﻿100 
  

  

  BIRDS. 
  

  

  Ross-shire, 
  and 
  took 
  the 
  bird 
  with 
  him, 
  and 
  I 
  tried 
  to 
  get 
  the 
  

   bird 
  afterwards, 
  but 
  failed.' 
  

  

  Family 
  IB1DJE. 
  

   [Plegadis 
  falcinellus 
  (L.). 
  Glossy 
  Ibis. 
  

  

  Edward 
  claims 
  to 
  have 
  seen 
  three 
  one 
  day, 
  but 
  did 
  not 
  get 
  a 
  shot 
  

   at 
  them.] 
  

  

  Family 
  PLATALEIDJE. 
  

   [Platalea 
  leucorodia, 
  L. 
  Spoonbill. 
  

  

  Edward 
  gives 
  place 
  to 
  it 
  thus 
  : 
  — 
  ' 
  One 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  ditch 
  in 
  a 
  wood 
  

   near 
  Banff 
  by 
  a 
  young 
  naturalist.' 
  Edward 
  adds 
  : 
  — 
  1 
  It 
  has 
  since 
  

   been 
  found 
  in 
  this 
  neighbourhood.' 
  Would 
  it 
  be 
  too 
  severe 
  to 
  

   make 
  the 
  suggestion 
  that 
  the 
  subsequent 
  birds 
  appeared 
  — 
  'pour 
  

   encourager 
  les 
  autres 
  naturalistes 
  jeunes.' 
  (The 
  italics 
  are 
  ours.)] 
  

  

  Order 
  ANSERES. 
  

   Family 
  ANATIDJE. 
  

  

  Wild 
  Geese. 
  

  

  The 
  O.S.A. 
  mentions 
  'Wild 
  Geese' 
  only 
  at 
  Kirkhill, 
  N.W. 
  Dr. 
  

   J. 
  0. 
  Wilson 
  records 
  flocks 
  of 
  wild 
  geese 
  as 
  passing 
  Huntly 
  

   in 
  spring, 
  but 
  not 
  so 
  plentifully 
  of 
  late 
  years. 
  The 
  Invergordon 
  

   Times 
  says 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  shop 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Hugh 
  Munro, 
  a 
  merchant 
  

   in 
  Alness, 
  there 
  were 
  on 
  Monday 
  last 
  (date 
  December 
  1881) 
  no 
  

   less 
  than 
  three 
  hundred 
  wild 
  geese, 
  the 
  bulk 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  shot 
  

   by 
  Captain 
  Spicer. 
  It 
  is 
  added 
  that 
  Captain 
  Spicer 
  had 
  been 
  

   successful 
  in 
  taking 
  down 
  fifty-six 
  geese 
  with 
  one 
  shot. 
  

  

  When 
  St. 
  John 
  wrote, 
  previous 
  to 
  1853, 
  all 
  wild 
  fowl, 
  and 
  

   perhaps 
  more 
  especially 
  grey 
  geese, 
  were 
  far 
  more 
  plentiful 
  than 
  

   they 
  are 
  now, 
  so 
  that 
  when 
  we 
  quote 
  him 
  his 
  words 
  must 
  be 
  

   understood 
  to 
  refer 
  to 
  that 
  period. 
  Since 
  then, 
  the 
  more 
  general 
  

   use 
  of 
  fire-arms, 
  and 
  the 
  greater 
  extent 
  of 
  ground 
  taken 
  in 
  for 
  

   cultivation 
  or 
  planting, 
  have 
  very 
  much 
  altered 
  all 
  this, 
  so 
  that 
  

   these 
  birds 
  are 
  much 
  rarer 
  than 
  formerly, 
  and 
  rank 
  more 
  as 
  

   passing 
  migrants 
  than 
  they 
  did 
  then. 
  

  

  A 
  very 
  large 
  flock 
  of 
  wild 
  geese 
  passed 
  Forres 
  upon 
  20th 
  April 
  

   1895, 
  flying 
  north-west; 
  they 
  numbered 
  about 
  two 
  hundred 
  

   (Brown, 
  in 
  lit. 
  H/v/95). 
  

  

  Chenalopex 
  aegyptiaca 
  (Gmel). 
  Egyptian 
  Goose. 
  

  

  Obs. 
  — 
  Edward 
  mentions 
  it, 
  but 
  if 
  correct 
  probably 
  only 
  an 
  escape.] 
  

  

  