﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  85 
  

  

  Words 
  (1880) 
  that 
  it 
  attained 
  a 
  national 
  reputation' 
  (vide 
  The 
  

   Cairngorm 
  Club 
  Excursions, 
  July 
  14th, 
  1890, 
  p. 
  26, 
  q.v.). 
  We 
  doubt 
  

   if 
  this 
  1 
  national 
  reputation 
  ' 
  has 
  done 
  any 
  good 
  to 
  the 
  birds, 
  but 
  

   has 
  rather 
  only 
  destroyed 
  1 
  the 
  solitude 
  which 
  the 
  birds 
  like.' 
  We 
  

   ourselves 
  think 
  there 
  is 
  only 
  cause 
  for 
  regret 
  in 
  this 
  publicity, 
  as 
  

   then 
  given, 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time.£±$ow, 
  it 
  is 
  for 
  lovers 
  of 
  our 
  native 
  

   fauna 
  and 
  flora 
  to 
  see 
  if 
  the 
  resources 
  of 
  true 
  civilisation 
  cannot 
  

   avert 
  the 
  consequences 
  which, 
  even 
  as 
  we 
  write 
  — 
  alas 
  ! 
  — 
  are 
  in 
  

   operation. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Jolly 
  says 
  : 
  — 
  ' 
  All 
  went 
  well 
  with 
  the 
  feathered 
  clan 
  till 
  

   seven 
  years 
  ago' 
  — 
  i.e. 
  about 
  1872 
  (see 
  supra), 
  1 
  when 
  a 
  noble 
  lord, 
  

   filled 
  with 
  the 
  noble 
  thirst 
  for 
  slaughtering 
  our 
  wilder 
  innocents, 
  

   wantonly 
  shot 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  birds, 
  and 
  frightened 
  the 
  shyest 
  of 
  

   Eagles 
  from 
  the 
  home 
  of 
  his 
  ancestors. 
  The 
  nest 
  has 
  been 
  

   deserted 
  till 
  the 
  present 
  year, 
  when 
  a 
  pair 
  once 
  more 
  risked 
  

   their 
  lives 
  in 
  the 
  old 
  castle 
  tower.' 
  The 
  Scotsman 
  had 
  deprecated 
  

   this 
  act 
  as 
  wanton, 
  and 
  this 
  was 
  repeated 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Jolly, 
  but 
  a 
  

   little 
  1 
  humble 
  searching 
  after 
  truth,' 
  both 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Jolly 
  

   and 
  of 
  the 
  Scotsman, 
  would 
  probably 
  have 
  disclosed 
  the 
  fact, 
  that 
  

   the 
  act 
  was 
  not 
  premeditated, 
  but 
  perfectly 
  accidental 
  and 
  un- 
  

   intentional 
  ; 
  and 
  though 
  the 
  fact 
  might 
  be 
  deplored, 
  there 
  does 
  

   not 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  any 
  justification 
  whatever 
  for 
  the 
  severe 
  

   remarks 
  quoted 
  and 
  accentuated. 
  The 
  1 
  noble 
  lord 
  ' 
  was 
  the 
  

   late 
  Earl 
  of 
  Stamford, 
  and 
  we 
  consider 
  that 
  we 
  hold 
  the 
  best 
  

   authority 
  for 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  done 
  'entirely 
  by 
  mistake.' 
  

   Lord 
  Stamford 
  was 
  the 
  then 
  shooting-tenant 
  of 
  Rothiemurchus, 
  

   and 
  none 
  regretted 
  the 
  accident 
  more 
  than 
  himself. 
  A 
  bird 
  rising 
  

   from 
  a 
  deep 
  mountain 
  burn 
  overshadowed 
  by 
  trees, 
  and 
  fired 
  at 
  

   by 
  a 
  quick 
  snap 
  shot, 
  might 
  puzzle 
  any 
  one 
  to 
  identify 
  before 
  the 
  

   fatal 
  trigger 
  was 
  pulled. 
  1 
  

  

  On 
  a 
  blasted 
  pine 
  on 
  the 
  north-west 
  shore 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  small 
  

   loch, 
  which 
  is 
  close 
  to 
  Loch 
  an 
  Eilein, 
  the 
  Ospreys, 
  since 
  then, 
  

  

  1 
  Another 
  cause 
  for 
  the 
  gap 
  here 
  occurring 
  in 
  our 
  chronology 
  is 
  jx>pnlarly 
  believed 
  

   to 
  be 
  the 
  cutting 
  of 
  timber 
  both 
  at 
  Loch 
  an 
  Eilein 
  and 
  elsewhere, 
  ami 
  the 
  floating 
  

   of 
  the 
  same 
  away, 
  causing 
  continuous 
  disturbance 
  at 
  the 
  nesting 
  time. 
  But 
  in 
  this 
  

   connection 
  see 
  what 
  is 
  said 
  under 
  our 
  prefatory 
  remarks 
  to 
  Dunbar's 
  narrative, 
  

   antea, 
  p. 
  77, 
  which 
  no 
  doubt 
  places 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  the 
  timber-cutting 
  at 
  a 
  still 
  more 
  

   distant 
  date, 
  and 
  which 
  really 
  refers 
  only 
  to 
  a 
  temporary 
  desertion 
  of 
  the 
  hereditary 
  

   stronghold, 
  when 
  the 
  birds 
  repaired 
  to 
  a 
  tree 
  on 
  the 
  south-east 
  shore 
  of 
  Loch 
  liamhna, 
  

   which 
  tree 
  was 
  blown 
  down 
  about 
  1879. 
  

  

  