﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  but 
  both 
  it 
  and 
  the 
  hen, 
  after 
  a 
  few 
  days, 
  left 
  the 
  nest, 
  and 
  occupied 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  alternative 
  sites, 
  and 
  there 
  succeeded 
  in 
  rearing 
  a 
  brood 
  

   of 
  three 
  young 
  birds.' 
  Mr. 
  Grant 
  adds 
  : 
  — 
  ' 
  They 
  built 
  again 
  at 
  the 
  

   same 
  place 
  in 
  1890, 
  but 
  have 
  made 
  no 
  determined 
  attempts 
  to 
  return 
  

   to 
  Loch 
  an 
  Eilean, 
  though 
  they 
  have 
  several 
  times 
  been 
  observed 
  

   there 
  fishing. 
  The 
  story 
  is 
  a 
  little 
  involved, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  

   able 
  to 
  get 
  at 
  any 
  real 
  facts 
  beyond 
  these 
  I 
  have 
  mentioned. 
  

  

  1 
  Lord 
  Winchelsea, 
  who 
  is 
  a 
  naturalist, 
  told 
  me 
  that 
  he 
  thought 
  

   it 
  possible 
  that 
  the 
  fish-bones 
  and 
  offal 
  might 
  have 
  made 
  the 
  old 
  

   nest 
  in 
  the 
  castle 
  unpleasant 
  for 
  the 
  birds, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  breed- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  vermin. 
  The 
  nest 
  is 
  of 
  very 
  old 
  construction, 
  and 
  this 
  may 
  

   be 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  its 
  being 
  deserted. 
  1 
  

  

  'About 
  seven 
  years 
  ago 
  the 
  nest 
  was 
  deserted 
  for 
  three 
  

   years 
  or 
  so. 
  I 
  hope 
  the 
  birds 
  may 
  now 
  again 
  build 
  in 
  the 
  castle 
  

   next 
  year, 
  but 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  get 
  much 
  encouragement, 
  I 
  fear. 
  There 
  

   is 
  an 
  annually 
  increasing 
  body 
  of 
  tourists, 
  who 
  visit 
  the 
  loch 
  and 
  

   district, 
  the 
  solitude 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  birds 
  like. 
  One 
  was 
  shot, 
  I 
  

   believe 
  entirely 
  by 
  mistake, 
  by 
  the 
  late 
  Earl 
  of 
  Stamford, 
  who 
  

   was 
  the 
  shooting-tenant 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  — 
  about 
  ten 
  years 
  ago 
  — 
  say 
  

   1879, 
  q.v. 
  — 
  but 
  am 
  not 
  sure. 
  The 
  taking 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  has 
  been 
  

   done 
  to 
  my 
  knowledge, 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  all 
  possible 
  precaution. 
  

  

  1 
  No 
  boat 
  is 
  allowed 
  on 
  the 
  loch, 
  except 
  one, 
  which 
  cannot 
  be 
  

   used 
  without 
  my 
  father's 
  consent, 
  and 
  along 
  with 
  a 
  trustworthy 
  

   man. 
  We 
  should 
  be 
  very 
  glad 
  to 
  see 
  these 
  noble 
  birds 
  back. 
  

   There 
  is 
  a 
  curious 
  old 
  local 
  tradition, 
  which 
  predicts 
  that 
  the 
  

   Grants 
  will 
  cease 
  to 
  possess 
  Rothiemurchus 
  when 
  the 
  Ospreys 
  

   cease 
  to 
  build 
  on 
  Loch 
  an 
  Eilean 
  castle.' 
  

  

  In 
  1889, 
  William 
  Evans, 
  when 
  residing 
  at 
  Kincraig, 
  saw 
  both 
  

   birds 
  fishing 
  in 
  Loch 
  Insh, 
  and 
  they 
  were 
  also 
  frequenting 
  Loch 
  

   an 
  Eilein, 
  but 
  he 
  was 
  told 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  breeding 
  at 
  another 
  

   small 
  loch, 
  upon 
  a 
  fir-tree 
  on 
  an 
  islet. 
  This 
  was 
  incorrect, 
  or 
  

   purposely 
  intended 
  to 
  mislead 
  ; 
  and, 
  all 
  the 
  circumstances 
  being 
  

   considered, 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  blame 
  the 
  endeavour 
  to 
  conceal 
  the 
  true 
  

   site, 
  his 
  informant 
  not 
  knowing 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  that 
  his 
  information 
  

   would 
  have 
  been 
  perfectly 
  safe 
  with 
  that 
  gentleman. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  

   several 
  alternative 
  sites 
  that 
  year 
  was 
  chosen, 
  but 
  the 
  money 
  of 
  

   the 
  tempter 
  and 
  the 
  local 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  tempted 
  again 
  proved 
  

   too 
  much 
  for 
  the 
  poor 
  birds, 
  the 
  sum 
  offered 
  and 
  taken 
  having 
  

   1 
  In 
  this 
  opinion 
  we 
  cannot 
  coincide. 
  

  

  