﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  appears 
  in 
  the 
  'Black 
  List' 
  for 
  1884, 
  whereas 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  285 
  

   were 
  killed 
  during 
  the 
  years 
  1837-1840 
  (vide 
  Knox, 
  Autumns 
  on 
  

   the 
  Spey, 
  p. 
  146). 
  Still 
  the 
  species 
  occurs 
  yearly 
  over 
  a 
  great 
  part 
  

   of 
  our 
  present 
  area, 
  Macleay 
  receiving 
  specimens 
  for 
  preservation 
  

   from 
  widely 
  separated 
  localities. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Gordon, 
  in 
  the 
  Zoologist 
  for 
  1847, 
  remarks 
  that 
  although 
  

   1 
  regarded 
  as 
  a 
  common 
  British 
  bird, 
  yet 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  that 
  its 
  

   actual 
  occurrence 
  in 
  this 
  district 
  was 
  first 
  ascertained 
  by 
  Fol- 
  

   jambe, 
  whose 
  gamekeeper 
  trapped 
  three 
  specimens 
  in 
  the 
  hills 
  

   between 
  Eothes 
  and 
  Knockando.' 
  In 
  the 
  Forest 
  of 
  Dulnan, 
  

   Wolley 
  took 
  three 
  eggs 
  from 
  a 
  nest 
  in 
  a 
  fir-tree 
  within 
  four 
  or 
  

   five 
  miles 
  of 
  Carr 
  Bridge 
  on 
  the 
  3rd 
  of 
  May 
  1857 
  ; 
  the 
  same 
  nest 
  

   having 
  been 
  occupied 
  by 
  a 
  Salmon-tailed 
  Gled 
  the 
  year 
  before. 
  

  

  Writing 
  of 
  the 
  Buzzard 
  in 
  his 
  Natural 
  History 
  and 
  Sport 
  in 
  

   Moray, 
  St. 
  John 
  remarks 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  then 
  much 
  less 
  common 
  than 
  

   formerly. 
  

  

  But 
  the 
  once 
  common 
  Buzzard 
  is 
  now 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  rarer 
  birds 
  of 
  

   prey 
  in 
  the 
  faunal 
  area 
  of 
  Moray. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  reported 
  to 
  us 
  by 
  

   Mr. 
  J. 
  Grant, 
  gamekeeper, 
  as 
  extinct 
  around 
  Abernethy 
  for 
  thirty 
  

   years 
  previous 
  to 
  1880 
  (say 
  by 
  1850). 
  Stray 
  birds 
  only 
  are 
  

   occasionally 
  seen 
  or 
  obtained. 
  In 
  the 
  extreme 
  south-west 
  of 
  our 
  

   district 
  there 
  is 
  every 
  reason 
  to 
  believe 
  it 
  still 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  

   breeding 
  sparingly, 
  as 
  also 
  near 
  the 
  upper 
  waters 
  of 
  Spey. 
  In 
  

   1885 
  Backhouse 
  saw 
  four 
  birds 
  together 
  — 
  probably 
  a 
  family 
  

   party 
  — 
  which 
  were 
  flying 
  about 
  near 
  the 
  watershed, 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  

   Dalwhinnie. 
  One 
  was 
  distinctly 
  seen 
  by 
  Harvie-Brown 
  in 
  April 
  

   1891, 
  hovering 
  over 
  the 
  skirts 
  of 
  the 
  woods 
  between 
  Eothiemay 
  

   and 
  Corniehaugh, 
  at 
  which 
  the 
  keeper 
  on 
  Rothiemay 
  seemed 
  sur- 
  

   prised 
  when 
  Harvie-Brown 
  told 
  him. 
  Buzzards 
  are 
  said, 
  however, 
  

   to 
  breed 
  at 
  or 
  near 
  Troup 
  Head 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Lennon, 
  birdstuffer 
  in 
  

   Banff, 
  and 
  we 
  saw 
  one 
  in 
  his 
  shop, 
  which 
  he 
  stated 
  was 
  shot 
  

   there. 
  Sim, 
  however, 
  doubts 
  this 
  statement, 
  although 
  of 
  late 
  

   years 
  some 
  had 
  been 
  sent 
  to 
  him 
  for 
  preservation 
  from 
  that 
  locality 
  

   during 
  the 
  months 
  of 
  September, 
  October, 
  and 
  November. 
  We 
  

   are 
  inclined 
  to 
  agree 
  with 
  Mr. 
  Sim 
  that 
  these 
  are 
  mostly 
  migrants 
  

   from 
  Northern 
  and 
  Central 
  Europe, 
  because 
  Troup 
  Head 
  would 
  

   prove 
  to 
  approaching 
  migrants 
  amongst 
  birds 
  of 
  prey 
  almost 
  if 
  not 
  

   quite 
  as 
  enticing 
  ground 
  as 
  Ousdale 
  in 
  Caithness 
  (vide 
  Fauna 
  of 
  

   Sutherland 
  and 
  Caithness, 
  p. 
  56). 
  

  

  