﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  Armstrong, 
  an 
  old 
  ghillie, 
  lately 
  residing 
  at 
  Helmsdale, 
  1 
  when 
  a 
  

   young 
  lad, 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  nest 
  for 
  the 
  young 
  or 
  eggs 
  ; 
  this 
  must 
  be 
  

   sixty 
  years 
  ago, 
  or 
  even 
  more. 
  We 
  have 
  no 
  record 
  of 
  when 
  the 
  

   old 
  birds 
  deserted 
  the 
  locality. 
  

  

  Another 
  inland 
  locality 
  for 
  this 
  species 
  was 
  at 
  Loch 
  Loyne, 
  

   near 
  Invergarry. 
  Donald 
  Gillies, 
  an 
  old 
  and 
  most 
  intelligent 
  man, 
  

   told 
  us 
  that 
  the 
  White-tailed 
  Eagle 
  bred 
  on 
  an 
  island 
  in 
  that 
  loch. 
  

   The 
  nest 
  was 
  first 
  placed 
  on 
  a 
  fir-tree, 
  which 
  was 
  cut 
  down 
  in 
  

   1835 
  ; 
  after 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  built 
  in 
  a 
  birch-tree. 
  

  

  Although 
  no 
  longer 
  breeding 
  in 
  our 
  district, 
  yet 
  the 
  Erne 
  is 
  

   an 
  occasional 
  visitant 
  to 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  Moray 
  Firth. 
  A 
  pair 
  

   of 
  eagles, 
  most 
  probably 
  of 
  this 
  species, 
  used 
  to 
  breed 
  on 
  the 
  sea- 
  

   rocks 
  near 
  Cromarty 
  on 
  the 
  Black 
  Isle, 
  as 
  mentioned 
  by 
  St. 
  John 
  

   in 
  his 
  Wild 
  Sports 
  of 
  the 
  Highlands, 
  but 
  even 
  then 
  (1845) 
  the 
  eyrie 
  

   was 
  deserted. 
  The 
  entries 
  in 
  Macleay's 
  ledger 
  of 
  the 
  White- 
  

   tailed 
  Eagles 
  sent 
  in 
  to 
  him 
  from 
  our 
  present 
  area 
  for 
  preservation 
  

   since 
  1850 
  are 
  only 
  two 
  in 
  number, 
  viz., 
  one 
  from 
  Carr 
  Bridge 
  in 
  

   June 
  1854, 
  the 
  other 
  from 
  Can 
  tray 
  in 
  October 
  1864. 
  Duncan 
  

   M'Lennan, 
  stalker 
  at 
  Guisachan, 
  told 
  us 
  he 
  got 
  a 
  Sea 
  Eagle 
  

   about 
  1883. 
  

  

  Ancient 
  record 
  tells 
  the 
  tale 
  of 
  the 
  White-tailed 
  Eagles 
  nesting 
  

   on 
  the 
  Pennan 
  rocks 
  and 
  cliffs 
  near 
  Troup 
  Head. 
  The 
  curious 
  

   coincidence 
  is 
  related 
  of 
  the 
  disappearance 
  and 
  reappearance 
  of 
  

   eagles 
  at 
  Pennan 
  Eocks 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  coast 
  of 
  Aberdeenshire, 
  in 
  

   fulfilment 
  of 
  Thomas 
  the 
  Ehymer's 
  prophecy 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  

   the 
  survival 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  of 
  Baird. 
  From 
  this 
  account 
  it 
  seems 
  

   that 
  the 
  Eagles 
  disappeared 
  when 
  the 
  property 
  was 
  sold 
  by 
  the 
  

   Bairds, 
  and 
  reappeared 
  when 
  Lord 
  Haddo 
  married 
  Miss 
  Christina 
  

   Baird 
  of 
  New 
  Byth, 
  and 
  again 
  disappeared 
  when 
  the 
  estate 
  passed 
  

   into 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  the 
  Honourable 
  William 
  Gordon 
  (N.S.A., 
  

   Aberdeenshire). 
  

  

  Mr. 
  John 
  Martin, 
  some 
  time 
  Curator 
  of 
  the 
  Elgin 
  Museum, 
  a 
  

   few 
  years 
  previous 
  to 
  the 
  issue 
  of 
  the 
  Fauna 
  of 
  Moray, 
  observed 
  a 
  

   Sea 
  Eagle 
  in 
  a 
  disabled 
  state 
  on 
  the 
  sandy 
  beach 
  at 
  or 
  near 
  Innes 
  

   House 
  ; 
  and 
  another 
  was 
  taken 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  place 
  in 
  1878 
  (Fauna 
  

   of 
  Moray, 
  edition 
  1889). 
  One 
  was 
  obtained 
  at 
  Pitgaveny, 
  which 
  

   it 
  was 
  supposed 
  was 
  the 
  same 
  bird 
  which 
  was 
  seen 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Martin 
  

   (ut 
  sup.). 
  

  

  1 
  Since 
  deceased. 
  

  

  