﻿36 
  

  

  BIRDS. 
  

  

  Edward 
  records 
  'one 
  killed 
  on 
  the 
  hills 
  of 
  Boyndie,' 
  near 
  

   Banff. 
  No 
  trace 
  of 
  this 
  specimen 
  is 
  left, 
  and 
  there 
  are 
  none 
  in 
  

   the 
  Museum, 
  nor 
  has 
  it 
  a 
  place 
  in 
  Smith's 
  lists. 
  Gray 
  mentions 
  

   Edward's 
  bird, 
  and 
  adds 
  'in 
  September 
  1848'; 
  he 
  appears 
  to 
  

   have 
  obtained 
  his 
  information 
  direct 
  from 
  Edward, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   Zoologist 
  the 
  Kev. 
  A. 
  Smith 
  records 
  the 
  same 
  bird 
  (op. 
  cit. 
  1848, 
  

   p. 
  2302). 
  

  

  One 
  was 
  obtained 
  near 
  Elgin 
  a 
  week 
  after 
  the 
  one 
  obtained 
  at 
  

   Dornoch; 
  the 
  latter 
  is 
  still 
  in 
  possession 
  of 
  a 
  friend 
  of 
  Sheriff 
  

   Mackenzie 
  of 
  Dornoch. 
  In 
  1831 
  one 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  

   obtained 
  at 
  Ballindalloch, 
  as 
  reported 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  in 
  a 
  local 
  

   paper. 
  Another 
  was 
  mentioned 
  in 
  the 
  Fauna 
  of 
  Moray 
  as 
  having 
  

   been 
  seen 
  by 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  Allen 
  at 
  Upper 
  Maubeen, 
  and 
  in 
  reply 
  to 
  

   further 
  inquiry, 
  Dr. 
  Gordon 
  sent 
  us 
  a 
  letter 
  from 
  that 
  gentle- 
  

   man, 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  stated 
  : 
  — 
  ' 
  As 
  nearly 
  as 
  I 
  remember, 
  it 
  was 
  

   in 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1857 
  I 
  saw 
  the 
  Eoller.' 
  Dr. 
  Gordon 
  thought 
  

   there 
  could 
  be 
  no 
  doubt 
  of 
  the 
  identification, 
  but 
  we 
  know 
  

   how 
  difficult 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  identify 
  birds 
  from 
  unscientific 
  descrip- 
  

   tions, 
  often 
  given 
  after 
  leading 
  questions, 
  and 
  how 
  valuable 
  

   is 
  the 
  aphorism, 
  'What's 
  hit's 
  history, 
  but 
  what's 
  missed 
  's 
  

   mystery.' 
  

  

  However, 
  the 
  following 
  record 
  can 
  be 
  relied 
  upon. 
  The 
  Kev. 
  

   Dr. 
  Forsyth, 
  Abernethy, 
  possesses 
  a 
  specimen 
  killed 
  in 
  that 
  parish, 
  

   which 
  was 
  shot 
  not 
  very 
  far 
  distant 
  from 
  the 
  famous 
  'Peter 
  

   Porter's 
  Pine.' 
  In 
  1892 
  Harvie-Brown 
  saw 
  the 
  bird, 
  visited 
  

   ' 
  Porter's 
  Pine,' 
  and 
  Dr. 
  Forsyth 
  pointed 
  out 
  the 
  place 
  where 
  the 
  

   bird 
  was 
  shot. 
  It 
  is 
  somewhat 
  to 
  be 
  regretted 
  that 
  the 
  specimen 
  

   is 
  in 
  very 
  poor 
  preservation, 
  but 
  if 
  it 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  any 
  of 
  

   our 
  museums, 
  and 
  properly 
  overhauled 
  by 
  a 
  capable 
  taxidermist, 
  

   it 
  would 
  yet 
  be 
  not 
  absolutely 
  unrecognisable. 
  

  

  Family 
  MEROPID-ffi. 
  

  

  Merops 
  apiaster, 
  L. 
  Bee-eater. 
  

  

  Hypothetical 
  occurrences 
  at 
  Hills 
  of 
  Boyndie 
  and 
  between 
  Huntly 
  

   and 
  Dufftown 
  are 
  given 
  by 
  Edward. 
  

  

  One 
  killed 
  at 
  Lossiemouth 
  in 
  October 
  1853, 
  as 
  given 
  in 
  Fauna 
  

   of 
  Moray. 
  

  

  