﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  87 
  

  

  egg-shell 
  collector. 
  Previously 
  to 
  that 
  date 
  the 
  birds 
  had 
  been 
  as 
  

   carefully 
  preserved 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  believed 
  possible 
  by 
  the 
  late 
  pro- 
  

   prietor, 
  Sir 
  John 
  Peter 
  Grant, 
  who 
  died 
  in 
  1892. 
  

  

  In 
  1888 
  three 
  old 
  birds 
  appeared 
  at 
  Loch 
  an 
  Eilein, 
  and 
  a 
  

   fierce 
  battle 
  between 
  two 
  of 
  them 
  resulted 
  in 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  one 
  — 
  

   a 
  female 
  — 
  as 
  we 
  will 
  immediately 
  relate 
  from 
  the 
  testimony 
  of 
  an 
  

   eye-witness 
  of 
  the 
  fight. 
  There 
  were 
  no 
  eggs 
  laid 
  there 
  that 
  

   year, 
  but 
  the 
  surviving 
  birds 
  shifted 
  to 
  another 
  loch 
  in 
  the 
  neigh- 
  

   bourhood 
  and 
  succeeded 
  in 
  rearing 
  three 
  young. 
  We 
  were 
  told 
  

   by 
  a 
  trustworthy 
  correspondent, 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  this 
  same 
  

   alternative 
  locality, 
  that 
  until 
  of 
  quite 
  recent 
  years 
  (prior 
  to 
  

   1890) 
  Ospreys 
  had 
  bred 
  there, 
  but 
  the 
  nest 
  was 
  so 
  constantly 
  

   robbed 
  that 
  the 
  birds 
  deserted; 
  as 
  we 
  will 
  shortly 
  see 
  was 
  the 
  

   case 
  in 
  the 
  years 
  1887, 
  1889, 
  and 
  1892. 
  Now, 
  we 
  believe 
  that 
  

   we 
  know 
  where 
  the 
  eggs 
  taken 
  during 
  these 
  years 
  went 
  to, 
  and 
  

   who 
  took 
  them, 
  and, 
  in 
  one 
  case 
  at 
  least, 
  we 
  may 
  be 
  thankful 
  

   that 
  not 
  only 
  the 
  eggs, 
  but 
  also 
  the 
  whole 
  nest 
  and 
  both 
  birds 
  

   were 
  not 
  annexed 
  also 
  ! 
  

  

  In 
  reply 
  to 
  inquiries 
  addressed 
  direct 
  to 
  Sir 
  John 
  Peter 
  Grant, 
  

   his 
  younger 
  son, 
  Mr. 
  Charles 
  Grant, 
  wrote 
  to 
  us 
  as 
  follows 
  in 
  

  

  1892: 
  — 
  'I 
  went 
  to 
  t 
  l 
  who 
  saw 
  the 
  affair, 
  and 
  send 
  you 
  the 
  

  

  substance 
  of 
  his 
  account. 
  

  

  * 
  About 
  3 
  p.m. 
  on 
  the 
  7th 
  April 
  1888, 
  he 
  observed 
  two 
  Ospreys 
  

   fighting 
  desperately, 
  near 
  the 
  castle, 
  whereon 
  the 
  nest 
  is 
  built. 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  

   They 
  were 
  fighting 
  for 
  possession 
  of 
  the 
  nest. 
  After 
  a 
  combat 
  of 
  

   two 
  hours, 
  2 
  one 
  bird 
  succeeded 
  in 
  holding 
  the 
  other 
  under 
  water 
  

   until 
  it 
  was 
  drowned. 
  My 
  informant 
  marked 
  the 
  spot 
  on 
  the 
  

   shore, 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  dead 
  bird 
  was 
  floating, 
  and 
  brought 
  it 
  to 
  my 
  

   father, 
  who 
  had 
  it 
  stuffed, 
  and 
  it 
  — 
  a 
  female 
  — 
  is 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  hall 
  at 
  

   The 
  Doune. 
  

  

  1 
  In 
  the 
  evening 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  day 
  a 
  male 
  bird 
  arrived, 
  supposed 
  

   to 
  be 
  the 
  mate 
  of 
  the 
  conquering 
  hero 
  ; 
  and 
  next 
  day 
  a 
  second 
  

   male 
  bird, 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  mate 
  of 
  the 
  dead 
  bird, 
  arrived 
  on 
  the 
  

   scene. 
  The 
  two 
  males 
  fought 
  furiously 
  also, 
  but 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  

   contest 
  was 
  not 
  observed. 
  One 
  bird 
  returned 
  to 
  Loch 
  an 
  Kilean, 
  

  

  1 
  This 
  refers 
  to 
  one 
  William 
  Grant, 
  a 
  tailor, 
  who 
  witnessed 
  the 
  encounter, 
  and 
  

   who 
  is 
  since 
  deceased. 
  

  

  3 
  From 
  another 
  account, 
  substantially 
  the 
  same, 
  it 
  would 
  appear 
  the 
  tight 
  had 
  

   been 
  spread 
  over 
  several 
  days. 
  

  

  