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BIRDS. 



Loch EiTOchd (really in ' Tay '), where Twites are also abundant. 

 Redpolls are found throughout the low grounds of the Moray 

 Firth, Laigh of Moray, etc., as also about Dalwhinnie, where they 

 were seen by Backhouse in July 1885, and again by William 

 Evans in June 1892. It is considered rare around Grantown 

 by Mr. Stewart, but may prove, upon further investigation, 

 to be not so rare as local. The younger plantations in the 

 hollow of the Cromdale Hills facing to the Spey below Grantown 

 are almost sure to hold them as well as other similarly planted 

 areas. 



Linota linaria {L.). Mealy Redpoll. 



Edward has it 'a rare species' — a record, like many others of 

 Edward's, more 's the pity, of very little scientific value or use. 



St. John remarks that he has seen the Mealy Redpoll only in 

 small companies of from two to six, but it is much rarer than the 

 last species. 



Linota flavirostris (L.). Twite. 



Local Names. — Hill-Lintie, Heather-Lintie, Yellow-neb Lintie (Dr. 

 J. 0. Wilson). 



Probably the Twite is in many places not recognised as distinct from 

 the Linnet, or it may be that it is much more local. North of the 

 Ness it inhabits the higher and more moorland parts that border 

 on cultivation, though rarely, if ever, found on the open heather, 

 at least in this part of the mainland. Mr. A. Craig found it near 

 Glen Urquhart, but by some of our correspondents it does not seem 

 to have been distinguished from the commoner species. In Suther- 

 land we have taken the nest at Badenloch among the pine-trees 

 round the shooting-lodge, but we have not noticed it out in the 

 open ground. 



In the south of our area the Twite is resident and abundant, 

 and frequents the Carn districts in numbers above the birch 

 woods, flocking early in August, or even at the end of July. It is 

 universally distributed among the higher grounds of the whole 

 southern area up to about 1200 or 1300 feet. Hinxman considers 

 them as ' common, but sparingly distributed as a nesting species, 

 but appearing in large flocks in autumn, probably with Redpolls ; 



