﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  53 
  

  

  consummation 
  must 
  in 
  great 
  measure 
  depend 
  upon 
  the 
  integrity 
  of 
  

   those 
  servants 
  of 
  His 
  Grace 
  who 
  have 
  charge 
  and 
  ward, 
  and 
  their 
  

   honesty 
  in 
  refusing 
  bribes 
  by 
  'unconscionable 
  raiders' 
  and 
  so-called 
  

   ornithologists 
  or 
  collectors. 
  

  

  Other 
  eyries 
  we 
  might 
  indicate, 
  but 
  we 
  refrain, 
  as 
  already 
  cir- 
  

   cumstances 
  have 
  laid 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  open 
  to 
  the 
  1 
  indiscriminate 
  

   grabber,' 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  desirable 
  to 
  induce 
  further 
  rivalry 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  

   'tug 
  of 
  purses' 
  as 
  would 
  probably 
  be 
  occasioned 
  over 
  every 
  

   unfortunate 
  eyrie 
  which 
  has 
  the 
  bad 
  luck 
  to 
  be 
  ' 
  labelled 
  common 
  

   property.' 
  

  

  We 
  may 
  mention, 
  however, 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  still 
  at 
  least 
  two 
  tree- 
  

   eyries 
  occupied 
  in 
  our 
  area, 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  occupied 
  every 
  

   year, 
  but 
  from 
  which 
  young 
  are 
  certainly 
  occasionally 
  hatched 
  oft", 
  

   as 
  was 
  the 
  case 
  in 
  1883. 
  

  

  In 
  1893 
  Mr. 
  Norrie 
  and 
  Harvie-Brown 
  visited 
  the 
  Glenfiddich 
  

   nest, 
  and 
  the 
  accompanying 
  portrait 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  taken 
  from 
  a 
  photo- 
  

   graph. 
  We 
  think 
  it 
  of 
  sufficient 
  interest 
  — 
  from 
  the 
  peculiarity 
  of 
  

   its 
  situation 
  and 
  close 
  proximity 
  to 
  occupied 
  houses, 
  though 
  these 
  

   latter 
  are 
  not 
  within 
  the 
  scope 
  of 
  a 
  camera 
  — 
  to 
  extract 
  a 
  few 
  notes, 
  

   taken 
  upon 
  the 
  spot, 
  from 
  our 
  Journals. 
  The 
  nest 
  is 
  a 
  consider- 
  

   able 
  structure, 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  18 
  or 
  20 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  ground, 
  in 
  a 
  

   birch-tree, 
  which 
  is 
  itself 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  35 
  to 
  38 
  feet 
  high. 
  The 
  

   tree 
  grows 
  amongst 
  other 
  scattered 
  birches 
  — 
  which 
  could 
  easily 
  

   be 
  counted 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  minutes 
  — 
  and 
  stands 
  upon 
  the 
  gently 
  

   sloping 
  rise 
  of 
  a 
  narrow 
  glen 
  which 
  faces 
  north, 
  upon 
  a 
  small 
  

   tributary 
  stream. 
  Any 
  'halflin' 
  loon' 
  could 
  climb 
  it, 
  as 
  the 
  lower 
  

   branches 
  are 
  only 
  about 
  four 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  ground. 
  The 
  edge 
  of 
  

   the 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  bank 
  above 
  the 
  nest 
  may 
  be 
  50 
  feet, 
  and 
  by 
  

   climbing 
  another 
  birch 
  close 
  at 
  hand, 
  it 
  was 
  easy 
  to 
  see 
  right 
  into 
  

   the 
  nest. 
  

  

  We 
  were 
  told 
  that 
  the 
  birds 
  reappeared 
  this 
  year, 
  but 
  soon 
  left, 
  

   and 
  that 
  they 
  repaired 
  the 
  nest. 
  But 
  we 
  saw 
  little 
  appearance 
  of 
  

   that, 
  the 
  nest 
  looking 
  rather 
  de'collettt. 
  The 
  slope 
  is 
  a 
  grassy 
  one, 
  

   on 
  which 
  grow 
  white 
  bleached 
  grasses, 
  mingled 
  with 
  close-cropped 
  

   blaeberry 
  tumps 
  and 
  heather 
  patches. 
  The 
  glen 
  is 
  lonely 
  enough 
  

   in 
  appearance, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  path 
  within 
  fifty 
  yards 
  of 
  the 
  nest, 
  

   on 
  the 
  opposite 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  glen, 
  and 
  a 
  second 
  path 
  turns 
  back 
  at 
  

   an 
  acute 
  angle 
  up 
  the 
  other 
  side, 
  passing 
  within 
  twenty 
  yards 
  of 
  

   the 
  nest, 
  which 
  is 
  thus 
  situated 
  in 
  the 
  angle 
  so 
  formed. 
  The 
  paths 
  

  

  