﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  49 
  

  

  Scotland 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  our 
  last 
  rush 
  in 
  1875 
  1 
  (Proc. 
  Glasgoiu 
  

   Nat. 
  Hist. 
  Soc, 
  vol. 
  iii.). 
  

  

  Buteo 
  lineatus, 
  Gmel. 
  Red-shouldered 
  Hawk. 
  

  

  Although 
  not, 
  strictly 
  speaking, 
  a 
  British 
  bird, 
  yet 
  the 
  only 
  occur- 
  

   rence 
  of 
  this 
  American 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  British 
  Isles 
  comes 
  within 
  

   our 
  area, 
  and 
  so 
  we 
  give 
  it 
  a 
  place 
  in 
  our 
  list. 
  It 
  appears, 
  

   however, 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  skin, 
  and 
  to 
  have 
  passed 
  through 
  

   two 
  dealers' 
  hands 
  before 
  coming 
  into 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  Mr. 
  

   E. 
  C. 
  Newcome 
  of 
  Feltwell 
  Hall, 
  Brandon, 
  Norfolk. 
  It 
  is 
  stated 
  

   to 
  have 
  been 
  killed 
  by 
  J. 
  Macdonald 
  on 
  February 
  26th, 
  1863, 
  at 
  

   Kingussie, 
  Inverness-shire 
  (vide 
  Ibis, 
  1865, 
  p. 
  549). 
  

  

  Aquila 
  chrysaetus 
  (£.). 
  Golden 
  Eagle. 
  

  

  Resident, 
  and 
  not 
  uncommon 
  in 
  all 
  mountainous 
  districts, 
  especially 
  

   in 
  the 
  deer-forests, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  generally 
  preserved. 
  For 
  obvious 
  

   reasons 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  give 
  precise 
  localities 
  — 
  indeed, 
  in 
  many 
  cases 
  

   we 
  are 
  pledged 
  to 
  the 
  proprietors 
  not 
  to 
  do 
  so, 
  — 
  but 
  we 
  have 
  

   abundant 
  evidence 
  of 
  many 
  breeding 
  sites, 
  and 
  the 
  bird, 
  if 
  not 
  

   increasing, 
  is 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  decreasing. 
  

  

  In 
  our 
  area 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  Dornoch 
  Firth 
  the 
  Golden 
  Eagle 
  was 
  

   a 
  common 
  bird 
  until 
  sheep-farming 
  became 
  common. 
  Early 
  in 
  

   the 
  present 
  century 
  the 
  Sutherland 
  Association 
  was 
  formed 
  'for 
  

   the 
  protection 
  of 
  property, 
  etc.,' 
  and, 
  rewards 
  being 
  given 
  for 
  the 
  

   destruction 
  of 
  eagles, 
  amongst 
  other 
  creatures, 
  these 
  birds 
  soon 
  

   became 
  scarce, 
  as 
  evidenced 
  by 
  Wolley 
  in 
  1848. 
  Later, 
  however, 
  

   the 
  proprietor 
  has 
  done 
  his 
  best 
  to 
  preserve 
  these 
  birds, 
  and 
  one 
  

   if 
  not 
  two 
  eyries 
  are 
  regularly 
  used. 
  In 
  two 
  other 
  places 
  they 
  

   breed, 
  or 
  rather 
  attempt 
  to 
  do 
  so, 
  but 
  are 
  generally 
  either 
  trapped 
  

   or 
  robbed 
  of 
  their 
  eggs 
  in 
  the 
  interests 
  of 
  the 
  game-preserver 
  

   and 
  egg-collector. 
  There 
  are 
  few 
  suitable 
  localities 
  for 
  them 
  

   to 
  breed 
  in 
  in 
  this 
  district, 
  though 
  the 
  birds 
  are 
  often 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  

   autumn. 
  

  

  South 
  of 
  the 
  Dornoch 
  Firth, 
  eagles 
  breed 
  in 
  many 
  places, 
  where 
  

  

  1 
  Such 
  monographic 
  papers 
  as 
  this 
  are 
  most 
  valuable 
  contributions 
  to 
  our 
  fauna, 
  

   and, 
  if 
  applied 
  to 
  other 
  conspicuous 
  migrants, 
  would 
  vastly 
  assist 
  in 
  arriving 
  at 
  per- 
  

   manent 
  conclusions 
  about 
  the 
  fly-lines 
  of 
  migrants. 
  Therein 
  lies 
  plenty 
  of 
  work 
  for 
  

   Scottish 
  naturalists 
  still, 
  and 
  let 
  no 
  one 
  say 
  the 
  subject 
  is 
  yet 
  exhausted. 
  

  

  VOL. 
  XL 
  D 
  

  

  