﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  15 
  

  

  in 
  a 
  pine 
  wood 
  on 
  the 
  farm 
  of 
  Newton 
  Struthers, 
  the 
  property 
  

   of 
  Mr. 
  George 
  Mackessach, 
  which 
  overlooks 
  the 
  Sand 
  Grouse- 
  and 
  

   Stockdove-haunted 
  dunes 
  and 
  rabbit-warrens, 
  besides 
  many 
  smaller 
  

   ones 
  too 
  numerous 
  to 
  mention. 
  Following 
  up 
  the 
  Spey 
  we 
  find 
  

   rookeries 
  in 
  Strathavon 
  at 
  Drumin, 
  opposite 
  Ballindalloch, 
  in 
  

   Dalrachie 
  wood, 
  where 
  there 
  were 
  1100 
  nests 
  in 
  1885. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  rookeries 
  at 
  Quoinchort, 
  near 
  Tomintoul, 
  and 
  at 
  

   Kirkmichael, 
  but 
  at 
  present 
  none 
  in 
  Glenlivet 
  (Hinxman). 
  Thence 
  

   on 
  from 
  Aberlour 
  up 
  to 
  Grantown 
  are 
  numerous 
  rookeries 
  every 
  

   few 
  miles. 
  Around 
  Forres, 
  again, 
  besides 
  those 
  we 
  have 
  mentioned 
  

   to 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  town, 
  viz., 
  at 
  Burghead 
  and 
  Newton 
  Struthers, 
  

   there 
  are 
  the 
  following 
  between 
  Forres 
  and 
  Nairn, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  valley 
  

   of 
  the 
  Lower 
  Findhorn, 
  which 
  are 
  deserving 
  of 
  mention, 
  being 
  

   rookeries 
  of 
  500 
  nests 
  and 
  upwards, 
  viz. 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Castle 
  Hill, 
  Darnaway, 
  five 
  years 
  old 
  (1881), 
  524 
  nests 
  in 
  hard- 
  

   woods 
  and 
  fir 
  ; 
  Brodie 
  Castle, 
  seventy 
  years' 
  standing, 
  about 
  the 
  

   same 
  number 
  of 
  nests 
  — 
  say 
  500 
  — 
  in 
  similar 
  woods 
  ; 
  at 
  Dalvey, 
  502 
  

   nests; 
  Ladies' 
  Wood, 
  Grange, 
  seven 
  years 
  old, 
  containing 
  565 
  

   nests 
  ; 
  at 
  Novar 
  (Munro-Fergusson), 
  560 
  — 
  they 
  roost 
  here, 
  but 
  are 
  

   on 
  the 
  decrease; 
  at 
  Brodie, 
  a 
  thirty-year-old 
  colony 
  with 
  1714 
  

   nests 
  in 
  fir, 
  and 
  still 
  increasing 
  — 
  a 
  residential 
  rookery 
  ; 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  

   same 
  property 
  (Innes'), 
  at 
  Marcasie, 
  one 
  fifteen 
  years' 
  old 
  has 
  

   about 
  360 
  nests, 
  also 
  in 
  fir. 
  The 
  rookery 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  

   Findhorn 
  disappeared 
  in 
  1866. 
  

  

  As 
  early 
  as 
  1844 
  many 
  rookeries 
  were 
  known 
  in 
  Elgin 
  and 
  

   Moray, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  chief 
  among 
  them 
  was 
  one 
  at 
  Gordonstown, 
  

   in 
  the 
  parish 
  of 
  Drainie. 
  St. 
  John 
  considered 
  them 
  extremely 
  

   common 
  in 
  1847 
  ; 
  he 
  says, 
  'tens 
  of 
  thousands.' 
  

  

  It 
  seems 
  difficult 
  to 
  make 
  certain 
  at 
  all 
  whether 
  the 
  marvellous 
  

   increase 
  of 
  the 
  Book 
  is 
  due 
  entirely 
  to 
  local 
  congestion 
  at 
  older 
  

   rookeries, 
  and 
  a 
  natural 
  increase 
  and 
  extension 
  outwards 
  from 
  these 
  

   old 
  centres, 
  or 
  partly 
  also 
  to 
  additions 
  from 
  continental 
  sources, 
  as 
  

   in 
  the 
  case, 
  we 
  believe, 
  of 
  the 
  Hooded 
  Crow. 
  There 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  

   doubt, 
  assuredly, 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  annual 
  migrations 
  of 
  Books 
  which 
  

   take 
  place. 
  

  

  The 
  Rook 
  feeds 
  greedily 
  upon 
  crowberries 
  (Empetrum 
  nigrum) 
  

   on 
  the 
  moors 
  and 
  hills 
  after 
  the 
  breeding 
  season. 
  In 
  severe 
  winters 
  

   it 
  becomes 
  quite 
  carnivorous 
  in 
  its 
  diet, 
  and 
  in 
  excessively 
  dry 
  

   springs 
  feeds 
  upon 
  anything 
  almost 
  it 
  can 
  obtain 
  upon 
  the 
  

  

  