﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  77 
  

  

  At 
  that 
  time 
  old 
  1 
  roy 
  ' 
  (i.e. 
  red-barked) 
  and 
  green 
  pines 
  filled 
  

   the 
  whole 
  slope 
  three-parts 
  up 
  the 
  south 
  face 
  above 
  the 
  shore 
  of 
  

   Loch 
  an 
  Eilein, 
  and 
  no 
  doubt 
  the 
  old 
  pines 
  stood 
  also 
  at 
  the 
  far 
  

   west 
  end, 
  as 
  depicted 
  in 
  the 
  foreground 
  of 
  MacCulloch's 
  painting. 
  

   But 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  stragglers 
  remain, 
  some 
  of 
  

   which 
  are 
  gaunt 
  and 
  grizzly 
  and 
  bare, 
  and 
  many 
  yet 
  still 
  either 
  

   1 
  roy 
  • 
  or 
  green, 
  but 
  old 
  enough 
  to 
  claim 
  their 
  ancient 
  right 
  as 
  

   sentinels 
  of 
  the 
  army 
  of 
  the 
  pine-trees 
  which 
  formerly 
  pressed 
  

   over 
  the 
  skylines 
  into 
  the 
  neighbouring 
  valleys. 
  

  

  Dunbar 
  also 
  told 
  us, 
  as 
  the 
  floods 
  of 
  old 
  memories 
  came 
  back, 
  

   that 
  although 
  there 
  were 
  Jackdaws 
  in 
  the 
  cliffs 
  of 
  the 
  neighbouring 
  

   hills 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  adjoining 
  old 
  limestone 
  quarry 
  on 
  Torbain 
  at 
  that 
  

   time, 
  there 
  were 
  none 
  in 
  the 
  castle 
  itself. 
  At 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  

   there 
  are 
  a 
  number 
  about 
  the 
  ruins, 
  and 
  we 
  saw 
  a 
  pair 
  sitting 
  

   on 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  Osprey's 
  nest 
  in 
  May 
  1892. 
  Neither 
  were 
  

   there 
  any 
  trees 
  growing 
  inside 
  the 
  castle 
  which 
  were 
  high 
  enough 
  

   to 
  show 
  above 
  the 
  top 
  courses 
  of 
  the 
  masonry. 
  Now 
  the 
  walls 
  

   are 
  overtopped 
  by 
  ash 
  and 
  elm 
  saplings 
  by 
  some 
  five 
  or 
  more 
  feet. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  comparison 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  MS. 
  documents, 
  letters, 
  

   and 
  other 
  materials 
  at 
  our 
  disposal, 
  we 
  believe 
  the 
  following 
  is 
  as 
  

   nearly 
  as 
  possible 
  the 
  correct 
  chronology 
  of 
  the 
  Ospreys 
  of 
  Loch 
  

   an 
  Eilein 
  since 
  1844, 
  when, 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  seen, 
  Thomas 
  Macpherson 
  

   Grant 
  wrote 
  to 
  Dr. 
  Gordon 
  regarding 
  them. 
  

  

  In 
  1845 
  and 
  1846 
  we 
  have 
  no 
  contemporary 
  records, 
  and 
  only 
  

   Lewis 
  Dunbar's 
  recollections, 
  in 
  which 
  he, 
  however, 
  adheres 
  to 
  his 
  

   statement 
  that 
  this 
  date 
  — 
  1846 
  — 
  was 
  the 
  first 
  year 
  of 
  his 
  attempts 
  

   to 
  take 
  the 
  Osprey's 
  nest. 
  We 
  have, 
  in 
  conjunction 
  with 
  Professor 
  

   Newton, 
  — 
  who 
  has 
  been 
  much 
  interested 
  in 
  the 
  whole 
  subject, 
  and 
  

   has 
  greatly 
  assisted 
  us 
  in 
  working 
  out 
  the 
  chronology, 
  and 
  taken 
  

   an 
  infinitude 
  of 
  pains 
  regarding 
  the 
  whole 
  matter, 
  — 
  arrived 
  at 
  the 
  

   conclusion 
  that 
  in 
  this 
  point 
  Dunbar's 
  memory 
  is 
  at 
  fault, 
  and 
  

   that 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  until 
  1848 
  that 
  he 
  first 
  swam 
  out 
  to 
  the 
  island. 
  

   Contemporary 
  facts 
  go 
  far 
  to 
  prove 
  this. 
  

  

  Dunbar's 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  year's 
  proceedings 
  is 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  

   ■ 
  1846 
  (rede 
  1848) 
  was 
  the 
  first 
  year 
  of 
  my 
  attempts 
  to 
  secure 
  the 
  

   Ospreys' 
  eggs 
  on 
  Loch 
  an 
  Eilean. 
  On 
  a 
  bright 
  April 
  day 
  I 
  walked 
  

   from 
  Grantown 
  to 
  the 
  loch, 
  swam 
  in, 
  and 
  explored 
  the 
  old 
  castle, 
  

   getting 
  my 
  bare 
  legs 
  stung 
  by 
  nettles, 
  and 
  finding 
  the 
  best 
  and 
  

   easiest 
  way 
  of 
  climbing 
  to 
  the 
  nest. 
  I 
  climbed 
  up 
  and 
  secured 
  

  

  