﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  73 
  

  

  The 
  tree 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  nest 
  now 
  are 
  — 
  for 
  the 
  

   original 
  tree 
  was 
  blown 
  down 
  — 
  is 
  a 
  small, 
  stunted 
  Scots 
  fir, 
  most 
  

   of 
  the 
  branches 
  being 
  dead, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  those 
  on 
  which 
  

   the 
  nest 
  rests. 
  There 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  trees 
  of 
  

   the 
  same 
  kind 
  near 
  to 
  each 
  other. 
  The 
  tree 
  stands 
  on 
  the 
  slope 
  

   of 
  a 
  hill, 
  amongst 
  long 
  heather, 
  and 
  in 
  very 
  rough 
  and 
  rocky 
  

   ground, 
  and 
  can 
  easily 
  be 
  looked 
  down 
  upon 
  from 
  the 
  rising 
  

   ground 
  above. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  fine 
  view 
  over 
  the 
  loch 
  ; 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  

   loch 
  itself 
  contains 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  pike, 
  no 
  doubt 
  that 
  proved 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  attractions 
  of 
  the 
  place 
  to 
  the 
  Ospreys, 
  as 
  from 
  the 
  

   habit 
  of 
  basking 
  in 
  shallow 
  water 
  in 
  summer, 
  this 
  fish 
  is 
  easily 
  

   seen 
  and 
  secured 
  ; 
  and 
  no 
  doubt 
  it 
  is 
  owing, 
  in 
  some 
  measure, 
  to 
  

   so 
  many 
  lochs 
  in 
  the 
  wilds 
  of 
  Inverness-shire 
  containing 
  pike, 
  that 
  

   Ospreys 
  were 
  so 
  abundant 
  in 
  this 
  district 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  

   other 
  parts 
  of 
  Scotland. 
  We 
  are 
  sorry 
  to 
  have 
  to 
  add, 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  

   this 
  site, 
  that 
  1892 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  last 
  season 
  they 
  bred 
  

   there, 
  as 
  only 
  one 
  bird 
  was 
  seen 
  either 
  in 
  1893 
  or 
  1894 
  ; 
  and 
  they 
  

   certainly 
  did 
  not 
  nest 
  in 
  either 
  of 
  these 
  years. 
  At 
  the 
  same 
  time, 
  

   the 
  birds 
  might 
  be 
  expected 
  to 
  return, 
  and 
  the 
  keeper 
  assured 
  

   us 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  strict 
  orders 
  to 
  look 
  after 
  them, 
  though 
  from 
  the 
  

   appearance 
  of 
  the 
  place, 
  and 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  ground 
  is 
  used 
  as 
  

   a 
  sheep-run 
  and 
  not 
  as 
  a 
  forest, 
  this 
  seemed 
  to 
  us 
  rather 
  a 
  

   difficult 
  thing 
  to 
  be 
  done 
  efficiently. 
  1 
  

  

  A 
  letter 
  appeared 
  in 
  Bod 
  and 
  Gun 
  for 
  May 
  6th, 
  1891, 
  signed 
  by 
  

   'An 
  Old 
  Keeper,' 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  writer 
  stated 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  taken 
  the 
  

   young 
  Ospreys 
  from 
  a 
  nest, 
  at 
  or 
  near 
  a 
  loch 
  in 
  Inverness-shire. 
  

   In 
  answer 
  to 
  our 
  inquiries 
  the 
  editor 
  informed 
  us 
  that 
  1 
  An 
  Old 
  

   Keeper 
  ' 
  was 
  only 
  a 
  casual 
  correspondent, 
  and 
  he 
  did 
  not 
  know 
  his 
  

   address, 
  so 
  that 
  we 
  could 
  discover 
  nothing 
  more 
  about 
  this 
  breed- 
  

   ing 
  site. 
  

  

  The 
  late 
  Lord 
  Tweedmouth 
  wrote 
  to 
  us 
  that 
  'The 
  Osprey 
  

   built 
  on 
  a 
  tall 
  small-girthed 
  Scotch 
  fir 
  within 
  twenty 
  yards 
  of 
  the 
  

   carriage-road, 
  and 
  did 
  so 
  while 
  the 
  road 
  was 
  being 
  made 
  — 
  about 
  

   twenty-five 
  years 
  ago. 
  This 
  tree 
  is 
  situated 
  about 
  a 
  mile 
  west 
  of 
  

   Guisachan 
  House. 
  The 
  young 
  birds 
  were 
  taken 
  during 
  several 
  

   seasons, 
  and 
  sent 
  to 
  Lord 
  Hill 
  at 
  Hawkstone. 
  They 
  flourished, 
  

  

  1 
  In 
  an 
  old 
  journal, 
  dating 
  1868, 
  we 
  find 
  it 
  noted 
  that 
  the 
  two 
  old 
  birds 
  of 
  tin 
  

   nest 
  were 
  shot 
  about 
  the 
  year 
  1805, 
  and 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  — 
  as 
  our 
  informant 
  tells 
  us 
  — 
  

   they 
  had 
  bred 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  place 
  for 
  many 
  years 
  previously. 
  

  

  