256 



BIRDS. 



than along the banks of the Upper Nethy from Forest Lodge, up 

 as far as the old pine reaches, and from that through the Sluggan 

 Pass of Abernethy into and along Glen More and Loch Morlich 

 side, continuing at intervals down as far as Aviemore, wherever 

 suitable ground and shelter is afforded. They stretch across 

 Spey to the west bank, and over into the old wood of Crannach 

 near Dulnan. They are supposed to be increasing ; but increase 

 or decrease must depend greatly upon changes in forest-growth 

 and the amount of old and decaying pine and other timber 

 which remains to afford secure and suitable nesting sites. As 

 early as the days of Latham and Montagu the Crested Tit is 

 quoted as inhabiting the pine woods of Glen More. Gray mentions 

 the county of Eoss as affording nest-hold for the species, but we 

 have been unable to obtain any recent data for localities so far 

 out of the Spey valley, and we find that Mr. A. MacDonald, in a 

 letter to Harvie-Brown, dated April 4th, 1871, gives a distinct 

 negative to its nesting in the east of that county, or, according 

 to the best of his belief, anywhere to the north of Inverness. 

 This was at the time he was assiduously collecting for Hancock 

 of Newcastle. An extension into the woods of Cawdor was 

 reported to Lord Cawdor by Mr. Robertson, factor there — suc- 

 cessor of the late Mr. Stables, and Lord Cawdor informed Mr. 

 William Reid of Nairn ^ that it was seen near Cawdor Castle lately, 

 a statement which Mr. Reid said is ' sure to be correct.' As yet, 

 however, we have no positive record from the valley of the Find- 

 horn, which lies between the Nairn valley where Cawdor Castle 

 woods are situated, and the Spey, except at the old Crannach 

 woods, above and around Carr Bridge and Dalnahaitnach, at an 

 elevation of some 900 feet. The foregoing refers to its distribu- 

 tion in the nesting season. The autumn and winter distribu- 

 tion is a good deal more general, and a few pairs may usually be 

 found consorting with other members of the genus, but they 

 seldom seem to wander beyond the confines of their native strath. 



We have pretty accurately, we believe, written down in our 

 note-books the exact distribution of the colony of Crested Tits in 

 Scotland, and it is not necessary to go into further details than we 

 have already given, but it may interest naturalists of the future 



^ Formerly resident in Wick (see V. Fauna of Sutherland and Caithness), and since 

 deceased at Nairn. 



