218 



BIRDS. 



young are hatched and flying they take more to the fields, re- 

 appearing the first fine days of spring about the houses. In 

 summer they ascend most of the glens, and we have notes of 

 them from Glen Cannich, Glen Affric, Guisachan, and Invergarry. 



Notes of this species are not abundant in the O.S.A.^ and, 

 indeed, the parish of Mortlach is the only locality with a positive 

 record — most of which parish is on the watershed of Spey, but also 

 a small portion on Deveron. It was common in Edward's time, 

 but was supposed by him, even then, to be getting gradually super- 

 seded by the Missel-Thrush. 



Dr. Gordon speaks of it as abundant in plantations as long ago 

 as 1843, but says nothing of its increase in the reprint of his 

 Fauna in 1889. 



In 1881 Song-Thrushes suffered a severe loss in numbers — or, 

 otherwise, in the extent of their distributional area, — on account 

 of the severe winters of 1878-79, 1879-80,1 and 1880-81. Missel 

 Thrushes suffered also, but have apparently recovered more rapidly, 

 and now outnumber this species over the whole Moray basin. A 

 decrease of the latter and increase of the larger species was how- 

 ever taken notice of, as we have seen, as early as the time of 

 Edward's notes, in the neighbourhood of Banff and within the 

 Deveron watershed, so we may perhaps look upon the Missel 

 Thrush as the more assertive species. After the severe winters 

 above mentioned, the Song-Thrush entirely disappeared from many 

 localities, and generally from the areas exposed to the east, and re- 

 treated from the upper Cam districts; and even by 1882 it was com- 

 mon only in the more sheltered and heavily-timbered valleys and 

 tracts, such as along the main valley of the Spey through its lower 

 reaches, and the deep wooded valleys of Spey's southern tributaries. 



By 1884 it had once more become abundant at most of its old 

 haunts, even high up the valleys of the Carn districts and north of 

 Spey, among the foot-hills and earns surrounding the upper waters 

 of Spey's northern tributaries, and has been reported as again on the 

 increase even as high up as upper Glenlivet, at elevations of 1160 

 or more feet above the sea. Down to date of 1894 it has steadily 

 been extending its altitudinal range among the hills and minor 



^ The -winter of 1879-80 was short, sharp, sudden, and very severe while it lasted, 

 and told severely, even in its short course, upon several forms of bird-life, as our 

 J ournals and Natural History Records show. 



