﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  Morlich, 
  but 
  again 
  we 
  consider 
  his 
  date 
  is 
  put 
  back. 
  However, 
  it 
  is 
  

   certain 
  that 
  he 
  took 
  eggs 
  twice 
  before 
  he 
  visited 
  these 
  Osprey 
  sites 
  

   with 
  Hancock 
  in 
  1850 
  (q.v.) 
  — 
  a 
  date 
  about 
  which 
  there 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  

   doubt. 
  

  

  Again, 
  in 
  his 
  1 
  Eeminiscences 
  ' 
  Dunbar 
  says 
  : 
  — 
  ' 
  For 
  some 
  years 
  

   previous 
  to 
  this 
  date 
  the 
  Osprey 
  bred 
  in 
  a 
  solitary 
  fir 
  — 
  a 
  very 
  

   old 
  tree 
  — 
  within 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  of 
  the 
  north-east 
  end 
  of 
  

   Loch 
  Morlich, 
  which 
  was 
  bleached 
  as 
  white 
  as 
  paper, 
  and 
  without 
  

   any 
  branches 
  except 
  stumps, 
  except 
  those 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  nest 
  rested. 
  

   The 
  former 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  trunk 
  were 
  reduced 
  to 
  stumps 
  with 
  

   age. 
  On 
  arriving 
  at 
  this 
  tree 
  this 
  season 
  it 
  was 
  very 
  windy, 
  and 
  

   I 
  could 
  see 
  the 
  ground 
  for 
  nine 
  feet 
  on 
  the 
  windward 
  side 
  heave 
  

   up 
  with 
  every 
  breeze. 
  I 
  climbed 
  to 
  the 
  nest, 
  but 
  could 
  make 
  

   nothing 
  of 
  it 
  from 
  the 
  outside 
  owing 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  projection, 
  so 
  I 
  had 
  

   to 
  try 
  and 
  make 
  a 
  hole 
  in 
  it 
  to 
  get 
  at 
  the 
  eggs, 
  which 
  cost 
  me 
  

   about 
  two 
  hours' 
  work, 
  but 
  at 
  last, 
  and 
  by 
  dint 
  of 
  great 
  exertion, 
  

   I 
  succeeded 
  in 
  getting 
  through, 
  and 
  found 
  three 
  eggs. 
  When 
  at 
  

   work, 
  and 
  expecting 
  at 
  every 
  heavy 
  breeze 
  that 
  the 
  tree 
  and 
  I 
  

   should 
  go 
  together, 
  I 
  made 
  up 
  my 
  mind, 
  if 
  I 
  did 
  go, 
  that 
  I 
  would 
  

   stick 
  to 
  the 
  tree 
  until 
  near 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  then 
  spring 
  off. 
  

   However, 
  I 
  got 
  safely 
  down, 
  but 
  some 
  time 
  afterwards 
  it 
  was 
  

   blown 
  down, 
  which 
  caused 
  the 
  birds 
  to 
  take 
  to 
  the 
  chimney 
  of 
  the 
  

   old 
  shooting-lodge. 
  Mr. 
  St. 
  John 
  wished 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  sketch 
  of 
  the 
  

   tree, 
  which 
  I 
  took 
  from 
  memory, 
  and 
  sent 
  it 
  to 
  him 
  along 
  with 
  

   the 
  eggs. 
  I 
  also 
  visited 
  an 
  old 
  breeding-place 
  of 
  the 
  Osprey 
  — 
  a 
  

   little 
  lochie 
  between 
  Glen 
  Feshie 
  and 
  Loch 
  an 
  Eilean. 
  The 
  nest 
  

   was 
  in 
  a 
  fir-tree 
  by 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  loch. 
  It 
  was 
  a 
  big 
  old 
  nest, 
  

   which 
  had 
  been 
  forsaken 
  for 
  some 
  years. 
  1 
  I 
  gave 
  all 
  the 
  Osprey 
  s' 
  

   eggs 
  I 
  secured 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Hancock, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  one 
  nest 
  I 
  

   sent 
  to 
  Mr. 
  St. 
  John, 
  and 
  two 
  nestfuls 
  to 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  Wolley 
  in 
  1845 
  

   or 
  1846' 
  (in 
  err. 
  for 
  1851 
  or 
  1852) 
  — 
  besides 
  eggs 
  from 
  Loch 
  

   Morlich 
  in 
  1851, 
  A. 
  N., 
  v. 
  Ootheca 
  Wolleyana, 
  'The 
  birds,' 
  says 
  

   Dunbar, 
  ' 
  always 
  laid 
  a 
  second 
  time 
  every 
  season 
  after 
  I 
  had 
  taken 
  

   them 
  (i.e. 
  the 
  first 
  clutch), 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  time 
  I 
  killed 
  

   the 
  old 
  bird 
  for 
  Mr. 
  Hancock 
  at 
  Loch 
  Morlich, 
  and 
  which 
  I 
  was 
  

   very 
  sorry 
  to 
  do. 
  As 
  Mr. 
  Hancock 
  made 
  a 
  gift 
  of 
  his 
  private 
  

   collections 
  to 
  the 
  Newcastle 
  Museum 
  before 
  his 
  death, 
  I 
  suppose 
  

   that 
  bird 
  and 
  both 
  eggs 
  are 
  there.' 
  

  

  1 
  This 
  old 
  tree 
  has 
  since 
  been 
  cut 
  down. 
  

  

  