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  BIRDS. 
  

  

  In 
  1893 
  we 
  again 
  had 
  the 
  same 
  statements 
  repeated. 
  We 
  

   endeavoured 
  to 
  visit 
  the 
  locality 
  named, 
  but 
  without 
  a 
  guide. 
  

   We 
  completely 
  lost 
  our 
  way, 
  taking 
  the 
  wrong 
  side 
  of 
  a 
  hill, 
  

   and 
  failed 
  to 
  find 
  the 
  keeper's 
  house 
  until 
  the 
  day 
  was 
  far 
  spent. 
  

   Mr. 
  Norrie, 
  however, 
  went 
  back, 
  even 
  at 
  that 
  late 
  hour, 
  and 
  over 
  

   very 
  heavy 
  ground, 
  and 
  took 
  a 
  photo 
  of 
  that 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  

   forests 
  in 
  which 
  some 
  very 
  ancient 
  1 
  roy 
  ' 
  and 
  bleached 
  pines 
  and 
  

   many 
  prostrate 
  giants 
  are 
  prominent. 
  There 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  small 
  

   heronry 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  place. 
  

  

  If 
  the 
  Woodpecker 
  does 
  still 
  actually 
  remain 
  and 
  breed 
  during 
  

   occasional 
  years, 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  left 
  for 
  younger 
  and 
  more 
  active 
  

   naturalists 
  to 
  search 
  for 
  the 
  last 
  representatives 
  of 
  the 
  indigenous 
  

   Great 
  Spotted 
  Woodpeckers 
  of 
  Scotland. 
  1 
  

  

  That 
  squirrels 
  eat 
  eggs 
  occasionally, 
  and 
  possibly 
  even 
  young 
  

   birds, 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  pretty 
  conclusively 
  proved; 
  but 
  that 
  

   they, 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  instance, 
  had 
  much, 
  if 
  anything, 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  the 
  

   extinction 
  of 
  the 
  Woodpecker 
  we 
  can 
  hardly 
  believe. 
  Mr. 
  Eobertson 
  

   of 
  Carr 
  Bridge, 
  whom 
  we 
  have 
  before 
  quoted, 
  says 
  that 
  the 
  squirrels 
  

   were 
  as 
  scarce 
  as 
  the 
  Woodpeckers 
  in 
  1843, 
  and 
  a 
  squirrel 
  would 
  

   be 
  less 
  likely 
  to 
  hunt 
  about 
  for 
  the 
  rare 
  chance 
  of 
  falling 
  upon 
  a 
  

   Woodpecker's 
  nest 
  than 
  to 
  seek 
  for 
  its 
  more 
  natural 
  and 
  more 
  

   plentiful 
  food. 
  Whatever 
  made 
  the 
  birds 
  so 
  scarce 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  

   instance 
  (between 
  1840 
  and 
  1850 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  their 
  

   extinction), 
  the 
  cutting 
  down 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  trees, 
  on 
  the 
  one 
  hand, 
  

   would 
  destroy 
  the 
  nesting 
  and 
  feeding 
  grounds 
  of 
  the 
  Wood- 
  

   peckers, 
  while 
  the 
  planting 
  and 
  the 
  very 
  rapid 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  

   firs 
  would 
  afford 
  extra 
  feeding 
  and 
  shelter 
  to 
  the 
  squirrels. 
  

  

  referred 
  to 
  were 
  cut 
  in 
  1858 
  or 
  1859. 
  Two 
  hundred 
  and 
  twenty-one 
  of 
  the 
  really 
  old 
  

   pines 
  were 
  sold 
  to 
  a 
  timber-merchant. 
  These 
  were 
  standing 
  along 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  

   river 
  and 
  scattered 
  over 
  the 
  adjacent 
  ground. 
  Since 
  that 
  time, 
  about 
  twenty-eight 
  

   or 
  thirty 
  years 
  ago 
  (say 
  1860 
  or 
  1861), 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  trees 
  were 
  felled, 
  but 
  they 
  

   were 
  of 
  a 
  much 
  younger 
  age. 
  ' 
  It 
  is 
  difficult, 
  ' 
  says 
  Mr. 
  Thompson, 
  ' 
  to 
  state 
  the 
  

   exact 
  acreage 
  of 
  ground 
  covered 
  with 
  timber 
  in 
  the 
  Abernethy 
  district, 
  but 
  we 
  are 
  

   certain 
  there 
  are 
  several 
  thousands 
  of 
  acres. 
  ' 
  

  

  1 
  But 
  even 
  as 
  we 
  wrote 
  the 
  above 
  sentences 
  we 
  heard 
  of 
  a 
  resuscitation 
  of 
  the 
  

   Woodpecker 
  to 
  the 
  south-east 
  of 
  Scotland, 
  as 
  related 
  in 
  detail 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Bolam 
  in 
  the 
  

   Proceedings 
  of 
  the 
  Berwickshire 
  Naturalists' 
  Club, 
  birds 
  actually 
  having 
  bred 
  there, 
  

   to 
  Mr. 
  Bolam's 
  own 
  knowledge. 
  This 
  affords 
  evidence 
  of 
  an 
  increase 
  from 
  south 
  to 
  

   north 
  by 
  natural 
  and 
  direct 
  extension 
  ; 
  at 
  least 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  evidence 
  to 
  show 
  it 
  

   results 
  from 
  east 
  to 
  west 
  migration, 
  although 
  we 
  do 
  occasionally 
  have 
  irruptions 
  of 
  

   the 
  species 
  from 
  eastern 
  sources. 
  

  

  