﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  71 
  

  

  by 
  keepers 
  as 
  it 
  used 
  to 
  be, 
  many 
  of 
  whom 
  now 
  realise 
  that 
  they 
  

   do 
  but 
  little 
  harm 
  to 
  game, 
  and 
  considerable 
  service 
  to 
  the 
  

   farmers. 
  This 
  at 
  least 
  is 
  the 
  case 
  in 
  the 
  more 
  enlightened 
  dis- 
  

   tricts. 
  We 
  sincerely 
  trust 
  the 
  lesson 
  will 
  be 
  continued 
  to 
  be 
  

   taught, 
  and 
  learned 
  over 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  Scotland. 
  

  

  Pandion 
  haliaetus 
  (L.). 
  Osprey. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  Osprey 
  s 
  present 
  breeding 
  distribution 
  throughout 
  Scotland 
  

   it 
  is 
  not 
  within 
  our 
  1 
  Province 
  1 
  to 
  speak 
  here 
  in 
  detail. 
  Suffice 
  it 
  to 
  

   say 
  we 
  are 
  not 
  amongst 
  those 
  who 
  believe 
  in 
  more 
  than 
  three, 
  or 
  

   at 
  the 
  most 
  four, 
  sites 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  claimed 
  as 
  1 
  permanent 
  resi- 
  

   dences 
  1 
  in 
  Scotland. 
  Of 
  a 
  far 
  southern 
  locality, 
  which 
  some 
  

   collectors 
  desire 
  other 
  people 
  to 
  believe 
  is 
  occupied, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  

   mislead 
  them 
  in 
  their 
  attempts 
  at 
  1 
  finding 
  damning 
  facts,' 
  we 
  have 
  

   the 
  very 
  best 
  authority, 
  we 
  consider, 
  that 
  no 
  Ospreys 
  have 
  bred 
  

   there 
  since 
  1860 
  certainly 
  ; 
  but 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  present 
  there 
  some 
  

   years 
  previous 
  to 
  that 
  date 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  equally 
  certain. 
  

  

  Nothing 
  relating 
  to 
  our 
  Ospreys 
  would 
  give 
  us 
  greater 
  pleasure 
  

   than 
  to 
  hear 
  of 
  other 
  permanent 
  eyries, 
  but 
  we 
  prefer 
  to 
  keep 
  such 
  

   information 
  as 
  we 
  possess, 
  about 
  even 
  the 
  alternative 
  sites 
  which 
  

   are 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  used, 
  as 
  we 
  may 
  look 
  to 
  these 
  perhaps 
  as 
  

   offering 
  the 
  best 
  chances 
  of 
  allowing 
  our 
  Ospreys 
  to 
  recover 
  their 
  

   numbers 
  in 
  the 
  future. 
  

  

  With 
  one 
  exception, 
  our 
  present 
  area 
  of 
  Moray 
  includes 
  all 
  the 
  

   breeding 
  sites 
  of 
  the 
  Osprey 
  that 
  are 
  left 
  to 
  us, 
  and 
  embraces 
  also 
  

   a 
  large 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  many 
  old 
  deserted 
  localities 
  of 
  which 
  we 
  

   have 
  any 
  knowledge. 
  

  

  Ospreys 
  seem 
  singularly 
  sensitive 
  to 
  disturbance, 
  more 
  so, 
  we 
  

   think, 
  than 
  are 
  eagles 
  — 
  Golden 
  Eagles 
  at 
  any 
  rate 
  ; 
  and 
  a 
  locality, 
  

   especially 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  alternative 
  site, 
  once 
  deserted, 
  is 
  

   rarely 
  again 
  occupied. 
  

  

  All 
  through 
  our 
  area 
  many 
  old 
  sites 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  us. 
  In 
  the 
  

   north 
  we 
  may 
  include 
  three, 
  and, 
  we 
  are 
  sadly 
  afraid, 
  we 
  may 
  now 
  

   have 
  to 
  add, 
  under 
  the 
  heading 
  of 
  deserted 
  sites, 
  another 
  which, 
  

   until 
  within 
  the 
  last 
  year 
  or 
  two, 
  was 
  regarded 
  as 
  occupied. 
  Par- 
  

   ticulars 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  old 
  sites 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  further 
  on. 
  

   Despite 
  all 
  these 
  facts, 
  we 
  have 
  good 
  reason 
  for 
  supposing 
  that 
  

   at 
  least 
  two 
  pairs 
  still 
  breed 
  regularly 
  within 
  our 
  area, 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  