﻿82 
  

  

  BIRDS. 
  

  

  built 
  on 
  the 
  tree 
  this 
  year 
  (1849), 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  for 
  seven 
  years, 
  

   having 
  for 
  the 
  last 
  seven 
  years 
  bred 
  on 
  the 
  ruin 
  to 
  which 
  they 
  

   removed 
  the 
  young, 
  as 
  I 
  mentioned. 
  They 
  were 
  only 
  just 
  hatched. 
  

  

  'On 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  pencil 
  sketch 
  of 
  the 
  tree, 
  as 
  drawn 
  by 
  

   Dunbar, 
  is 
  written 
  the 
  note 
  — 
  " 
  The 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  tree 
  is 
  about 
  

   forty 
  feet. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  fir-tree, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  bleached 
  as 
  white 
  as 
  paper 
  

   with 
  age, 
  and 
  without 
  any 
  bark 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  my 
  recollection 
  goes. 
  

   This 
  sketch 
  is 
  as 
  near 
  it 
  as 
  possible. 
  — 
  L. 
  D." 
  ' 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  from 
  this 
  nest 
  also 
  that 
  the 
  egg 
  mentioned 
  in 
  Ootheca 
  

   Wolleyana, 
  p. 
  65, 
  § 
  85, 
  was 
  obtained 
  in 
  1851, 
  and 
  sent 
  to 
  Wolley, 
  

   and 
  subsequently 
  was 
  given, 
  along 
  with 
  another, 
  to 
  J. 
  D. 
  Salmon. 
  

   This 
  egg 
  was 
  taken 
  by 
  a 
  shepherd 
  ; 
  but 
  W. 
  Dunbar 
  informed 
  

   Wolley 
  that 
  his 
  brother, 
  Lewis, 
  had 
  three 
  times 
  robbed 
  this 
  pair 
  

   of 
  birds. 
  ' 
  The 
  first 
  year 
  Lewis 
  took 
  it 
  from 
  the 
  ruins 
  of 
  a 
  

   shooting-lodge, 
  the 
  second 
  from 
  a 
  dead 
  Scotch 
  fir-tree, 
  and 
  the 
  

   third 
  year 
  (1850) 
  from 
  the 
  old 
  lodge 
  again, 
  when 
  the 
  hen 
  bird 
  

   was 
  shot 
  by 
  him, 
  who 
  lay 
  in 
  wait 
  and 
  shot 
  it 
  with 
  a 
  walking-stick 
  

   gun, 
  in 
  company 
  with 
  a 
  gentleman, 
  Mr. 
  John 
  Hancock, 
  who 
  

   sketched 
  it 
  as 
  it 
  lay 
  dead.' 
  1 
  In 
  Lewis 
  Dunbar's 
  narration 
  it 
  

   will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  three 
  persons 
  composed 
  this 
  party. 
  'In 
  1851,' 
  

   continues 
  the 
  account 
  in 
  Ootheca 
  Wolleyana, 
  ' 
  a 
  new 
  lodge 
  was 
  built 
  

   close 
  against 
  the 
  old 
  one. 
  There 
  was 
  another 
  nest 
  several 
  years 
  

   ago 
  in 
  a 
  tree, 
  which 
  my 
  informant 
  knew 
  of, 
  and 
  made 
  a 
  drawing 
  

   of 
  it, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  he 
  could, 
  for 
  the 
  same 
  gentleman. 
  The 
  following 
  

   year 
  my 
  informant 
  (i.e. 
  W. 
  Dunbar) 
  sent 
  me 
  another 
  egg 
  of 
  the 
  

   Osprey, 
  but 
  from 
  what 
  locality 
  he 
  was 
  unable 
  to 
  make 
  out. 
  ' 
  The 
  

   egg 
  is 
  now 
  in 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  P. 
  Wilmot's 
  collection 
  ' 
  (vide 
  Ootheca 
  

   JVolleyana, 
  p. 
  65, 
  § 
  85, 
  — 
  ' 
  One, 
  Inverness-shire, 
  — 
  1851).' 
  

  

  In 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  nest 
  taken 
  on 
  the 
  chimney 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  

   shooting-lodge 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  Loch 
  Morlich, 
  Mr. 
  Howe 
  quotes, 
  

   amongst 
  other 
  items 
  : 
  — 
  ' 
  Two 
  eggs 
  were 
  in 
  the 
  nest, 
  and 
  we 
  shot 
  

   the 
  old 
  female, 
  and 
  she 
  had 
  in 
  her 
  an 
  egg, 
  full 
  size, 
  but 
  not 
  shelled 
  

   (compare 
  Dunbar's 
  narration). 
  A 
  portion 
  of 
  a 
  trout 
  was 
  lying 
  on 
  

   the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  nest 
  when 
  taken. 
  The 
  lining 
  of 
  the 
  nest 
  was 
  

   composed 
  entirely 
  of 
  small 
  tufts 
  of 
  fine 
  grass 
  and 
  lichens, 
  and 
  

   was 
  about 
  seventeen 
  inches 
  across. 
  This 
  was 
  only 
  the 
  lining 
  of 
  

   the 
  nest, 
  the 
  full 
  diameter 
  being 
  twice 
  this 
  measurement. 
  Most 
  

  

  1 
  All 
  these 
  notes 
  referring 
  to 
  these 
  single 
  eggs 
  relate 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  locality 
  — 
  a 
  pine- 
  

   tree, 
  ' 
  bleached 
  as 
  white 
  as 
  paper 
  with 
  age, 
  etc.,' 
  ' 
  by 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  Loch 
  Morlich.' 
  

  

  