﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  nesting 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  Banff, 
  is 
  correct 
  in 
  estimat- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  Eough-legged 
  Buzzard 
  as 
  a 
  more 
  abundant 
  species 
  than 
  

   the 
  Common 
  Buzzard, 
  and 
  in 
  this 
  opinion 
  he 
  is 
  fully 
  borne 
  

   out 
  by 
  Sim's 
  experience, 
  to 
  whom 
  many 
  have 
  been 
  sent 
  from 
  

   localities 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  borders 
  of 
  Deveron 
  in 
  the 
  east. 
  Troup 
  

   Head 
  affords 
  a 
  landmark 
  for 
  raptorial 
  migrants 
  from 
  the 
  north- 
  

   east, 
  and 
  the 
  wave 
  of 
  dispersal, 
  with 
  little 
  doubt, 
  splits 
  upon 
  that 
  

   rock 
  ; 
  and 
  while 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  passes 
  down 
  along 
  the 
  high 
  

   lands 
  which 
  superintend 
  the 
  Deveron 
  valley, 
  others 
  pass 
  right 
  and 
  

   left 
  of 
  the 
  dividing 
  range 
  or 
  watershed 
  between 
  Deveron 
  and 
  

   Ythan. 
  Edward 
  had 
  a 
  Rough-legged 
  Buzzard 
  in 
  his 
  collection, 
  

   shot 
  at 
  the 
  Mill 
  of 
  Dunn, 
  and 
  another 
  was 
  shot 
  at 
  Forglen, 
  and 
  

   presented 
  by 
  Sir 
  Robert 
  Abercromby, 
  Bart., 
  to 
  the 
  Banff 
  Museum. 
  

   Another 
  of 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  record 
  was 
  shot 
  at 
  Mayen, 
  on 
  the 
  

   Lower 
  Deveron, 
  in 
  December 
  1888, 
  and 
  was 
  stuffed 
  for 
  Mr. 
  Yule 
  

   by 
  Mr. 
  Gardner 
  of 
  Oxford 
  Street, 
  London 
  (Mr. 
  Yule, 
  in 
  lit. 
  to 
  

   Mr. 
  Beattie, 
  lessee 
  of 
  Rothiemay). 
  

  

  Besides 
  the 
  above 
  occurrences 
  along 
  the 
  main 
  line 
  of 
  flight, 
  as 
  

   it 
  were, 
  many 
  other 
  records 
  occur 
  over 
  our 
  area, 
  showing 
  that 
  the 
  

   great 
  cup 
  formed 
  by 
  the 
  Ord 
  of 
  Caithness 
  and 
  the 
  north-east 
  corner 
  

   of 
  Aberdeenshire 
  affords 
  a 
  well-worn 
  highway 
  of 
  some 
  species 
  of 
  

   raptorial 
  birds. 
  Thus 
  examples 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  from 
  Cawdor, 
  about 
  

   1832 
  and 
  1840, 
  were 
  examined 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Gordon, 
  and 
  MacGillivray 
  

   refers 
  to 
  the 
  unusually 
  large 
  flights 
  which 
  reached 
  this 
  country 
  in 
  

   the 
  winter 
  of 
  1839, 
  when 
  another 
  was 
  obtained 
  at 
  Cawdor 
  (British 
  

   Birds, 
  vol. 
  iii. 
  p. 
  736). 
  Macleay, 
  in 
  his 
  list, 
  however, 
  speaks 
  of 
  the 
  

   Rough-legged 
  Buzzard 
  as 
  rare 
  about 
  Altyre. 
  It 
  seems 
  to 
  us 
  that 
  

   the 
  main 
  flight 
  of 
  these 
  raptors 
  passes 
  down 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  of 
  our 
  

   dividing 
  range, 
  and 
  are 
  more 
  frequently 
  observed 
  farther 
  south, 
  as 
  

   is 
  the 
  case 
  with 
  some 
  other 
  winter 
  migrants. 
  On 
  once 
  reaching 
  

   the 
  most 
  prominent 
  land 
  they 
  appear 
  to 
  trend 
  southward, 
  just 
  as 
  

   we 
  have 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  large 
  flights 
  of 
  Norwegian 
  Ring- 
  

   doves. 
  No 
  doubt 
  a 
  comparison 
  of 
  all 
  available 
  records 
  of 
  Rough- 
  

   legged 
  Buzzards 
  in 
  Scotland 
  would 
  very 
  plainly 
  map 
  out 
  their 
  

   lines 
  of 
  flight. 
  We 
  look 
  forward 
  with 
  expectancy 
  to 
  having 
  

   these 
  lines 
  laid 
  down 
  with 
  precision, 
  when 
  Mr. 
  William 
  Evans 
  

   issues 
  his 
  long-looked-for 
  publication 
  on 
  the 
  birds 
  of 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  

   Scotland. 
  Meanwhile 
  Mr. 
  James 
  Lumsden 
  of 
  Arden 
  has 
  done 
  

   good 
  service 
  in 
  recording 
  the 
  occurrences 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  over 
  

  

  