﻿104 
  

  

  BIRDS. 
  

  

  meanings 
  of 
  place-names. 
  Amongst 
  the 
  latter 
  we 
  may 
  instance 
  

   Loch 
  Alvie 
  (S^ey) 
  = 
  Ealabhi= 
  Island 
  of 
  Swans 
  (N.S.A., 
  vol. 
  xiv. 
  

   p. 
  81); 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  1845 
  this 
  loch 
  is 
  spoken 
  of 
  as 
  being 
  

   still 
  frequented 
  every 
  year 
  during 
  spring 
  migration 
  by 
  Wild 
  Swans. 
  

   Wild 
  Swans 
  are 
  still 
  migrants 
  past 
  Loch 
  Spynie, 
  especially 
  during 
  

   severe 
  winters, 
  when 
  they 
  remain 
  longer, 
  though 
  St. 
  J 
  ohn 
  related 
  

   of 
  them 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  then 
  (when 
  he 
  wrote) 
  'rare 
  and 
  decreasing/ 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  O.S.A. 
  about 
  from 
  twelve 
  to 
  eighteen 
  rested 
  on 
  

   Loch 
  Spynie, 
  and 
  in 
  another 
  place 
  the 
  O.S.A. 
  says: 
  — 
  'Loch 
  Spynie 
  

   abounds 
  with 
  Swans.' 
  Again, 
  Swans 
  frequent 
  Loch 
  Insh 
  near 
  

   Kingussie 
  in 
  winter, 
  and 
  the 
  following 
  other 
  localities 
  are 
  quoted 
  : 
  — 
  

   Drainie 
  parish, 
  Elgin, 
  Kirkhill, 
  and 
  Rothiemurchus 
  and 
  Duthill. 
  

  

  Under 
  the 
  earlier 
  conditions 
  of 
  the 
  loch 
  of 
  Spynie, 
  of 
  course, 
  

   as 
  we 
  know, 
  wild-fowl 
  were 
  more 
  abundant. 
  We 
  have 
  thought 
  it 
  

   sufficiently 
  interesting 
  to 
  illustrate 
  our 
  volumes 
  with 
  a 
  cutting 
  

   from 
  an 
  old 
  map 
  of 
  Moray, 
  which 
  shows 
  the 
  area 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  

   covered 
  by 
  the 
  loch. 
  

  

  Brown 
  of 
  Forres 
  writes 
  us 
  under 
  date 
  of 
  10th 
  February 
  1893 
  : 
  

   — 
  1 
  A 
  large 
  flock 
  of 
  Swans, 
  all 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  wild 
  — 
  thirty- 
  three 
  

   in 
  number 
  — 
  alighted 
  to 
  drink 
  at 
  the 
  loch 
  of 
  Hatten 
  in 
  the 
  parish 
  

   of 
  Kinloss, 
  near 
  Findhorn. 
  They 
  were 
  on 
  migration, 
  and 
  flying 
  

   north-west. 
  Two 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  shot 
  at 
  the 
  loch 
  by 
  a 
  rabbit- 
  

   trapper. 
  One 
  of 
  these 
  examined 
  by 
  me 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  female 
  

   Whooper 
  in 
  excellent 
  plumage 
  and 
  condition. 
  The 
  pack 
  appeared 
  

   to 
  be 
  composed 
  of 
  old 
  and 
  young 
  birds. 
  The 
  date 
  of 
  their 
  appear- 
  

   ance 
  would 
  be 
  about 
  the 
  20th 
  January 
  1893.' 
  1 
  

  

  Cygnus 
  olor 
  (Gmell). 
  Mute 
  Swan. 
  

  

  This 
  bird 
  lives 
  in 
  a 
  semi-domesticated 
  state 
  in 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  localities 
  in 
  

   Sutherlandshire, 
  where 
  they 
  were 
  placed 
  by 
  the 
  late 
  Duke, 
  2 
  and 
  

  

  1 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  unnecessary 
  to 
  record 
  so 
  minutely 
  appearances 
  of 
  Swans, 
  

   or 
  particulars 
  of 
  Swan 
  haunts 
  — 
  as 
  Wild 
  Swans, 
  a.d. 
  1893— 
  are 
  not 
  such 
  very 
  un- 
  

   usually 
  scarce 
  birds. 
  We 
  have, 
  however, 
  already 
  pointed 
  out, 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  by 
  the 
  

   judgment 
  of 
  present-day 
  naturalists 
  or 
  observers 
  that 
  the 
  values 
  of 
  these 
  present- 
  

   day 
  records 
  ought 
  to 
  be 
  valuated, 
  but 
  by 
  observers 
  and 
  naturalists 
  of 
  the 
  future. 
  

   We 
  repeat 
  it, 
  because 
  we 
  observe 
  there 
  are 
  some 
  authorities 
  who 
  call 
  such 
  particu- 
  

   lars 
  padding, 
  or 
  designate 
  them 
  as 
  unnecessary. 
  We 
  cannot 
  think 
  they 
  are 
  unneces- 
  

   sary, 
  because 
  even 
  what 
  ' 
  everybody 
  ' 
  knows, 
  unless 
  recorded 
  at 
  the 
  time, 
  becomes 
  

   utterly 
  'amongst 
  the 
  things 
  that 
  were,' 
  so 
  utterly 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  quite 
  lost 
  sight 
  of 
  or, 
  

   otherwise, 
  distorted. 
  

  

  2 
  Fauna 
  of 
  Sutherland 
  and 
  Caithness, 
  p. 
  186. 
  

  

  