﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  the 
  country 
  becomes 
  more 
  mountainous. 
  At 
  Balnagown 
  some 
  of 
  

   these 
  birds 
  are 
  kept 
  in 
  a 
  cage 
  ; 
  a 
  single 
  young 
  one 
  was 
  brought 
  

   from 
  a 
  nest 
  in 
  the 
  Alladale 
  Forest, 
  by 
  Lady 
  Ross's 
  orders, 
  in 
  1888, 
  

   and 
  deposited 
  there. 
  

  

  In 
  1851 
  Eagles 
  were 
  shot, 
  doubtless 
  in 
  the 
  breeding 
  season, 
  on 
  

   Ben 
  Wyvis, 
  as 
  appears 
  from 
  the 
  extracts 
  of 
  a 
  letter 
  from 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  

   M'Gregor, 
  dated 
  March 
  24th, 
  1852, 
  and 
  recorded 
  in 
  the 
  note-books 
  

   of 
  the 
  late 
  John 
  Wolley. 
  A 
  later 
  communication 
  from 
  the 
  head 
  

   keeper 
  there 
  states 
  that 
  Eagles 
  only 
  breed 
  on 
  Ben 
  Wyvis 
  during 
  a 
  

   mild 
  season 
  • 
  if 
  very 
  severe 
  they 
  leave 
  for 
  lower 
  and 
  warmer 
  

   quarters 
  (?). 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  notes 
  of 
  eagles 
  from 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  our 
  district. 
  Captain 
  

   Stirling 
  informs 
  us 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  seen 
  at 
  Fairburn, 
  probably 
  

   as 
  migrants. 
  In 
  1847 
  Hepburn 
  mentions 
  with 
  great 
  regret 
  that 
  

   during 
  his 
  visit 
  to 
  Inverness-shire 
  he 
  never 
  saw 
  a 
  Golden 
  Eagle, 
  

   so 
  that 
  a 
  great 
  increase 
  has 
  occurred 
  in 
  their 
  numbers 
  since 
  

   then. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  Invergarry 
  estate 
  Golden 
  Eagles 
  are 
  rapidly 
  increasing. 
  

   They 
  breed 
  there 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  up 
  Glen 
  Quoich. 
  Five 
  have 
  been 
  seen 
  

   in 
  one 
  party, 
  though 
  they 
  generally 
  go 
  about 
  in 
  threes 
  ; 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  

   years 
  ago 
  they 
  used 
  only 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  pairs 
  (Captain 
  Ellice, 
  in 
  lit. 
  19th 
  

   Oct. 
  1888). 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  Balmacaan 
  estate 
  a 
  pair 
  bred 
  on 
  Meallfuarvounie 
  

   for 
  many 
  years 
  (previous 
  to 
  1882); 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  birds, 
  however, 
  

   was 
  killed, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  disappeared 
  from 
  the 
  locality 
  (A. 
  

   Craig). 
  

  

  Eagles 
  at 
  times 
  visit 
  the 
  low 
  grounds, 
  generally 
  in 
  autumn, 
  

   more 
  rarely 
  in 
  spring. 
  Harvie-Brown 
  saw 
  a 
  pair 
  over 
  the 
  woods 
  

   of 
  Wester 
  Elchies 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1885, 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  of 
  

   year 
  at 
  which 
  he 
  saw 
  two 
  Kites 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  locality. 
  

  

  Formerly 
  the 
  Golden 
  Eagle 
  bred 
  on 
  Ben 
  Rinnes, 
  on 
  the 
  

   borders 
  of 
  Banff- 
  and 
  Elgin-shires. 
  In 
  a 
  letter 
  from 
  T. 
  Mac- 
  

   pherson 
  Grant, 
  Esq., 
  to 
  Dr. 
  Gordon, 
  written 
  in 
  1844, 
  he 
  says: 
  — 
  

   'The 
  remains 
  of 
  a 
  nest 
  are, 
  however, 
  still 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  near 
  the 
  

   summit 
  of 
  Ben 
  Rinnes, 
  though 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  unable 
  to 
  learn 
  how 
  

   many 
  years 
  have 
  elapsed 
  since 
  it 
  was 
  finally 
  abandoned. 
  The 
  

   cleft 
  of 
  the 
  granite 
  rock 
  which 
  contains 
  the 
  eyrie 
  is 
  reputed 
  inac- 
  

   cessible, 
  but 
  within 
  my 
  recollection 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  no 
  inducement 
  

   to 
  hazard 
  the 
  attempt 
  — 
  a 
  few 
  decayed 
  sticks 
  and 
  a 
  green 
  patch 
  

  

  