BIRDS. 



223 



In the portions of our area south of Inverness it is a summer 

 visitor, and very common, and occurs in the Cam districts, i.e. 

 up to an elevation of about 2000 feet, but is rare in the lower 

 valleys. Perhaps its most favourite zone for nesting purposes 

 lies between 1000 and 1600 feet. Nowhere perhaps in Scotland 

 is the Eing-Ouzel more plentiful than in these Cam districts of 

 Moray or among the foot-hills of the Cairngorms and Monadhliath 

 Mountains. But above 1000 feet the species may be said to be 

 universally abundant, becoming more conspicuous as the season 

 advances, and coming lower down as berries ripen in the hill-farai 

 gardens. They arrive around Elgin on their way to the hills as 

 early as March — Dr. Gordon gives the date as 22nd {Zool. 1850). 

 In July, before leaving, they feed greedily on juniper berries, 

 and there is very little doubt that the abundance of juniper all 

 through the light gravel soil of Spey and Findhorn offers these 

 birds exceptional inducements to populate the area. We observed 

 them very commonly around Tomatin,i on the Upper Findhorn, in 

 July 1891 — the Gaelic nameTomatin meaning, as we were assured, 

 the Hill of the Junipers — but all over the area Ring-Ouzels are 

 almost universally abundant where nesting and feeding conditions 

 are favourable. They are rarely seen about Forres, no doubt 

 passing on swiftly on migration. Mr. 0. A. J. Lee,'- however, 

 has seen the nest in a tuft of grass on a bank among the sandhills 

 in that locality. 



Around the high levels of Tomintoul and Dalwhinnie almost 

 every stony patch on the hillsides up to the 1600 feet elevation 

 may be said to be frequented by a pair, and both up and down the 

 valley of the Truim, ' and — by the 20th of July — the plantations at 

 Dalwhinnie swarmed with the young, but by the following day, 

 apparently, they had all moved on migration ' (J. Backhouse). It is 

 considered rare along Strathspey, but commoner in the higher 



1 Tomatin is a name of Gaelic origin signifying 'the hill of the Junipers,' aietcil 

 and aiteal being Argyllshire Gaelic, as understood by Lachlan M'Bean, Esq. of 

 Tomatin, and the local name at Tomatin being Aietein. Certainly the abundance 

 and luxuriance of the junipers all along the Findhorn valley is remarkable — in fact 

 quite a feature of the dry drifts of gravel and shingle found over nearly the whole 

 drift portions of our area south of Inverness. 



- O. A. J. Lee, Esq. , resided at Kincorth House near Forres, during the summer 

 and autumn of 1887, and we arc indebted to him for many valuable and original 

 notes, as well as a series of lovely photographs of birds' nests and eggs. 



