﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  63 
  

  

  about 
  extinct 
  in 
  Scotland 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  (1892). 
  A 
  case 
  

   containing 
  the 
  bird 
  shot 
  by 
  Dunbar, 
  along 
  with 
  two 
  Rough-legged 
  

   Buzzards, 
  was 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  Exhibition 
  at 
  Edinburgh 
  in 
  1886, 
  

   and 
  sold 
  by 
  Messrs. 
  Lyon 
  and 
  Turnbull 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Robert 
  Small 
  of 
  

   Edinburgh, 
  at 
  a 
  nominal 
  price. 
  1 
  

  

  As 
  late 
  as 
  1878, 
  Booth 
  found 
  Kites 
  breeding 
  in 
  the 
  Rothie- 
  

   murchus 
  district, 
  and 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  destroyed 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  of 
  

   the 
  birds 
  — 
  either 
  old 
  or 
  young 
  — 
  at 
  every 
  nest 
  he 
  visited. 
  He 
  

   also 
  adds 
  that 
  he 
  knew 
  of 
  their 
  nesting 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  locality, 
  at 
  

   least 
  a 
  year 
  or 
  two 
  after, 
  but 
  did 
  not 
  further 
  disturb 
  them. 
  All 
  

   the 
  nests 
  he 
  saw 
  were 
  in 
  fir-trees, 
  though 
  he 
  was 
  told 
  of 
  one 
  

   that 
  was 
  in 
  some 
  rocks, 
  trees 
  large 
  enough 
  not 
  being 
  available. 
  

   Kites, 
  however, 
  as 
  is 
  well 
  known, 
  do 
  not 
  necessarily 
  require 
  very 
  

   large 
  or 
  high 
  trees 
  to 
  nestle 
  in 
  — 
  forty 
  to 
  fifty 
  year 
  old 
  pines 
  in 
  

   dense 
  woods 
  being 
  at 
  times 
  preferred 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  larger 
  and 
  older 
  

   growth. 
  

  

  In 
  1880, 
  Mr. 
  James 
  Grant, 
  gamekeeper, 
  assured 
  us 
  that 
  the 
  

   Kite 
  had 
  been 
  twenty-five 
  years 
  absent 
  from 
  Glenmore 
  and 
  Aber- 
  

   nethy, 
  but 
  that 
  they 
  came 
  back 
  five 
  years 
  ago 
  (say 
  1875). 
  Mr. 
  

   Booth 
  no 
  doubt 
  settled 
  their 
  term 
  of 
  residency. 
  

  

  Others 
  testify 
  to 
  its 
  former 
  abundance, 
  and 
  present 
  rarity. 
  

   The 
  statements 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  Statistical 
  Account 
  of 
  the 
  parish 
  of 
  

   Ruthven, 
  viz., 
  that 
  the 
  Kite 
  4 
  is 
  known 
  to 
  breed 
  in 
  the 
  lofty 
  trees 
  

   at 
  Rannes 
  and 
  Cullen 
  House,' 
  is 
  only 
  quoted 
  for 
  what 
  it 
  is 
  worth, 
  

   in 
  conjunction 
  with 
  other 
  statements, 
  such 
  as 
  ' 
  The 
  Goshawk, 
  

   Kestrel, 
  etc., 
  are 
  not 
  common 
  ' 
  ! 
  

  

  The 
  Kite, 
  however, 
  was 
  familiarly 
  known 
  to 
  many 
  people 
  still 
  

   alive. 
  Rev. 
  J. 
  Forsyth, 
  D.D., 
  of 
  Abernethy 
  wrote 
  to 
  us 
  in 
  

   1885 
  : 
  — 
  1 
  1 
  have 
  not 
  seen 
  one 
  for 
  many 
  years. 
  I 
  remember 
  when 
  

   they 
  were 
  very 
  numerous 
  ; 
  and 
  a 
  pretty 
  sight 
  it 
  was 
  to 
  see 
  them 
  

   hunting 
  for 
  mice 
  in 
  the 
  stubbles 
  on 
  a 
  fine 
  autumn 
  day. 
  Their 
  

   mode 
  of 
  flight 
  and 
  of 
  striking 
  prey 
  was 
  very 
  beautiful.' 
  But 
  

   Dr. 
  Forsyth 
  adds 
  : 
  — 
  * 
  Kites 
  are 
  still 
  seen 
  and 
  sometimes 
  killed 
  

   by 
  keepers.' 
  Can't 
  something 
  be 
  done 
  to 
  prevent 
  this 
  senseless 
  

  

  1 
  Mr. 
  George 
  A. 
  Punton 
  purchased 
  the 
  case 
  containing 
  the 
  Kite 
  shot 
  by 
  Lewis 
  

   Dunbar 
  in 
  1848 
  (not 
  1847). 
  The 
  case 
  contained 
  the 
  Kite, 
  ? 
  ; 
  two 
  Rough-legged 
  

   Buzzards, 
  <J 
  and 
  ? 
  ; 
  one 
  Goshawk, 
  p 
  ; 
  one 
  Common 
  Buzzard, 
  & 
  ; 
  all 
  except 
  the 
  Kite 
  

   killed 
  at 
  Berriedale, 
  on 
  the 
  Duke 
  of 
  Portland's 
  estates, 
  Caithness 
  (G. 
  D. 
  Pun 
  ton, 
  

   m 
  lit. 
  16/iii/92, 
  73 
  Westfield 
  Road, 
  Edgbaston, 
  Birmingham). 
  

  

  