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  BIRDS. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  the 
  Goosander 
  breeds 
  commonly 
  in 
  places 
  

   lying 
  north 
  of 
  and 
  running 
  up 
  from 
  the 
  Great 
  Glen, 
  though, 
  like 
  

   the 
  Eed-breasted 
  Merganser 
  farther 
  north, 
  it 
  is 
  systematically 
  

   destroyed. 
  Hollow 
  trees 
  not 
  being 
  available, 
  they 
  make 
  their 
  

   nests 
  in 
  hollows 
  at 
  or 
  under 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  the 
  trees. 
  St. 
  John 
  

   says 
  that 
  the 
  Goosander 
  is 
  a 
  common 
  bird, 
  and 
  breeds 
  in 
  the 
  

   north 
  of 
  Scotland 
  ; 
  he 
  however 
  gives 
  no 
  mention 
  of 
  actually 
  find- 
  

   ing 
  a 
  nest. 
  Donald 
  Gillies, 
  before 
  referred 
  to, 
  says 
  he 
  remembers 
  

   the 
  Goosander 
  quite 
  well 
  as 
  a 
  winter 
  visitant 
  to 
  Invergarry, 
  but 
  

   that 
  it 
  certainly 
  did 
  not 
  breed 
  there 
  when 
  he 
  was 
  a 
  young 
  man 
  — 
  

   i.e. 
  about 
  forty 
  to 
  fifty 
  years 
  ago 
  (1830 
  to 
  1840). 
  

  

  Later 
  information 
  goes 
  to 
  prove 
  that 
  these 
  birds 
  are 
  kept 
  down 
  

   in 
  some 
  places 
  from 
  incessant 
  persecution 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  and 
  

   breeding 
  season, 
  and 
  our 
  request 
  for 
  a 
  nest 
  in 
  one 
  district 
  was 
  

   met 
  by 
  the 
  answer 
  that 
  none 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  got, 
  though, 
  later, 
  one 
  

   brood 
  was 
  seen. 
  

  

  South 
  of 
  the 
  Ness 
  Edward 
  reckoned 
  it 
  as 
  a 
  winter 
  visitant. 
  

   As 
  many 
  as 
  seven 
  or 
  eight 
  had 
  been 
  procured 
  at 
  one 
  shot 
  on 
  the 
  

   Deveron. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  specimen 
  in 
  the 
  Banff 
  Museum. 
  

  

  The 
  species 
  is 
  very 
  abundant 
  in 
  winter, 
  remaining 
  some 
  seasons 
  

   late 
  — 
  or, 
  otherwise, 
  remaining 
  later 
  and 
  later 
  — 
  in 
  spring. 
  The 
  

   latest 
  instances 
  noticed 
  during 
  three 
  years 
  by 
  Harvie-Brown 
  upon 
  

   the 
  Lower 
  Deveron 
  occurred 
  in 
  April 
  1891, 
  and 
  this 
  was 
  remarked 
  

   also 
  by 
  keepers 
  and 
  others. 
  Harvie-Brown 
  saw 
  a 
  dozen 
  on 
  April 
  

   15th; 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  every 
  day 
  after 
  till 
  24th 
  April, 
  but 
  after 
  that, 
  

   none. 
  — 
  Harvie-Brown 
  was 
  there 
  until 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  May. 
  — 
  We 
  know 
  

   of 
  their 
  increase 
  and 
  breeding 
  of 
  late 
  years 
  in 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  Moray, 
  

   on 
  Findhorn. 
  Goosanders, 
  however, 
  are 
  rarer 
  on 
  Deveron 
  above 
  

   Eothiemay, 
  and 
  they 
  seem 
  to 
  confine 
  themselves 
  greatly 
  to 
  the 
  

   lowest 
  reaches 
  of 
  Lower 
  Deveron. 
  If 
  they 
  are 
  spreading 
  east- 
  

   wards, 
  then 
  they 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  following 
  the 
  lower 
  grounds 
  and 
  

   larger 
  reaches 
  of 
  the 
  rivers 
  near 
  the 
  coast. 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  0. 
  Wilson, 
  

   writing 
  in 
  1888, 
  says: 
  — 
  'it 
  is 
  occasionally 
  seen 
  in 
  winter 
  around 
  

   Huntly.' 
  

  

  Although 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  perhaps 
  advisable 
  to 
  go 
  into 
  details 
  regard- 
  

   ing 
  a 
  species 
  as 
  breeding 
  or 
  distributed 
  in 
  localities 
  beyond 
  the 
  

   limits 
  of 
  our 
  area 
  under 
  discussion, 
  still, 
  as 
  a 
  side-light, 
  we 
  think 
  

   it 
  only 
  right 
  and 
  interesting 
  to 
  refer 
  to 
  the 
  earliest 
  recorded 
  nest 
  

   which 
  was 
  found 
  close 
  to 
  our 
  boundaries, 
  viz., 
  the 
  eggs 
  obtained 
  

  

  