BIRDS. 



269 



constantly in the birch woods at Inchrory on the river Avon, at a 

 height of 1450 feet, and he also found them crossing over the 

 watershed into the Don valley at Delnadamph (Dee).^ 



[Anthus richardi, FieilL Richard's Pipit. 



Obs. — Edward claims to have seen this bird ' onlf/ once,' at the foot 

 of the Knock Hill of Banff. Needless to say such cannot be 

 accepted as a record.] 



Anthus obscurus {Lath.). Rock Pipit. 



In winter the Rock Pipit is found almost everywhere along the shore, 

 but in the breeding season it betakes itself to those parts of the 

 seaboard which afford it nesting ground, such as cliffs, or even 

 banks of a very moderate elevation, when such are covered with 

 long grass. 



Dr. Joass sends us a note of a nest that was found just below 

 the muzzle of one of the cannons at the Dunrobin battery, im- 

 mediately after artillery practice, on May 4th, 1894. 



On the south shores of the Moray Firth the Rock Pipit is 

 equally abundant everywhere along the shores, seldom or never 

 going inland, but breeding on the rockier portions, especially along 

 the cliffy coast between Hopeman and the Covesea shore, and 

 again along the Gamrie and North Aberdeenshire precipices. We 

 cannot find any data indicating either increase or decrease as far 

 back as our records go. 



Family LANIID^. 



Lanius excubitor, L. Great Grey Shrike. 



This species is only an occasional visitant to our area. On two 

 occasions we have ourselves seen it in the neighbourhood of Brora, 



^ Curious it is to find, however, upon the excellent authority of our friend Mr. 

 George Sim, that the Tree Pipit does not appear to have penetrated nearly so far up 

 the valley of the Dee, nor to occur, except very locally. Mr. Sim says :— ' It is local 

 in its distribution, and I know of it onlv in tlif woods round Aberdeen' {in fit. 25th 

 August 1893). 



