252 



BIRDS. 



1882, that the Marsh Tit was observed among the spruce-trees 

 near Balmacaan, in the northern division of our area, in 1866 

 and 1867, by Mr. George Muirhead of Paxton. But, upon further 

 inquiry of Mr. George Muirhead, that gentleman wrote to us in 

 the following terms : — *Eef erring to your letter of the 10th inst., 

 I have now looked through my diaries for 1865-1867, and I regret 

 that I have not been able to find any reference in them about 

 the Marsh Tit. When I supplied the notes to Mr. Craig, I must 

 have added the Marsh Tit from recollection only, which (recollec- 

 tion) is that I was under the impression that I saw the bird amongst 

 some spruce firs^ on the right-hand side of the public road leading 

 from the parish church to the kennels at Balmacaan. I cannot 

 remember the time of year to which the note applied.' 



Edward has the very uncertain remark, 'Very seldom seen 

 among us,' and Norman's record at Forres is almost as unsatis- 

 factory. Hinxman thinks he recognised the species in Aber- 

 nethy in 1891. Dr. J. 0. Wilson omits it from his list of the 

 birds around Huntly, and we have no note nor record of it in the 

 whole Deveron valley. Buckley has never met with it anywhere 

 north of Inverness, and Harvie-Brown has never been successful in 

 finding it anywhere south of that town, although specially desirous 

 of doing so, and it has been omitted from every list as a breeding 

 species in any part of the Moray Basin until 1893. 



It remained, therefore, to Mr. William Evans to discover, first 

 the bird in 1891, and then its nest and eggs in 1893. During an 

 exploring tour in Strathspey he wrote {Scoitish Naturalist, January 

 1891 : 'One of the first birds to attract my attention during a 

 short walk in the neighbourhood of Kingussie . . . was the Marsh 

 Titmouse, and thereafter it was noted almost daily. They seemed 

 to have a great partiality for the birchwoods — indeed I never 

 observed them amongst any other kind of timber, — consequently 

 they were most plentiful on the north-west side of the river below 

 Kincraig. They were never alone, but joined with Blue Tits, Cole 

 Tits, and occasionally Gold Crests, in the formation of foraging 

 parties. In the woods below Baldow, and at Docharn, near Boat of 

 Garten, I have seen from seven to ten at a time. In no other 

 part of Scotland,' Mr. Evans continues, 'have I found the species 

 so abundant.' He also observed it in 1891 at Cromdale. Strange, 

 ^ A somewhat unusual location. 



