

APPENDIX. 331 



known to us. Some years ago one of the birds of this nest was 

 destroyed by a well-known writer on Highland sports ; since then the 

 remaining bird has not taken to itself another partner. In the east 

 there is no eyrie known to us in Sutherland, though one existed many 

 years ago on the Caithness side of the Ord. An albino variety of this 

 bird was killed at Aehinduich, in the parish of Lairg, in November 

 1S59. The last specimen we handled from this locality was killed in 

 spring, about the year 1872, at Kintradwell ; another, killed in the 

 spring of this year at Durness, came into Inverness for preservation. 



Osprey — Pandion haliactics (Linn.) 

 It is to be feared quite extinct as a breeding species. Old sites are 

 Ardvrack Castle, on Loch Assynt, and a " stack " of rock in a loch near 

 Guallin shooting -lodge. It was reported to have returned to this 

 latter site in 1SS1, but this was not corroborated ; the remains of this 

 old nest near Guallin were still visible in 1881. The Osprey was never 

 recorded as breeding anywhere in the east of the county, no doubt on 

 account of the lack of suitable sites. In 1834 Sir W. Jardine's party 

 saw four Ospreys on the wing at the same time, hovering over the 

 mouth of the Laxford river ; such a sight can never be witnessed there 

 now. In the third week of June 1S79, an Osprey haunted Loch Brora 

 for a week, and in May 1881, and again, in the same month of 18S3, we 

 saw an Osprey flying up the higher reaches of the Helmsdale. 



Iceland Falcon — Falco islandus (Gmel. ) 

 A rare visitant ; but has occurred on two occasions at least, once at 

 Sciberscross in 1868. This bird is preserved in the Dunrobin 

 Museum ; it appears, from a single feather examined, to have been a 

 bird in its second year's plumage, at all events an immature bird, of 

 about that age. The other was taken at Altnaharra, in the centre 

 of the county. There is a third in the collection of the late Mr. 

 Dunbar of Brawl. 



Peregrine Falcon — Falco pcregrinus (Gmel.) ■ 



Resident ; and still holds its ground, despite the incessant persecution it 

 receives from?keepers. This is the "Falcon" of the Highland keeper, 

 who rarely calls it by any other name ; being extremely difficult to 

 trap, the birds are generally shot during the nesting season. Some 

 eyries have been deserted in our recollection, while others again have 

 been formed ; the absence of suitable nesting-places make them rarer 

 in the east than the west. In the deer-forests of Dunrobin and Ben 

 Armine Feregrines are rather preserved than otherwise. 



Still fairly abundant in the west, and we know of about eight eyries 

 on the north and west coasts between Whiten Head and Loch Inver, and 

 about eight inland eyries in Assynt within a radius of ten miles. Not 

 much decreased of late years, though many are killed. 



Our experience in regard to this and other species of birds is, that 

 whenever the old ones are killed the old nesting-place is occupied the 

 next season by others, very probably young birds which have escaped 

 destruction in former years ; but the re-occupation of favourite breed- 

 ing haunts by many species, after temporary desertion, may possibly 

 be explained under certain phenomena of migration, and certain fixed 

 lines by which species travel. 



Hobby — Hypotriorchis subbutco (Linn. ) 

 Very rare visitant. One example was shot by a brother of Mr. Macleay 

 of Inverness, at Achany, many years ago, and sent to the late Mr. 

 Dunbar of Brawl Castle. 



Merlin — Falco ccsalon Gmel. ) 



Resident : partially migrant to coast-line ; common, but not so abundant 

 as formerly; still, certain haunts known in 1870 were occupied in 



