﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  97 
  

  

  at 
  one 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  rookery 
  at 
  the 
  other; 
  

   they 
  make 
  a 
  nice 
  noise 
  between 
  them 
  when 
  a 
  hawk 
  or 
  any 
  other 
  

   enemy 
  makes 
  his 
  appearance' 
  (A. 
  Ross, 
  in 
  lit. 
  13/ii/93). 
  

  

  South 
  of 
  the 
  Ness 
  they 
  were 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  considered 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  

   greater 
  abundance 
  than 
  they 
  are 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time. 
  Edward 
  

   says 
  : 
  — 
  { 
  Now 
  a 
  few 
  small 
  spots 
  where 
  they 
  breed, 
  but 
  which 
  

   hardly 
  deserve 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  heronries.' 
  The 
  Heron 
  is 
  however 
  

   still 
  common, 
  generally 
  dispersed, 
  and 
  resident. 
  The 
  O.S.A. 
  

   mentions 
  amongst 
  its 
  few 
  records, 
  Alvah 
  (L. 
  D.), 
  vol. 
  iv. 
  p. 
  393; 
  

   Kirkmichael, 
  Glen 
  Avon, 
  vol. 
  xii. 
  p. 
  450 
  ; 
  and 
  its 
  name 
  is 
  invari- 
  

   ably 
  included 
  in 
  all 
  local 
  lists. 
  

  

  In 
  Lord 
  Teignmouth's 
  Reminiscences 
  (vol. 
  i. 
  p. 
  305), 
  1 
  he 
  says 
  : 
  

   — 
  1 
  1 
  found 
  the 
  ancient 
  castle 
  of 
  Darnaway 
  in 
  Moray 
  tottering 
  in 
  

   the 
  estimate 
  of 
  superstitious 
  neighbours, 
  who 
  prognosticated 
  ill 
  as 
  

   the 
  consequence 
  of 
  the 
  seeming 
  departure 
  of 
  the 
  herons.' 
  In 
  1844 
  

   Dr. 
  Gordon 
  spoke 
  of 
  the 
  heronry 
  at 
  Findhorn 
  as 
  ' 
  now 
  deserted.' 
  

  

  Of 
  heronries 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  day, 
  we 
  may 
  mention 
  a 
  few. 
  On 
  

   the 
  Deveron 
  at 
  Turriff, 
  on 
  the 
  estate 
  of 
  Hatton, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  

   heronry 
  ; 
  and 
  when 
  the 
  young 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  fish 
  for 
  themselves, 
  

   many 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  along 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  in 
  July, 
  as 
  far 
  

   up 
  as 
  Rothiemay. 
  There 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  small 
  heronry 
  at 
  Leith 
  Hall, 
  

   Kennethmont. 
  

  

  On 
  Avon 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  heronry 
  below 
  Drumin, 
  which 
  is 
  

   protected 
  by 
  Sir 
  George 
  Macpherson 
  Grant. 
  The 
  birds 
  go 
  far 
  up 
  

   the 
  glen, 
  well 
  amongst 
  the 
  mountains. 
  

  

  In 
  Altyre 
  woods 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  heronry, 
  a 
  branch-remnant 
  

   of 
  the 
  once 
  famous 
  Findhorn 
  heronry, 
  2 
  which 
  has 
  shifted 
  ground. 
  

   Higher 
  up 
  the 
  Findhorn 
  is 
  another 
  containing 
  about 
  fifteen 
  pairs 
  

   of 
  birds, 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  Tomatin 
  House. 
  A 
  pair 
  bred 
  close 
  to 
  

   Sluggan 
  Bridge, 
  near 
  Carr 
  Bridge, 
  and 
  had 
  done 
  so 
  for 
  many 
  

   years 
  previous 
  to 
  1891, 
  and 
  many 
  other 
  single 
  pairs 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  

   found 
  breeding 
  in 
  the 
  district. 
  At 
  Tomvaich 
  plantation, 
  as 
  we 
  

   are 
  informed 
  by 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  G. 
  Thomson 
  (in 
  lit. 
  21st 
  April 
  1891), 
  a 
  

   heronry 
  has 
  existed 
  for 
  about 
  twenty 
  years, 
  and 
  now 
  consists 
  of 
  

  

  1 
  Reminiscences 
  of 
  Many 
  Years, 
  by 
  Lord 
  Teignmouth. 
  Edinburgh 
  : 
  David 
  

   Douglas, 
  1878. 
  

  

  2 
  St 
  John 
  remarks 
  that 
  the 
  Herons 
  were 
  leaving 
  this 
  heronry 
  in 
  1850, 
  and 
  in 
  

   1863 
  they 
  deserted 
  altogether, 
  mostly 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  robbery 
  of 
  their 
  eggs 
  by 
  

   Jackdaws. 
  This 
  heronry 
  would 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  formed 
  during 
  the 
  lifetime 
  of 
  

   the 
  grandfather 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  Sir 
  William 
  Gordon 
  Cumming. 
  

  

  VOL. 
  II. 
  n 
  

  

  