﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  69 
  

  

  and 
  Lochaber, 
  and 
  high 
  up 
  the 
  tributary 
  streams 
  of 
  Spey, 
  they 
  

   are 
  far 
  from 
  uncommon, 
  and 
  several 
  rocks 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  us 
  to 
  be 
  

   still 
  frequented 
  around 
  Loch 
  Errochd 
  ; 
  they 
  occur, 
  indeed, 
  all 
  

   over 
  the 
  lower 
  rocks 
  of 
  the 
  higher 
  ranges, 
  and 
  we 
  possess 
  eggs 
  

   from 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  eyries. 
  

  

  Amongst 
  many 
  more 
  eyries, 
  a 
  few 
  may 
  be 
  mentioned 
  to 
  show 
  

   how 
  widely 
  it 
  is 
  — 
  or 
  was 
  — 
  distributed 
  : 
  — 
  Troup 
  Head, 
  Delnabo, 
  

   .Strath 
  Avon, 
  Glen 
  Nethy, 
  Glen 
  Feshie, 
  Gaick, 
  Loch 
  Dhubh, 
  

   Badenoch, 
  Loch 
  Errochd, 
  Monadhliath 
  mountains, 
  and 
  on 
  Nairn, 
  

   Findhorn, 
  and 
  Dulnan, 
  and 
  in 
  many 
  other 
  localities. 
  

  

  Many 
  specimens 
  exist 
  in 
  local 
  collections, 
  and 
  its 
  name, 
  

   whether 
  as 
  a 
  nesting 
  species 
  or 
  as 
  shot 
  during 
  vagrancy, 
  is 
  included 
  

   in 
  almost 
  all 
  the 
  many 
  local 
  lists 
  we 
  have 
  had 
  placed 
  at 
  our 
  dis- 
  

   posal, 
  and 
  which 
  are 
  quite 
  too 
  numerous 
  to 
  require 
  special 
  notice 
  ; 
  

   and 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  unfrequently 
  observed 
  or 
  shot 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  

   favourite 
  haunts 
  of 
  wild-fowl, 
  such 
  as 
  Loch 
  Spynie, 
  where 
  Captain 
  

   Dunbar-Brander 
  has 
  procured 
  it. 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  often 
  witnessed 
  fine 
  flights 
  of 
  falconry 
  in 
  our 
  Scottish 
  

   Highlands. 
  On 
  the 
  10th 
  August, 
  over 
  Loch 
  Errochd, 
  a 
  female 
  

   Peregrine 
  attacked 
  a 
  Lesser 
  Black 
  -backed 
  Gull, 
  and 
  kept 
  dashing 
  

   at 
  it 
  for 
  quite 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  an 
  hour, 
  the 
  Gull 
  crying 
  out 
  loudly 
  

   all 
  the 
  time, 
  but 
  finally 
  escaping, 
  the 
  Falcon 
  giving 
  up 
  the 
  chase. 
  

  

  Falco 
  subbuteo, 
  Linn. 
  Hobby. 
  

  

  A 
  very 
  rare 
  bird 
  in 
  our 
  present 
  district. 
  Two 
  have 
  been 
  killed 
  

   in 
  Banffshire, 
  as 
  recorded 
  by 
  Gray 
  in 
  his 
  Bird* 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  

   of 
  Scotland: 
  — 
  'July 
  1863, 
  in 
  which 
  year 
  one 
  was 
  obtained 
  at 
  

   Kothiemay 
  in 
  Banffshire, 
  its 
  second 
  occurrence 
  in 
  that 
  county, 
  one 
  

   having 
  been 
  killed 
  about 
  twenty-three 
  years 
  ago 
  near 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  

   Banff.' 
  

  

  Falco 
  aesalon, 
  Tunstall. 
  Merlin, 
  

  

  The 
  Merlin 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  particularly 
  abundant 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  Moray 
  area, 
  

   as 
  far 
  as 
  we 
  can 
  ascertain 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  mentioned 
  in 
  lists 
  from 
  most 
  of 
  

   our 
  localities, 
  but 
  generally 
  entered 
  as 
  scarce. 
  1 
  At 
  Guisachan 
  it 
  is 
  

   rare, 
  and 
  at 
  Invergarry 
  Mr. 
  Malcolm 
  says 
  it 
  is 
  'very 
  occasionally 
  

  

  1 
  Hector 
  Boece 
  in 
  1527 
  speaks 
  of 
  * 
  Merlyonis 
  ' 
  as 
  inhabiting 
  Scotland 
  generally 
  

   (see 
  under 
  (Joshawk). 
  

  

  