288 Mr. Selby on the Quadrupeds and Birds 



No. XIV. — On the Quadrupeds and Birds inhabiting the County of Suther- 

 land, observed there during an Excursion in the Summer of the Year 1834. 

 By P. J. Selby, F. R. S. E., F. L. S., Sfc., 8fc. 



Read May 18, 1835. 



1 he following notices of the quadrupeds and birds inhabiting the county of 

 Sutherland, were made during an excursion to that interesting district in the 

 summer of 1834, expressly undertaken for the purpose of investigating its 

 zoological productions. To enable the party* to pursue this to the greatest 

 advantage, the sanction of the Duchess-Countess of Sutherland was re- 

 quested to the undertaking, and readily obtained ; and letters of introduction 

 from Mr. Loch, M. P., to the different factors upon the estate, procured the 

 assistance of those gentlemen whose local knowledge and information were 

 found of essential service in furthering the objects of the undertaking. 

 From Mr. Baigrie, in particular, the intelligent factor of the Scourie and 

 Assynt districts, much interesting information relating to the salmon fishery 

 was procured, as well as a detail of the experiments which for the last two 

 years have been, and are still in active operation at the various fisheries, to de- 

 termine facts of essential importance to the clearing up of the natural history 

 of the salmon and its congeners, especially of those species that are migra- 

 tory, or inhabit at times the salt as well as the fresh water ; but as the 

 ichthyology of the county has already engaged the pen of one of the party, 

 it is unnecessary to advert to it any further at present. The accuracy of 

 the lists, so far as they go, can be vouched for, the whole of the birds, with 

 the exception of the Scolopaw Gallinula, having come under the observation 



* The party consisted of Sir William Jardine, Mr. John Jardine, Dr. Greville, Mr. James 

 Wilson, and Mr. Selby. A light boat, suspended upon a four-wheeled carriage, and drawn 

 by two horses, was the conveyance adopted, and was found particularly useful and conve- 

 nient, in a country so intersected with lochs, but entirely destitute of boats. It could be 

 shipped or unshipped at any time with perfect ease, even by three of the party. 



