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  BIRDS. 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  not 
  ourselves 
  met 
  with 
  it 
  anywhere 
  either 
  by 
  eye 
  or 
  

   ear 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Moray 
  Firth, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  shadow 
  

   of 
  doubt 
  as 
  to 
  its 
  occurrence 
  over 
  all 
  the 
  area, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  universally 
  

   spoken 
  of 
  both 
  by 
  the 
  names 
  4 
  Nightjar 
  ' 
  and 
  1 
  Goatsucker.' 
  We 
  

   have 
  seen 
  the 
  eggs 
  in 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  local 
  collection 
  ; 
  those 
  in 
  Mr. 
  

   Stuart's 
  collection 
  were 
  taken 
  by 
  himself 
  in 
  Abernethy 
  Forest, 
  and 
  

   a 
  broken 
  egg 
  was 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  by 
  Mr. 
  R. 
  Thomson 
  of 
  

   Ferness 
  Schoolhouse, 
  on 
  the 
  Findhorn. 
  Hinxman 
  queries 
  it 
  in 
  his 
  

   list 
  from 
  Glenlivet 
  and 
  Strathavon, 
  but, 
  as 
  he 
  remarks, 
  he 
  has 
  

   not 
  remained 
  there 
  long 
  enough 
  into 
  the 
  summer 
  to 
  make 
  himself 
  

   assured 
  of 
  its 
  presence. 
  Brown 
  of 
  Forres 
  tells 
  us 
  it 
  is 
  ' 
  generally 
  

   distributed, 
  but 
  not 
  very 
  abundant,' 
  and 
  that 
  'it 
  arrives 
  about 
  the 
  

   end 
  of 
  May 
  and 
  leaves 
  in 
  September.' 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  say 
  to 
  what 
  extent 
  this 
  species 
  has 
  increased 
  in 
  

   our 
  area 
  of 
  late 
  years, 
  but 
  we 
  do 
  know 
  it 
  has 
  spread 
  within 
  our 
  

   own 
  recollection 
  in 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  Scotland. 
  

  

  Family 
  PICIDJE. 
  

   Sub-family 
  PICINJE. 
  

   Picus 
  major, 
  L. 
  Great 
  Spotted 
  Woodpecker. 
  

  

  As 
  either 
  a 
  breeding 
  species 
  or 
  as 
  a 
  resident, 
  the 
  Great 
  Spotted 
  

   Woodpecker 
  is 
  extinct 
  in 
  the 
  portion 
  of 
  our 
  area 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  

   Ness, 
  its 
  visits 
  to 
  us 
  now 
  being 
  very 
  irregular, 
  generally 
  in 
  the 
  

   autumn, 
  and 
  varying 
  in 
  numbers 
  from 
  a 
  regular 
  ' 
  visitation 
  ' 
  to 
  

   those 
  of 
  a 
  ' 
  rare 
  bird.' 
  One 
  such 
  ' 
  visitation 
  ' 
  took 
  place 
  in 
  Sep- 
  

   tember 
  1868, 
  when 
  many 
  were 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  Ross-shire 
  district 
  of 
  

   the 
  Dornoch 
  Firth 
  by 
  Booth. 
  1 
  To 
  have 
  given 
  every 
  instance 
  of 
  

   their 
  occurrence, 
  except 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  'wave,' 
  would 
  

   have 
  served 
  no 
  practical 
  end, 
  and 
  taken 
  up 
  too 
  much 
  space, 
  but 
  

   there 
  are 
  few 
  localities 
  where 
  single 
  birds 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  seen 
  in 
  

  

  1 
  Booth 
  {Bough 
  Notes, 
  vol. 
  i. 
  p. 
  2, 
  1 
  Great 
  Spotted 
  Woodpecker') 
  mentions 
  :— 
  

   ' 
  Towards 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  September 
  1868 
  the 
  north-east 
  coast 
  of 
  Scotland 
  was 
  visited 
  by 
  

   a 
  large 
  flight 
  of 
  Woodpeckers, 
  scattered 
  birds 
  being 
  noticed 
  in 
  the 
  district 
  for 
  at 
  

   least 
  ten 
  days 
  or 
  a 
  fortnight. 
  ... 
  I 
  noticed 
  a 
  few 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  near 
  Dornoch 
  ; 
  and 
  

   in 
  the 
  dusk 
  of 
  a 
  misty 
  evening, 
  with 
  the 
  wind 
  blowing 
  strong 
  from 
  the 
  east, 
  I 
  passed 
  

   numbers 
  fluttering 
  along 
  the 
  sandy 
  links, 
  and 
  sheltering 
  among 
  the 
  rough 
  bushes 
  on 
  

   the 
  Ross-shire 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Dornoch 
  Firth. 
  They 
  were 
  especially 
  numerous 
  along 
  the 
  

   narrow 
  strip 
  of 
  land 
  leading 
  towards 
  the 
  Mickle 
  Ferry.' 
  

  

  