﻿2 
  

  

  BIRDS. 
  

  

  minds 
  whether 
  to 
  build 
  in 
  a 
  locality 
  or 
  not. 
  They 
  occur 
  at 
  Guis- 
  

   achan. 
  At 
  Invergarry, 
  Mr. 
  G. 
  Malcolm 
  informs 
  us, 
  under 
  date 
  

   1892, 
  that 
  'eight 
  years 
  or 
  so 
  they 
  were 
  unheard 
  of 
  in 
  the 
  glen, 
  

   but 
  now 
  they 
  come 
  regularly 
  and 
  make 
  their 
  nests 
  in 
  some 
  half- 
  

   dozen 
  different 
  houses.' 
  Farther 
  up 
  Glen 
  Garry 
  they 
  are 
  rare, 
  but 
  

   Captain 
  Ellice 
  informs 
  us 
  that 
  he 
  saw 
  half 
  a 
  dozen 
  one 
  day 
  in 
  October 
  

   at 
  Ardochy, 
  three-parts 
  of 
  the 
  way 
  up 
  Loch 
  Garry. 
  Mr. 
  Craig 
  

   mentions 
  they 
  bred 
  at 
  Balmacaan, 
  and 
  though 
  not 
  very 
  numerous 
  

   were 
  increasing 
  (1882). 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  our 
  area, 
  in 
  St. 
  John's 
  time, 
  Starlings 
  were 
  

   constant 
  inhabitants 
  of 
  Moray 
  (1847), 
  breeding 
  about 
  Gordonstown 
  

   and 
  Elgin 
  Cathedral, 
  collecting 
  into 
  enormous 
  flocks 
  and 
  roosting 
  

   in 
  the 
  reeds 
  about 
  Loch 
  Spynie. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  interesting 
  to 
  trace 
  the 
  records 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  in 
  Scotland. 
  

   The 
  O.S.A. 
  gives 
  Kirkhill 
  in 
  the 
  north-west 
  as 
  a 
  locality, 
  but, 
  for 
  

   reasons 
  already 
  stated, 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  of 
  much 
  positive 
  or 
  negative 
  value 
  

   alone, 
  though 
  possibly 
  of 
  some 
  value 
  if 
  taken 
  in 
  conjunction 
  with 
  

   other 
  and 
  later 
  records. 
  Edward 
  says: 
  — 
  "Rapidly 
  increasing 
  of 
  

   late 
  years 
  ; 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  single 
  Starlings 
  were 
  rarely 
  to 
  be 
  seen/ 
  

   Now 
  it 
  is 
  included 
  in 
  all 
  lists. 
  It 
  is 
  very 
  abundant 
  over 
  all 
  reaches 
  

   of 
  the 
  Deveron 
  valley 
  in 
  summer, 
  but 
  they 
  flock 
  and 
  leave 
  the 
  

   upper 
  districts 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  summer 
  or 
  autumn. 
  For 
  instance, 
  in 
  

   1890 
  only 
  one 
  was 
  'found 
  dead 
  ' 
  at 
  Cabrach, 
  and 
  in 
  August 
  1891 
  

   none 
  were 
  seen 
  there, 
  but 
  in 
  1892, 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  of 
  year, 
  

   flocks 
  were 
  seen 
  in 
  company 
  with 
  Lapwings 
  even 
  higher 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  

   haughs 
  of 
  the 
  Upper 
  Cabrach 
  (i.e. 
  over 
  the 
  1000 
  feet 
  contour). 
  

   The 
  date 
  of 
  their 
  departure 
  from 
  the 
  hill 
  districts 
  varies 
  in 
  different 
  

   seasons, 
  and 
  they 
  were 
  later 
  than 
  usual 
  in 
  1891. 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  O. 
  Wilson 
  

   tells 
  us 
  that 
  'Starlings 
  are 
  very 
  abundant, 
  but 
  have 
  become 
  so 
  

   about 
  Huntly 
  only 
  within 
  the 
  last 
  twenty 
  years.' 
  All 
  our 
  present- 
  

   day 
  records 
  show 
  universality 
  of 
  distribution 
  and 
  ever-increasing 
  

   spread 
  and 
  increase 
  year 
  by 
  year. 
  

  

  In 
  1891 
  many 
  bands 
  of 
  Starlings 
  were 
  already 
  on 
  the 
  move, 
  

   and 
  as 
  early 
  as 
  July 
  14th 
  this 
  was 
  very 
  patent 
  to 
  the 
  careful 
  

   observer 
  in 
  the 
  valleys 
  of 
  our 
  area. 
  Thus, 
  they 
  were 
  observed 
  

   flying 
  with 
  steady 
  purpose 
  down 
  the 
  Spey 
  at 
  Kingussie 
  in 
  1884, 
  

   down 
  the 
  Spey 
  at 
  Lynwilg 
  in 
  small 
  flocks 
  on 
  July 
  24th, 
  1891; 
  down 
  

   the 
  Findhorn 
  and 
  Dulnan 
  rivers 
  at 
  Tomatin 
  and 
  Carr 
  Bridge, 
  in 
  

   July 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  year. 
  

  

  