﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  107 
  

  

  A 
  remarkable 
  shot 
  was 
  made 
  near 
  Rothiemay 
  in 
  a 
  small 
  wood- 
  

   land 
  pool 
  of 
  water 
  greatly 
  frequented 
  by 
  Wild 
  Duck. 
  The 
  pool 
  

   is 
  in 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  wood, 
  and 
  is 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  

   wide 
  and 
  about 
  thirty 
  feet 
  long. 
  Twenty-two 
  were 
  shot 
  with 
  four 
  

   barrels, 
  one 
  day 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  1890-91. 
  This 
  shows 
  how 
  

   easily 
  a 
  duck-pond 
  can 
  be 
  formed 
  almost 
  everywhere 
  where 
  a 
  

   water-supply 
  can 
  be 
  obtained, 
  and 
  in 
  any 
  place 
  where 
  an 
  acre 
  

   of 
  ground 
  can 
  be 
  utilised, 
  which 
  possesses 
  sufficient 
  quiet 
  and 
  

   seclusion. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  unusually 
  early 
  season 
  of 
  1893 
  we 
  witnessed 
  a 
  deliberate 
  

   migration 
  of 
  a 
  family 
  party 
  of 
  Wild 
  Duck, 
  followed 
  by 
  a 
  party 
  of 
  

   Teal, 
  at 
  the 
  Upper 
  Cabrach. 
  Upon 
  the 
  28th 
  July, 
  when 
  fishing 
  

   the 
  Upper 
  Cabrach 
  burns, 
  we 
  saw 
  six 
  Wild 
  Duck 
  rise 
  suddenly 
  

   from 
  a 
  marshy 
  spot 
  — 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  river-course. 
  They 
  circleu 
  

   round, 
  rising 
  higher 
  and 
  higher 
  until 
  at 
  last 
  they 
  reached 
  a 
  

   sufficient 
  altitude. 
  They 
  then 
  took 
  a 
  bee-line 
  south-west 
  by 
  com- 
  

   pass, 
  and 
  we 
  watched 
  them 
  for 
  about 
  three 
  miles, 
  until, 
  still 
  head- 
  

   ing 
  over 
  towards 
  Glen 
  Livet, 
  they 
  disappeared 
  in 
  the 
  distance. 
  

   Before 
  they 
  disappeared 
  to 
  our 
  vision, 
  three 
  Teal, 
  which 
  we 
  had 
  

   seen 
  before 
  restlessly 
  flying 
  about, 
  followed 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  track, 
  

   and 
  these 
  too 
  we 
  watched 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  our 
  eyes 
  could 
  follow 
  them. 
  

   Previously 
  to 
  this 
  a 
  party 
  of 
  six 
  Dunlins 
  had 
  taken 
  the 
  same 
  

   course. 
  

  

  Chaulelasmus 
  streperus, 
  L. 
  Gadwall. 
  

  

  A 
  very 
  rare 
  visitant 
  to 
  any 
  part 
  of 
  our 
  area. 
  From 
  the 
  ledger 
  of 
  

   Small, 
  Edinburgh, 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  he 
  received 
  two 
  from 
  Moray- 
  

   shire 
  in 
  March 
  1859 
  ; 
  a 
  female 
  was 
  shot 
  near 
  Cromarty 
  in 
  January 
  

   1860, 
  and 
  was 
  sent 
  to 
  Dr. 
  A. 
  Smith 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Muirhead 
  of 
  Queen 
  

   Street, 
  Edinburgh 
  (Proc. 
  Edin. 
  Royal 
  Phys. 
  Soc.). 
  

  

  Another 
  was 
  seen 
  by 
  us 
  in 
  the 
  shop 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Freeman, 
  game- 
  

   dealer, 
  Inverness, 
  in 
  December 
  1892, 
  and 
  we 
  were 
  informed 
  that 
  

   it 
  came 
  from 
  Munlochy 
  in 
  the 
  Black 
  Isle. 
  

  

  Edward 
  speaks 
  of 
  it 
  as 
  a 
  great 
  rarity. 
  One, 
  a 
  female, 
  was 
  pro 
  

   cured 
  on 
  the 
  Deveron 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Leslie, 
  about 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  Shoveller 
  

   (q.v.) 
  was 
  picked 
  up, 
  and 
  was 
  the 
  only 
  one 
  known 
  to 
  Edward 
  at 
  

   that 
  time, 
  and 
  in 
  December 
  1893 
  one 
  was 
  shot 
  in 
  the 
  neighbour- 
  

   hood 
  of 
  the 
  Moray 
  Firth, 
  as 
  recorded 
  by 
  Rev. 
  II. 
  A. 
  Macpherson 
  

   (Zool., 
  voL 
  vii., 
  April 
  1893). 
  

  

  