﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  21 
  

  

  Order 
  PICARIiE. 
  

  

  Family 
  CYPSELID-ffi. 
  

  

  Cypselus 
  apus 
  (£.). 
  Swift. 
  

  

  The 
  species 
  is 
  common 
  in 
  places 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  our 
  area, 
  and 
  is 
  

   occasionally 
  seen 
  on 
  migration 
  in 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  Sutherland, 
  though 
  

   it 
  does 
  not 
  breed 
  there. 
  Many 
  breed 
  under 
  the 
  tiles 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  

   curing-yards 
  in 
  Helmsdale 
  (Hill), 
  and 
  also 
  at 
  Brora, 
  where 
  in 
  one 
  

   house 
  a 
  pair 
  has 
  bred 
  for 
  the 
  last 
  thirty 
  years 
  (Baillie). 
  

  

  Swifts 
  are 
  nowhere 
  more 
  abundant 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  

   Inverness, 
  where 
  they 
  make 
  their 
  presence 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  most 
  

   casual 
  observer. 
  Hepburn 
  saw 
  a 
  pair 
  cruising 
  over 
  Loch 
  

   Beneveian, 
  Glen 
  Affric, 
  in 
  1847, 
  but 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  often 
  go 
  so 
  far 
  

   up 
  the 
  straths 
  except 
  as 
  very 
  casual 
  visitants. 
  Captain 
  Ellice 
  noted 
  

   it 
  as 
  rare 
  on 
  Loch 
  Garry, 
  but 
  lower 
  down 
  the 
  glen 
  at 
  Invergarry 
  

   they 
  are 
  more 
  abundant. 
  They 
  also 
  occur 
  about 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  of 
  

   Glen 
  Urquhart, 
  and 
  probably 
  build 
  in 
  Balmacaan 
  House 
  (A. 
  Craig) 
  ; 
  

   as 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  old 
  castle 
  of 
  Glen 
  Urquhart. 
  

  

  Swifts 
  nestle 
  about 
  the 
  Cromarty 
  rocks, 
  and 
  a 
  nest 
  and 
  eggs 
  in 
  

   Booth's 
  collection 
  were 
  obtained 
  in 
  that 
  locality 
  in 
  June 
  1869. 
  

  

  South 
  of 
  the 
  Ness 
  Swifts 
  migrate 
  in 
  spring 
  down 
  the 
  main 
  

   valleys 
  of 
  the 
  system 
  of 
  Spey, 
  or 
  from 
  west 
  to 
  east. 
  They 
  are 
  

   common 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  larger 
  towns 
  and 
  villages, 
  most 
  of 
  which 
  in 
  

   north-east 
  Scotland 
  have 
  very 
  old 
  and 
  very 
  suitable 
  church 
  belfries 
  

   and 
  town 
  halls 
  wherein 
  they 
  can 
  nestle. 
  We 
  have 
  repeatedly 
  

   observed 
  the 
  Swift 
  on 
  migration 
  down 
  the 
  Spey, 
  and 
  that 
  at 
  many 
  

   different 
  points 
  and 
  elevations. 
  Thus, 
  they 
  were 
  seen 
  at 
  Aberlour, 
  

   where 
  also 
  they 
  breed, 
  in 
  May, 
  and 
  at 
  Kingussie, 
  migrating 
  as 
  late 
  

   as 
  June 
  1st, 
  1884. 
  We 
  first 
  observed 
  its 
  arrival 
  at 
  Aberlour 
  in 
  

   1885 
  on 
  the 
  6th 
  May, 
  which 
  was 
  a 
  cruelly 
  cold 
  and 
  bitter 
  day, 
  

   with 
  snow 
  lying 
  on 
  Ben 
  Einnes. 
  On 
  the 
  15th 
  of 
  May 
  of 
  the 
  

   same 
  year 
  eight 
  Swifts 
  were 
  seen 
  careering 
  down 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  

   Spey 
  very 
  high 
  in 
  air. 
  As 
  long 
  ago 
  as 
  1844 
  Dr. 
  Gordon 
  gave 
  

   the 
  15th 
  May 
  as 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  its 
  arrival 
  at 
  Elgin, 
  but 
  the 
  dates 
  

   of 
  arrival 
  at 
  different 
  places 
  appear 
  to 
  vary 
  very 
  much, 
  and 
  per- 
  

   haps 
  also 
  to 
  have 
  become 
  later 
  of 
  late 
  years. 
  Brown 
  of 
  Forres, 
  

   whose 
  notes 
  we 
  have 
  often 
  quoted, 
  speaks 
  of 
  the 
  Swift 
  as 
  

   'common, 
  but 
  not 
  very 
  abundant; 
  arrives 
  here 
  about 
  the 
  21st 
  

  

  