BIRDS. 



257 



to mark if any onward progress be made, and all records outside 

 of the great valley of Spey may be noted as of interest. Edward, 

 when referring to this species as an inhabitant of Banffshire, speaks 

 of it as a native of the ' middle and higher districts,' but this is 

 the only record ; and during several years spent in the valley of 

 the Deveron, we have quite failed to obtain any news of its 

 residence there. 



We have of late years had numerous opportunities of visiting 

 the nesting haunts of the species in the area described. In 1885, 

 accompanied by the sons of the Rev. W. Forsyth, we visited a nest 

 close to Abernethy, which had young birds, and the same year 

 we obtained hard-set eggs near the same place, which were sent 

 to the Elgin Museum. These nests were in the holes of fir-trees ; 

 that with young in a cleft between two dividing limbs of a living 

 pine. A more usual situation is in utterly dead and decayed pine, 

 but we have also seen the nest (1892) in a decayed branch of a 

 living alder on the banks of the river Nethy, where we watched 

 the old birds feeding the young, and another favourite place is the 

 hole in a railway fence post, whether of wood or iron. 



The nesting-place figured opposite was found by us in 1892, 

 and as the species is so restricted, though far from uncommon, we 

 may be allowed to speak of this nest at some length, and quote 

 from our journals, written partly on the spot. 



' After a long day, starting at about 7 a.m., and reaching the 

 old Crannach wood about 10 o'clock, we reaped our reward — a 

 Crested Tit's nest and five eggs in the decayed stump or stock of 

 an old pine, situated on the eastern face of Cairnouil, a hill rising 

 out of Corour Corrie of the old Crannach wood above Dalna- 

 haitnach. The stump was situated close upon the outskirts of 

 the presently standing timber — a favourite situation. All the 

 wood below had been burned about three years ago when the 

 heather had been set afire. The keeper found the nest first 

 about one o'clock, and shot the two wee birds, a deed we depre- 

 cated, yet, as it was the only fresh nest wc had ever obtained, we 

 yielded a somewhat unwilling assent; and while we waited at a 

 few yards distance for the old birds to come to the nest, Harvie- 

 Brown made a sketch of the stump and surrounding valley, from 

 which our illustration has been drawn. Not 100 yards from the 

 nest, we found what was evidently last year's nesting-hole in another 



K 



