﻿66 
  

  

  BIRDS. 
  

  

  to 
  our 
  certain 
  knowledge, 
  two 
  eggs 
  being 
  now 
  in 
  our 
  collection 
  at 
  

   Dunipace. 
  Concerning 
  these 
  eggs, 
  the 
  following 
  particulars 
  may 
  

   prove 
  of 
  no 
  small 
  interest, 
  as 
  we 
  are 
  not 
  aware 
  that 
  another 
  

   Scotch 
  clutch 
  exists 
  in 
  any 
  collection. 
  

  

  According 
  to 
  our 
  correspondent, 
  the 
  birds 
  had 
  frequented 
  this 
  

   wood 
  for 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  summers 
  previously. 
  On 
  3rd 
  June 
  1871 
  he 
  

   assisted 
  in 
  harrying 
  the 
  nest, 
  which 
  contained 
  two 
  fresh 
  eggs, 
  and 
  

   these 
  were 
  sent 
  unblown 
  to 
  Captain 
  (now 
  Colonel) 
  H. 
  W. 
  Fielden. 
  

   The 
  birds 
  had 
  been 
  seen 
  about 
  a 
  week 
  before 
  the 
  day 
  on 
  which 
  

   the 
  eggs 
  were 
  taken. 
  The 
  nest, 
  which 
  was 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  a 
  Rook's, 
  

   and 
  lined 
  with 
  wasps' 
  nests, 
  was 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  fork 
  of 
  a 
  Scots 
  fir. 
  

   After 
  the 
  eggs 
  had 
  been 
  taken 
  the 
  old 
  birds 
  were 
  seen 
  flying 
  over- 
  

   head, 
  but 
  not 
  before. 
  Our 
  informant 
  believed 
  that 
  the 
  birds 
  left 
  

   the 
  wood 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  September. 
  

  

  St. 
  John 
  never 
  met 
  with 
  this 
  species 
  in 
  Morayshire. 
  

   Naturally 
  enough 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  Honey 
  Buzzard 
  in 
  our 
  

   present 
  area 
  is 
  restricted 
  to 
  the 
  more 
  wooded 
  parts 
  ; 
  it 
  occurred 
  

   at 
  Invergarry 
  in 
  1878, 
  the 
  most 
  outlying 
  locality 
  we 
  have 
  any 
  

   note 
  of, 
  the 
  lower-lying 
  woods 
  being 
  more 
  visited 
  by 
  it, 
  but 
  the 
  

   Invergarry 
  plantations 
  are 
  of 
  large 
  extent, 
  well 
  grown, 
  and 
  might 
  

   easily 
  have 
  attracted 
  such 
  a 
  bird 
  at 
  that 
  time. 
  

  

  Honey 
  Buzzards 
  have 
  been 
  killed 
  in 
  several 
  instances 
  in 
  June 
  

   and 
  July. 
  In 
  July 
  1882 
  one 
  was 
  killed 
  at 
  Brodie, 
  near 
  Forres, 
  

   and 
  another 
  at 
  Dunphail, 
  about 
  ten 
  miles 
  farther 
  south 
  ; 
  in 
  June 
  

   of 
  the 
  same 
  year 
  two 
  were 
  killed 
  at 
  Cawdor, 
  on 
  the 
  19th 
  and 
  26th, 
  

   and 
  on 
  the 
  latter 
  date 
  another 
  was 
  killed 
  at 
  Belladrum. 
  

  

  One 
  was 
  killed 
  on 
  the 
  Eildon 
  Hills, 
  near 
  the 
  Priory 
  of 
  Plus- 
  

   carden, 
  in 
  1867, 
  and 
  another, 
  a 
  male, 
  was 
  killed 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  place 
  

   in 
  1868 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Georges, 
  keeper, 
  and 
  this 
  one 
  is 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  

   Elgin 
  Museum; 
  and 
  in 
  1883 
  one 
  was 
  obtained 
  at 
  Culloden. 
  

  

  Brown 
  of 
  Forres, 
  who 
  has 
  had 
  a 
  good 
  many 
  through 
  his 
  

   hands, 
  considers 
  it 
  an 
  accidental 
  straggler, 
  but 
  our 
  data 
  above 
  

   would 
  indicate 
  a 
  more 
  decided 
  line 
  of 
  migration 
  j 
  and 
  were 
  they 
  

   not 
  persecuted 
  they 
  would 
  oftener 
  remain 
  to 
  breed. 
  Brown, 
  

   writing 
  to 
  us 
  under 
  date 
  of 
  5th 
  July 
  1888, 
  says: 
  — 
  'I 
  was 
  pre- 
  

   serving 
  a 
  male 
  Honey 
  Buzzard, 
  and 
  expecting 
  to 
  find 
  wasps 
  in 
  

   his 
  stomach, 
  and 
  was 
  not 
  a 
  little 
  surprised 
  to 
  find 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  

  

  1 
  Two 
  other 
  localities 
  where 
  the 
  Honey 
  Buzzard 
  has 
  bred 
  in 
  Scotland 
  are 
  Aber- 
  

   feldy 
  and 
  Ballogie 
  (Gray, 
  Birds 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  of 
  Scotland, 
  p. 
  49). 
  

  

  