that he saw two birds there about 

 the last week in November 1877, and a few days afterwards 

 Lord Eosebery shot a female at Dalmeny on the opposite 

 side of the Firth of Forth, in all probability one of the same 

 birds seen at Pitreavie, sliowing that the birds will cross water 

 if they can distinguish suitable forest land on the other side, 

 as I have already mentioned in my concluding remarks under 

 Perthshire. 



Other localities, where they appear for the first time in 

 1877 in Fife, are Auchtermuchty, Markinch — female seen — 

 Leven — female shot — Pitliver, and Scotscraig, and others. 



In the south-west part of Fife, as plantations increase in 

 size and number, we may look for an advance from the 

 somewhat isolated and fully-stocked districts of Tulliallan, 

 West Grange, and Brucefield, but scarcely before then. 



Had Glen Eagles, in the Ochils, been a forest-clad glen, 

 we might, with some certainty, have looked for an advance 

 throuu'li it from Perthshire. 



