BIRDS. 



231 



these points. Congestion at these points would result in expan- 

 sion below them. 



In 1890 it would appear to have been very abundant indeed 

 in Upper Badenoch, as related to us by our friend Mr. Charles H. 

 Alston, who was residing there. He wrote of it in a list of the 

 birds which were observed there by himself and his son : — * Breed- 

 ing in large numbers ; one of the commonest birds, and noticed 

 considerably more than 1200 feet above sea-level.' We think the 

 note a most interesting link in our chain of evidence as to the 

 direction in which or from whence this sudden invasion took place. 

 Shortly to recapitulate : — First, Mr. Arthur H. ^lacpherson noted 

 the * extraordinary number of Redstarts observed at Ballachulish 

 in August 1890, whereas not a single bird was seen there five 

 years before ' (Zoologist, 1890, p. 437, and Scottish Naturalist, New 

 Series, 1891, vol. i. p. 43; also vide Fauna of Argyll, May 1892, 

 p. 58, footnote). Second, our next link is as related above by Mr. 

 C. H. Alston, far up the Spey in Badenoch. And our last link is 

 the increase down the Spey in 1891, as vouched for by Hinxman, 

 . Harvie-Brown, and many others. 



Surely after this example we have more claim to adhere to the 

 theory (!) of the great fly-line and lines of dispersal up and down 

 the Spey valley, and to sustain what is elsewhere said by us as to 

 the earlier arrival of certain species in spring near the head-waters 

 of our eastern watersheds than in the lower valleys. Of course we 

 do not adhere to it as a forced rule for even all woodland or land- 

 birds. What still remains to be accomplished is to ascertain the 

 principal fly-lines of each individual species. We hope we have 

 not wearied our readers by such great detail under this illustrative 

 example. 



Simply in order to carry our observations up to date of publi- 

 cation we add the following notes : — 



In 1893 we found the Redstart not rare amongst the forty- 

 year-old pines of the western portions of the Culbin Sands in April, 

 several pairs having been observed during a drive down the Cockle 

 Road, which leads to the shore opposite the old bar of Findhorn. 

 We also observed Redstarts down upon the delta of the Spey at 

 and below Fochabers, in August. At Fochabers it may be put 

 down as continually resident, even from our first record as given 

 by Mr. Foljambe when he was shooting tenant near there. 



